Regulator and LDS issues

[sharpenu]

I brought my regulator in for service three weeks ago and it cost me $110. It is a ten year old Mares MR22 Abyss and I have done 4 dives since service. The dives were all between 80 and 100 feet. There were no problems, until my octopus died on the last dive. I bought a used Scubapro R095 from my LDS. When I got it home and put it on my reg, it would free flow. I brought it in so the LDS could look at it.

The tech replaced the seats. It still did it. Then he noticed that the diaphragm has two holes in it. He didn't have one, and offered to upgrade to a new Octo for free, since they had sold me the broken one. That one free flowed as well. Then they noticed that my primary wasn't flowing correctly. They want me to call tomorrow to see what the problem is.

I am concerned that my LDS has falling standards. Just last week, my son and his girlfriend had to bring their regulators back to the same LDS because they had gotten their annuals done there, and the first time they dove with them, they both free flowed, causing the dive to be scrubbed. I also brought my girlfriend's 15 year old reg in there a month ago, and they told me that they could not repair it, so I bought her a new one.

I am thinking that I may have to find another LDS to do my service from now on. I understand that regs break, but in the past two months, they have failed to properly repair each and every one of the four regulators that I have brought in there.

This shop is telling me that they will sell me a Scubapro at a deep discount, because they feel bad about wrecking the service. The offer is for a Mk17/C300 with a R195 Octo for $515. Another area shop has on sale the Aqualung Legend with octo for $550. If it turns out that I buy a new reg, I am not sure which is the better deal.

Anyway, just venting.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

And people wonder why I like Atomic's 'Just send it back to the factory every 2 (or whenever it needs it) years' option.

 

[halocline]

Get a new shop. This is one of the reasons I learned to work on my own regulators.

BTW, what do you mean, your octopus 'died'?

 

[ams511]

This shop is telling me that they will sell me a Scubapro at a deep discount, because they feel bad about wrecking the service. The offer is for a Mk17/C300 with a R195 Octo for $515. Another area shop has on sale the Aqualung Legend with octo for $550. If it turns out that I buy a new reg, I am not sure which is the better deal.

Not such a deep discount as I think the C300 is being phased out: Scubapro MK17/C300 Regulator Yoke, Black | LeisurePro

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
The offer is for a Mk17/C300 with a R195 Octo for $515. Another area shop has on sale the Aqualung Legend with octo for $550. If it turns out that I buy a new reg, I am not sure which is the better deal.

Anyway, just venting.

It comes down to personal choice and ease to get service after. Both reg sets have similar performance & quality. At the beginning of this year I changed my primary reg set from Aqualung to a Mk17/C300. Two things I don't like about the Mk17/C300; although breathing is very good mine is noisy with an irritating metallic resonance and I have to fiddle a bit with the 2nd stage adjustment to get the quietest and smoothest position - maybe they'll be able to resolve this when it goes in for first service fairly soon and I find the mouthpiece on the C300 less comfortable than the Aqualung. I've always liked the Aqualung Comfo-bite mouthpiece. Plus the Legend has the Auto-Close feature on the 1st stage if you ever forget to replace the dust-cap. On the other hand I get better (less noisy) exhaust bubble distribution from the C300.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

You can get the latest high quality regs for less than those numbers in other brands that will perform as well, if not better. That they were unable to work on your Gf's regs because they were older should only have been an issue if they don't sell.that brand or it's something like.dacor that mares killed. I'd also.get another shop.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[sharpenu]

BTW, what do you mean, your octopus 'died'?

My old Octo was a Mares Proton. The exhaust tee and diaphragm cover cracked and fell off during my last dive. I can't complain, it cost me $80 ten years ago. Not counting a 2 year hiatus for medical reasons, it probably made close to a thousand dives, so I think I got my money's worth.

 

[herman]

There is something def wrong here....with multiple octos free flowing it sounds like a first stage issue to me, something even a rookie tech should catch. With all the other problems, my guess is a incompetent shop/tech but I have to ask....define "freeflow", is it a slight leaking of air or a major rush of air and if it's a major rush, when does it start.
What brand/model is the 15yo they could not fix??

 

[ams511]

I would see what deal you can get on an Apeks XTX 50 and octo, from the other shop.

