Cessna Caravan vs Kodiak Part 2 & Why I Regret My Purchase
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- Опубликовано: 17 июн 2024
- I did a video a while back comparing the Kodiak vs the Caravan and the reasons why I chose the Kodiak. In fact, my entire RUclips Channel was dedicated to my journey in aviation. Between my Channel and the videos I did on @FlyingwithRich I gained over 500,000 views. Ive had hundreds of people reach out to me and 4 people I know purchased new Kodiak's based on discussions with me.
This video is an update to that review discussing the problems I've had with my Kodiak and how absolutely TERRIBLE Kodiak has been in regards to after sales support and customer care.
From the beginning I was lied to by Kodiak, and once they got my money they made it extremely difficult to get my airplane repaired.
I would NEVER...I repeat...NEVER spend my hard earned money with Daher or Kodiak and I recommend anyone who's interested to think twice before purchasing a new Kodiak.
To be clear, my aircraft has been amazing but the company has not. If I could do it all over again I would have purchased a used Kodiak and saved myself a lot of money.
For those looking to buy a Kodiak, I explain in the end of the video all of the nonsense claims they make in regards to Kodiak Care, their Warranty, and Engine Programs etc.
Liking, Subscribing, and Sharing this video helps get the word out. The aviation community is small. Kodiak would rather spend thousands of dollars on marketing and booths at Air Shows than to take care of their aircraft and customers.
As always, this is my personal experience and journey Other Kodiak owners may have a different experience. I know the video is long but we actually shortened it quite a bit. There's a lot more I left out. 
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Kodiak have shot themselves in the foot. I'd like to see how their unbelievably shoddy treatment of their customers will affect attendance at the Kodiak/Daher display area at EAA this year. Word about this kind of thing goes around fast. I'd like to see Daher's PR guys handling this situation.. 😂 I can see a whole lot of other manufacturers smiling as they prepare for would-be Kodiak customers jumping ship to their products. This couldn't have come at a worse time for Kodiak. I bet Textron and Epic have taken notice of the situation and, if handled well, they could win over many new customers this year... They should push customer care like never before at EAA 2024 as the spotlight has shifted in that direction, and potential owners will be studying every customer care promise made by manufacturers under a magnifying glass. The playing field has suddenly become quite interesting. Given the right set of circumstances, social media can drive significant change, and this could be one of those key moments in aviation..
Very well said.
However, there's a saying in business: "Even bad publicity is still publicity".
@@igclapp True, but when it involves several million dollars of your hard earned money, the bad publicity regarding how customers are treated tends to scare serious buyers away. Yes, it may draw a few casual seekers to know more about their airplanes, and more people may now be talking about them, but in reality the message is not a positive one for the person Kodiak is hoping to meet: the serious buyer who is used to excellence and therefore expects to be taken care of by the manufacturer of the aircraft he/she is thinking of purchasing. Bad publicity may improve awareness of the product, but I doubt that the nature of that awareness would necessarily be advantageous to Daher. Just a thought. I could be wrong of course, but I somehow doubt that it'll be the case.
@@eksemosFair enough. We'll see. It seems like it would take so little effort for Daher to rectify this.
@@igclapp Well, generally speaking that might be true, but in this case I think the serious buyer won't see the product in a more positive light. Casual visitors might visit the Daher display area more due to increased publicity, but the guys who are willing to part ways with their hard earned millions won't. I could be wrong of course, but somehow I don't think that's the case here.
Retired A&P, I.A. 42 years. The one plane that stands out as my favorite to work on was the Cessna Caravan. They were built with the mechanic in mind. I never saw a Kodiak close up so I can't offer an opinion on that breed.
***You had me hooked and was preparing to contact Kodiak sales this week.*** I even had the wife watching Kodiak flight videos last night and she was all in!!! Now I get up this morning and my RUclips feed has this video at the top of the list. I really want to see how @KodiakAircraft reacts to your video. Customer Service is critical with this type of complex product. This is where the business is won or lost. Beautiful plane, but...........
Maybe check out the PC-12…
It doesn't really matter how Kodiak responds. This guys videos were the entire reason I knew about Kodiak, as well as many others, and the company should be well aware of him. If they treat him like this, imagine how they'll treat you...
