talimba

Many thanks Geoff, I'll see if I can find one local to look at. Stan

Thank you Harold for the information and support, I trust it will lead to owners here in Australia getting the support they paid for, and hopefully see Tohatsu grow to the benefit of all who have their product. Up to Tohatsu now.

Not worried on colour or mono. Looking for best separation and definition in bay/inshore reef. I haven't used colour so don't know how the new lower priced units compare to better monos. Appreciate expierence/ suggestions. I currently use a Garmin Hand held GPS in conjunction with my x65 sounder. Speed and distance on sounder saves using two devices if I am not looking for a particular spot. Thanks Stan

I know the subject of Depth sounders /ish finders comes up every now and then, but would appreciate suggestions as to which may suit my needs best. I fish mainly in the bays.... from .5 mtr banks to about 35 mtr reef. Not likely to go deeper than 45 mtr. Budget about $400 or so. Need speed and temp. Have a X65 now but looking to update with something that will give the best definition in my working depths. Pix rate is top of my list but most sounders advertise features for depth which I dont need, more definition. Appreciate suggestions. Stan

Hey Bisso Your saga has been going so long I may have missed it somewhere in the past thread. At any time since the problem started has anyone from Tohatsu Support in (Australia or otherwise) ever examined your motor to identify the problem. I don't mean the Dealer, but Tohatsu product support? Dealers are assigned as Agents by a Manufacturer or importer to represent the Manufacturer and provide Service to their customers. If they are able/qualifyed to do so and the level of training they recieve is in the hands of those who allocate them the agency. Once the problem is beyond their level of expertise is it not the responsibility of those further up the money/food chain to ensure that a problem is correctly/specificly identifyed and warranty or other provided to the manufacturers customers. Ie. "CUSTOMERS" those people who keep them in business by buying and promoting their product. Hense the question "has Product support ever examined and given a detailed report on your motor" Not a dealer who may or may not have the tools, training or inclination to do so correctly? By the way my motors came with the same type of stickers as yours re clearing any type of debris obstructing the water intake. All the best Stan

Hey Bisso Couldn't agree more. There are a lot of fisho's out there who are in the same boat (so to speak) who have and will loose money because of lack of support, not to mention the GOOD dealers who do their damdest for us but get no help from Tohatsu. Sad thing is I still think they are a good motor. If there had been support and basic test/diagnostic tools available to my Dealer when I first had problems with the TLDI model A, instead of my boat sitting in his yard while the Management Computer was being sent to and from Japan to be reprogrammed instead of being done here on the motor, It would still be sitting on my boat . I would still be happily promoting Tohatsu motors. Instead 18 months of duckshoving and having my motor to and from the dealer, plus more cash and I had a TLDI model B. Another 18 months of trying to get support and eventually I find that some simple tests and a faulty oil pump replacement and the problem is resolved. ""If support/warranty was approved at 3 months old,I would still be accepting and promoting the product at the boat ramp. Yep I'm going to loose more money but I won't go through trying to get basic support again. I'd sell it as an anchor but it would be sure to drag. BOATING IS TO GET RID OF STRESS NOT CREATE IT. Re:- your comment about Manufacturers take note. A good examle is SUZUKI...it's not that many years ago that you wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. Lousy Support, parts and backup to the dealers and customers saw them all but vanish. Now with a new Distributer in Australia, and from what I hear great warranty, support and backup service coupled with good product... Look at them grow in numbers on boats everywhere. All the Glossy Adds in the world won't overcome negative word of mouth of Poor Support, Dud Warranty and lack of service. Hope your back on the water soon and the rebuild runs sweet for many years to come. Stan

