Rotax warranty

[Safety Officer]

During a recent chat with Rotax we had a discussion about warranty and claims. There is a big misunderstanding on how it works and what to do.

 

Your warranty is with Rotax and not the aircraft Mfg. You must register your engine and that might go through an aircraft MFG even through it isn't their responsibility, but it should go through your nearest Rotax distributor or If you are the first time owner you can register the engine on line. It is the distributor's responsibility according to Rotax. Then you should follow through after 4 weeks and check to see if it was really registered. Only 20% of all Rotax engine ever register. You can go on the Kodiak Rotax website and put your engine serial number in and it will tell you if it was registered. If you did not register your engine and have to file a warranty claim you will need to register it first then file the claim. If you are the second or third owner then you must call or write the closest distributor and register that engine in your name.

 

www.flyrotax.com is the Rotax site that will always have the most current forms and documentation.

If you need a warranty form this is a good place to go for a CSIR (customer service information report) form. You need to fill in all the blanks or should write N/A. You must include copies of your logbook, you must have done the 25 hr. required warranty inspection, you must show good documentation and if you have a visible damage you need to send pictures. The 3 line annual in your logbook won't cut it. The 3 line annuals in a logbook many times gets denied a claim. good detailed documentation should be part of your maint. routine.

All your filled out paperwork needs to go through your nearest Rotax distributor. make copies before you send it in. Do not send claims through third parties. For instance if you pull up the CSIR form on Lockwood's site and submit it electronically it goes through Rotech in Canada. It is nice of them to help, but this third party submission may add 3-8 months of time and sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.

The warranty claims are all processed by the Rotax flying and Safety Club. You can not submit a claim directly to them and must go through your distributor.

You can at times submit a warranty claim after the engine is out of warranty. depending on the problem you may get a "Good Will" claim and some help. It may only be 50% off the expensive part, but that will get decided on a case by case basis and how far out of warranty you are.

 

If you fill out the correct paperwork, your documentation is good, you sent it through the right channels the warranty claim can get processed within 72 hours.

 

The other item to discuss is that warranty claims get paid after all the work is done and not before so all parts are accounted for and labor. If the claim is during the warranty period and is performed by a Rotax approved mechanic labor and parts are all paid for. There is a shop rate scale on Rotaxfly website.

 

I hope this helps clear up some of the confusion and why some have trouble with claims.

[Doug G.]

I should probably know this and could dig out my books, but a) how long is the warranty, and it does apply to second, or later, owners? (I probably would have an issue since the previous log book entries are not particularly detailed.)

[Safety Officer]

Ours is 18 months or 200 hrs which ever comes first. here is the warranty document every 912 or 914 owner should read.

 

http://rotaxaircraft.com/warranty.pdf

[Doug G.]

I'm sure I have, but it was probably because I was out of warranty when I bought the plane that I didn't keep it in mind.

[johngpilot]

Flight Design actually extends this Warranty on new CTLS aircraft ( Started with airplanes ordered in the Spring of 2012 ) to 3 yrs or 500 hRS

Flight Design USA XP Warranty Policy

 

“Spinner to Tail”

 

Spring 2012

__________________________________________________________________________

 

This policy document explains and details the Flight Design USA XP warranty and return policies.

The Warranty starts from the date of the aircraft delivery to first retail customer: To obtain warranty service the Warranty registration card that was delivered with the plane in the front of the aircraft logbook and the Flight Design Owner Delivery Checklist must be been filled out and sent to Flight Design USA for activation. All warranty coverage is managed by and via the Flight Design Sales outlet responsible for the customer delivery. Warranty repairs done without prior approval may not be covered.

 

The Warranty is on the aircraft and is transferable.

 

The 5 year structural warranty will start at delivery or no later than the first anniversary of the aircraft production date. After the 6^th year there will be no warranty even if the first retail customer has less than 5 years coverage.

 

 

· What the factory warranty covers — All parts produced and supplied by Flight Design GmbH (Germany). When parts are determined as defective, they will be replaced by the selling Distributor or Service Center selected by that distributor under this “Spinner-to-Tail” warranty protection for 3 years. The spinner to tail covers up to 5 years for the composite airframe structural items. Cosmetics and normal wear are not covered.

· 3 year replacement/repair coverage of:

§ Flight Design-installed avionics and autopilot

§ Propeller

§ Rotax standard engine warranty coverage of 18 months or 200 hours is extended to 3 years or 500 hours, whichever occurs first.

§ Rotax Service Bulletins will be handled according to Rotax coverage, and are excluded from the XP Warranty.

 

·

What the factory warranty does NOT cover

— Any and all replacement parts bought from any vendor other than Flight Design GmbH. In addition, non-covered items include: Tires, tire tubes, and batteries which are subject to owner-operator variable use.

· Normal service items

excluded

are brake pads, brake rotors, batteries, tires, oil, oil and air filters, lights and other consumables.

· Cosmetic defects are covered for the first year only.

· Warranty for exterior paint, graphic appliqués and other cosmetic items are one year.

· This warranty does not apply to normal wear and tear or in instances of neglect or abuse.

 

 

Who does the warranty work— Warranty-related work must be done at an authorized Flight Design service center unless special arrangements are otherwise made in advance in writing by the distributor-dealer who sold the plane or Flight Design USA.

 

NOTE: Warranty serviced performed by organizations other than Flight Design distributors, dealers or service centers may be approved for qualified shops and technicians but payment for services or provision of replacement parts will only be authorized if requested in advance and after Flight Design USA issues a written authorization specifying limits of reimbursement.

 

Applicable warranty period— The XP warranty period starts when a Flight Design airplane is delivered to the first owner and expires thirty (36) months from delivery date. Structural items are covered for an additional 24 months. All warranty must be preceded by submission of the Warranty Registration Card and Delivery Checklist by the distributor or dealer.

 

To begin a warranty claim — Warranty claims must follow these steps:

 

 

1— Assure a Warranty Registration Card and Owner Delivery Checklist has been fully completed and submitted to Flight Design USA.

2— A customer seeking warranty service must first contact the originating Flight Design distributor, dealer, or service center.

3— Distributor or dealer will determine if the request qualifies for a warranty claim.

4— Distributor or dealer will submit a Flight Design Warranty application form to Flight Design USA for a warranty replacement authorization

before

beginning any work or informing the customer of such approval.

 

Process after authorization from Flight Design USA

—

 

1— A credit card must be supplied from either the customer or the distributor prior to parts being shipped or parts will not be shipped. Once a verified credit card is received, the replacement part is shipped to the customer.

2— The correctly filled out warranty form and defective part (if requested) must be returned back to Flight Design USA within 30 days for a credit or invoice applied to customer’s credit card.

3— Parts will be shipped from Flight Design USA ground DHL or UPS only. If the customer, distributor, dealer, or service center requests faster delivery the requesting party will be billed the difference between the ground shipping charge and the more costly shipping method chosen.

4— The Dealer or Distributor is responsible for getting the return authorization, filling out the warranty form and sending the defective part back to Flight Design USA.

 

 

FLIGHT DESIGN USA P.O Box 325 S.Woodstock, CT. 06267

TEL. (860)-963-7272 FAX. (860)-963-7152 email fstar@rcn.com

[Doug G.]

No help for my 2010 with over 500 hrs.