Regulator Repair or Replace? That is the Question.

[Jay Moroso]

So here's a question/situation that I hope I will get some insight to:
I just left my LDS and picked up my newly serviced reg (Aqualung Legend). You know, the same LDS I had my reg serviced at one year ago. I got it back the same as I always do. They give you the little read out with that neat little graph that shows all of this tech'y information that only repair techs and reg geeks know about, but is probably important. Then there is that little plastic zip baggie with all of those "O" rings and little parts in it that are probably worth $3 new. And then theres the most important part they give you besides your reg: THE BILL!

Wow! $206 for a reg service. It was about the same last year. Maybe about $16 cheaper last year. I always wrote it off as no big deal. It's my reg and it's my life down there. But as I was driving home I got to wondering... Wouldn't it be the same amount of money to just by a cheap Mares or Cressi, $200 reg every year instead of a service? I mean in 2 years I have already spent $400 in repairs!
In 3 years I've already spent in repairs what the regulator costs. And then in 5-10 years what do we do? Replace the regulator with a newer (better) one. I'm a recreational diver and don't do anything technical. I'm asking because I seriously don't know. Yes, my reg is better than some of those cheaper ones. But hey, do I need that? The cheaper regs are made for recreational use and it's not like they are junk. They probably don't last as long but hey, that's not the issue. I would use it for one year and toss it or sell it on eBay for a few bucks.

I'd be interested to know what other people's thoughts are. Especially those of a qualified reg service person. Could service personnel be pricing themselves out of business?

 

[unwantedsn]

Are they overhauling it every year? I thought in order to be on the "free parts for life" it was inspect year1, overhaul year2, inspect year3, overhaul year4 etc.

 

[Marie13]

You’re in LA. Of course, everything is going to be more expensive.

DRIS is my shop in the Chicago area. Full service for a reg set ($25 each for first stage and two second stages) is $75 plus parts. Right there on the website.

What is the invoice breakdown for your reg set?

My single tank set is an AL Legend LX Supreme. I’ll be damned if I’ll breathe off some rough, cheap piece of crap just to save some $$ on maintenance. SM set is Apeks XTX50. Pony is an AL Legend first stage with an Apeks second stage. Buy once, cry one. I want a nice breathing reg. I’ve breathed off some rough ones. Never again.

Do you have a POS car because you don’t want to pay for repairs? Junk it when it’s done for and get another POS beater?

 

[JahJahwarrior]

There is something to be said for high quality regulators, and treating them well. I wouldn't toss a nice reg just because it needed service.

I think you will get a lot of people telling you to skip annual service, and go to every other year, and I have to admit I don't follow a 1 year interval myself.

I think you will also get a lot of people telling you to learn to service the regs yourself. If you do oil changes, and enjoy it, then you can learn to service regs yourself. But you will probably have to learn how to service another brand, and then apply the same logic to yours. You also have to buy parts, which might be $20-$60, and the tools. But in 2-3 years, it will pay off. I do my own servicing, and I enjoy it.

I bet you could do a reg rebuild in half an hour if you tried, which at car mechanic rates is around $50 of labor, plus $50 in parts, $50 in overhead and then $50 in profit. I would be upset paying $200 for a reg service too, but I would be surprised to pay less than $100.

You could split the difference and sell your Legend used every 1.5 years, then use that money to buy a mid range reg, say for $300.

Or, get into technical diving, keep the Legend for open water, then get backmount, sidemount, stage and o2 regs, and when one needs service, just decide to scavenge the sidemount regs, or a stage reg, and put off the service for a few months until you no longer have enough working regs for even open water...and spend a paycheck on service.

 

[Pyro_]

outch that is expensive, i just had my poseidons serviced and it was 100$CND which is about 75$US for a first stage and two second stages and they only need servicing every couple of years. I would be looking around to see what other LDS shops in your area are charging for service

 

[Scared Silly]

Are they overhauling it every year? I thought in order to be on the "free parts for life" it was inspect year1, overhaul year2, inspect year3, overhaul year4 etc.

I gotta ask the same. Why did it get serviced two years in a row?

That said the whole free parts for life program is bunk.

 

[runsongas]

option 3: service when needed yourself

you should probably find a new LDS though, because they are taking you for a ride unless if you are doing 200+ dives a year on that reg to need an overhaul and you bought the reg used so you don't qualify for the free parts

 

[rsingler]

My vote, like others who have posted, is none of the above.

One poster above said "I bet you could do a reg rebuild in half an hour if you tried..."

I've been doing this for years, and it NEVER takes just a half hour. You could do a parts switch in less time than that, but that's not a reg service. Parts need cleaning. The first stage should sit on the tank for an hour to check IP stability. Second stage tuning takes a little time after assembly.

$200 for service of three regulators is just a touch high. $30/reg for labor, and $15-45 per reg for those "$3 worth of orings".
Well, it's not that simple. I routinely spend more time than that simply because most folks don't return their regs every year for service. There's no need to, for the first stage.
Most folks aren't religious about rinsing their gear after EVERY trip.
So there's verdigris corrosion that needs a little time in the ultrasonic. And the hoses also need new orings. And the HP spool may need service. And the computer may need a battery.

No, you received a fair labor price, and a slightly inflated service kit cost. You can get orings cheap, but the seats are more.

So what's the solution? Use the regulator checklist religiously: Regulator Inspection and Checklist (Rev-8)

Forget parts for life. Send your first stage in for service at the first sign of IP instability (2 years? 5 years?). Rinse your gear religiously. Get your second stage tuned every year. 5 min work and it should be a minimal cost. Get your second stage serviced every two years if you have a standard seat, and every three years if you have a "seat-saver" feature like Atomic.

But buy $200 regs? No way!
I haven't needed to service my 1986 Scubapro Mk10 first stage in four years now. I still dive it from time to time. Good stuff lasts. But my 1986 G250 second stage still needs a new seat every 1-2 years.

My 2¢.

 

[scubafanatic]

While $ 206 seems a bit high, you are in LA where all prices are inflated. Might be worth shipping off to Scubatoys next time. That being said, I'd schedule service based on '# of dives' instead of annually. You could easily go 100 - 200 dives before any service is needed, assuming you take reasonable care of your gear. Spending $ 200 every 4 or 5 years would be entirely reasonable/economical.

 

[Jay Moroso]

Are they overhauling it every year? I thought in order to be on the "free parts for life" it was inspect year1, overhaul year2, inspect year3, overhaul year4 etc.

No. They have to "overhaul" it. That may pertain to other models. Some, like the Atomic T3 only need to be serviced every 3 years, but the up-front cost is way up there.