Kohler Aftermarket starter replacements

I have a KT730 7000 a little less than 2 years old on a Cub Cadet zero turn, and the starter shaft snapped in two just above the upper bearing. Kohler says it's under warranty, but I have to take it to a warranty repair shop, all of which in my area are backed up for a couple of weeks--so the Kohler warranty is essentially useless. I could bush hog my front yard while I wait, but that's not gonna happen. I can buy aftermarket starter for $35-50 bucks (Kohler is $135-167). Anyone have good results with aftermarket? Anyone else have problems with these late 7000 engines.

Duh, since you have the starter off, why not take it to your local repair shop, with the info from Kohler and have them order you a new starter. You are willing to install, so most would be willing to help you. I can normally get replacement parts in two business days. In this case a little sugar and understanding will help you out.

joat said:

I have a KT735 7000 a little less than 2 years old on a Cub Cadet zero turn, and the starter shaft snapped in two just above the upper bearing. Kohler says it's under warranty, but I have to take it to a warranty repair shop, all of which in my area are backed up for a couple of weeks--so the Kohler warranty is essentially useless. I could bush hog my front yard while I wait, but that's not gonna happen. I can buy aftermarket starter for $35-50 bucks (Kohler is $135-167). Anyone have good results with aftermarket? Anyone else have problems with these late 7000 engines.

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Nothing wrong with the Kohler warranty.
It broke & they will replace it, what more do you want ?
As for cheap starters .
I buy mine from Prime Line through a wholesaler and they cost near triple that ( adjusting for the different $ values ).
There is a crate outside the workshop next to the scrap metal pile with about 100 or so cheap starter I have taken off customers mowers.
Some lasted a full season or two but most died within the first season and a few took the battery with them.
HE WHO BUYS CHEAP PAYS THRICE

Rivets said:

Duh, since you have the starter off, why not take it to your local repair shop, with the info from Kohler and have them order you a new starter. You are willing to install, so most would be willing to help you. I can normally get replacement parts in two business days. In this case a little sugar and understanding will help you out.

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Tried that. I've talked with two Kohler company men and 3 of their authorized service centers. Can't get a warranty replacement without taking the mower to them and waiting till they can have time to look at it (not the starter in hand), order the part, and then install it themselves...so it's done right...like fastening the two bolts that hold it in place and connecting the wire. I can't be without my mower that long.

bertsmobile1 said:

Nothing wrong with the Kohler warranty.
It broke & they will replace it, what more do you want ?
As for cheap starters .
I buy mine from Prime Line through a wholesaler and they cost near triple that ( adjusting for the different $ values ).
There is a crate outside the workshop next to the scrap metal pile with about 100 or so cheap starter I have taken off customers mowers.
Some lasted a full season or two but most died within the first season and a few took the battery with them.
HE WHO BUYS CHEAP PAYS THRICE

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It broke & they will replace it, and what more do I want? Not to have to jump through their hoops and wait 3 weeks. As for your "Nothing wrong with the Kohler warranty" comment, it depends on whether you are the owner being without your equipment while their wheels slowly grind, or a service center who doesn't care how long the customer has to wait. The warranty is useless when getting the part costs more in inconvenience and time than a replacement costs in dollars. The Kohler rep who called me yesterday apologized for it and actually told me I'd probably be better off buying an aftermarket starter. And price does not determine quality. Never has, never will. After all, it was an expensive Kohler starter that snapped a shaft. But thanks for your opinion.

Two things I can tell by your last post. One you bought the unit at a big box store. Two, when you talked to the service people your attitude hurt your cause. Even though you didn’t purchase it from a dealership you feel that you still should be able to jump ahead of other customers, don’t work that way. Most dealers will service their customer first and then walkin’s. Why should you get special treatment? You do realize that it is now the busiest time of the year for repair shops. As a tech working at a servicing dealer I have seen people like you more often than I care to. Could your problem have had a different outcome if you had started off with a different attitude, DEFINITELY. For others who may read this thread, let’s see how. First, when you come in you explain you situation calmly and let me know you understand I am busy and you want to know if I can help you in a timely manner. You have your proof of purchase, model and serial numbers for both the unit and engine, and tell me you are willing to work with me. Second, I would ask if you can remove the bad part yourself? I would ask you to bring in the broken part for inspection, and when I have taken a look at it and determined I need to order a new one I would do so and let you know when it came in. At this time I would call you and tell you to bring your unit in. I need to look at it to determine the cause of the problem. I can’t do a warranty claim without determining the cause and if there is any other damage. With a starter it may be as simple as mounting bolts came loose. Finding cause and no other damage I attach the new part, test the unit and get you on your way. As service centers we have a procedure we must follow to get reimbursement from the manufacturer. By doing it this way you are put in line sooner, can be moved up if not serious, and your problem can be resolved faster. This senerio has played out in our shop multiple times and most times we have changed the attitude of the customer from big box to dealerships. Does it always go this easy, NO, but the attitude of the customer dictates whether I should try to help or just put you inline. Remember at this time of year I am very busy and have no need to change my practices for someone who is going to treat me as someone who is doing me a favor by giving me his business. Maybe you don’t know this, but in the service industry the customers attitude dictates the speed they get served. PS: For long time customers I have even let them install parts themselves.