Believe me, I went through the same thing when I was buying my Kodiak. I talk about it in the first video I did. Having my wife watch the videos, going on a test flight etc. Sadly once you buy the plane you are on your own. Learn from my experience and save yourself the hassle. If you want a Kodiak buy a used one. Or an Epic maybe. Thanks for watching.
This Exactly. I literally told them this before making this video when my paint was peeling and they told me to screw off and fix it myself.
@@kodiakmd- wishing you well in your next steps with Kodiak. I will not move forward with them unless and until I hear a different customer satisfaction report from both you and them.
Cessna has the BEST support there is! Service Centers all over the world! Product support can make or break a product! THANK YOU for doing this video, what you are descibing are things people just do not hear about and need to know! All you hear is what a great plane it is, but when you can't get parts and support, it does you no good when it's grounded and sitting in the hangar!
From what I am hearing from people that were Cessna dealers and Cessna service centers I think this is likely true and I’m wishing I didn’t spend money with Kodiak.
@@kodiakmdCessna service centers are far from perfect. Sell or trade that Kodiak before it kills you. Have an aviation lawyer represent you against Daher AND help you buy your next plane to avoid this type of experience.
Same w diamond. Terrible. New 1+ million dollar 62-2 new engines, multiple sensor failures, prolonged down times (terrible dispatch reliability), stranded multiple times including in Telluride, glow plug failure, probably forgetting a few things. Keep in mind the plane is less than 2y old.
bummer man, I am such a fan of the DA62
This is odd, Diamond is literally known for their safety and reliability. Sounds like PPM is infectious and everywhere
Bummer I too started researching Diamond DA 62s.
Omg I was thinking to go with D62 no way I’ll continue with my eclipse jet eclipse my ttx and my lanc air turbo prop
With how many videos you made showing your Kodiak and your journey in aviation I am dumbfounded that the company would treat you like this. Completely unacceptable.
Me too lol
Thank you for posting these two videos. They are VERY informative.
Glad it was helpful!
Very good video. It's the same problem when you buy a Multi Million $ Boat. The manufacturer is just the middle man. Warranties and nearby service centers should be #1 criteria when you select your next purchase. Good luck with everything. We missed your videos.
The big difference is, Kodiak advertises their warranty in that you fly the airplane and everything is covered. It’s misleading and false.
Kodiak was a great company before it was acquired by Daher. Takeovers are usually at the expense of customer service and care. Daher like Boeing only cares about the bottom line, profits over anything else at any cost. Sorry for all you are enduring due to marketing BS when you purchased your anticipated pride & joy. You should sell it before the Daher reputation catches up with them. Cessna Caravans may not be as fancy, but they are durable, just ask FedEx, they don't buy Kodiaks, only Caravans and the new Cessna twin for their busy workforce. The dispatch percentage is over 90% on the Cessna products.
I agree with this.
There is a brand new Kodiak which has been under repair at like Hood Seaplane base for almost a year. The airplane had a incident in beach takeoff in Alaska last year. The engine injected sand into the turbine. The turbine is still off the airframe for almost a year.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I’ve been wanting to step up to something bigger, Kodiak was on the top of my list. Please keep us updated.
I definitely will keep everyone updated. Kodiak CEO has reached out to me and we have had a very positive conversation. I will let everyone know whether any action is taken by them. Thanks for watching and the support.
Wow - this was quite the video to listen to over lunch. While I am biased because I work for the other manufacturer mentioned in your title, I truly do believe we have the best service and post purchasing experience. I have had the pleasure in my, albeit short so far, career to meet some new, previous, and even long standing Cessna & Beech owners. They have had nothing but ~mostly~ positive experiences with the service centers, post production support, warranty work, etc. I am shocked to hear how Daher/Kodiak has not supported you. I hope that you can find a way to enjoy the aircraft and put it behind you or move on to a company/product that stands there to help and assist when needed. Either route you go, I hope your stay in aviation only gets better. Blue skies, my friend!
Thank you so much for watching and your support. Please show this video to others at Cessna as an example of what not to do with customers.
