Ross Marine

[psneeld]

Please read the Lewmar warranty Peter posted. Lewmar does not wish to speak with you directly unless you are in England
“ Notice of a claim for service under this warranty shall be made promptly and in writing by the end user to the Lewmar outlet that supplied the product or to Lewmar Limited at Southmoor Lane, Havant,”

Obviously with me in South Carolina at present this would add additional expense and time. Lewmar has corporate offices in the US but again have been advised to go through FS first.

This is not currently unusual in my experience. I spec’d the outbound with RM. Their corporate offices and a service center is near my dirt dwelling in Massachusetts . I have gone there directly to exchange an vhf. I didn’t want to replace wiring and the remote in the cockpit. That radio was no longer made. They were most helpful

Returning to the current situation the installation was done at time of construction by a RM certified tech in mainland China. I ran into difficulties in Rodney Bay St. Lucia. RM advised me to not deal with them directly but rather Key electronics who were their local dealer.

Perhaps eventually I’ll get bumped up and deal directly with Lewmar. Suspect it will be the US division but to date I’m following the instructions given by others who are currently dealing with this situation.

I did read it....I read and reread almost everything I post on. Warranty info is often pages long, not a paragraph.

What out of here do you see helping you...I see a few things that were not posted before from Lewmar's "generic" warranty page (vs what may be included with the actual product)....

D- PROCEDURE
Notice of a claim for service under this warranty shall be made promptly and in writing by the end user to the Lewmar outlet that supplied the product or to Lewmar Limited at Southmoor Lane, Havant, Hampshire PO9 1JJ, England.

E- SEVERANCE CLAUSE
If any clause of this warranty is held by any court or other competent authority to be invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part, the validity of the remaining clauses of this warranty and the remainder of the clause in question shall not be affected.

F- OTHER RIGHTS
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other legal rights, which vary from state to state and country to country. In the case of European States a Consumer customer (as defined nationally) has legal rights under the applicable national law governing the sale of Consumer Goods; this Warranty does not affect those rights.

G- LAW
This warranty shall be governed by and read in accordance with the laws of England or the state or country in which the first end-user is domiciled at the time of purchase of the product.

H- DISPUTES
Any dispute arising under this warranty may, at the option of the end-user, be referred to alternative dispute resolution under the rules of the British Marine Federation or to the Courts of the State whose law shall govern the warranty or to the Courts of England and Wales.
The British Marine Federation may be contacted at Marine House, Thorpe Lea Road, Egham, England, TW20 8BF




Did the tech that just installed the new thruster speak to a Lewmar tech and have a case number assigned as you posted in posts #12 ans #18?

You did post this as well "Saga continues. Have been in contact with FS. They have contacted Lewmar. FS wants the case number that was opened with Lewmar before doing anything."

If so I rest my case. Frustrating, but that's the way it is and manufacturers don't like paying out for all the ancillary charges beyond the basic equipment, but sometimes they surprise us all and cover more than expected.

 

[BruceK]

I can see why you want to stay with Lewmar, but looking at post 31 above,"Other Rights", doesn`t USA have consumer protection laws that make the retailer/supplier(however innocent) and the manufacturer liable for defective goods. This thruster sounds like it was "dead in the box". Someone local must know.

 

[Hippocampus]

Bruce that’s what I’m hoping for. I believe in was “dead in the box” as you say. Believe it’s my interest to go through the various professionals involved. The local installer seems experienced and knowledgeable. FS has been responsive to date. Listening to his conversation with Lewmar tech support it seems he figured out the problem and he initiated the call to Lewmar. He did so to confirm his thinking was correct. Proof will be when he uninstalls the motor unit tomorrow and directly tests the thermal switch. I sent an email to FS yesterday asking for a new unit. I don’t want to spend the time diagnosing and repairing a defective unit. That would raise questions in my mind of future reliability. I believe I bought this device with the reasonable expectation it would be new and work properly right out of the box. Not that I was buying a repaired unit. I paid for new and working to my way of thinking so it’s not unreasonable to ask for an entirely new unit.
I’ve had no problems with Lewmar in the past and have used many of their products. They’ve given good service in extended use. Think they make good stuff in my experience. I continue to be hopeful having not had TTs experience in the past.

 

[twistedtree]

If you're bored you could google S Carolina's consumer protection and warranty laws. Those would override what Lewmar's warranty says.

 

[Hippocampus]

If you're bored you could google S Carolina's consumer protection and warranty laws. Those would override what Lewmar's warranty says.

Yes I’m bored and that’s a good idea. But still don’t know if it’s state of Washington (FS is in Seattle ) or SC that would be applicable. Any thoughts?

