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Report: #1181693

Complaint Review: Rotax Rick - Naples Florida

  • Submitted:
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  • Reported By: Joe — bremerton Washington
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  • Rotax Rick Naples, Florida USA

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  1. RE: Rotax Rick...AKA Ronald Davis Red Gold Rotax Rebuild
  2. For anyone considering an engine from Rotax Rick.I was seriously hurt for the SECOND TIME by a rebuilt engine from Rotax Rick. This failure happened during that critical point during takeoff. This was on my second rebuilt engine from Rotax Rick---which was a replacement for his first failed engine rebuild. The original engine he built for me blew a head gasket mid flight and overheated after only TWO hours, also causing injury. After that, Rick told me that if I'd send him my engine back he'd totally rebuild the engine a 2nd time...but he only changed the head gasket. And the guy actually had the nerve to say that my head gasket was fine but he changed it anyway. If my headgasket hadn't blown....how did my coolant become full of fuel/oil to the point of being flammable? Rick does warranty his engines and he does stand by his warranty...but he cuts corners and I have the hospital bills to prove it. And by the way, I was burning full synthetic Amsoil interceptor, never used gas older than five days, all fuel filtered through mr funnel, never revved higher than 6300, always did a full 6 minute warm up, never let engine cool during descent...etc. I babied this engine because I was told by experts that my engine would never be as reliable as new since the extreme overheating form the failed head gasket
  3.  

  4. My other friend Dave sent him an engine that had gone swimming...though was still almost new. Rick told him that the engine was beyond repair, and that he'd pay him around 600-1000 for the parts. Of course Rick kept the engine and never paid up.

     

    I have been flying 582 powered ultralights for 20 plus years, and I have had over 4 503s and 7 582s...so my experience is significant. I do a six minute warm up. burn synthetic amsoil at 40:1, never let engine cool during descent, have correct jets, run carbs on richest needle setting, have full EGT gauges analog and digital, never use old gas, check my plugs every other flight for signs of running lean. There was litterally nothing...and I mean nothing I could have improved upon yet two Rotax rick rebuilds in a row failed in short order. Now, in my other Rotax engines, I never took such care yet they lasted 5 times as long as Rick's. If I had given them this level of care, they might have lasted a thousand hours. The problem with Rick, is that he does one or two engines a day. I don't think he is doing all this work by himself. If you ever call Rick on the phone, you'll be lucky to get him to let you go after an hour. Some of my calls with him lasted two hours and I was afraid to be rude because he had my engine in his shop. If he spent hours on the phone with me...he was spending hours with others.

     

    So then this begs the question...who is actually doing the work?

     

    Well when I talked to Rick...many times...he was constantly yelling at some peon in the background named Chris. And I'm sure this is how my head gasket failed after 2 hours as no competent mechanic could screw up a simple O-ring. Rick tried to claim it was because of the way I filled my cooolant..ie air pockets. However, my filler is the highest point in the system and I had an air-bleed hooked to the cylinder head. There was Zero air in my system. And if there was, it wouldn't have taken 2 hours to blow the head gasket...it would have taken minutes. The guys at lockwood and other experts tell me that blowing a head gasket in a new engine is virtually unheard of. Rick felt so bad he told me that if I sent the engine back, he'd completely rebuild it. I was dubious so I marked my case with tiny strips of foil tape. And guess what? When the engine came back these micro pieces of tape were in tact. Is rick so meticulous that he replaced my tiny--nearly invisible--tape strips in their exact original location after tearing the engine down?

     

    In short...the guy is running a puppy mill for engines and has some minimimum wage worker doing the work. Lastly, My AP mechanic scribed my crankshaft end when we sent my engine in the first time so that we'd be able to put the prop back on the way it came off. However when we got my engine backi...the mark was gone. How the hell did that happen? I am pretty sure that my low time crank got swapped out for someone elses higher time crank. I don't expect miracles from a 2 stroke, but Rick's rebuilds were the two most unreliable engines in my 20 years of ultralight experience...at the largest ultralight airport in the world here in WA state. Oh....and I didn't walk away from that accident, I limped away and can still barely walk.

     

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 10/08/2014 11:11 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/rotax-rick/naples-florida/rotax-rick-severely-injured-due-to-rotax-rick-professional-negligence-naples-florida-1181693. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
1Consumer
4Employee/Owner

#5 REBUTTAL Owner of company

LOST my engine and charged me over $600.

