What does "inspect and adjust" mean?

[Bubbletrubble]

Yeah, I thought it was unacceptable as well but they gave me some cock and bull... they have to ship it out to some "facility" and their truck leaves only on Thursdays and then these guys here can't answer any questions since the guys in the "facility" are the ones that fix the stuff etc. Well, I know better now than to return to Sport Chalet... :bonk: they're ok for tank rentals but I know I should've just gone down to my LDS, Sport Chalet is right next door to where I live and I have been unfortunately extremely busy with work to drive down to the LDS

As far as I know, SoCal Sport Chalets all send their regs to be serviced at one central location in the LA area. Turnaround time is what it is, I suppose. A few years ago, I was talking to an instructor who happened to be working the scuba department at a local Sport Chalet. I asked her if she minded having her regs sent out to some central location north of San Diego. She laughed and said that she always got her Apeks regs serviced at the Apeks/Aqualung facility in Vista, CA, a 30 minute drive away. Perhaps you should ask your OW instructor where he/she gets her regs serviced.

I buy a fair amount of gear from Sport Chalet. The recent tent sale had some good deals.

On a side note, I bet you could send your regs away to Scubatoys.com and have them back in under one week...for a complete overhaul!

On the plus side they did say they would rent me a BCD and Reg set free during the time they have mine.

That's downright generous...particularly if you would have had to rent a BCD from them anyway. At least you'll save a few bucks for your trouble.

 

[k374]

well, well... just got a call from Sport Chalet this morning and they claim Mares requires the Reg/Octo to be overhauled annually!! I told them that all I need is inspect/adjust since it's an almost brand new setup. Does Mares require an overhaul every year? That seems really excessive to me, I can see it being required every other year but every year?

 

[Scared Silly]

As I know of it Mares has a 2 year warranty that is not tied to any servicing (Mares - warranty). As such, you do not even need to have it inspected and adjusted. I would call BS and not authorize them to do anything and ask them to return the reg to you.

As much as I like Sport Chalet they seem to have some odd policies when it comes to scuba.

 

[muddiver]

The only two time I made the mistake of taking regulator to Sports Chalet they took forever to return and free flowed after they messed with them.

For Sherwood I take my junkers to Sea Ventures in Fullerton where they do all the work in house. And for my Poseidons I send them over to Glenn at Malabu Scuba Repair. Glenn provides a full report with each inspection or service that includes the IP setting, cracking pressure, etc.

If you are way south of Fullerton go try Scuba.com in Irvine. They seem pretty level headded.

There is also Openwater Habitat in Santa Ana. They have the capability to do oxygen cleanning (as does Glenn) and they seem to have a full repair shop on site.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

well, well... just got a call from Sport Chalet this morning and they claim Mares requires the Reg/Octo to be overhauled annually!! I told them that all I need is inspect/adjust since it's an almost brand new setup. Does Mares require an overhaul every year? That seems really excessive to me, I can see it being required every other year but every year?

The Mares repair manaul I have is "written" for annual overhauls. Some of the "soft" bits are replaced each overhaul, some every other overhaul, and some "when needed". It describes the procedure of scribing a "1" on the underside of the HP poppet to indicate it has been reused once (you change the poppet at year "2", scribe a "1" on it the following year, etc.).

As far as the warranty??? I'm not sure. I'd ask the question at the Mares forum (whether inspect & adjust is enough, or if full overhaul is required to maintain the warranty).

Me? Like a lot of the DIY guys, I find the warranty restrictive and nearly worthless.

Good luck and best wishes.

 

[Scott]

From the Mares Abyss Owners Manual

The correct operation of your regulator also depends on proper maintenance. It is therefore advisable to have your regulator serviced at least once a year by an authorized MARES service center. In particular, it is recommended to replace the first stage valve after 2 years of use or 200 hours of diving. Failure to observe this precaution may result in serious injury or death

 

[k374]

Sport Chalet got back to me again, they confirmed with Mares that an overhaul is required annually to maintain warranty.
Learned something new!

Also, some kind of booklet (with some coupons) is needed for free parts, I bought my regs from Leisure Pro and they did not come with any such booklet, I had to call Mares and they are shipping that to me.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Sport Chalet got back to me again, they confirmed with Mares that an overhaul is required annually to maintain warranty.
Learned something new!

Also, some kind of booklet (with some coupons) is needed for free parts, I bought my regs from Leisure Pro and they did not come with any such booklet, I had to call Mares and they are shipping that to me.

I believe the requirement to keep receipts to prove that service has been performed annually is standard for all of the major brands. Miss a service date, or lose the receipts, and your "free parts" warranty will not be honored.... Scubapro (I've read) will allow you to reinstate a warranty that has "lapsed", but you need to pay for parts & labor if you go beyond 1yr... then after that if you are a "good citizen" and stick with the 1 year service interval you are back in their good graces and get free rebuild parts again... :cool2:

Best wishes.

 

[k374]

@LeadTurn, yep, that is right. I was told that the parts kit for Mares regs is close to $100...yikes!