E
Let me start by saying that I understand that all things mechanical do sometimes break. I'm not upset that I've had problems but that they've not been resolved.
11/20/10 - Took delivery of my brand new Pro-RMK, a proud day indeed
11/21-12/20/10 - Racked up 100 miles in a few rides, carefully and diligently completing the break-in period.
12/21/10 - Headed out for my first big ride in a storm that dumped a few feet here in UT. The first 40 miles went great and then my sled started a hard electrical "bog". I was a good 10+ miles from the truck and at the bottom of a climb. 2 hours later, I slowly working the sled back in the dark.
12/22/10 - DEALER VISIT (1) - Dropped sled with dealer I purchased from, they hooked up to computer and found "about a hundred" codes. Cleared codes and TPS came right back. Dealer had sled 8 days, replaced TPS.
12/30/10 - Picked up sled from Dealer
12/31/10 - Took off early from work (I don't get New Years Eve as a holiday) to ride since I missed the previous weekend and was excited for a big weekend of riding. Unloaded at parking lot, warmed up, rode 3-5 minutes and "bog" returned. Basic symptom of an electrical stumble that appears to initiate at various RPMs but then throws ECU into "limp mode" and keeps the sled from revving over about 4000 RPM.
12/31/10 - New Years weekend riding plans cancelled. Friends left hanging.
1/3/11 - DEALER VISIT (2) - Took sled to a different dealer on the recommendation of a few riding buddies. Dealer looked over plug wire connections and reset all other electrical connections (ECU, TPS, etc) and applied dielectric grease. Sled appeared fixed.
1/5/11 - Picked up sled from Dealer and took for a test run. This was a last-minute weeknight test and so I had to go alone. Warmed up sled fully to 120* as I always do. Rode sled for 25 minutes and appeared to be all fixed. Deliberately rode on bumpy trail and varying speeds in hopes of exposing any lingering issues. Decided sled was fixed and to play around for a bit, called a bud and told him to come out and meet me for a night ride. The friend was about an hour away. Out of no-where on a benign sidehill, just messing around about a 1/2 mile from the parking lot on a road, sled stumbles hard and spits me off. I jump as hard as I can away from the sled. Unfortunately sled rolls in perfect trajectory and lands on me. I was pinned face down in deep snow, feet higher than head. I literally fought for my life. At first I had virtually no air to breath but eventually created a small pocket. Both arms were pinned at first but was able to slowly release one and then the other. Since the track was on my head and the paddles grabbing my helmet, I had to slowly dig a trench to release myself. Fortunately, I am alive.
1/6/11 DEALER VISIT (3) - Dropped sled with dealer again and advised what had happened. Sled had continued to act up on way back to truck after initial issue. It has become clear that the issue is hard to replicate but very real. We re-hash TPS, TSS (ECT), Injector, ECU, and other potential points of concern.
1/8-1/9/11 - I miss yet another weekend of riding while my sled is in the shop.
1/10/11 - After engaging extensively with Polaris engineering, Dealer thinks issue was loose cap inside spark plug wires. Dealer finds that they were 3-4 turns loose of 6 total turns. I pickup sled and take it home.
1/11/11 - I leave work early to test sled. I fire it up in parking lot and let it warm up fully. Sled makes it about 50 feet and stumbles hard. I am barely able to get it back in the truck.
1/11/11 - DEALER VISIT (4) - I call dealer from parking lot of ride spot, turns out there are 2 Polaris engineers on side, so I race right over there. I meet and talk with both Polaris engineers and explain the now growing history of issues with my sled. I try to impress upon them the amount of money I have tied up in this machine that it has not once worked since I finished my break-in. At this point the General Manager of the dealership gets involved and is very sympathetic. He personally takes ownership of the issue and I feel much better.
1/12 - 1/13/11 - The general manager and Polaris engineers put a combined total of about 60 miles on my sled trying to trouble shoot. They replace the TPS again as it appears bad. Following the TPS replacement and during testing it throws codes for the Throttle Safety Switch (ECT) but does not actually show symptoms (eg. stumble). Polaris authorizes replacement of ECT and I am under the understanding that it is.
1/14/11 - Took off from work early again to test sled. I ride approximately 20 more test miles and do not have any issues. With no one to ride with and after last test rides nearly disastrous outcome, I have to keep the sled on very mellow terrain but do get some full throttle pulls and rough whoops in.
1/16/11 - One of the service guys at the dealer graciously invites me to join them for a ride and I accept. Sled runs good for about an hour then starts stumbling hard on full-throttle pulls. I am able to repeat this several times and the service guy is also able to recreate. On this day the symptom is limited to full-throttle so I ride a few more hours in mellow terrain.
1/17/11 - DEALER VISIT (5) - Turns out there are no ECT switches available and it becomes clear that mine was never replaced. Dealer makes an attempt to repair the switch or lessen its impact.
