Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk AL Fishing Talk Minn Kota issue

My old Minn Kota Maxxum died on my last fishing trip and I decided maybe it was time to upgrade it. I have been thinking about the advantages of an Ultrex for an old man anyway, so I bought one from BPS. Neither location close by had one, so I ordered it. It was supposed to be here Monday, but FedEx did their usual poor job and I finally got it yesterday.

I tested it to make sure it would power up, then installed it on my boat. I had to modify the boat and drill new holes, but finally got it done. Took it to a lake and though the motor itself works great, none of the GPS features like Spotlock will work. There's a board in the head that must be bad, and no way for me to fix it. I called MK and the guy said I would have to take it to a service center. I called the closest one and the guy said that he wouldn't work on a brand new motor and I should demand a new one. They had already made it clear that wasn't happening, so I am not sure what to do with it.

Does anyone know of a MK service center in central AL that might fix it for me? Most of the places they list are actually just dealers and probably don't have anyone on staff to work on one. The only place I've ever used is Alabama Trolling Motor outside Birmingham, but they took 2 months on the last repair.

I think BPS would replace it or refund it, but that's gonna mean I have to pull the mount and everything, and that's several hours of hard work.

Anyone ever been in this situation with a brand new motor? I'm not sure of the best way to proceed, so thanks for any ideas.

Bill from alabama trolling motors in now at airport marine or at least that is my understanding

So MK said they wouldn’t warranty a brand new motor or BPS?

Thanks Ben.

They will fix it if I uninstall it and carry it to a service center. I'm not sure what BPS will do. I emailed them, but no response so far.

Gotcha.
I would hope BPS would take it back and at least exchange it. MK should do the same.
But you would have to uninstall it anyway for an exchange.
I’d sure be the squeaky wheel though😉
Good luck Preacher.

This is the reason ive gone to Garmin on everything on the boat. I never have a problem they dont handle. Actually hardly ever have a problem.

There’s a guy on Pratville that works on them, but you have to take it off and bring it to him. Sorry I don’t know his name

I’ve heard their customer service is very good but I have zero experience with them.

You need to buy the external heading sensor. I have a spare one, NIB. PM me your address and I'll send it to you. Just send me some $ for shipping costs when you get it. Once installed, follow the directions to sync it up with your TM.

Also, download the One Boat Network to your phone. Sync it with your TM. If there are any software updates, the app will install them. Secondly, if the batteries in your remote go dead, you can control the TM with this app. Mine went dead on Saturday. Luckily I carry spare batteries in my boat. The hardest part was finding where I had kept the phillips head screwdriver to change them out.

Many thanks for the generous offer! BPS offered to send me a replacement, and they even said I could leave the bracket mounted on the boat and only use the new motor itself. That will be an easier fix for me than having to carry it somewhere for repair.

It isn't over yet, but I gotta say that I have been impressed with the BPS customer service so far. They seem to really wanna make it right. Haven't gotten that impression from MK.

The BPS replacement TM arrived yesterday and I got it installed. Carried it to the lake today and it works great. Thanks for all the help!