Amir hearing this is a real shock to me as I almost pulled the trigger on a 100 at about the same time as you after a few demo flights out of SNA. I haved owned a Cirrus and a Piper M500 at SNA both have decent service networks and support. I recently bought an M350 and I also know Rich through a friend and have the M350 hangared at OCR. The M600 or the M700 is perfect for your mission, family, price point, and especially support. Cutter out of PHX was my broker and Alex did an amazing job and is still on speed dial for any questions. Stop by OCR next time is you want to chat or learn why the M350 worked for me. Cheers
Very informative video! Been following your channel for sometime, glad I am able to hear your perspective on Kodiak. It’s a shame that they do not back up what they state.
Glad it was helpful!
Honestly, things like flap malfunction on a new aircraft would warrant an official FAA investigation and perhaps Federal authorities issuing a directive requiring Kodiak to inspect their entire fleet and make repairs. I would at the very least consult with a reputable aviation attorney to see what your legal options are. Even a class action against Kodiak is conceivable if enough owners are affected by inferior workmanship and aircraft defects.
I know a lot of Kodiak owners and I’m not the only one sadly…
So sorry to hear the unpleasant news. I hope everything will be sorted. Cheers
Totally agree with you man. I thought about buying a Kodiak 900, but you changed my mind.
Good. That’s what Kodiak needs in order to change their ways. Thanks for watching and the support.
The more I watch this, the worse it gets. Amir, I’ve been following your journey in aviation since I watched you fly the caravan with Rich and then taking delivery of your Kodiak. You’ve been such an inspiration to a guy like me who’s always dreamed of flying. After watching your videos I started with my private pilots license and now I am doing my instrument training. I am in negotiations to sell my company which will be by the end of summer. My plan was to contact Kodiak by August to discuss a new Kodiak 900. After watching this video that will remain on hold until I see how the manufacturer handles this situation. I could not and would not support a company that treats their customer this way. Please keep us updated as I’m sure a lot of your followers want to see what happens next. I will be reaching out to Rich as well to possibly discuss other options outside of a Kodiak. Thanks for being such an inspiration!
Thank you for watching and the support. There will definitely be an update video part 3. How that video goes is really in the hands of Daher and Kodiak. Thanks for watching and the support 🙏
Sad to hear - GA in general needs to do better with product support, but your experience is off the charts bad. Takes a lot of courage to post this so hopefully it does some good.
I think most people wouldn't want to say this publicly for fear of hurting their resale value
Rich was saying how good the kokiak was haha
Hey Rich, it's been 2 months since a video!! When's your next one?
Huge problem in the GA world. Been having similar issues with a Cirrus. Bought it in part because it was the best selling GA single piston. Assumption was that comes with a good service network and support from the company. Not the case! They're only interested in selling the new ones. Compounded by lack of good, reliable mechanics out there today. Have had multiple lengthy maintenance events and poor quality work come out of 'Service Centers'. So bad that I go out of my way to fly the plane hours away even though there's a service center on the field.
@@Hedgeflexlfz Kodiak is a great airplane. The company fell short on supporting the aircraft at least in this category.
As someone who has worked with terrible manufacturers, without knowing anything, I can tell you the reason that they don't have a service network is because their repair jobs always take much more than they say they should, and they refuse to pay for the work when it does. I've seen it many times. "Yeah yeah just send us the bill..."
This would be true if the Kodiak ever needed repairs at all. So far, it has had a pristine record. I am willing to believe that this guy just received a one in a million lemon. Nowhere else on the internet can you find any owners complaining about the company, or their Kodiak 100.
sounds like it needed a few repairs and there not to good at doing or paying someone to fix the problem.
@@skypilotace the companies behavior is unacceptable
@@skypilotace just in this one video you have multiple shops reporting that they won't work with Kodiak because they don't pay their bills.
my guess cessna isnt cheap but well supported. kodiak cheaper to buy but less supported. cessna is world wide❤
Thank you for the informative video ! I like your channel, and i'm sorry your being treated so badly . Shame on the company that sold you your airplane .
Thanks for watching!
