07 issues
Here is the letter I wrote to BRP about my experience with my '07. I ended up getting a new motor and warranty until spring of 2009.
To Whom It May Concern:
Re: 2007 800R Summit Adrenaline 144
Purchased: Jan. 2007
This began with an epic winter and continuous storms pounding the Pacific Coast in late 2006 and beginning of 2007. Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) had come out with a new motor in the famed and celebrated REV chasis. The time was right to make the first purchase and investment into Snowmobiling. The new sled promised to have the best power to weight ratio, a ready out of the box performer, and perfect for our Coastal Mountains. I found a fellow investor and headed to our local BRP dealer.
Our Identical sleds were delivered within a few days of our purchase and payment was made in full on the delivery date. After making further investment into some BRP accessories we promised to be back to the dealer within the first 200 miles for the machines first service. It was beyond our least expectations that we would be back to the dealer before that time.
Our first rides were disappointed by DESS tether key issues. The BEEP…BEEP that accompanied the engine backfiring and dieing was related to a poorly greased ECM and a malfunction of the DESS tether key. This symptom would not allow the rider to start or ride the snowmobile. Due to the nature of the terrain in our area and the electrical problems encountered on our first 3 rides with one of our brand new machines faith and trust was not built into the BRP product from the get go. The sled was towed from the backcountry on 3 occasions relating to the same symptoms in 2007.
Once the above issues were solved we had a few rides, but we began noticing fluctuations in RPM while climbing in soft snow. As informed by service staff at the BRP dealer the symptom was attributable to “clutching issues”. Our sleds were brought to the dealer for “clutch updates”. The lack of clearance between clutch parts was suspect and a fix was out from BRP. As it turned out we would eventually have 3 ‘clutch fixes’, each one representing a trip to the dealer. In my case a trip is 110km round trip.
2008 promised to be a new season and it was our hope after receiving pre-season tune ups that our snowmobiles would perform and trust would be gained to explore our mountains with little concern. The first ride of the new season was actually as early as I can remember; Nov. 18 2007. There was already 3-4 feet of snow. This was going to be a great season! On this first ride RPM fluctuations and power loss was reported. The symptom pointed to additional clutching issues. It was thought that the final clutch up-date that was received at the pre-season tune up would fix this? By mid January the machine had been used 5 times and been to the shop 4 times when a cracked RAVE valve was discovered.
This discovery was somewhat exciting because it was now believed that this snowmobile would be very capable of climbing mountains again. Excited to get out and ride after significant down time we opted to go to a riding area close to home. I will save you the details of the fresh snow and sunlight we were about to enjoy in the mountains. My sled died 5 miles from the truck in a burning cloud of coolant. All fingers point to a cracked engine block. What could be next? The sled was towed back to the parking lot.
Any positive experience that may have been gained from participating in the sport of snowmobiling has been lost by distrust in the machines and lack of reliability. I have great reservations in purchasing another product of the same brand after the past 12 months. Furthermore I may make other recreational choices entirely in the future.
Regards,
