2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

[reeldutch]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

so did you bring your motor to the dealer?
FMM??
or is the suzuki rep stopping bye at your house? to verify your problem?

i understand your frustration, you got to be patient im shure suzuki will help you out.
im shure they would like to see the problem.

keep us posted

ReelDutch

 

[beaufort bob]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

so did you bring your motor to the dealer?
FMM??
or is the suzuki rep stopping bye at your house? to verify your problem?

i understand your frustration, you got to be patient im shure suzuki will help you out.
im shure they would like to see the problem.

keep us posted

ReelDutch

OK, here's the latest.

FINALLY spoke with Suzuki Rep yesterday after being referred by the friendly folks at Fort Macon Marina in Atlantic Beach, NC (as referred by the friendly folks at Causeway Marina nearby. )

Turns out I was dealt with against Suzuki policy in getting my motor without the PDI (Bayracer Marine in Havelock, NC) Anyway, I'm supposed to meet with rep with the month to demonstrate my problems and he indicated he's bringing a new motor "just in case."

This is the kind of service I expected 6months ago, but my problems were never relayed to Suzuki properly by two "authorized dealers." To make a long story short, I'm REALLY hoping to get this resolved. I'll be glad to eat all my negative words about Suzuki if it is.

Just goes to show you that you absolutely NEED to have a good dealer with good relations with the factory rep!

Caveat Emptor and all that stuff! Stay tuned!

Regards, BB

 

[lifeisfun]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

Did the rep indicate what will happen to the dealer ?
They sold many of these on eBay ( bigfishboats)
Also if you Google you won't find find any negative comments on that dealer ( I believe that the owner is John McKenna)

 

[beaufort bob]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

Did the rep indicate what will happen to the dealer ?
They sold many of these on eBay ( bigfishboats)
Also if you Google you won't find find any negative comments on that dealer ( I believe that the owner is John McKenna)

Hey lifeisfun!

Rep indicated most folks would not "witness" against such dealers. I will get more info (if Rep will share) when I get to meet with him, supposedly sometime this month.

They sold many of these on ebay? Are you saying bigfishboats is -they- and -they- is John McKenna ? I'll have to check all that out. And, yes, it is ( was ) JM and I've heard a few stories locally, but won't share as it is not something I know of first hand.

Regards, BB

 

[lifeisfun]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

Well, I just tried to dig out as much as possible on the net but I found only positive ....
Yes, bigfishboats that's the eBay ID they/him use.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

Any update on this thread?

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

My whole take on this issue is pretty simple

Dealer sold you engine without proper paper work
Dealer does this all the time since very little need for warrenty work.
YOU had an issue and Dealer tried to fix it out of there own pocket WITHOUT contacting Suzuki since paper work wasn't done properly.

 

[lifeisfun]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

I'm also waiting for update ....

 

[beaufort bob]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

I'm also waiting for update ....

OK, here it is, and DON'T say I haven't been patient!

Thanks in advance to all (seriously) interested posters.

After patiently waiting for almost TWO months, I finally got another call from the local Suzuki rep who says I'm "penciled in" (my expression) for the week of April 9th. Staaaaaaaaaay tuned.

I'm hearing more and more that this may be related to the "stars" emissions rating for the industry... I don't personally think so, but who am I to question the eggsperts?!

It has been warm this winter and I've been out a few times. Still missing and vibrating though.

WORD TO THE WISE...TEST RUN ANYTHING YOU BUY BEFORE SIGNING ON THE DOTTED LINE. CAVEAT EMPTOR.... OHHHHH YEAH!

...regards and thanks to all, bb

...ps: I'll be the first to admit I'm wrong ...IF I'm wrong.

 

[lifeisfun]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

Call from the dealer where you bought it ?

 

[beaufort bob]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

Call from the dealer where you bought it ?

....no ....call from the Suzuki Factory Rep who I was referred to by the friendly folks at Fort Macon Marine in Atlantic Beach, NC.... (GREAT folks, they actually DO what they say they're gonna go and MORE!!!) Wish I'd bought my stooki from them as I believe they would have stood behind it from the "get-go."

....bb

 

[beaufort bob]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

Call from the dealer where you bought it ?

(I replied already to this but it seems to have disappeared...hmmm!)

...but, no, the call was from the Suzuki Rep out of Raleigh, NC who I was referred to by the friendly folks at Fort Macon Marine in Atlantic Beach, NC (so far, they have done what they say and MORE! ...and I didn't even buy the motor from them! ) ...anyway, the Suzuki Rep is to meet with me the week of the 9th of April ...staaay tuned....

.....bb

 

[beaufort bob]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

OK, "it ain't over 'til it's over" but here's the update. Suzuki guy Mark out of Raleigh met me today for a test run. Saw the vibration problem I was talking about. We tried another DF9.9 he brought with him and it was even worse than mine. So, the bottom line is Mark is a h*ll of a nice guy. Suzuki should be glad they have customer service guys like him, at least for the diplomatic end of it. Trouble is, that's the way this motor is. It's a design problem. The RESONANCES caused by the vibration is what makes the thing so annoying. Bad engineering. Maybe most folks aren't as demanding as me, which is why maybe there aren't more complaints. BUT, the very BOTTOM LINE is that Bayracer Marine in Havelock, NC sold me the motor without the REQUIRED PDI (which I knew nothing about at the time of sale.) So, rule number 1: Don't buy a motor without a PDI. Rule number 2: Rule number 1 overrides all other rules.

Stay tuned, I'm still not quite done, yet.

Regards and thanks to all interested.

