I Have To Rant!!!

[DWHalverson]

Every season it warms up I can't get over the build quality of the Cat's fit and finish. 05 M-7 the plastic grill gaurd/shroud that goes around the tank flexes and bends all over the place and then the hood fits like sh!t. I had a lexan hood on it and it seemed like the hood was what supported the shroud. It warms up and my gas tank expands to the point that the threaded inserts in the tank pull out from being in the sun. It does this because of the turbo and the vent in the gas cap being plugged. I just loosen the cap to vent it and to evaporate any left over fuel. I never though I would grade plastic, but this stuff is cheap!! Looks like it came from the Play-Skool factory. Even the side panles warp all over the place. Good thing the cheap Cat plastics are also cheap to buy. They are a joke!! How are everybodies plastic panles holding up?

I'll go med up now...............................All is good now.

 

[ACMtnCat]

I have over 4000 miles on my '08 Nightfire and all is good. The hood come open on some nice end over end cartwheels and was mangled to the point I thought it was done for sure. Stitched it back together with wire and it's as good as new now! Maybe stonger Now!

I don't ride the sled much in the heat of summer, so I've never had a problem with soft plastics.

 

[76FOMOCO]

I don't ride the sled much in the heat of summer, so I've never had a problem with soft plastics.

I keep mine in the garage and no problem, the sun will KILL your PLASTICS!!!

first ride out two years ago and one of the guys got stuck on this steep little spot on a hill so i went up to pull him out. Grabbed the ski hoop that had all summer to get brittle and give it a nice hard tug down hill, well after i did a full back flip i landed about 30' down the hill. he was mad i broke his ski hoop but by the end of the day he killed the other one!

 

[Stack]

We have 2 M's, a Green 06 M6 and an Orange 06 M7 LE

I have been impressed with both as far as fit and finish goes, although on the M7 the orange plastic looks like it may have faded a touch. I think it is important to always keep your sleds in the garage, or away from the elements in the summer time. I am also pretty meticulous on keeping them clean and waxed to preserve the finish and keep them look their best.

John

 

[diggerdown]

Let's see....place a sled in the hot sun and then get mad when the gas expands in the tank and the plastic gets soft and distorts its shape! You need a good whoppin !

 

[DWHalverson]

Keeping the sled inside is a luxury I don't have. The fuel in the tank, I can accept and then I take measures to resolve that issue. I keep them clean, waxed and lubed up because of the sun and I take the skis off in the summer. I just feel the plastic on these is cheap. They just distort a lot with some heat on them.

 

[speeddemon]

costco tarp buildings work great for summer sled storage unless ur in an appartment !
mike

 

[snowmobiler]

ill trade you some good straight plastic panels
for a turbo

 

[SLEDIOT]

costco tarp buildings work great for summer sled storage unless ur in an appartment !
mike

Dont laugh to loud I have a pic of a sled on a 3rd floor apartment deck somewheres. Its a kodak pic so I can't post it..............

 

[Reese]

I agree!

Dont get me wrong I love my sled but I agree. Fit and finish gets a 3 out of 5.
From the day I picked up my sled the left side of the tank shroud/grill thing has been stuck up under the hood about an inch. I have tried to bend and wedge that piece all winter. Trying to get it to square up with no luck. I'm thinking of trying a heat gun on it but I'm not sure how much memory that type of plasic has.

Has anyone had any luck fixing issues like this?

 

[76FOMOCO]

You can afford the turbo (5K) but no place to store it over the sumer?? (30 bucks a Mo.)

I wouldn't worry too much about the plastics anyway, the trees and soft role overs kill them by the end of the year.
I think they are all cheap for the money we spend on them but what else can you ride like you stole it with this kind of power?

 

[DWHalverson]

Exactly. This is the same condition and in the same place as mine. I pull it out get it lined back up and then you open the hood on a warm day to tinker with a few things and by the time you go to button er up, it's all tweeked. I do cover it with a tarp, but it's the heat that is warping the platic. Maybe I'll just buy a new shroud and see if it fits any better/different.

Dont get me wrong I love my sled but I agree. Fit and finish gets a 3 out of 5.
From the day I picked up my sled the left side of the tank shroud/grill thing has been stuck up under the hood about an inch. I have tried to bend and wedge that piece all winter. Trying to get it to square up with no luck. I'm thinking of trying a heat gun on it but I'm not sure how much memory that type of plasic has.

Has anyone had any luck fixing issues like this?

 

[Reese]

I've stored my sled inside everyday since the day I bought it. It's only been left outside overnight maybe 5 or 6 times this past winter. When I noticed it, last fall, I really felt like it was an issue that came from the factory.

You've probly noticed there is a lip on the edge of that pannel that buts up against the hood when its fitted correctly. Thats what makes me think it was warped from the day it was made. Reason being, the lip on the pannel would have caught on the hood preventing the pannel from bending forward under the hood when warmed and softend by the sun. Second reason being it would take a lot of heat to get that to warp especially when all the sleds come crated and wrapped in white plastic which should reflect a fair amount of sun heat.

Who knows, it may have sat crated stacked on the top row of a lot in Thief River all last July and august. Either way its somthing that just bugs me too.

 

[Nate]

You b*tch and whine too much.....


Keep em in my garage Dave if it will shut ya up

 

[DWHalverson]

My wife tells me that too. I always thought she was mean.

Oh well, I got smart and just dug a hole and burried it till fall. I'm like a squirrel.

You b*tch and whine too much.....


Keep em in my garage Dave if it will shut ya up

 

[Environmentalist]

I would have to agree about the poor fit and finish of the Arctic Cats.

This year was my first on a Cat (M7) and it was not even CLOSE to the fit and finish of Apex I rode before. After every ride I was fixing something and still have a huge list of fixes to do this summer. The only fix on the Apex after 2 years of riding was replacing the console after rolling it down a hill while spring riding.

Even with the problems, I LOVE the M7. It's the funnest sled I have ever ridden and I have no intentions to ride anything else besides a Cat. I will just keep buying used replacement parts on Snowest.

 

[Nate]

My wife tells me that too. I always thought she was mean.

Oh well, I got smart and just dug a hole and burried it till fall. I'm like a squirrel.

Bwahahaha how the hell do you get away with burying your wife all summer then digging her back up in the fall? Teach me

 

[Killerk]

From my experience/observation, the newer cats have a much better fit and finish than the M-7's.
My brother has a 05, and the panels don't line up as easily, there is no seat latch clip, so his seat would fall off, etc.
I have an 08, and it has a pretty nice fit and finish.
Hands down better compared to older models.
Perfect, no, acceptable, yes.

 

[ACMtnCat]

Even with the problems, I LOVE the M7. It's the funnest sled I have ever ridden and I have no intentions to ride anything else besides a Cat. I will just keep buying used replacement parts on Snowest.

^^^This and KillerKs' comment "Perfect?, No... Acceptable?, YES!!!!!!" pretty much sums it up!

I think DWHalverson builds turbo XP's Yet he prefers to ride an M. Hmmmm........

I wouldn't trade my M8 for a turbo'd XP either!!!.... NO WAY!!!.... NO HOW!!!!

 

[Nate]

I wouldn't trade my M8 for a turbo'd XP either!!!.... NO WAY!!!.... NO HOW!!!!

How about for an un-forgettable night with a Shannon Elizabeth look-a-like? I can make that happen