Need Advice On Problem With Coyote C-25

[dee]

I purchased a Coyote C-25 from Arctic Spas in September 2006. It was a floor model. Upon delivery to my house something blew and the panel had to be replaced. That was the first problem. The dealer did this the same day.

Of course as all new owners do we had a lot to learn about water quality. We visited the store regularily for tests and did as instructed. Our water seemed to just get dirty fast.

In October-We mentioned to the dealer that when we turned on the pump on low it would hum and then we would turn it to high speed and it would go to high speed and then we could turn it to low speed afterwards with no problem. It didn't always seem to do this but we wondered if something was wrong. We were told that maybe a jet was loose causing it to suck in air and told to check them. We did there didn't seem to be anything wrong. In the meantime we spent more money on chemicals and filters because our water did not seem to stay clean.

Finally in December we insisted that something was not right and a technician came out discovering there was something wrong with the pump. It didn't always come on at low speed and of course then did not go through filter cycles all the time. The pump was replaced.

Next time we were in the store we were told that it was a problem with the control panel--it needed to be reprogrammed because there was a known defect that caused it to turn the pump on to high and low speed at the same time, causing damage to the pump. We were told they were waiting on codes and would reprogram when they got them.

I have inquired many times as to the status of this and they just keep telling me that they don't have them and oh well it is under warranty. To date no further action has been taken on this issue.

Next problem this week the overlay on the pump button cracked. Called the dealer they said they would replace it. As of yet I don't know the status of this, it has not been replaced. I informed the dealer that I was not happy with how many problems there are with this hot tub. They double talked me not to worry, but offered no solution.

I wrote Arctic Spas an email regarding the problems and they responded once to refer it to their customer service dept. They also told me that the Overlays could crack if pushed to hard, that only a light touch was necessary--sounds like they blamed the customer. They asked for the serial # to "look into" if mine was a model affected by the control panel problem. I wasn't sure where to find it so I asked that they sorted it out with the dealer, as they had established with me that it was affected by the problem. So it has been over a week now and no solution or further response. I am very unhappy. We loved our tub, but this is a lemon.

I know other people who have never had a service call on their tub and we have had 3 warranty issues in 8 months of purchasing this spa. What should we do?

I was hoping that somebody on here can give me advice on what to do, because I think this is unreasonable. What do other service professionals on here think would be the correct response by the dealer?

[hottub.pool_boy]

Be firm. First, back to the manufacturer and demand to know how it will be handled, in what time frame and when will they be contacting you next. You've set some boundaries. Let them know if a resolution is not made after a reasonable time, you will be contacting a consumer group like BBB. If you feel you've gotten the run-around by your dealer, going to the manufacturer is the right step.

[Wizzardofspas]

I Went to the Artic Web-site and could not find your model. I checked out the specs on some of the other models but was unable to identify the Manufacturer of your electronics. If you can get us some more spacific info, we might be better able to make suggestions. Balboa for example makes electronic controlls for many brands. Old Sundance, Master Spa, Catalina, ect. Electronics are constantally being revised. The revision is usually printed on the main board, or the Chip. A Main board with a bug, may only require a chip replacement. If a revision is not available. There has to be an older system that can retro fit. Look over your Electronics control box, (PAC) and see if you can find a manufacturer ID other than "Artic" That would sure help. There is a temporary fix to keep the Spa running without burning up your motor. On the back of the motor is a cover, which when removed will give you acess to the terminal connections; where the cord attaches to the motor, disconnecting the High speed line from it's terminal and taping it off will prevent the motor from running in 2 speeds at once. at least you can keep the spa heating and filtering untill the issue is resolved. I would suggest it to the dealer. It is always best to keep the spa running.

[Roger]

I purchased a Coyote C-25 from Arctic Spas in September 2006. It was a floor model. Upon delivery to my house something blew and the panel had to be replaced. That was the first problem. The dealer did this the same day.

I think you have a pump problem. If the electronices are turning it on like they are supposed to, and the pump is hanging up it may be a bearing in one end of the pump and or motor, while uncommon not impossible to happen. But the fact that you can get the motor spinning with a boost in power to high speed and then it works fine on low makes me look towords a bad pump motor. And this could be causing it to not run properly on your preprogrammed filter cycles which in turn would lead to dirty water.

Demand a solution from your dealer.

[soakerman]

What does Arctic say about your issue of the pump not functioning? If they can't fix it , ask for a replacement. You shouldn't be haveing issues this early on.

Good luck!

