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So I picked up a brand new 2018 kodiak 700 eps se 2 weeks ago after 2 months of test driving and research. I get it home and buzz up and down the driveway a half dozen times (literally ran it 15 min) and all of a sudden smoke starts pouring up from the hood. I look through the wheel well and there is radiator fluid all over the place. I get it back into the garage, and start checking to see where the leak is coming from. Hoses, clamps, everything checks out. Start it up the next day, same thing happens but this time I have the hood panel off to see if and where a leak comes from. It is coming from the radiator cap. Let it cool, take it off, put it back on, start it up, happens again, this time I put my hand on the radiator, cold on drivers side, hot as [email protected]@ on the "passenger side" I call up the dealership and ask them what is up? They said it might be a bad radiator cap. Plausible, but doesn't explain why the radiator is cool on one side, hot on the other. So I ask him could there be a air lock that's preventing flow and should I bleed the radiator fluid? He said go ahead and go through the bleed procedure and if that doesn't work, bring it in. Long short, I jack up the front end, pop the radiator cap off, pop the reservoir cap off, open the air bleed valve, NOTHING!!. I tighten that back up and open the drain valve, NOTHING! After about 5 or so seconds all of a sudden I hear a "belch" come from the radiator cap and radiator fluid starts coming out the drain valve! I button everything back up, check levels, fire it up, check and make sure radiator fluid is moving through the radiator, cap it and it's running fine. No leaks, radiator is hot across it's entirety and seems to be functioning properly.
Fast forward. I put a warn provantage plow and winch combo last weekend and started plowing the driveway with it. Plows great!! I am out tonight clearing the driveway and I notice something is weird with the steering. I figure it might be because I am pushing back some banks and the snow is 6" deep and not as good of traction. I get down to the end of the drive and turn around and the f*&^ing tire literally almost falls off in my turn. I get off and there is only 1 lug nut holding the tire on, the tire is wrapped around the disc/caliper. I have to use my hand to keep the wheel on and walk it back up the driveway to get it in the garage. I get the plow off of it and jack up the front end. All of the lug nuts had backed right off the posts and even one post was missing! My tire is all jacked up, rotor bent, and lord knows if there is anything screwed up with the differential. The threads are fine on the posts, so clearly it wasn't stripped or damaged from like an impact. I begin to wonder if the rest of them are on. Well low and behold, the left side/driver's side are all torqued to specs, but the rear wheel on the same side that the tire came off, 2 of the nuts were barely on and the other 2 were maybe hand tight!!
So as you can imagine, I am about ready to KILL someone
and I am glad it is at night and the dealership is closed. Before I call them, I would like to get people's opinions on how to handle the phone call. Before I play my cards and blow the phone up, are they responsible for the radiator issue? Are they responsible for putting on the wheels and torquing them to spec??? Am I up the creek without a paddle? Any ideas/ experiences/ input would greatly be appreciated!!!
Fast forward. I put a warn provantage plow and winch combo last weekend and started plowing the driveway with it. Plows great!! I am out tonight clearing the driveway and I notice something is weird with the steering. I figure it might be because I am pushing back some banks and the snow is 6" deep and not as good of traction. I get down to the end of the drive and turn around and the f*&^ing tire literally almost falls off in my turn. I get off and there is only 1 lug nut holding the tire on, the tire is wrapped around the disc/caliper. I have to use my hand to keep the wheel on and walk it back up the driveway to get it in the garage. I get the plow off of it and jack up the front end. All of the lug nuts had backed right off the posts and even one post was missing! My tire is all jacked up, rotor bent, and lord knows if there is anything screwed up with the differential. The threads are fine on the posts, so clearly it wasn't stripped or damaged from like an impact. I begin to wonder if the rest of them are on. Well low and behold, the left side/driver's side are all torqued to specs, but the rear wheel on the same side that the tire came off, 2 of the nuts were barely on and the other 2 were maybe hand tight!!
So as you can imagine, I am about ready to KILL someone