bombardier / johnyrude

[Frank Martin]

all this talk about 2 stroke vs 4 stroke whitch one will survive i think it all depends on the experience you dont buy a boat for the chalenge of dealing with problems i have been a omc dealer since 1957 and it has up till the last few years been fun! the whole family was into it when problems came up they where delt with in a light handed fair way we have been a honda dealer for a few years now and i like the way they resemble the old way omc was the new bomb seems to me to be heavy handed teling you one thing on the phone and when you send the papers in the come back in a intirely diferent way i dont want to let go of my beloved johnyrudes but these quotas and the customers that are unhapy are geting to be too much my dad fought in ww2 and didnt like the idea of the hondas but even he has been won over. My mesage to bombardiere is lightem up or go away, the product is beter but it still has to deticated to fun just as the boat and the boating industry is . there is room for both 4 stroke and two but if you want the market share back you have to earn it not dictate it with that big corporate heavy hand of yours !!!!

 

[sloopy]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

what are you saying?!?!? bombar.. makes great engines and trains and plains!

 

[Dhadley]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

You have to understand what is happening here. The EPA (driven by the environmentalists) has convinced the general public that 2 strokes are "dirty". Forget performance (that can go either way). Forget weight (on some boats it doesnt matter). Forget costs (manufacturing right thtu to retail). If the buying public perceives that 4 strokes are "cleaner" and thats what they want, thats what the OE's will build. <br /><br />We've all seen the direct comparisons and know they can be tainted. We've all seen that even when manufacturers compare their own 2 and 4 strokes, todays 2 stroke is very clean. Sometimes more so in certian RPM ranges. <br /><br />We also know that when these tests are made both motors are new. Most likely the 2 stroke will not become much "dirtier" than when produced but the 4 stroke will. What would happen if we test 2 motors that have 1500 hours on them? 2000? 3000?<br /><br />The bottom line is that the perception of the guy spending the bucks becomes our reality. Think about it: their perception becomes our reality.<br /><br />Bombardier is coming out with a 2 stroke that will blow you away. I, for one, hope it catches on.<br /><br />Good luck to us all!

 

[RICKRICK1]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

Dhadly is correct, those that have the most money drive the market, the rest of us take the leavings.

 

[clanton]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

A local dealer has a Bomb package with 225 injected engine, has set for about 4 months for warranty repairs to boat,and looks like the boat will be there for 2 more months.. Dealer was not selling dealer.

 

[MIKE F]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

I think OMC Frank is referring more to Bombardier's attitude, than their product. I heard/read somewhere that Bombardier is getting rid of the mom and pop type franchises OMC had in the past. They want dealers to be big volume, large parts inventory type operations.

 

[BillP]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

Sounds just like AMF in the 70s when they bought Harley Davidson. In that case they were heavy handed to the dealers and cheapened the product. The rest is history...Harley went back to the Davidson family and they salvaged the operation. I sure hope Bombardier isn't going that route.

 

[Frank Martin]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

Thanks MikeF you are corect i was talking about not only bomb atitude but the public atitude i cant type very good at all but this board is the greatest i just feel i must contribute as for the comparison with harley i hope bomb dont think they can pull that off especialy up here in the north the small mom and pop dealers here have seen many big mega dealers come and go over the years especialy when the economy is not doing well we have a good three month a year buisness and a decent 6 more 3 with next to nothing coming in but the taxes dont stop . hey bomb until we see johnson and evienrude tatoos on peoples arms you need to lighten up and forget about folowing in harleys footsteps

 

[clanton]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

My thoughts on this are that OMC had the dealer network and the makings of the best outboard engine in the world, and let it go down the drain. I have nothing to base this on, but I dont think the BOMB will ever bring it back to where it was, I hope I am wrong.

 

[DJ]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

Unfortunatley things can't be the way they were. OMC built simple engines that almost anyone could repair. Thus they built up a great empire.<br /><br />However, things changed, engines became more and more complex and some service providers put their heads in the sand and didn't keep up with the technology. The same is true wit auto dealers.<br /><br />Bombardier isn't going to let some dealers that refuse to become trained , offer adequate parts supplies or customer service ruin their chances at resurecting the Johnson/Evinrude names.<br /><br />The later entries into the outboard wars: Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda cherrypicked dealers and have much tougher franchise agreements.

