J
Finally after 2 1/2 years, I traded off my Polaris for a Honda Pioneer 1000-5 Deluxe Camo. I've always been a die-hard Honda owner and never wanted to buy a Polaris to start with but Honda didn't offer anything that would compete. Once the new Pioneer 1000-5 came out I wanted one. I went Friday, June 17, 2016 to see if I could strike a deal. The only one they had, had a warranty issue with paint peeling off of the roll cage. They decided to just swap cages with another one. When I told my wife, she said are you sure this isn't a bad omen and we shouldn't wait for a different one? (Probably) Three or so hours later, I ended up bringing that one home. I, as well as my wife and 3 young kids were thrilled. Other than riding around the yard with the family, I wasn't able to ride it much when I got it home. Later that night, around 9:15, after all the kids were in bed I decided to ride it over to my buddies house to show it off, you know since I finally have a Honda again. The Pioneer had almost 5 miles on it when I got it home. I put another 2 on it piddling around in the yard. My buddy lives about 2 miles away. This is where my excitement starts to fade. When I turned on his road, I noticed it started to shift oddly, very slow to change gears and would rev up in the process. Well, now I'm at his house kinda wondering about it but thought it was just a fluke and I'm sure it'll be alright once I head home. I continued to brag about how glad I was to not have the Ranger anymore and how much I liked the Pioneer so far. Here's where disappointment 1st shows its face. When I go to leave, and reach in to start it, it just clicks and all the dash lights flicker. Hmmmm, that's odd I say. I try a few more times, waiting between, and then all the sudden it starts. Maybe the battery wasn't charged when I got it I say. I head down the road and uh-oh, still shifting funny. About a 1/2 mile from his house I slow down to make a turn. When I go to accelerate, nothing, like I'm in neutral. As I roll to a stop, the disappointment starts to set in. However, not as much as it did when it just died about 20 seconds later. I've had numerous Hondas all the way back to when I was 4 years old and had a 1977 ATC 70, probably close to 20 of them. None, I repeat, none have ever left me stranded because of the machine itself. A couple times from my stupidity during my teenage years, but never a faulty machine. So as I sit looking up at an almost full moon, I think about the thousands of dollars I just spent on this Honda and I realize that my Ranger never left me stranded. As a sickening feeling overcomes me, I get out and check the battery cables, they're a little loose but not too bad. I go ahead and tighten them anyway. I try to start it again and it just flashes lights and cranks really slow. I text my buddy and I ask if he can tow me back to his house. As he pulls up, I try one more time and it STARTS! YAY! Yeah, don't get too excited, it dies about 20 seconds later. Above all else, guess what is towing me back to his house, yep, a Polaris. Should have taken a picture and posted it on Honda's Facebook page and website. After leaving the Pioneer outside for the night in my buddies driveway, I'm kinda hoping someone steals it before I get there with my trailer the next morning; no such luck though. At about 18 hours into the ownership of my new Pioneer, I'm checking battery voltage; 11.6V. I charge to battery to about 12.6V, reinstall and start it. So far so good. I now check the running voltage; 12.5V. The sickening feeling returns. I ride it around the yard, no change, no charge. The shifting was fixed but that's it. Checked some wires, connections, and a few other items, then call to see if the dealership will grant me a 24 hour money back guarantee. Again no such luck. The salesman assures me they'll take care of it, but all I can think about is some mechanic that I don't know is going to take apart my brand new $18000 Pioneer engine. I'm not happy and my wife is furious. The service manager calls in a few minutes and says there will be someone at my house Monday (tomorrow) morning to pick it up and they will take care of it. I'm glad they're confident. How difficult would it be for Honda to check this on every machine once it's built? I mean it took me like 5 seconds. I've read that other people have had the same issue, but no one posted follow ups on if they were satisfied with the repair. All I know is that for a machine that costs triple that of any Honda I've ever purchased, I had an expectation that it would be of the same quality of the previous Hondas I've had. I've never had a Honda that leaked/seeped oil so this engine better not when I get it back. And you can bet I'll be looking. I am SO sorry to say I would take my Polaris Ranger back in a heartbeat right now.