AUTHOR: Kugoo - (USA)

POSTED: Saturday, May 20, 2017

I talked to rick and and now recalls the situation However WE had said all the right thinigs But now hes ignoring me i Feel. So I lost an engine from rick sent hime a motor he did and upgrade and said he would rebuidld me motor bottome end and uprgrade, for 500$ awsome deal but I never recieved the engine I feel due to to fed ex or a wrong adress however Either way I paid money for work to be done and ended up with a "lost botom end" i hate to say rick talked me smooth but actions speak louder than word and thats all rick has done so far is worsd, I was mt idel and go to guy and had helped me  before with part but this was the first big trust i put in him ans I reallt feel let down on the the phone he sounded sinicire and knologigle but at the end of the day he has my 582 crank crank case Dual iginion stator and more. I really wish he kept his word, I will update if he does I think he means well but hard to say that when Im getting screwed and he blames everone but himself including me somehow? Thats rude now blaming me for paying him to "loose" or steeal motor who know if he actualy cam foward and fixed and diden doge me I would have been a who nother sorry but be care full with him get a contract insruance everything I got f**ked and he doesnt care he noe blaming the victime cool dude.

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#4 REBUTTAL Owner of company

Stealts engine and money and CAlls ME A SCMMAER!o boy

AUTHOR: Kugoo - (USA)

POSTED: Saturday, May 20, 2017

http://www.wbng.com/story/35170150/ultralight-plane-crash-in-broome-county

Yeah rick AStill Flying my plane Maybe dealt with someone with their word This would not have happened Im happty ti be alive and you call me a scammer , a*****e. All word no action When you want to actual make right then I will make right on any report people all talk 3 years now, Missing engine and paid him for it. wow, and has the balls to call me a scammer wow. How about im glad your ok ok and lets fix the isssue now calls me scammer see you in court .

Kyle Frome Owego

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#3 REBUTTAL Owner of company

A false report

AUTHOR: Rotax Rick - (USA)

POSTED: Monday, April 17, 2017

I will be putting this guys emails that we sent back & forth on my website.  I never did any work for him at all & in Jan 2017 he wrote to me asking me for a job. Thats only 3 months ago. All the emails will be on my website. He states he sent his 582 lower end to me & that I did the work for $600. To do a 582 crank & case is $1000 & not a mear $600 ,The parts costy more than that .  He then states I sent the lower end to the wrong address.  I make EVERYONE send me there shipping address through a email to prevent this from happening. Also he said it was insured & I keep the $200 to $300 UPS insurance funds. I insure a zero time case & crank for $2000 not $200 to $300  He doesn't even have a set figure for the insurance payoff  $200 to $300.  I would insurance a lower end completely rebuilt for $2000 not 2-$300 BS. To ship a insured package  you must sign for it when its delivered. What hes saying UPS just put it on a porch & left. NO WAY !!!  Also everybody knows I been using FED X for the last 5 years & never ship with UPS. WOW  It just goes to show how in the moderen world siber attacks happen from crackpots.  When you read the emails from him on my site you will see perfect english in the wanting a job email to broken english in the complaint email.  Rick

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#2 Consumer Comment

LOST my engine and charged me over $600. too

AUTHOR: Kugoo - (USA)

POSTED: Saturday, April 15, 2017

LOST my engine and charged me over $600. too, and kep UPS 2-300$ insurance money

I hate to say But its been over 2 years now and I have not been refunded or offered anything,

So in 2013 I sent my 582 motor to Be REbulit/Bottom end and Upgraded with ceramic seal, Well i waited everyday checking the track numer, all of a suddden I Got mu UPS text Allert saing my ITEM has been dleivered I runn To my front Porch and nothing there, Im looked every were even neigbors house everthing, Well turns out I live On jackson ace He PUt Noths (M jackson ave, WHich were  I live Is a huge difference we didnt figure that out for a few days. LOng storry short it had rained many times not that it matter becase the PAck was never recevered., UPS gave MS rotax rick a insurance refund bbut was only like a few houndres bux but still that wouold have been beeter than nothiong, Now Rick is good Im not saying he is not hes a nice guy a knoloege able but dude I just paid over 600 plus 60 shipping to have my nbottom end dissapear. He said Im not doing to weeell wirth cas right now maybe sometime hit me  up and well work it out Ill try him again But if he desnt make somthinf happen im going to open a ripoff report my own. Now tracking proves he messed and Google me IT show IM not were he shipped, Also yeah I  had  to buy a new botttom end, he is a money hungy greedy person to say the least, he should have sent a new one out and/or sent the usp INsurance money, that goes to show how Low Hes wiilling to go scarry when someone is cutting cornings like this while you flying a motor that your life depend on... So if  he does offer a reasonanb;e deal I will update as well as the truch shouls be known. Thanks

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#1 REBUTTAL Owner of company

Rick

AUTHOR: Rotax Rick - (USA)

POSTED: Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Look at the person above. He regestered 2 reports to the Ripoff report.  He acts like he had friends that had issues , but it's one person acting like several. To date I have built & rebuilt 950 engines.  This person acts like he has a list of people when really he's only one person.  I'm sure people are smart enought to reed between the lines & relize it's just one un-happy customer. But trust me, he's still flying that engine to this day.  Most people can read betweenm the lines & do not let this person discourge you from the safets & the very best rebuilt money can buy.

Thanks Rotax Rick 

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