[dee]

What does Arctic say about your issue of the pump not functioning? If they can't fix it , ask for a replacement. You shouldn't be haveing issues this early on.

Good luck!

Just to clarify because my post was long:

The pump was not functioning in december and it was replaced, however I was told it was due to a defect in the control panel which needed to be reprogrammed. This defect I was told was what caused the problem with the pump because the control panel was trying to turn it on to high and low speed at the same time and this wore something in the pump out.

Our new pump is now functioning fine at the present time--the problem now is that they have not fixed this problem in the control panel yet, so common sense would say that it will eventually cause another problem with the pump.

I don't seem to get any answers on when this control panel thing will be fixed, so my fear is that by the time it does get fixed damage will have been done to the pump already. They tell me not to worry because it is under warranty and if the pump goes again they will have to replace it. (My fear is it will only go after there is no warranty left). I would think that 4 months would be enough time to have the control panel fixed.

Also the overlay on the control panel is cracked, which I was told will be fixed and I am waiting on.

[Wizzardofspas]

Hmmmm? Is this only a bad motor after all? I just replaced a 56 frame motor yesterday, it was running on both speeds at once. Customer complaint was (loud motor)! I tested hot on all 3 lines. A motor that turns freely, hums on low, starts on high, drops to low and runs fine, has a bad capicator, simple fix. It seems very odd your dealer is willing to risk burning up motors if there is a known issue with the electronics. I sure would like to know what electronics you have in this thing, so I can call, and chat with one of the techs.

[Roger]

Hmmmm? Is this only a bad motor after all? I just replaced a 56 frame motor yesterday, it was running on both speeds at once. Customer complaint was (loud motor)! I tested hot on all 3 lines. A motor that turns freely, hums on low, starts on high, drops to low and runs fine, has a bad capicator, simple fix. It seems very odd your dealer is willing to risk burning up motors if there is a known issue with the electronics. I sure would like to know what electronics you have in this thing, so I can call, and chat with one of the techs.

They may have miss diognosed a control panel problem versus a capacitor problem as was mentioned. But you said that was fixed so on to your touch pad problem, it shouldn't cause a control panel of pump problem unless water is pouring down on them from above.

[waylon33]

Dee,

Sorry to hear about your frustrations with the Coyote Spa. I own a Arctic Dealership here in the US and I think I can help you out a little. More than likely the problem with the low speed high speed issue with your pump was a bad capacitor. This also explains why you had so much trouble with dirty water. The capacitor wasnt allowing the motor to actually kick on and filter your water throughout the day. Replacing the pump should fix your problem. I havent ran into the problem that the dealer was talking about with the board turning both the low/high speeds on at once. As far as the topside overlay it should just be a matter of taking off the old one and sticking a new one back on. Not sure why you are having trouble getting service from the local company, but if you want to pm me I can definetly try to help you out the best I can. I should just be able to mail you a new overlay for the topside.

[dee]

The last word I have on this issue from the dealer is that my overlay has been ordered may take a couple of weeks, as far as the "codes" they are waiting on from arctic to reprogram the control panel I am told they are still waiting for. So it seems like it is the company who has not given this to the dealer. No word on exactly when this might happen.

Dee,

Sorry to hear about your frustrations with the Coyote Spa. I own a Arctic Dealership here in the US and I think I can help you out a little. More than likely the problem with the low speed high speed issue with your pump was a bad capacitor. This also explains why you had so much trouble with dirty water. The capacitor wasnt allowing the motor to actually kick on and filter your water throughout the day. Replacing the pump should fix your problem. I havent ran into the problem that the dealer was talking about with the board turning both the low/high speeds on at once. As far as the topside overlay it should just be a matter of taking off the old one and sticking a new one back on. Not sure why you are having trouble getting service from the local company, but if you want to pm me I can definetly try to help you out the best I can. I should just be able to mail you a new overlay for the topside.

[Atali Awa]

Good luck... I bought an Arctic Summit in November. The main control panel failed on start up (it had an older model, not the one I was sold). Then the jets started failing... Of the 33 in the tub more than 80 have failed. The dealer says it's a widespread problem (used to say, now I'm the only guy having failures) and Arctic blames the sanitizer. They have replaced the jets with three different styles and all come apart after 2-3 weeks. I've demanded my money back repeatedly and, once again, the dealer refers me to Arctic and Arctic refers me to the dealer. Hopefully, your Coyote does not have the cheap polycarbonate plastic Arctic is getting from China. I wish I'd never heard of Arctic... I bought this as tension reliever. Today, it's the biggest source of tension in my life.

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Edited April 25, 2007 by Tom