I am a pilot, not an owner. I do have a good amount of experience with Cessna/Beech/Textron products, mostly Citations and King Airs. In my experience their support has been excellent. A few years ago I was flying an old Citation III. Despite the fact that they had ceased production on the 650 series almost two decades earlier (This one was serial number 3, manufactured in 1986!), if we had an issue we could call Textron legacy support and they would dig through the archives to get us whatever we needed, right then. I thought that was pretty impressive that they were still willing to provide that level of support, even for legacy products.
I am also shocked that someone at Kodiak would tell you it was okay to fly with an unreliable ITT indication. You know if you had flown with that condition and toasted your engine, they would have thrown you under the bus faster than you could pick up the phone. Pretty wild that they would gaslight one of their customers like that when it comes to a legal and safety of flight issue.
They absolutely told me to start and fly the airplane with an unreliable itt indication. And yes based on their non existent warranty, if anything had happened to that engine I would have been out $1 million. Totally unacceptable. Thanks for watching and the support.
When I first started to watch the videos, i thought just another rich prince. I'm glad I didn't stop watching you completely turned me around, and now I'm 100% on your side. How can a company charge that much for an aircraft and really not back up the warranty? Much less not get the services set up instead of you aka the customer haven to do all the leg work. This is completely unacceptable.
Not a Rich Prince (Although I wish I was). I work very hard for the money I make. Thanks again for watching? Spread the word!
This is assuming that everything this guy is saying is truthful. Sometimes people complain about things that are not covered under warranty, and others complain just because then can. The only reasonable thing to do would be to hear what other owners are saying about their experiences. So far, I haven't found any other complainers online.
Sounds like you work for Kodiak Skypilot?
Are you stupid? Did you see the emails I posted? Did you see the pics of melted airplane parts that fell off in flights? Did you see the armrests on my $400,000 summit interior upgrade? There are a lot of other Kodiak owners I know very frustrated with Daher. This video was not what I wanted to do. My channel was based on my journey in aviation and pushing the Kodiak platform.
@@allenw1188 No, I just have no patience for chronic complainers, of which this guy is one. Read my other post below, and you will understand better where I am coming from. And, by the way, the company isn't Kodiak, it's Daher. If I was a representative of Daher, I certainly wouldn't waste my breath on a complainer who has less than 100 hours of flight time as a pilot. This guy acts like he bought a gold-plated Rolls Royce, when in reality it is just a flying Jeep. I am convinced that Daher is not giving this guy the time of day because they have better things to do, and more mature clients to deal with.
Thank you for this video! I feel your frustration, but I truly thank you for taking the time to expose companies like this. Daher is definitely not the only company to do this, but won’t be the last. It’s only people like you that can educate the rest of us based on your experience. Again, thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Saw this pop up on the YT feed, decided watch your video from a year ago first. All I can say is that I'm stunned! No way I would do business with Daher!
I’m stunned too but I gave them so many opportunities to make things right. It fell on deaf ears.
Wow! I am really sorry you had to go through all of this. You seem like a very reasonable, rational person (a surgeon after all) with very reasonable and fair expectations that clearly were not met. My jaw is on the floor listening to this story. I would never have predicted this. Sad state of affairs at Kodiak customer service. They would be better off charging a little bit more for their aircraft and providing excellent world-class service. Maybe they need a new CEO. I would love to hear other comments from Cessna owners about their experience with warranty repairs. To compare and contrast the different levels of service. But you are staying positive and you will get everything worked out and be able to laugh at this and keep your love of flying. Good luck and God bless.
If I was the CEO and someone had this experience with my business they would be the first phone call I made in the morning. Thanks for watching.
100%.
Trade it in for an Epic - had almost the exact opposite experience with them. Epic treats you like part of a family. Sorry you had to deal with all of this - sounds like a mess.
Thats what I told him either. Go for an check out with Epic Aircraft. Totally opposite.
This is something I’m looking into. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for sharing your experience with me. The value of you sharing this your poor customer support experience is priceless. I watched your entire 1+hour video appreciating every moment you invested in making the video. I hope Kodiak does something to respond to you and change their customer support behavior.
