My rules for EBay are:
Anticipate that the item I receive may be totally unusable and accept that the money I spent is part of my tuition for learning about EBay.
Be really, really nice when asking for a refund. I got a refund every time I asked for one and usually they don't want me to return what I bought.
Service every scuba item before use regardless of the decription saying "just serviced" "like new" or "never used" even if it seems to work OK for you and looks good externally. You will be surprised by what you sometimes find inside.
Even if the first stage is trashed, you still got a good deal for the other parts and the first stage may just need to be serviced and be fine after that.
Yeah. There might be $100 left of serviceable parts left?
Definitely request a refund and see what happens otherwise you are probably out of luck as parts kits for the MK15 are not made anymore and they are almost impossible to get serviced. Specifically the HP seat is not available. I passed up a MK15 D400 for $69 on Ebay because the MK15 parts are not available to service it.
Yeah, I just kinda figured that part out after my purchase. I don't see anything on vintagedoublehose or ebay, although perhaps they're available somewhere else. Although I might just try purchasing all of the o-rings as part of standard o-ring kits, rather than buying over-priced kits that are mostly just o-rings. Perhaps not worth it for a single regulator, but I've managed to acquire a collection of octos, and nothing wrong with having every possible size of or-ring on the planet. I think I saw a thread here with all of the Scubapro o-ring sizes.
If it says in working condition and it isn't, I notify the seller and ask for return shipping. Two imes out of three I never hear from them again. I guess they figure the scam didn't work, and cut their losses,
...and I assume you just wait for ebay to issue the refund?
I just looked at the service manual on it (not familiar with the 15). It's a pretty standard SP reg. All the orings can be purchased fairly inexpensively so they are not a problem.
@couv may know what they are. If not with a few measurements a good reasonable selection can be made. One of the other SP regs HP seat might work. Just because there is no official kit does not mean they can't be serviced as long as the main parts are OK. Most of the regs I work on, kits have not been made for 50-60 years.
If you decide it is trash, shoot me an email I may be interested, I cut old regs open for displays so obsolete parts are not an issue.
If I keep it, it's probably worth trying to go the route you described, even if just as a learning experience. I have some MK10s I need to service, but this MK15 could be my practice-run.
@GJC Pretty much sums up the feelings I have for a regulator I would purchase for
myself. However, rebuilding this type of stuff is my hobby. I've stopped advising people on this board to buy used gear. That is unless they are also into DIY or know ahead of the purchase someone who will service their eBay/CL find for a price they are willing to pay. In my estimation, you placed a good bet that will probably pay off if you can service/get it serviced for a reasonable price. The MK15 discussion is for another thread,
@halocline nailed it earlier here:
Which Scubapro piston 1st stage is the overall best? I certainly cannot improve on that.
The computer: See this for the battery/seal:
Dive computer battery and o-ring spec's
If you are going to break into the first stage either have a kit in hand or leave the seat in the retainer and reuse it-it very well may be good. Moving it could cause problems with lockup.
Attached are a few documents you may find helpful. Heed the warning on page 3 of the manual NOT to remove the front bushing.
BTW "A
BAD leak" in a an older SP piston first stage usually = Polyurethane o-rings that have turned into crispy critters.
Keep us posted.
Thank you for the manuals & links & likely disagnosis. If it's just o-rings, it would definitely be servicable.
Also thanks for the warning about the front-bushing.
As far as the console/computer, I replaced the 2x batteries and it turned on. Well, maybe I should take it diving to see if it's mildly accurate, and then just relist it on ebay, or use it as a backup-backup-backup computer.
I wish this were true. It's a unique seat and the biggest issue I have with the MK15.
If anyone knows where I can get this seat, it would be helpful.
So net net, I think you should have assumed servicing cost before purchasing. Working or not.
I was going to service everything completely before use anyway. However, it's very concerning when it's broken out of the box, because I'm less confident it's serviceable with standard service.
If you can't return this stuff and get your money back, I could probably make use of the MK15. I have a few service kits for them, and I like them quite a bit. I won't pay much for it because I don't really need another one, and there is a chance that your MK15 is kaput, but maybe we could work something out for the servicing of the G250. I've got a stash of parts for those as well, and it will probably cost you more to get the G250 serviced than you could sell the MK15 for, especially if it needs a new poppet. Those don't come in the kits anymore.
Let me know.
That is a very generous offer.
As couv said, that's very generous. I'll need a moment to think about it & also figure out what I plan to do with the ebay seller.
I've already completely taken apart and put back together 2x G250s and 1x G200, so I'm fairly used to servicing those, but the poppet can be pricey. This G250 has the newer poppet, however 1x of my other G250s has an old-poppet that needs to be replaced.
