Thanks for all the comments. Next year I'll probably pay the $50 for service and then the year after if I don't go diving I'll just let the warranty lapse as you are all right, paying all this money just to keep a free $30 service kit isn't a good idea.
Regular with a longer then normal service interval?
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GF99/99
Contributor
Also just to give you some peace of mind AL/Apeks make extremely reliable products. Personally I have never heard of anyone needing to use there warranty on an AL or Apeks reg and if you have had yours this long with no issues pretty much can count on not ever having any type of warranty issue with your reg for a really really really long time.
I have many Apeks regs that are 10+ years old and still good as new.
Really no point in paying extra money to keep your reg in warranty.
Lastly AL regs are super easy to service your self. I know it seems a little intimidating at first but the reality is anyone with some basic mechanical skills can easily service a reg. I think reg servicing has been hyped up to be some kind of rocket science specialized thing when in reality is pretty simple. Especially on a Legend reg message @buddhasummer for info on service kit prices, I saw there is a September order going in.
just did a really quick youtube search for service tutorials and came across these
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Yes, if you decide to go down the DIY route, feel free to DM me, happy to help. Cheers.
Ah, the marketing scam of the ‘free parts for life’ program. If you have to pay for an ‘inspection’ every 12 months and a full service every 24 regardless of how much you dive, how are those ‘free parts’ helping you financially? In a word, they’re not.
I love AL regs. I own three sets of Legends. I’ve long since learned to ignore their ‘free parts’ program and that includes on my 2-year old Leg3nd Elite.
I take care of my regs meticulously and have them serviced every 2-3 years, paying for the parts myself. I’m ahead financially compared to maintaining the regs in the ‘free parts’ program.
No need to buy a different regulator. Simply ignore the ‘free parts’ program. That annual inspection required as part of the program is costing you about as much as the ‘free parts’ you’re getting every 2 years!!
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2 years I believe is the max service interval you'll find from any manufacturer.
Jeff_O
Contributor
I once heard at a shop that for a particular company had it this way. If you did not service reg every 12 months and you lost the free parts for life deal, you could get back on it if you had 2 yearly done in secession. I did and they didn't charge for parts with that 3rd year, or maybe it was the 2nd year. But really the parts cost compared to when not using a reg for 3 years back then, you could just buy a first and second stage of lower price models for your not doing yearly. There probably are people that have read user manual even mentioning every 6 months servicing if reg in saltwater and used a lot. I'm not sure but it may have also been said in training classes.
When I worked at a shop, we generally just cut regular customers a little slack, when it came to regulator maintenance frequency, since keeping track of the occasionally Byzantine warranty rules, became a pain in the arse for both parties.
Some manuals even specified a particular number of dives -- something like one hundred or so -- before triggering an overhaul; but most of our equipment saw hundreds of dives annually, between rebuilds; and since all service was done in-house -- and as-needed -- it was no big whoop; nor were we particularly beholden to any given manufacturer.
I overhauled a couple of regulators a few days back, just because I had the time; parts were on hand, and I was a bit stir-crazy . . .
And this is why you don't learn reg service from a video...
A STEEL pick to pull out the stiff 2-006 critical HP oring from the balance chamber??!!
Not in my shop...
Here's what that looks like inside a balance chamber when using a brass pick instead of the plastic tool that is recommended.
IP creep, made to order...
johndiver999
Contributor
I always thought it somewhat of a scam for the certification agencies to not teach and demand training in the use of an ip gauge. People spend over $1000 for a computer that has ( in my opinion) marginal incremental value over a cheap one, for a rec diver. yet people aren’t made aware of the utility and potential increase in safety that could be derived from an additional $20 for the device. Perhaps it is because the shops fear a reduction on service fees? The marginal utility of having the ability to check regulators before a big trip is huge.
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