 

[Frank Martin]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

djohns19 my personel experience with my distric service manager tells me bombardiere is more woried about a fresh coat of paint on the walls new floor tile than a master tech award every year since 1987 not to mention the hundreds of pissed off fitch customers that i have managed to apiese the last five or six years witch i am thankfull for most of them are now very loyal customers and your are rite about honda they came to me and made promises i thought where too good to to be true its been the best buisness decision i have made in years and all the promises so far have been rite there all tru these motors sell themselves . the honda people wanted a dealer that been around for atleast ten years and a comitment to service it been a real pleasure dealing with them quite the oposite situation with bombardiere more quotas and the only programs for sales rebate dont kick in to after 16 units not a level playing ground for the little guys mom and pop types like ourselves <br />it just dont seem to me they want to keep the same type of dealer network anymore . the big question is what the heck kind of dealer do they want? i agree about the ones with there head in the sand ignoring the new technology but i here they want to start a cd rom technition certification program what kind of tech. will come out of that? i dont think they realy care about top shelf technitions they will be like merc they will want you to buy a new motor every ten years or so . people up north here wont stand for that . any thank you for all your coments espicialy djohns19 thanks all!!

 

[denniz]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

Omc Frank, I agree our area service rep came in like Ross Perot with this look at our graphs ****. New attitudude, new motor, Bull****. I havent seen a ficht with 100 hours on it that doesnt have a hole thru the side of it. I have alot of customers with 2001 boats on there 3rd power head. I think, screw the engineers, screw(for lack of a better word) ficht!! Lets go back to buterfly chokes and coils. AMEN

 

[denniz]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

Omc Frank, now I have to buy a special palm piolt to work on these.... The lap top is not good any more. These are f..ing outboards for CHRIST sake. How much further will the go? I beleive in progress, but i dont beleive in spending alot more money for a motor that wont last 100 hours.

 

[Frank Martin]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

i must be very lucky but alot of our older fitch motors go way past 100 hours the new ones from bombardiere seem to be A LOT BETTER but i dont like the heavy handed attitude tward the little guys like us . i dont know how much more we can take as for the hand held this is just another exAmple of the bull crap they push on us first a laptop (WITCH WE BOUGHT) please call me stupid but with the programing the laptop can do anything a palm pilot can do ! they just dont want to rite the new programs? im with you give me a carburator any day **** give me eight on a V8 NO FRIGING PROBLEM .My bigest problem im just too dam loyay and i dont want to let go of my beloved johny/rudes .Thanks for your coments rod knocking hope your rod knocks only when you want it to !!!!

 

[seahorse5]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

I don't know what you are doing to your FICHTS, but my customers have theirs running well. Commercial fisherman, crabbers, and law enforcement all have well over 1000 hours on their 1999 and later motors. The 2002 Bombardier products run even better than the former OMC's did. I have one crabber with a 2001 250 FICHT with 1039 hrs on it and the only warranty claim was for the motor's trim switch.<br /><br />You do not need a Palm Pilot to service the 2002 and earlier motors. The laptop works fine and they even give you free updated software for the new motors.

 

[Frank Martin]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

thanks for your coments seahorse please read the whole string on this topic i would like to see these fitch motors do well beter than just about any one they are great motors ! i bought one for myself 90% of the problems i have encountered on these where from under qualified techs without the rite tools working on them the rest we all have been over and over what i am realy upset obout is my own feeling of being delt with by bombardier unfairly after being a loyal deticated dealer thru this all now to see these new policys witch at very least are creating a totaly unlevel playing field this will in time eliminate the small dealers ability to survive .whitch is my familys way of life

 

[denniz]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

Omc frank Id like to see this company pull out of it too. I hope there engines last, there working on new coolant flow to eliminte HOT SPOTS, leaner fuel etc. But were not the ones buying their engines the consumer is and I know alot of people who wont.They will have to give it time to prove themselves in our market and STOP hardnoseing dealers.

 

[clanton]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

There is a post on the hull truth about there book keeping. They may have money problems.

 

[Frank Martin]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

clayton ; found the web page cant find the post you where talking about do have any tips for finding specific post on that board?

 

[clanton]

Re: bombardier / johnyrude

I looked again and could not find it either, the post may have been removed.