BB

 

[lifeisfun]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

Thanks for the update.
What was his comment to the fact that the dealer sold you motor without PDI. Did you or the Suzuki rep. considered to do testing on another boat ?Considered posting short video clip so we can see and hear ?

 

[beaufort bob]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

...where do I begin ...or, should I say end? ...

...met with suzuki rep last week and showed him the vibration problem ...he had brought another "off the shelf" DF9.9, and we ran it on my boat ...the replacement motor vibrated and resonated WORSE than mine ...the motor is advertised by suzuki as "vibration free" in their brochure ...I guess it is translated from the japanese, so I guess "it" gets lost in the translation... most of the annoying noise comes from the spring loaded motor tilt mechanism (and other items) resonating with the motor ...(it would have to be much worse on a metal boat, I'm supposing)... the mid-throttle "missing" comes from tuning to "three-star emissions" standards ...(I think an earlier poster may have alluded to this)...

...my motor was sold to me without a PDI ...it is suzuki policy that ALL motors be delivered with a PDI ...some outboard dealers (including the one I bought mine from) apparently don't do this because it is an added expense to an already narrow profit margin ...I have learned that suzuki doesn't have to honor warranties without a PDI ...it is interesting that suzuki literature does not inform the customer of this (that I could ascertain, that is)... so MAKE DARNED SURE YOU GET ONE FROM YOUR DEALER, OR WALK AWAY FROM THE DEAL TO AVOID ANY FUTURE PROBLEMS!!!

...Mark, the suzuki rep who dealt with me, was very diplomatic and courteous handling my situation, but basically left it to me to decide what my next step is ...so now I have to decide whether to try to get a refund, learn to live with the vibrations, or? ... as suzuki in california said, "this motor runs according to factory specifications" ...(guess their ads don't count)...

...I know when enough is enough ...it is a shame that it took these many months to speak to the suzuki rep ...a lot of bad vibes (no pun intended) could have been avoided ...had I been the selling dealer, I would have refunded my money when I first reported my dissatisfaction... but that did not happen and he earned a life-long subscription to negative advertising from me ...had I been suzuki, I would have made sure someone in customer service contact me early on, say after my second or third letter, to find out what the problem was...

...in short, there is blame to go all around, starting with me ...I placed "buyer beware" aside when I bought the motor in the box ...the dealer did me wrong when he didn't PDI the motor ...suzuki didn't correctly advertise their product or do proper follow-up when my complaint was submitted in writing ...it took some friendly folks, mentioned elsewhere in this thread to finally get me in touch with the suzuki rep... (thanks again to all, especially Ross at Fort Macon Marine )...

...finally, good luck to all you suzuki owners (I'm sure most of you are satisfied and not as particular as me) ...have a safe and trouble-free boating season ...beaufort bob s-s-s-s-signing off.

 

[lifeisfun]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

Well...., too bad that you did not reply to my questions ...
can you imagine how many owners ( both Suzuki and Johnson) would complain if this was serious and wide spread problem ? I did not find one complain on the net except your postings in several forums ....

Good luck, I hope it will "grow" on you
I sure love mine DF9.9 !

 

[rodbolt]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

dude
sorry to see your stillfighting this issue.
its been a longtime.
however like I said before, some engine/hull combo's just wont work.
had the PDI, that you were supposed to sign, been done it may have eliminated all this and you would be happy.
however most dealers simply gundeck the PDI for both suzuki and yamaha.
I see it on a daily basis.
daily I say daily.
its amazing to watch some techs, they will check off all the seatrial boxes with the engine still on the flusher, aint a tech I work with owns the correct stuff to test the alarms on most yamaha F motors and NONE know the procedure. however they check off the boxes that ask for overheat and oil alarm testing.
its just the way it is.
thats why retirement in september is looking better and better.
they can stick a fork in me, I am done.

 

[jayrod]

Re: 2005 Suzuki DF9.9 (possibly DF15?) Vibration Problem

(2009 SUZUKI VIBRATION) This is a pretty old thread i'm replying to, but want to help whoever I can. I came across this thread along with some other similar reviews on the internet about suzuki after the fact. I just purchased a brand new 2009 15 horse suzuki about a month ago. I've never had a new motor before. I was attracted to Suzuki, because it was about $500 cheaper than anything in town and not as heavy or bulky looking as some of the other 4 strokes. I bought this engine expecting a nice clean quiet sounding engine. This thing is louder then my 1981 2 stroke johnson outboard. It vibrates the hell out of my boat too. Very annoying. It starts right up and is very fuel efficient, but i'm very disappointed. I know i've got a motor that will be reliable and last a long time, but for how loud it is and the vibrations that cause lots of annoying noises throughout my boat really make me regret dropping over $2,000 on this. I've had other 15 horse engines on this same boat and nothing has ever caused my boat to vibrate. If I new that this could even be a problem then I would have had the engine thrown on my boat to try out real quick before purchasing. Unfortunately, i'd never had this problem or heard of anyone else having this problem until it happened to me. This motor might work great on another type of boat perhaps. I'm sure there's many people that are satisfied with their suzuki outboard, but if you have an old flat bottom aluminum boat that's as light as pop can i'd steer clear of an engine that vibrates as much as the suzuki does, because it's going to rattle the rivets right out of that poor thing. I'm going to do some work on my boat and add something to the transom to try and reduce noise and vibration. Hopefully I can quiet it down enough to tolerate it. What gets me is that I have a 2009 model and there's people complaining about the same problem on the 2005 model. So, obviously Suzuki has not put any effort into improving their product. Atleast not on these small portable sized engines.:facepalm: