Gas Springs for Lids....A little to Much Power !

[Rackman]

Check this out...This happened on my one year old Champ....From day one the center tackle storage compartment lid seemed like it had to much up force....Well the other day it snapped both welded angle brackets clean off the lid....

I don't get why a smaller lid would have 2 each 30 lb. gas springs and a rod locker that is twice the size would only have one 30 lb. spring ?

Waiting for Champion to tell me how they are going to resolve this ?




Modified by Rackman at 4:36 PM 4/9/2009


Modified by Rackman at 4:36 PM 4/9/2009

[rwells]

Rackman,
That's just crazy! Sorry you are having issues...who is going to take care of it in the valley?

[Lea]

Champion WILL respond.

How long has it been since you contacted them, Dan? They are usually pretty quick to answer...

[Rackman]

Open Throttle Marine is helping me out on this issue.....They seem like good people...They contacted Champion on Monday...so we should be hearing back from them very soon....I think they will just send me out a complete new lid...

Dan

[Lea]

Cool!!!! Open Throttle is a great dealership. Glad you are getting resolution!!!

[csmetreyeon]

Yeah mine goes up pretty quick some times never thought that would happen thought figured my hinges would give way first!

[bled1]

Glad my 171 has only one!

[dstacey]

Looking forward to hearing how this is resolved. My 183 center storage only has one spring on it but it opens with too much force. I figure it needs a lighter spring on it but I don't even know whats on it now. Let us know what they say.

[bled1]

I put the gas spring from Autozone on my center storage today. The original wouldn't hold the lid up, the new one works like a charm for $14!

[Rackman]

Well...it's been two weeks and my dealer still hasn't heard back from Champion on what they are going to do about this issue....Really frustrating....Anyone got any pull at the factory?....Lea?

[Rackman]

Still waiting....what going on with their customer service...this is ridiculous!

[csmetreyeon]

Did you talk to Jeff harthung if not thats who you need!!!!

[iron banks]

E-mail them this thread. That might get someones attention. It should not take weeks for a response on this type of issue. It is not like they need to decide whether to replace your hull

[Rackman]

Man this place gets real quiet when the CHAMP sevice is below par!

I'm a Champ lover and have been for many years.....But IMHO, everything about the company has changed....the quality of my 08 200 Elite is not even in the same league as my 99 was.....I have so many fit & finish issues its not even funny!....Now it takes almost 3-weeks for them to respond on a minor problem......for $50K one should be receiving "beamer" quality & service!

First time ever that I'm starting to regret buying a Champ!.....Not too mention the absolute complete nightmare that I went through when I ordered the boat....3 different dealers (of which one ran off with my deposit) then had to purchase the boat from an out of state dealer.....I'm fed up all over again!

Btw, they did respond today....and said they would ship out a new lid in the next couple weeks.....AARGH!

[dukhntr]

That sucks. If I were you, I'd take this matter into my own hands and contact Champion. I had a minor issue when I broke a livewell open/close valve. They asked for the VIN and I had a brand new one on my door free of charge 3 days later. Call them and talk to them for yourself and I bet you'll get better CS. Good luck.

[Lea]

Sorry, Dan....I don't have computer access like I did. At officce, we have been restricted and at home, I have serious phone line issues...4 repair calls in this week alone.

Call customer service yourself. Don't understand why it will take a couple of weeks....Sorry your dealer has not pushed it for you!!! 615-494-2090. Explain that you tried to work thru your dealer....

[Champion Bob]

To prevent this from happening again you can do what I did ... I mounted and easy view tackle system to the underside of my lid and now store 40 lbs of plastics on it. Should balance out the overly strong gas shocks nicely!

[Bassin Bob71]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Rackman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I'm a Champ lover and have been for many years.....But IMHO, everything about the company has changed....the quality of my 08 200 Elite is not even in the same league as my 99 was.....I have so many fit & finish issues its not even funny!....
</TD></TR></TABLE>

That really suprises me.......the fit and finish of my '08 is much better than my 2000 was. The lids fit alot tighter (and no its not the new carpet) and it feels much more solid. Where I can really tell it is when I step down from the back deck to the floor - its like stepping on concrete its so solid. Everybody builds a lemon and maybe you got one - I hope not! I'd be upset if I was in your shoes, but I would try to stay calm, but firm with calls directly to Champion until I was satisfied. Based on their customer satisfaction numbers, I do believe they will take care of you. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

BTW, I've seen the pix of your rig in pinned topic and the top of the page..........that is one sweet ride

Bob