 

[mvweebles]

Yes I’m bored and that’s a good idea. But still don’t know if it’s state of Washington (FS is in Seattle ) or SC that would be applicable. Any thoughts?

In what jurisdiction was tax collected, if any?

Peter

 

[Hippocampus]

No taxes collected. But a good thought

 

[sunchaser]

H
EC Ruff out of Pompano Beach is a Lewmar service center. 954 577 2850. They may have parts you need, provided your on site mechanic has done a good job of trouble shooting.

 

[Hippocampus]

Finished troubleshooting. There are three circuits. One with massive wires to supply motor power. A second that gives power to a thermal switch inside the motor which is fused by an external 5amp blade fuse. A third (also externally fused) that supplies power to the controls. All fuses are new and good but the fuse holder for the thermal switch circuit was bad.

Given this is external to the motor and a cheap part will just replace the fuse holder and carry on north to home waters.

Joy, joy, joy. We can leave after putting the boat back together. Want to thank everyone (especially Peter) for their advice. Marsh Harbor figured out the defect which was something I wouldn’t have thought of by simply removing the holder from the circuit. Learned something. Don’t just look at fuses for integrity when continuity fails but also think about the holder even if it looks good. Other thing I learned is the spring loaded tubular fuse holders can be defective. Now will use blade fuses in low amperage applications. Also easier to find in any auto supply store.

 

[sunchaser]

So new Lewmar windlass was ok but non Lewmar parts were at fault?

 

[Hippocampus]

Thruster not windlass. Just an external fuse. Replaced both low amperage fuses at same rating but different style.

 

[sunchaser]

Oops, thruster yes.

A few years ago my Lewmar thruster needed some parts. They were received in two days without incident.

It would seem that the internet struck again castigating the wrong thing. I believe Lewmar deserves a social media apology.

 

[Hippocampus]

I never said anything to disparage Lewmar. I reached out to plan ahead when first told it was likely the internal thermal switch. In fact if you read back I said I’ve had good luck with Lewmar and their parts have served me well. Even pointed out I was hopeful I wouldn’t have TTs experience given my past good experience with them.

Feels funny to apologize to a company I didn’t disparage in fact said I’d wait it out. But have no issue if others didn’t take it that way. So I apologize to Lewmar given some thought I was disparaging them.

 

[twistedtree]

Yes I’m bored and that’s a good idea. But still don’t know if it’s state of Washington (FS is in Seattle ) or SC that would be applicable. Any thoughts?

Well, since you are bored, check both to see which is more favorable, then use that in your discussions with Lewmar. Venue won’t matter until legal action actually happens, and then it will be the first thing fought over. In the mean time it’s all saber ratting, so rattle with whatever saber is most favorable to you.

As an aside, I’d be curious which state is more consumer friendly. My guess would be Washington, but you never know….

 

[sunchaser]

Well, since you are bored, check both to see which is more favorable, then use that in your discussions with Lewmar. Venue won’t matter until legal action actually happens, and then it will be the first thing fought over. In the mean time it’s all saber ratting, so rattle with whatever saber is most favorable to you.

As an aside, I’d be curious which state is more consumer friendly. My guess would be Washington, but you never know….

Unless I'm missing something the Lewmar thruster as delivered was ok with the issue being a problematic non Lewmar exterior fuse block.

 

[twistedtree]

Unless I'm missing something the Lewmar thruster as delivered was ok with the issue being a problematic non Lewmar exterior fuse block.

Sorry, I wasn't fully caught up. Great news it was just a bad fuse holder.

 

[Hippocampus]

Left Marsh Harbor Boatworks yesterday. Did 90nm up the AICW. Was blowing 20s with higher gusts on starboard beam. 2 boats rafted behind us and 2 in front. There was no chance we could have gotten out of there without the thrusters even with using a spring. Also a 3 knot current on our bow which turned out to be helpful making steering more responsive at low speed.
Still all in all definitely pleased with the Lewmar thruster. Marsh Harbor ate the labor hours spent on diagnosing the bad fuse holder

 

[twistedtree]

Left Marsh Harbor Boatworks yesterday. Did 90nm up the AICW. Was blowing 20s with higher gusts on starboard beam. 2 boats rafted behind us and 2 in front. There was no chance we could have gotten out of there without the thrusters even with using a spring. Also a 3 knot current on our bow which turned out to be helpful making steering more responsive at low speed.
Still all in all definitely pleased with the Lewmar thruster. Marsh Harbor ate the labor hours spent on diagnosing the bad fuse holder

Sounds like a satisfactory outcome in the end. Glad you are underway again.