Slink Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Hi There Everyone , I dropped off my 8000SW Stella direct to the manufacturer for a service on Monday . I have owned the reel since November 2009 and bought it new . Have caught good size kings, jobfish , snapper , yellowfin x 1 and other fish but have never really had the drag over 10kg . Thought it would be best to service it after all the action it has seen so far , anyway I received a call from the company service department today and was told that the service cost was $300 No to me this does seem a little excessive , I bought the reel thinking that they are pretty much the best out there, will need minimal work, and will last forever if treated right which I do . Apparently the bearings needed changing as well as other bits and bobs . I have had other reels for years that have never been serviced and still going strong. I want to know if this has happened to other fishos out there ? Have you had your stella serviced by the actual manufacturer and had the same result where bearings need replacing after 10 months . Seems that the best products are not only the most expensive but also are the most fragile . Dont get me wrong I love the reel and it really is a pleasure to fight a hard pulling fish on it , BUT I am surprised at the result on the reel after such a short time . I am very interested to hear from anyone. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimg1au Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 dont all shimano reels have a 10year warranty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregL Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 It seems alot as parts are going to be expensive for a STella. I have been on charter operations where they charge $155 per customer per week if you want to use their Stella's as they service them every trip! I have had an Exist 2508 that has costed over $300 for a service but it did come back with new gears and all, felt better than new! It's like buying a expensive car, $1000+ for a minor service and $3k+ for a major..... Crash it and look out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slink Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 I have been in contact with shimano this afternoon and have spoken to the service manager , I asked the question about the 10 year warranty and was told that the internal bearings are not covered ????? He has agreed to come to some sort of agreement once I go to collect . Still believe that the 10 year warranty should cover internal parts which are sealed away from any salt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zdenk01 Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 not good news at all mate, I recently bought a twin power 8000SW, I would imagine a service would be similar. makes you think twice about expensive equipment. I have got to admit thou I do love my shimano gear. i wonder what a similar service would cost for Saltiga cheers zed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slink Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 Alphabet , It is a bit of a worry given that these items are sold with a 10 year warranty aint it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bump73 Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Mate that's why I've started buying Okuma stuff. They come with a REAL lifetime warranty where they will replace the reel if there are any dramas.Not a crappy bit of paper that basically gets you to take the reel back to them for servicing so they can shaft you again and again. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slink Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 Yeah Bump its got me thinking too , You assume that what you are told will stand true when the time comes but I feel rather shafted right now. Kinda sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaners Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Yeah Bump its got me thinking too , You assume that what you are told will stand true when the time comes but I feel rather shafted right now. Kinda sucks. $300 bucks,you could get a good reel for that price and chuck it away every other year.I was looking at up grading,but now I think I will stick to cheaper gear and throw it away when it packs it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheap charlie Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 That sucks, Maybe ask for the components that where swapped out to be with the reel when you collect it, 10 months on those bearings does seem a little odd, Maybe it's a mentality where they just replace certain components whether required or not on a reel of that caliber????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martoiscool Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Mate ever thought about servicing the reel ya self?? I've started to do mine now an I do em once a year, or if I drop it in the sand/water. It's not that hard to do, I just use the schematics that comes with the reel as a guide.. Pull ya reel apart a few times and put it back together again and u will soon be asking ya self how can they justify the big price tag for a service!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 One conclusion I have come to in regards to fishing tackle is... As pleasurable as it is to use a top end rod and reel combo, i can't justify the cost. I'm not saying cheap is the way to go, but spending about $300 on a rod and reel combo will get you the goods, and if your the type of person that takes care of their gear, you'll come to realize how much life you can get out of a $300 combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blood Knot Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Could be the problem is in the brief thats implied when handing the reel over to the service mob. If its a "please have a look any replace only the stuff that is crapped out" - may give you one outcome and costs but If you ask for a service it may be that they take that as "please return the reel to as new condition" - with the corresponding higher costs. Anyway agree, it sounds a little exy and not what you would expect to have to cough up for a pretty newish top end reel. Cheers Blood Knot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylo Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 wow, that's a kick in the nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodch0p Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 As with dealing with any service department you should let them know exactly what your looking for, and get them to call you with any parts they believe need replacing before they go ahead with it. If you just drop it off and request it to be fixed they will fix anything they believe is wrong with it. The Stella also has 15 bearings so if they replaced them all I can see why it totalled 300. If you give it to the supplier to do they will want to return it to 100%, not just to milk money out of you but because you are representing their brand when using the reel, and if it fails it won't look good on them seeing as they just serviced it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 wow, that's a kick in the nuts. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylo Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 i'm with woodchop. no harm asking what the "service fee" is going to be approximately, what work they are likely to do for that price and also how long they are going to take. if you had told them to just regrease it and to not change any bearings/internals etc. they might have done it for cheaper or maybe even told you to send it in in another 6-12 months when you've used the reel a bit more and it needs to have the bearings inspected and changed. BTW November 2009 (when you say you bought the reel new) to now (sept 2011) is almost 2 years, not 10 months like you've referred to and if you have used the reel hard, isn't it reasonable to expect some wear and tear (unless you have really looked after and babied the reel) - forgive me if i've misunderstood the time line you provided maybe the reel has suffered some salt water aplashings/dunkings that weren't washed out properly/promptly and has caused the bearings to corrode ? no offence intended, just want to see as to why shimano would change bearings for what seems to be "a relatively new, not used in anger" reel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewNR Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 The ceramic bearings cost 30bucks each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretsch Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 (edited) You got ripped bro. I lost a SW6000 Stella over board and got it back (long story) and the full strip down, new main bearings plus a service was only $150. Edited September 20, 2011 by Cephalopod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bream111 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 wow, that's a kick in the nuts. Love you work sounds painful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SZ1 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 (edited) Mate that does sound exy, I have only had one run in with the manufacturer whereby I sent a Stella sw8000pg in for service and in come back worse. It left me with a bitter taste thats for sure. I then took it to a local shop and they did a better job. Shoot me a pm and I will send you the details to the place I went to. As for representing their brand I doubt they give a cra4p, I wonder where do they list that parts such as internal being is listed? Not here to bad mouth the manufacturer, but just have this bitter taste from my experience. In saying that I would still buy a Stella as when they are working they are great. Edited September 21, 2011 by SZ1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueachilles Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 it is not too late to consider an Alvey damage control! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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