Should I service my octo?

[SeaHound]

I have an Aqua-Lung Octo with an Atomic main reg. The set up is over a year old now. The atomic requires service once in 2 years so I am not concerned about that. The octo needs to be serviced as aqualung needs service every year.

The service cost is 60-70 dollars. I am wondering why would people get their octos serviced for this amount when the new one is more or less the same price?

Can anyone please shed light on this...

 

[snowflake4727]

60-70 seems quite high.

Usually a full service for a full set runs 90-150 depending on local market conditions.

Try another shop.

If you got your octo from an authorized dealer and it is within the warranty then the parts should be free.

What model octo is it?

 

[Web Monkey]

I have an Aqua-Lung Octo with an Atomic main reg. The set up is over a year old now. The atomic requires service once in 2 years so I am not concerned about that. The octo needs to be serviced as aqualung needs service every year.

The service cost is 60-70 dollars. I am wondering why would people get their octos serviced for this amount when the new one is more or less the same price?

Can anyone please shed light on this...

Can you actually buy a good regulator for $60?

Terry

 

[Bubbletrubble]

That's a good question. People are probably more willing to get the servicing done at that price when the second stage is of higher quality (more expensive) than your octo. I think your assessment of the situation is definitely a valid one.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I thought that Aqualung requires a full-on overhaul every 2 years with the in-between years requiring a cheap inspection. If this maintenance schedule is followed and the reg setup was purchased from an authorized Aqualung dealer, then the cost of the overhaul kit would be covered by the manufacturer. The customer would still have to pay the reg repair shop for labor. In my area (San Diego), a reg overhaul costs about $70 for 2 second stages + 1 first stage. I think the in-between year inspection only costs about $15. YMMV.

The overhaul cost for your octo is probably higher because the manufacturer will not provide free parts. I suspect that either you purchased your octo used from someone else, purchased it new from an unauthorized Aqualung dealer, or did not adhere to the yearly servicing schedule.

Why not learn how to service your octo on your own? You could learn how to troubleshoot reg issues and adjust its functioning as you see fit.

 

[RonFrank]

Annual service for many divers is a waste of money. I say this not because I don't believe in service, but because it is pointless to service a product that has limited use on an annual basis.

I service my regs about every 100 dives. That is generally about every two years. If you dive less, service them less. If you are doing a ton of diving service maybe required more then once a year.

If you let the regs sit for several years without diving service may not be a bad idea as orings dry out, etc. However for most, annual service is more like annual payment to the LDS regardless of if it is really needed. Actually more of my friends have had issues just after service vs. any other time. Yes, they can screw it up apparently.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Actually more of my friends have had issues just after service vs. any other time. Yes, they can screw it up apparently.

Ah, yes. I think we are all familiar with the "underhaul."

RonFrank makes a good point. If you do get your regs serviced, test 'em out before you go on a big dive vacation. Issues always seem to crop up following servicing. Perhaps another reason to learn how to service your own regs.

 

[scubafanatic]

....I'd just service the whole reg set every 2 years...octo and all, especially as you only do 20-ish dive annually....if the octo appears to be operating fine now, let it be and just do everything every two years.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Ask yourself if you octo needs to be cleaned?

Seriously, if you have dragged it through sand or muck, fail to rinse after salt water, or it has any signs of not functioning properly, etc... then get it serviced to clean out the junk and check for corrosion.

If you have taken good care of it as you should, then the annual service IMO is a waste on an octo only. It should not have much wear on it. No one is going to tune it to breath super easy and dial it in with the 1st stage like you would for a primary.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I have an Aqua-Lung Octo with an Atomic main reg. The set up is over a year old now. The atomic requires service once in 2 years so I am not concerned about that. The octo needs to be serviced as aqualung needs service every year.

The service cost is 60-70 dollars. I am wondering why would people get their octos serviced for this amount when the new one is more or less the same price?

Can anyone please shed light on this...

Hi Seahound,

1.) $60-70 for service on just the octo sounds a bit high.... parts should be in the range of $15-20 (or less), so the rest of that charge would be labor... I'd think $40-45 for parts and labor would be more like it....but I guess it varies a lot from region to region and shop to shop.

2.) Like already suggested, assuming the octo is working fine right now, I'd just get the octo serviced when you get the Atomic 1st and 2nd serviced. The octo (and your primary 2nd stage) does need to be tuned to your 1st stage's IP anyway, so it makes sense to have them serviced together.

3.) You can get a very adequate, decent quality octo (online) for $80-100. Or you can spend a lot more But again, you should "tune" the new octo to the 1st stage IP even if (especially if) you buy a new one.


Best wishes.

 

[Justincase]

this why i liked the idea of having the same brand for the reg setup ..easier to service and same schedule.