Bisso My heart goes out to you and the family. I say I can relate as I have had 3 yrs of having to fight to get the simplest of things done (warranty) through Tohatsu in Australia. I have had Tohatsu before, no problems, Since 2002 I have had 3 Tohatsu 50 hp motors. FOOL I hear most say. As of last month I now have to agree. Tohatsu make a great product...... and there are some great Dealers. The best products will always have some fault be it a design flaw or a coponent failure. The real test of how good a product is, is how much ownership the PLANT takes for the fault and how quickly the problem is resolved with a minimum of impact on the customer. In Australia PRODUCT Support does not exist for Tohatsu customers (or dealers). If you own one pray you don't need warranty. If you will bear with me I will give you and others a idea of my dealings with Tohatsu in the past years (3 motors) Much you have been through, some it is too late to help you but may help others. In 2002 I bought a 50 hp carby model ..Great motor and still going great. After 6 months I sold it to a mate as the TLDI were getting established and I wanted to take advantage of the lower polution and fuel economy promised . The TLDI model a was everything it was advertised and more. 30% better on fuel start every time hot or cold, no oil smell and better power. A dream for the first 50 hrs. It developed a miss in lower reves. The Dealer was great. Tried everything he could. However when it came to support ... one answer came back ""only one we know of"" and it a 2 stroke Basicially accept it.. This from Australian Support. I didn't accept it. Why should anyone accept less than what they have paid for. I faxed and rang Tohatsu In Japan (numbers on warranty book) Within a week my fax had made it from Japan to Sydney and to my dealer. My EM computer was sent to Japan to be analised and reprogrammed. In the end we were being sent up to three EMC's at a time to try. Some were programed so badly the boat couldn't even leave the ramp. This was 18 months after the TLDI was released in Australia..... Australian Support didn't even have the basic tools to reprograme the management computers. Support never even came near the motor. Parts had to be shipped halfway around the world because basic tools were not available in Australia. More letters to Japan and finally just under two years old I was given the option to trade the motor or wait for a Plant Engineer to come out from Japan who would look at it. $1500 later I had a TLDI model B on my boat. Strangely I heard that the Plant Engineer visited many dealers in Qld and other states. My old motor I was told was reprogramed on the water by the P E and runs perfectly. Number 3 The model B started and ran perfectly ...however... unlike the model A the prop exhaust was dirty it had a two stroke smell and it used 30% more fuel...very little better than the carby model I had paid to upgrade from in the first place. Australian Support answer to the dealer was it will improve when it has done 100hrs. 12 mths later the dealership had changed hands. (over 100hrs) the problem was no better. Two services and 6months later we still could not get any direction or answers from Australian Support.( basicly if we ignor you , you will go away) Having tried for 18 months again to get warranty from Australia I again went to Japan. Within two weeks the dealer was advised that fuel and oil consumption tests would be done. The results showed the oil pump was putting 20% too much oil into the motor. Hense the poluted exhaust, smell and supprise supprise my fuel consumption is now close to that of the model A motor. ( I assume the fuel consumption relates to the fuel being less combustable when it has an excess of oil mixed) Bisso My problems have been minor compared to yours . The underlying cause is the same. We bought new motors to relax and enjoy fishing/boating with our families, with the expectation that they would preform to to the advertised standard and that problems not our own doing would be covered by warranty. In my case the problems I have had with both motors would have been minor acceptable hickups if (A) basic tools and test equipment was available in australia at the time. Programme the computer on the motor not in Japan ( Simple tests and a new oil pump could have saved 18months of hassels. Its sad, Tohatsu do make a good motor, but thousands of dollars to change motors and 3 years of having to go outside the country to force Lakeside to provide warranty....well my motor runs perfectly now but the sooner it falls off the back of my boat the better. TOHATSU ownes the Product they own the responsibility to have country and dealer support for your motors. If the dealers or support are not doing their job then Tohatsu have to change them or cease business. Anyone out there who has a problem with their Tohatsu that isnt getting resolved ...go to the Manufacturer they have no idea of the lack of warranty we get. Anyone thinking of buying one ...ask about to see what happens when things dont work. On dealers there are great ones...then there is the one who did the fuel and oil consumption test on my motor. Picture this ... A boat still strapped to a trailer...A 50hp Tohatsu motor with a load (test) prop doing 5500rpm. The boat is actually just floating. (with trailer attached) Lights and bearings are about 60cm under water. Trailer brake hitch and light connection are about 15cm under water. Oh yes it is still attached to the dealers ute....(his diff exhaust ect are also under water) I was told by those fishing nearby that two lots of two hours of testing were done on the boat ramp....The tide came in during testing. Bieleve it!!! I have the photo to show. And no the dealer did not think it was his responsibility to rectify damage to lights brakes or bearings. I hope the last bit at least shows that when you think you are up to your ears in berley... you can always count on some B###... to push your head out of sight. Hope it all works out for you Bisso