Well said! Thanks for watching and the support.
I was considering the Kodiak and TBM in my plane search, but no longer, I was a bit skeptical when I looked up the service centers for these planes. This video confirmed my suspicions. Sorry about the plane, but thank you for posting this.
Thanks for watching and sorry to hear the bad news. For now I would recommend against that based on my experience. Hopefully the manufacturer will address the issues I’ve brought up and make a change in regards to how they treat customers. Thanks for watching and the support.
Your videos are very informative. Thank you for taking the time to post them and really sorry for your poor experience. Regardless if industry practices it sounds like you're being more than reasonable.
Thanks for watching. Making this video was not something I wanted to do but sadly I had to and it needed to be done.
This has to be the worse customer service experience that I’ve ever heard. What kind of quality/support is this? Who has time to deal with all these issues. Sorry doc plane is a lemon. Glad I saw your video and sorry you had to deal with all these headaches. No way we’re gonna consider Daher Kodiak for an aircraft purchase now
Thanks for watching. the support has been terrible hence why I made this video.
This is eye-opening in the most unfortunate way. Daher's handling of their warranty exposes internal problems. Yes, individual components may come with their own manufacturer's warranty, but Daher should handle those for the customer and then pursue remedy with the parts supplier. The process should be invisible to the customer.
Thanks for understanding this. It’s exactly what I’m saying.
As aircraft owners, we all experience the problems associated with inspection, repair, operation, and maintenance of the aircraft. Thankfully most of these problems are first world problems. Warranties are only a piece of paper, backed by the strength of the company. A major problem with the warranty can be the potential conflict of interest created between the owner and the mechanic. Newly certified, complex, luxurious, rare, or otherwise unique aircraft are more difficult and expensive to maintain. Renting, leasing, or partial ownership models may be attractive to pilots who are less experienced or able to manage the airworthiness and aforementioned issues.
wow what a 180 on Kodiak! Thnx for sharing!
Unfortunately yes. It’s not what I wanted but it’s the sad reality and the truth. Putting this out there for other guys like me that want to buy a Kodiak. Thanks for watching
Sorry to hear all of this but thankful you spent the time to illustrate their shortcomings.
Thank you for watching and the support 🙏
Surprised but sad to hear this. Thanks for sharing.
Sorry to delivery the bad news.
I've been following you for a while and have never commented before. But wow, what an ordeal and what a terrible way to treat a client who truly had love for the plane and brand. I hope this pushes them to change and I hope your next plane experience is a great one. It's hard to keep a persons attention for an hour, but I watched this from beginning to end, it was so wild what you've dealt with. None of your expectations were unreasonable, especially with the way they presented the warranty to you.
Thank you so much. I don’t find simple things like wanting peeling paint that I paid $35K as an upgrade for touched up. Or when there’s 100+ gallons of fuel on my hanger floor in my new airplane to have it fixed properly. Sadly Kodiak/Daher feels differently about it.
@@kodiakmd Totally unacceptable on their part. You really gave them a lot of opportunities to make things right every step of the way.
So grateful to this......I was about to make an order for 6x 900s & 4 TBMs
Based on what I’m hearing you would be waiting years for the 900’s and I can’t even imagine having to deal with problems on the 900. Whole new engine, and all kinds of other stuff. Pay $4m to be a Beta tester for a company that doesn’t care about their customers nor stand behind their products… no thanks!
Thank you for your honesty
Thanks for watching and the support
Thanks for making this video
Sadly I didn’t want to but it needed to be done. Thanks for watching 🙏
Textron warranties the same way as Kodiak. However, they will help you secure that other warranty. In my experience.
This is the most important comment made. Plus, ask TBM owners if they experience similar failures/responses? Bleed air in the cabin is a RED CAS message, get on the ground and Kodiak - re-design.
Thanks so very much for publishing this video that benefits all of us who watch and follow you. Have you received any response from Kodiak since you released this video?
Interesting story, thanks for sharing your experience. The window cracking thing is interesting that they aren’t developing an updated window that doesn’t crack as easily.
