Off topic... but it's your thread... so I guess it's OK.
Polaris made some very good skis, and they weren't "Crap"... but, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Personally, I like all the ski's, and no one company has any more issues than an other.
Even though they pulled the plug on their PWC... they made parts available for ALL of their skis up until just a few months ago, but there are still tons of parts out there. (SeaDoo doesn't support anything older than 5 years.
A good rule of thumb is to never trust what a mechanic tells you. Most of them are morons.
Dr H, as usual, your comments are helpful and informative.
FYI, I was not slamming you on your Polaris. As I pointed out in my Thread, I always thought they looked bitchin and was going to buy two (Verage I recall) on several occasions, however, several mechanics I talked to told me they were prone to have many mechanical problems.
I was also concerned about getting parts.
On the parts issue, SD dealers rarely had parts in stock for my 93 GTX's and when ordered from Canada, I thought I was buying parts made of gold.
It was difficult finding simple bolts and screws for my 93 GTX engine project that the screw fairy swiped from my work bench. (A wise man like me surely could not have lost or misplaced them)
I've heard more good than bad about Kawi's and Yami's when compared to SD's, however, knowing that SD sells many more PWC's than K&Y combined, I know that fact is relevant to the problems issue.
In my case, as you know I recently chose two 97 Kawi 1100 STX's over two 96 GTX's because I noticed that rental shops preferred Kawi's over SD's and Y's. (I also beat the Kawi owner down to $4800 from $5800. The SD owner would only go down from $5800 to $5400 and of course, being a "thrifty) kinda guy that I am, that fact could not have been relevant in my decision, right)
I also did not want to be spending $30 for a gallon of API TC oil when I could get a good blend (Pennzoil) for half that price.
Doc, were you aware that the American Petro Institute (API) has not conducted tests on 2-cycle gasoline engines since 1993?
Hell, PWC's have come a long way since then, so, I've been wondering about the relevance of an API TC rating for a water cooled engine such as a SD!
Being the inquisitive kind of guy that I am, albeit I conducted several searches I couldn't even find one test that was conducted by API to ascertain whether API performed tests on water-cooled engines (PWC's) or limited their tests to air cooled snow-mobiles, motorcycles and ROTAX aircraft engines!
I am starting to wonder, has SD and the API been selling snake oil to the SD consumer?
As you know, I used Valvoline TCW3 in one of my 93 GTX's for over five years with zero problems, however, the mechanic that I sent my crankshaft to for a rebuild told me that the bearings showed signs of overheating. (green/blue tinge). He recommended that I start using Amsoil Interceptor.
Now, considering the foregoing sentence and applying it to your "good rule of thumb:" "to never trust what a mechanic tells you" because "[M]ost of them are morons," I am wondering, unless your statement was made tongue in cheek, then, a wise person should adhere to your rule.
Just some thoughts from a thinking man to a wise man.
IMO, a person that owns a 96 + SD should focus more on a JASO or ISO rating than a rating from an obsolete test.