I never used a C300/C200 but when they first came out DA Aquamaster gave a critique of one on SB. From what I remember he wasn't too impressed with the regulator. He said it was designed primarily for the European market where they prefer an unbalanced second stage. The C200 has been discontinued in the US and I think the C300 will go soon. I would not purchase a regulator that has only been on the market a few years. If the dive shop is feeling contrite then ask them for a MK17/G260 with an R095 octo for the same price. That would be a much better setup. If they balk, remind them they made money on the shoddily-done service.

 

[Colliam7]

There are usually (at least) two sides to every situation, but it does appear that you may not be using the best regulator service facility. A few things stand out in your post.

I brought my regulator in for service three weeks ago and it cost me $110. It is a ten year old Mares MR22 Abyss and I have done 4 dives since service. The dives were all between 80 and 100 feet. There were no problems, until my octopus died on the last dive.

It appears that, after service, your first stage and primary second stage both were functioning normally. Out of curiosity, did the components on the Proton spontaneously fail, or was there some event that led to the cracked cover and tee?

I bought a used Scubapro R095 from my LDS. When I got it home and put it on my reg, it would free flow. I brought it in so the LDS could look at it. The tech replaced the seats. It still did it. Then he noticed that the diaphragm has two holes in it. He didn't have one, and offered to upgrade to a new Octo for free, since they had sold me the broken one.

So, the LDS (apparently, a Scubapro dealer) sells a used Scubapro second stage / octo, which they apparently did not service before selling (if they had, presumably they would have at least inspected, possibly replaced, the diaphragm at that time). That seems a bit odd. It also seems a bit odd that a Scubapro dealer would not have service parts for a Scubapro second stage, and would need to 'upgrade' the unit for free.

That one free flowed as well. Then they noticed that my primary wasn't flowing correctly. They want me to call tomorrow to see what the problem is.

I may be missing something in the sequence of what actually took place. But, if someone brings in a reg with a second stage 'free flowing', I will usually check the IP on the first stage before I do anything on the second stage - checking the IP is non-invasive, easy to do, and takes less than a minute. If the IP is stable, and within specs, then it makes sense to start working on the second stage. It sounds like the tech serviced the second stage, then put on a new / different second stage, and only then figured out there was a problem with the first stage. Not a terribly efficient way to go about business.

Just last week, my son and his girlfriend had to bring their regulators back to the same LDS because they had gotten their annuals done there, and the first time they dove with them, they both free flowed, causing the dive to be scrubbed.

I don't have hard data to support this, only an impression. But, if there is one 'after service' complaint that seems to be among the most common, it is that a second stage 'free flows'. A lot of this has to do with how service techs tune second stages on the bench (frequently, right to the edge of free-flow, to assure maximum gas delivery), and the fact that most reg service is necessarily done 'dry' - the units are not tested in water before being returned to the customer. There is nothing really wrong with either practice. By itself, I wouldn't be too concerned about the service facility simply on the basis of these two events. But, in the bigger picture of your recent experience, I can see why you are losing confidence. I would too. I agree with Jim and several others who have said, 'Find another shop.'

This shop is telling me that they will sell me a Scubapro at a deep discount, because they feel bad about wrecking the service. The offer is for a Mk17/C300 with a R195 Octo for $515.

This is the part that actually bothers me the most. From your description, it is not clear that they have figured out what is wrong with your Mares first stage. Why are they offering to sell you a whole new regulator, before determining what is wrong with your current one? It sounds like they just want to make a sale. And, if they truly 'wrecked' the service on your existing reg, then the price for the new reg and octo is not really a 'deep discount'. OK, it is probably ~$160 off the combined list price of the two components (Mk17/C300 with a R195 Octo ). But, you could buy the same items from LeisurePro today for about $525. However, let's speculate for a moment: if your Mares first stage now has a problem with IP creep, and that problem arose as a result of their service (perhaps, the tech got a bit too enthusiastic with a dental pick and scored the interior surface on the first stage) - I am not saying this is the case (and it probably isn't, since the reg performed well after service), only that, IF it was the case, their responsibility would be more extensive - then offering to sell you a new reg for a modestly reduced price would not be adequate by any means.

Before buying another reg, it would seem more reasonable to find out what may be going on with the Mares first stage. Then, consider buying (somewhere else) an alternate second stage / octo to replace the one that 'died'