1/20/11 - Left work early (again) and picked up sled in preparation of a big weekend that had been in the planning for months to spend the entire weekend in a backcountry yurt (fancy tent).
1/21/11 - Head out to yurt and get bog and check-engine lights 4 times on 7 mile mellow trail ride in.
1/22 - 1/23/11 - I stick with it and ride my sled, taking huge risks on having it get stuck in heli-rescue type terrain. This is a big weekend for us and fortunately the bog is minor enough that I'm able to get back to the truck. Spooky.
1/24/11 - Planned to head to the dealer only to find out that there are still no ECT switches available! My sled is dead in the water in the middle of winter with no parts.
2/3/11 - Another week passed and I speak to the dealer and again there are no ECT switches. It's entirely too risky to take the sled out so I wait.
2/8/11 - DEALER VISIT (6) - ECT switches arrived and I'm pretty sure that my sled is finally going to be fixed. I drop it off and the dealer pulls the latest code -> "TPS low voltage".
2/10/11 - Picked up the sled and went for a 20 mile test ride. No issues, sled runs good. This time I begged a bud to drop everything to come ride with me so that I can really push the sled. At the end of this ride I'm convinced it's fixed having gotten in many full throttle pulls and quite a bit of hard boondocking.
2/12/11 - I go for a 40 mile ride on what has been my only problem free ride to date. We ride hard and the sled performs very well.
2/21/11 - I took a vacation day to go ride as did 2 buds. We loaded up and headed out for a day of powder thrashing. The first few hours go well and then mid-sidehill the bog strikes again, sending me into a hole. I dig out and get it moving but with each passing minute it gets worse. Miles and miles from anywhere in a very remote and seldom ridden area in UT, we once again had an epic limp out.
2/22/11 - DEALER VISIT (7) Check engine light is now stuck on and sled is behaving as if I have yet another, somewhat different issue. The bog does not appear to be going away. I verified with the dealer that the ECT switch appears to be functioning but we're waiting on computer time to pull all the codes. I have VMs into the dealership GM and a case open with Polaris (who didn't bother to get back to me today).
As of today, I've paid Polaris nearly $12,000 and been able to ride my sled just 1 time in 450 miles without it breaking. I have racked up 2 months worth of dealer visits and nearly 300 miles testing for issues. I have a sled that does not work and so far, I can't get anyone engaged to resolve this issue. I don't hate Polaris or anyone for that matter and all I want is for my sled to be fixed. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed but hope and faith are fading.
11/20/10 - Took delivery of my brand new Pro-RMK, a proud day indeed
11/21-12/20/10 - Racked up 100 miles in a few rides, carefully and diligently completing the break-in period.
12/21/10 - Headed out for my first big ride in a storm that dumped a few feet here in UT. The first 40 miles went great and then my sled started a hard electrical "bog". I was a good 10+ miles from the truck and at the bottom of a climb. 2 hours later, I slowly working the sled back in the dark.
12/22/10 - DEALER VISIT (1) - Dropped sled with dealer I purchased from, they hooked up to computer and found "about a hundred" codes. Cleared codes and TPS came right back. Dealer had sled 8 days, replaced TPS.
12/30/10 - Picked up sled from Dealer
12/31/10 - Took off early from work (I don't get New Years Eve as a holiday) to ride since I missed the previous weekend and was excited for a big weekend of riding. Unloaded at parking lot, warmed up, rode 3-5 minutes and "bog" returned. Basic symptom of an electrical stumble that appears to initiate at various RPMs but then throws ECU into "limp mode" and keeps the sled from revving over about 4000 RPM.
12/31/10 - New Years weekend riding plans cancelled. Friends left hanging.
1/3/11 - DEALER VISIT (2) - Took sled to a different dealer on the recommendation of a few riding buddies. Dealer looked over plug wire connections and reset all other electrical connections (ECU, TPS, etc) and applied dielectric grease. Sled appeared fixed.
1/5/11 - Picked up sled from Dealer and took for a test run. This was a last-minute weeknight test and so I had to go alone. Warmed up sled fully to 120* as I always do. Rode sled for 25 minutes and appeared to be all fixed. Deliberately rode on bumpy trail and varying speeds in hopes of exposing any lingering issues. Decided sled was fixed and to play around for a bit, called a bud and told him to come out and meet me for a night ride. The friend was about an hour away. Out of no-where on a benign sidehill, just messing around about a 1/2 mile from the parking lot on a road, sled stumbles hard and spits me off. I jump as hard as I can away from the sled. Unfortunately sled rolls in perfect trajectory and lands on me. I was pinned face down in deep snow, feet higher than head. I literally fought for my life. At first I had virtually no air to breath but eventually created a small pocket. Both arms were pinned at first but was able to slowly release one and then the other. Since the track was on my head and the paddles grabbing my helmet, I had to slowly dig a trench to release myself. Fortunately, I am alive.