I know it’s expensive and a pain but having someone manage your plane is what you need. I fly a jet for a private owner and when we have maintenance issues and it’s a lot of logistics handling everything on the maintenance end of the aircraft. Thankfully the owner has a management company that helps provide mechanics and help deal with communication between manufacturers .
You said you’ve had well over 500,000 views but your channel showed just over 250k. Did you delete some popular videos? Just curious because I’d like to hear more about your experience if there are missing videos that got unlisted for whatever reason.
he did a few videos with Fly with rich on his channels as well, maybe that is a combined view count of 500K
@@superchargedpetrolhead I saw those. I was just wondering if maybe he de listed a video or two because of whatever reason.
I complained about a stale bag of Cornuts once and Hormel directly sent me THREE coupons each for a complimentary item in their line. Didn’t have to go to the farm where the corn was grown or back to the Target where I got ‘em. Shame that a $1.50 snack’s ”warranty” outperforms a $3m plane’s. Really sucks what you’re going thru. Hope it gets sorted STAT! Hang in there!
I hope it gets sorted as well. Thanks for watching!
As-salaam alaikum Amir, Eid Mubarak! Congrats on the 525 type rating! Are you planning to buy one? Maybe you can do a video with Citation Max, insha'Allah. He seems to have had a good experience with Textron customer service.
Been watching your channel for some time now and love your content and sorry man that you’ve been getting treated like this. I hope everything works out.
Thanks for the support
Welcome to GA aircraft ownership. I just bought 4 bolts from Beechcraft for $212... each. AN7s that are magnafluxed. oof. And my plane cost half as much as your deposit. I hope your video helps push change in the industry, but you're fighting a standard that has been installed in the system since 1903.
It’s a terrible standard and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be some people that decide not to buy a Kodiak based on my experience and maybe when Daher’s pocketbooks get hit they will change their tune to take care of customers. Thanks for watching
Its how the reg are set up. Working in the industry sometimes our hands are tide. For example, the engine is cerified by Pratt and not Quest. So any issues have to be trouble shot and supported by Pratt. All Quest is an assembly of parts. They are only responsible for the airframe. It's like I always say, you have to love aviation to be this crazy to own an aircraft.
I agree with everything you said 100%. I bought a brain airplane and have a plethora of experience with automobile trucks, Powersports, etc. I naïvely expected it to be as reliable. I have come to find that any machine that leaves the ground is cursed with reliability issues. It’s extremely difficult and timely to get problems fixed, especially if you’re on the road. I’m very happy to see someone with data and the power that you have with these videos to call out accountability to these large companies. I hope they suffer greatly. Question is why do you still have it and what is the plan going forward? Sorry if that’s addressed in the video. I’m only 30 minutes through.
Thanks for sharing, you've been an inspiration to people learning to fly like me. It doesn't seem right for you to be treated this way by Kodiak, I hope they make it right and change for the better!
Thanks for watching and the support 🙌
It’s always amazed me at how these service centers treated my planes. Every airplane I have owned has received some form of scratch, mark, or stain at every service visit! I thought buying new and having factory service would change this is does not.
You would think the factory would care. Sadly they don’t and when you bring it to their attention they are the first to say its not their fault.
Good for you. New aircraft are insanely expensive regardless of what class you are looking at. And these businesses struggle to be profitable because of the FAA. Unfortunately the customer either pays to keep them profitable or pays to get a skeleton service in the end. Super unfortunate for such a marquee platform. Great video speaking for the end users.
Great information! Sorry to hear about Kodiak, the upper management has really shot them selfs in the foot (maybe the brain) trying to save a few dollars. I was honestly thinking about a 900 but no more! I guess the old adage is true…” the bold print in advertising is negated by the fine print”
I couldn’t even imagine the nonsense you would deal with the purchase of a 900 at $4m. That’s literally almost being a test pilot in my opinion. Add to that the way I’ve experienced the manufacturer’s willingness to support and take care of the aircraft… it would be an absolute nightmare.
Your aircraft is stunning looking and it’s a shame your experience did not mirror that as a Kodiak owner. I have been a fan of the TBM and Kodiak line for quite some time. I wanted a TBM when I finished primary flight training and have flown several TBM models. I have never heard much negativity about Kodiak, and really like the 900. It seemed like Kodiak was a great option for what you like to do. It’s sad to see how disappointing this turned out for you.
