Question about seadoo winterization...Plz Help!

[brandon444]

I have recently purchased a 2010 seadoo gtx 155 and have a couple of questions about the winterization process. I took my seadoo in to get it winterized by a local seadoo dealer, after paying the fee, I was told that I had to bring it back in to have the cylinders defogged and to have its oil changed. Supposedly, they put a special type of oil in it to prevent corrosion. They also said that i could not crank it up until I have taken it back in to get summerized. This sounds a little funny to me. Any help would be appreciated. I just found it kinda weird that I would need to take my ski in a second time to get it ready for the next season.

Thank You

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Hi Brandon444 and welcome to the forum.

It does sound a little suspicious. I never heard of "defogging" a motor....usually you just start it and let it run a bit. But.......
I would wait until someone with your engine experience answers your question..

 

[Wenier]

There are types of additives that you can put in with the oil to help with anti-corrosion that you would need to change the engine oil before running properly again. Thats because the additive wont lub the eng properly just protect against corrosion. BUT I really couldnt see a shop putting that stuff in there.

 

[brandon444]

Yea, I had never heard of defogging a motor either. I thought you just had to spray the cylinders and that was it. Also, Wenier you may be right, it was a while ago that i took it in to get serviced so they may have said that they put an additive in the oil, I don’t really remember exactly what they said. The main reason for me posting this is just to make sure that I am not getting ripped off because the money they charge for maintenance is just ridiculous. I think my bill was like around 300 dollars and then they say we need to take it back to them to get it summerized. They pretty much said by the way, you can't crank it up until you take it back to us to have it summerized. Those were not their exact words but you get what I’m saying. I just find it ridiculous that they didn’t tell us that we were going to have to bring it in a second time before we paid them. I’m pretty sure I am going to start changing the oil and oil filter myself after we take it back to them this last time.

Thx for your help Seadoobuddy and Wenier!

 

[bigJake]

before you spend all that money, call them and ask them what thye are going to do when you bring it in to have it summerized. sounds like a ripoff scam.

 

[devonte007]

I agree with everyone else, this does sound a bit suspicious that the dealer would need it again in the summer to de-winterize?

I would call them and try to get some strait answers and specifics about what they do. Maybe the de-winterization is included in the price you paid back in the fall? If they require you to pay again for de-winterization then I would walk away and never deal with them again.

If you choose to take matters into your own hands (and save a few bucks) this is what I would do:
1. invest in an oil pump and change the oil and filter
2. check coolant level and effectiveness, use a Hydrometer or just make sure it is changed every 2 years or so
3. fill up the gas tank with new gas
4. start it up connected to the hose to burn off any cylinder fogging oil
5. after cool down, replace the spark plugs
6. hit the water and enjoy summer!

If you do not feel up to maintaining the ski yourself, ask around and try to find a more reputable dealer.
Let us know if you have any other more specific questions, hope this helps!

 

[brandon444]

Thx for all the tips everyone. I'll call the dealer sometime this week and get details on what they do for summerizing jet skis. I really don’t want to pay another 300 dollars again but I guess I will this last time so I get my ski ready for the summer. I just purchased an oil pump so maybe I can figure out how to change the oil myself by the next oil change.

 

[qsilver23t]

I would think that if you didn't ask them to put any additives in there, then you shouldn't have to pay to have them removed. Adding additives is personal preference, and is not mentioned in the SeaDoo manual for winterization.