1/6/11 DEALER VISIT (3) - Dropped sled with dealer again and advised what had happened. Sled had continued to act up on way back to truck after initial issue. It has become clear that the issue is hard to replicate but very real. We re-hash TPS, TSS (ECT), Injector, ECU, and other potential points of concern.
1/8-1/9/11 - I miss yet another weekend of riding while my sled is in the shop.
1/10/11 - After engaging extensively with Polaris engineering, Dealer thinks issue was loose cap inside spark plug wires. Dealer finds that they were 3-4 turns loose of 6 total turns. I pickup sled and take it home.
1/11/11 - I leave work early to test sled. I fire it up in parking lot and let it warm up fully. Sled makes it about 50 feet and stumbles hard. I am barely able to get it back in the truck.
1/11/11 - DEALER VISIT (4) - I call dealer from parking lot of ride spot, turns out there are 2 Polaris engineers on side, so I race right over there. I meet and talk with both Polaris engineers and explain the now growing history of issues with my sled. I try to impress upon them the amount of money I have tied up in this machine that it has not once worked since I finished my break-in. At this point the General Manager of the dealership gets involved and is very sympathetic. He personally takes ownership of the issue and I feel much better.
1/12 - 1/13/11 - The general manager and Polaris engineers put a combined total of about 60 miles on my sled trying to trouble shoot. They replace the TPS again as it appears bad. Following the TPS replacement and during testing it throws codes for the Throttle Safety Switch (ECT) but does not actually show symptoms (eg. stumble). Polaris authorizes replacement of ECT and I am under the understanding that it is.
1/14/11 - Took off from work early again to test sled. I ride approximately 20 more test miles and do not have any issues. With no one to ride with and after last test rides nearly disastrous outcome, I have to keep the sled on very mellow terrain but do get some full throttle pulls and rough whoops in.
1/16/11 - One of the service guys at the dealer graciously invites me to join them for a ride and I accept. Sled runs good for about an hour then starts stumbling hard on full-throttle pulls. I am able to repeat this several times and the service guy is also able to recreate. On this day the symptom is limited to full-throttle so I ride a few more hours in mellow terrain.
1/17/11 - DEALER VISIT (5) - Turns out there are no ECT switches available and it becomes clear that mine was never replaced. Dealer makes an attempt to repair the switch or lessen its impact.
1/20/11 - Left work early (again) and picked up sled in preparation of a big weekend that had been in the planning for months to spend the entire weekend in a backcountry yurt (fancy tent).
1/21/11 - Head out to yurt and get bog and check-engine lights 4 times on 7 mile mellow trail ride in.
1/22 - 1/23/11 - I stick with it and ride my sled, taking huge risks on having it get stuck in heli-rescue type terrain. This is a big weekend for us and fortunately the bog is minor enough that I'm able to get back to the truck. Spooky.
1/24/11 - Planned to head to the dealer only to find out that there are still no ECT switches available! My sled is dead in the water in the middle of winter with no parts.
2/3/11 - Another week passed and I speak to the dealer and again there are no ECT switches. It's entirely too risky to take the sled out so I wait.
2/8/11 - DEALER VISIT (6) - ECT switches arrived and I'm pretty sure that my sled is finally going to be fixed. I drop it off and the dealer pulls the latest code -> "TPS low voltage".
2/10/11 - Picked up the sled and went for a 20 mile test ride. No issues, sled runs good. This time I begged a bud to drop everything to come ride with me so that I can really push the sled. At the end of this ride I'm convinced it's fixed having gotten in many full throttle pulls and quite a bit of hard boondocking.
2/12/11 - I go for a 40 mile ride on what has been my only problem free ride to date. We ride hard and the sled performs very well.
2/21/11 - I took a vacation day to go ride as did 2 buds. We loaded up and headed out for a day of powder thrashing. The first few hours go well and then mid-sidehill the bog strikes again, sending me into a hole. I dig out and get it moving but with each passing minute it gets worse. Miles and miles from anywhere in a very remote and seldom ridden area in UT, we once again had an epic limp out.
2/22/11 - DEALER VISIT (7) Check engine light is now stuck on and sled is behaving as if I have yet another, somewhat different issue. The bog does not appear to be going away. I verified with the dealer that the ECT switch appears to be functioning but we're waiting on computer time to pull all the codes. I have VMs into the dealership GM and a case open with Polaris (who didn't bother to get back to me today).
As of today, I've paid Polaris nearly $12,000 and been able to ride my sled just 1 time in 450 miles without it breaking. I have racked up 2 months worth of dealer visits and nearly 300 miles testing for issues. I have a sled that does not work and so far, I can't get anyone engaged to resolve this issue. I don't hate Polaris or anyone for that matter and all I want is for my sled to be fixed. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed but hope and faith are fading.