I can but only agree with Rivets.
I am an independent technician so I get a lot of cranky owners who bought their equipment from a big discount store then expected the franchise service agent to jump to attention & salute when they came in with their warranty claim.
When they didn't do that they left in a huff and came to me ranting and raving about how badly they have been treated.

I only do warranty work for 2 brands and I MAKE A LOSS on every warranty job I do.
When I first kicked off I needed a guide as to what to charge clients for jobs other than general services.
So I used warranty scheduled service fee charts.
Even now there is not a single job I can get through in less than double the scheduled service time and that does not include a warranty asessment with all the associated paperwork, plus the mower is sitting in my limited work space occupying space that could be used by a profitable job.

I would imagine the the situation is the same over there .
Now it is peak season, the mower shop has a finite time to make their entire years profit , so making a loss fixing a mower for some one who gave a profit to a multimillionare rather than them is not going to be high on their priority.
Then there is the chance that Kohler might reject the warranty claim due to obvious misuse so the dealer gets nothing but abuse from a cranky person who was never ever a customer and most likely ran around bragging to all & sundry about how much cheaper they got their mower for than what the "thieving" dealer wanted.

NO ONE HAS EVER DIED BECAUSE THEIR GRASS WAS NOT CUT FOR 3 WEEKS
So either drop the mower off & borrow your neighbours mower or take your chances with the trash on offer on line or go to an independent mower repair shop & get a guaranteed replacement starter via one of the after market equipment suppliers.
Down here Prime Line had the best range & the best price and none of the starter I bought through them ever gave a spot of bother

And just so you know,
from the second I start work till the item goes out the door, an Oregon warranty job will be at least 5 weeks
Super Swift are only marginally better at 4 weeks
Both of these are de[pendent on the parts actually being in stock at the time .

Wow. You guys are so sharp in reading other people, and you have zero idea who I am or what I want or who I bought my equipment from. I never mentioned or wanted to get ahead of any other customer...but with your extreme ability and psychic powers your were able to deduce that. I just scanned a little of what you posted and could tell you had nothing worthwhile to say. What I will say again. The broken starter shaft on KOHLER starters (that would be the OEM expensive ones you want me and your customers, I presume, to buy.) is a well-known problem--epidemic. Your attitudes are atrocious, and you'd have no opportunity to deal with me because I wouldn't be in your shops. Find a mirror, guys. Absolutely no one, and I could guarantee that, with whom I have EVER dealt would not want me back. You are amazingly arrogant (without any reason) and ignorant.

Bert and I have each been working in this industry longer than you would think and even though we live a couple of miles apart we have seen the problem you showed us a couple hundred times each. We speak from experience and have no ESP. You say you never wanted to move ahead of other customers, but you can’t wait until your equipment comes up to be worked on. At this time of year most good repair shops are 2-3 out on repairs, so how do you think your unit would be fix earlier without being moved ahead. Right now our shop with 4 mechanics, working 8.5 hr daily and 5 hr on Saturday, has a minimum wait time of 10 business days. Has been this way for the last 10 weeks. Yes, I want you to replace the starter with a more expensive OEM starter at NO COST to you, it’s under warranty, plus I would check to see what the cause was and if there was any other damage that I need to fix, UNDER WARRANTY. You call us arrogant and ignorant. Do you think we are on this forum with over 20,000 posts between us, because we are pompous and we don’t know what we are talking about? As stated, we’ve seen threads and customers like you many times and have helped more people than you can count, and if being truthful in our replies and educating others who may have the same problem as yours upsets you, so be it. I’ll close by saying if you really need a starter for you unit that fast, you should contact Stens or Rotary (they have websites) with your model and spec numbers. I’m sure they can get you the starter you need. Sorry, but they also have quality and pricey parts.

Shame you closed your mind to what we were trying to tell you.
That shows a lot of your character.
A person's perception of a problem will depend upon how it is affecting them.
You like to think the starter problem is epidemic yet you are the very first one to present here.

Your original post claimed the Kohler warranty was " essentially useless " for no reason other than it was going to take a couple of weeks.
To a reasonable person that says Kohler should fix your mower on the spot the instant you bring it in.
In the busy season I get 5 weeks behind and my customers just wait it out because they want a good job done for a reasonable price.
And this is regardless of weather it is a warranty job or not.

As for the $ 35 starters you were again informed that it is a lucky dip as to weather you will get a quality one that was superceeded or surplus but most likely it will be one that was bought as scrap metal the sold to you as a working item.
I then pointed you in the direction of where you can get a good quality starter at a lower price than the genuine Kohler one, shame you did not read the full post because it was there.

Good luck with your endeavours.
The Kohler warranty scheme is top notch coming in second only to Honda