I have owned several planes and take delivery of my second Vision Jet soon. I was recently on a factory tour of Cirrus…. No this is not going to be a cirrus pitch… Someone at Cirrus said “anyone can build one great airplane, but building thousands of great airplanes is difficult”.
I toured a Daher service center is Florida after dropping off TBM for scheduled maintenance. I flew several hours to get there only to realized they never scheduled the service at their end. I was not impressed by the experience or what I saw. Good luck with your next chapter.
What an eye opener. As you said, as a customer you would expect that kodiak would solve any of the issues and then it’s their problem to resolve warranty issues with their product suppliers. Shocking! One wonders what other aircraft manufacturers do?
It’s a terrible way to treat a customer and run a business. Most of these issues could have been resolved so easily if the manufacturer cared about its customers.
Good on you for coming out & talking about it.
I watched when you first said Kodak was better . Cessna was not as good with their demo .
Just doing my best to put out truthful, real life information. Thanks for watching!
How disheartening, I was considering purchasing the Kodiak after watching Amir and his excellent videos. I am no longer considering the Daher/Kodiak.
Thank you for watching. Hopefully I can come back with a positive update but for now I wouldn’t consider a Kodiak. Stay tuned!
game changer here, thank you for this excellent video Amir, as for Kodiak, i am disappointed greatly. so much potential for that aircraft and my planned use for it. But no more,
Thanks for watching and sorry to deliver the bad news.
@@kodiakmd please do not apologize, i view it like you are one heck of an excellent MD for giving your followers the treatment they need. I was getting ready and i mean in a few weeks to place an order for a brand new 900. Thank you, Doctor!!! Should you ever need some of the best X-wind landings/instruction or to fine tune your aviation abilities, we should get together. I have Y E A R S of experience
Thanks for the Video, Kodiak Marketing portrays a much different expectation of ownership experience.
Yes they do and it’s completely false
Pilatus would have been the best choice anyway! Sorry to hear all of that…
Totally agree on that, Hilux of the skies! Could be an opportunity for @whistlindiesel with the porter?!?:p
Sorry dude, but you can't compare the Kodiak 100 to the PC-12 NGX. They are not even remotely in the same category. The Kodiak is a STOL aircraft. Pilatus doesn't have any aircraft of this platform, nor can it compete with the Kodiak's short takeoff and landing capabilities, especially on very rough and/or steep terrain.
Kodiak 100 TOD: 934 ft.
Kodiak 100 MTOW: 7,255 lbs
Kodiak 100 Length: 33.7 ft.
PC-12 TOD: 2,485 ft
PC-12 MTOW: 10,450 pounds
PC-12 Length: 47.33 ft.
I couldn’t afford a Pilatus at the time and I was not ready to fly one. Thanks for watching.
@@skypilotacei think he meant the PC-6, but i got to admit u cant compare it 1by1 but still worth a thought to the problems he mentioned here
@@Calusui I understand, but the PC-6 isn't even produced anymore. It is an old dinosaur that was designed in 1959, retired in 2017, and doesn't even come close to the performance, cargo space, safety, construction, nor landing capabilities of the Kodiak. In the almost 60 years of it's production, only 500 were ever build. It looks even more outdated than any Cessna and probably wouldn't pass modern safety standards. The very mention of it is a moot point.
What is the link to Part 1?
Amir, sorry to hear about your ordeal, but heard about TBMs horrible service from a few owners. The number of issues with your new plane is astonishing. I hope you find a reliable replacement, or just buy two planes to always have one ready to go. On another note I like your watch collection.
Thank you for watching and the support. I’m hoping this is a wake up call for Kodiak. Watches are an addiction for me 🙏
@@kodiakmdI feel you on watches, also have a bit of an addiction. What’s your favorite pilot watch.
