Guarantee of Future Supply of Marine Specific Parts from Toyota??

[jdogg]

I am looking at buying a 2001 Toyota Epic SX22.  I see all of the mainly positive experiences that owners have had on this website up until now so it makes me excited to potentially own one of these myself. 

I understand that many of the parts are not marine specific so I assume I can go to the Lexus dealer to get those.  My only concern relates to supply of the marine specific parts into the future.  I see the Toyota press release stating that Toyota is committed to providing parts for 10 years (up to early 2012).  I have contacted Capt Rick and he has been very helpful in letting me know that he holds a significant inventory of parts.  However, as you can understand, he has no way of guaranteeing his stock of marine specific parts into the next 5 years, 10 years, or more.  Unfortunately, as all of your engines get older, there will be more demand for these parts so it concerns me that my boat could all of a sudden become nearly worthless because there are no parts available for a repair. 

I would LOVE to buy this boat, but this problem concerns me too much right now...can anyone calm my fears??  Has anyone been able to get in contact with appropriate authorities at Toyota that can confirm they will provide these marine specific parts into the future for these boats?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

[blindside]

The only guaranteewould be for u too buy the parts and hold them in "your" warehouse

[wakejunky]

There is never a guarantee of any manufacturer supplying parts indefinitely. i would bet even Pontiac, and Saturn parts will
be in short supply at some point. i tried to get a three year old part for a current boat manufacturer for a friend and was told it was unavailable.

most of what you will need are not marine specific, but as time goes by rick has a good supply of parts that are specific. in my mind rick is the "appropriate authorities" your looking for. if anyone knows anything about epic parts its rick.

seriously you need to relax. Ive owned two epics in the last 7 years and Ive only "needed" one part that came from Toyota and it was a thermostat. i could have got it somewhere else "TRD" but it was way more expensive. part wasn't even bad the guy who bought my first epic just wanted piece of mind.

these boats are not for everybody. you probably better bet on doing most of the maintenance yourself. some guys on here have other dealers that work with them but i would bet the majority do it themselves. if you need complete guaranteed piece of mind i would look somewhere else, but most likely you will NEVER find that big of a guarantee

[jdogg]

Thanks for the comments...probably have to live with no guarantees...

blindside...I was contemplating "warehousing" some of the more often replaced parts 

wakejunky...I'll try to lighten up a bit and just enjoy the boat...the one I'm looking at looks exactly like yours!!  Do you have the stock ballast system on there?  If so, does it work well or will I be considering a change shortly?  The boat is 4 hrs away so I haven't had a chance to test it out yet.  The Accuski (??) module isn't working either...from this website, it sounds like it didn't work very well anyway and I would want to install Perfect Pass instead.  But does that module also provide warning info for motor, hours, etc. that I would need?  Perfect Pass would give me hours, but other warning info and other stuff may still be necessary?? 

[jdogg]

Excuse my ignorance, but if in the future I need a particular part that is no longer available, what are my options?? 

Obviously, it would depend on what that part may be, but if it were something as significant as a cracked block, am I hooped unless I can find one that has been scrapped off another boat or ??

[denver]

If you do some research you can find anything you need on the internet.  The other option is to convert the defective part to some thing current you can find today. 

Example -  This summer I have had two things go wrong with my boat.

1 - The bearings and seals in my fresh water pump went bad, luckily I had just left the ramp and I noticed to temperature was HOT fairly quickly (I think I was quick anyway) and was able to shut the engine down and get back to the trailer pretty easily.  Rick has replacement pumps he can sell you, but if you do a little research you can easily see that the pump has a somewhat custom body shape but the internal guts are very standard. I was able to find the bearings and seals at a local bearing and seal shop (Motion industries) for a grand total of $34 and rebuild my pump with the simple tools I have in my garage. (I have a goal to write a how-to and post with part numbers)

2 - I bought the boat with several electrical "gremlins".  I am having an issue with the computer under the dash "talking" to the switch bank.  I looked at the issue closer and realized that the system is to complicated for what it does.  I have two options replace the parts with the original (limited and unsupported) parts or adapt / make  something that I can support myself or is currently available off the shelf.  I was able to patch things together and make it work over the summer and this winter I am going to make my own system. 

I think if you are reasonably handy and mechanical you can handle most issues that will come up with a boat. Some of the specific things on the engine I dont have a fix for, but Im guessing most of it can be found off of the automobile version of the engine and cleverly adapted to work if it had to....... I also think Rick has a fairly large stock of parts..... and on top of all that, dont forget its a toyota, built to last!
   

[jdogg]

Thanks, Denver...very helpful to hear your experience with repairs. 

This website seems like a great place to get info if I ever have a problem.

[HCollado]

Good points from all.

We should, when ever possible, support Rick and buy parts from him. He has taken a gamble in holding the inventory and totally depends on us to buy from him.

[jdogg]

Again, thanks for all the input from everyone.  I'm likely driving 4 hrs this weekend to go see it and test it out.  Really looking forward to checking it out. 

Any advice on what I should specifically be looking at?  I'll be testing the ballast system for sure. Any other things to specifically be checking for other than going for a good ride, checking for leaks, testing out the wake? 

The Accuski?? module isn't working so I guess I may need to replace that or do I not need that really?  I would be installing Perfect Pass over the winter anyway.  Does that Accuski module give me anything else that I need?

[wakejunky]

The "accuski module" or DD digital display does give your engine hours, gauge information, lake water temp and depth if your boat has those accessories. you could get away without it but it does come in handy at times. things you would loose is boat hours and the lake temp and depth info. the rest of the vital info is displayed on gauges

i do not have the stock ballast system. not that its bad it is just too slow for me and i wanted more than the 700lbs. i tend to run to the lake after work and i cant wait 15-20 minutes for the ballast to fill and drain. you can check out the install if you search the forum for "new sx ballast".

definitely test drive the boat. don't think something odd is normal. our boats have their quirks but they are super smooth running. being a v-drive i would look at the muffler. i recently had a leaky muffler that i had to repair. it was easy with a fiberglass repair kit. you want to feel or look with a mirror on the bottom where it rests against the inner hull. other than that just get a good look at the overall condition of the boat. most are over 10 years old so keep in mind some wear and tear is normal. if your lucky there are some out there that are mint you may pay extra for them but their worth it in the long run

[jdogg]

Thanks, wakejunky, for your comments!!

I just created a new post...I just found out the boat I'm looking at sank 4 years ago.  It was owned by Bitzko...just trying to see if anyone knows why it sank and whether anyone knows anything about repairs that were done...maybe I could find person who owned it after Bitzko but before the current dealer who picked it up at an auction in May 2011.

I may have to say good-bye to this boat, but that makes me a bit sad.  I got the opportunity of riding on an SX22 last night.  It's just like the one I'm looking at and I loved it!!  He has no plans on selling it...