109, G200, AIR2 Advice-Worth Servicing

[bripost]

My daughter has gotten the diving bug and is recently certified. She will be a marine biology major this fall at Nova Southeastern. We have invested in the usual stuff, mask, fins, boots, wetsuit. She rented the rest for class and certification. I have a set of Scubapro I used to dive with and it has not been serviced for probably 10 years.(Life got in the way to keep diving)

I have a G200, 109(which was last serviced about 10 years ago) and a first generation AIR2 on a BC that is to big for her. I took the gear into a reputable shop in the Chicago area and was told with no hesitation that none of the gear can be serviced and/or upgraded. Of course they would like a new sale, but this equipment served me very well and if it can be serviced and passed down, (and worth it) I would prefer that then buying her new equipment.

Can I get these units serviced? Should I get them serviced?

Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated,

Brian

 

[victorzamora]

While I'm VERY against Air2 type units....there's no reason a Scubapro G200 and 109 couldn't be serviced into very good regs.

 

[agilis]

Which first stage? I'm guessing a Mk10.

 

[bripost]

Yes the first stage is the MK10. The shop also said they could not service the first stage. The shop suggested turning in everything for a 20% discount on new Oceanique equipment. I would need to get her a new dive computer and would rather spend the money on a new BC and computer for her and service the other equipment. I just found the original receipt from when the equipment was bought and I thought that was a good penny back then, nothing compared to the cost nowadays.

 

[agilis]

If your equipment is in good condition it is comparable to almost anything new out there, and better than most. There are many repair/service facilities that can easily restore a clean Mk 10, a 109, or a G200 to perfect operating condition. I do my own maintenance work. I have several 109s and Mk10s. Beautiful equipment that is sought after by lots of people. Parts are available. I don't know anything about the Chicago area, but perhaps someone on this board will have a suggestion. There are also many places that do mail order service on old Scubapro regs. Check with Vintage Double Hose, Google, and this board. Don't let some sharpie fool you.

 

[redacted]

That was not a reputable shop. They were trying to cheat you. Scubapro still produces service kits for the 109, G200, and Mk10 that any authorized dealer can get.

Having had a last service only 10 years ago, both the 109 and G200 should have the most current version of the poppet (changed 15-20 years ago) so that will save a little $$. They are well worth servicing and should be expected to perform on par with any current regulators.

The 1st gen Air2 might also be serviceable but no longer enjoys support from Scubapro. If all it needs is o-rings and a seat, you might be able to find a tech who will service it but some Scubapro dealers may say they can't due to liability reasons. The dealer may believe that; but I don't.

EDIT: To be fair, someone once told me not to attribute to deceitfulness that which can be explained by ignorance. Just in case the problem is the shop is lacking knowledge of his brands, some parts kit #

G200-ADJ (109) -- 11.109.045

G200B (in case) -- 11.245.045

Mk10 -- 10.500.045

Mk10+ -- 10.550.045

In either case, I'm not sure I would want to have that shop touch my regs.

 

[bripost]

Thanks for the information. I will reach out to a few other ScubaPro certified shops as well as Vintage Double Hose and see about getting the equipment serviced. Unfortunetly some do not see the long term benefits(financial rewards/good will) of servicing the customer. We already paid for certification, open water dives and equipment. Service my gear now and we would have bought a BC and computer. Long term, I am sure I would start diving again to spend time with my daughter, so we would have to buy gear down the road.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Why does it seem so normal to hear of shops trying to screw people? The seem to be worse than auto shop repair establishments.

I would try hard to never give that shop any business again, except maybe to drag the re-built SP reg in some day and ask them if they have a "Scuba Pro mouth piece tie wraps" since you would like to place a second one on your new mouth piece on your recently serviced regulator. Maybe the shops would stop shooting themselves in the foot if they saw more clear cut evidence of it.

 

[Couv]

Ditto. You need a new shop. Of course if you do have the receipts for your equipment you might just mention to the dive shop that as there is a life time warranty they will need to replace everything they claim they cannot service with a new piece of equipment.....that should make them happy.

Anyway, that may not work out so you should find an honest shop to do the honors. VDH is honest, however they do not service ScubaPro. I recommend contacting View Profile: rsingler - ScubaBoard - Scuba Diving Forum - Diving Social Network He is one of the regular contributors here and won't try to sell you crap you don't need. He is also not above selling used gear that he has rebuilt so there is another option to consider when you're in the market.


Good luck and keep us posted.

BTW Welcome to ScubaBoard.

 

[Luis H]

Actually, Bryan at VintageDoubleHose.com (VDH) does service the older Scubapro gear like this and he also sells parts for the DIY.

I agree with what has been said about that shop. I would avoid them. This is perfectly good gear.