Thank you for posting, that has to be the worst customer service ever, it has totally ruined your ownership experience. I still put a sign in my car when it goes in for service " Do not wash or test drive" I would not expect to have to do that with my company Jet. Thank you for the heads up, we know now where not to shop for our next aviation acquisition.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for a very interesting video. I was on the brinck to write Daher a mail to start a purchase prosess for a 900, but I have to say this will rest until further. Do you know of other owners that have had issues with Daher/Kodiak. Once again thank you for sharing.
Glad it was helpful! I would recommend holding off until I update how Kodiak has chosen to address this situation. I am not the only Kodiak owner with issues. Thanks for watching and the support.
Unfortunately, my dream of flying is vicariously fulfilled by watching General Aviators like yourself and the many others on RUclips.
I must admit, I do love the Kodiak 100 and I enjoy watching your channel and @MissionaryBushPilot.
You do know, If you were Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise or John Travolta, then Daher/Kodiak would be all over you like a rash.
But alas, you're just a good Surgeon who spent over $3m on a "Range Rover of the Air" (you fell for the marketing).
Let's face it, Daher are a small outfit who bought Quest Aircraft, the manufacturer of a good workhorse plane, the Kodiak 100.
Then someone (and I guess it was some College Intern) came up with the idea of a luxury plane conversion for end-users, and then thought it was a good idea to market it :)
I personally would not have released your video until after I had sold the Kodiak, as any potential buyer is now going to knock the price down based on the plane's history.
However, I fully agree that the service you have received is shite, and thanks for sharing (I can see and feel your pain).
If it's any consolation, my Government (UK) spent over $8Bn of my countrymen and my money on two aircraft carriers that don't work!
General rule of thumb, "the number of issues and stress levels are directly proportional to the cost of the item purchased."
In the meantime, as a protest of one, I've un-subscribed to @KodiakAircraft, and should I ever win the lottery, I will now never buy a Kodiak 100.
Please let us the outcome and best regards.
Thank you for the support 🙏
Very interesting. Thanks 🙏 I was surprised, that a premium company acts like beginners. This is hard stuff. And no way to treat million dollar customers. It’s insane to make this awful experience. My respect to you for making this video to inform people about how they act with customers. Did you have the idea to look at the Epic 1000 aircraft? Maybe a great opportunity instead of a TBM 960? I heard good things about the Epic. 😊 Kodiak sucks badly in my opinion when I listen to this.
I am looking at an Epic now. Kodiak does suck badly and that’s sad. I literally made a RUclips channel for them and pushed their airplane until I was told to screw off one too many times. Thank for watching.
@@kodiakmd Good idea. 👍 If you buy one, make it happen on youTube. As a gift to Daher. I am sure, you will love the Epic aircraft.
Dang thats some atrocious service.... I followed your journey ever since before your youtube (on Rich's channel). I love the Kodiak and cool to see you fly it especially since I'm in OC. Hope your video goes viral in hopes that Daher finds its way. Otherwise its just going to be another Boeing in the making.
Thanks for watching and the support 🙏
Dang. I am a young guy, just getting life going as far as income, and buying a caravan or Kodiak is on my dream list/start saving for list. I've always preferred a Kodiak for several reasons, this changed that.
I do not like when a company treats a customer like this. I'm sorry this has happened to you, and thanks for bringing about awareness of this issue.
Thanks for watching and the support. Spread the word!
Hello, A&P Student Here. The "Stickers" your referring to are called placards and are legally required to be in your aircraft at all times per 14 CFR 91.9 which explains why Kodiak was upset with you removing them, however a couple grand to replace a few stickers sounds absolutely ridiculous. My hope for you is that you won't come along as many problems with your aircraft and Kodiak customer service in the future.
@@kodiakmd first off I don't appreciate you discounting my education. While I certainly don't know everything, I felt the urge to comment because I remember going over required placards in class, and that what the POH states you must have onboard is what you are required to have. Go ahead and flip to page 2-22 of your POH where it explicitly states "WARNING: The following information must be displayed in the form of placards or markings". The POH goes on to state a total of 65 required placards for your aircraft, and the door handle placards that you mentioned you removed are apart of that list. Finally, in note 2 of the Kodiak 100 Type Certificate Datasheet it states "The placards specified in the latest FAA approved revision of the Kodiak 100 “Pilots Operating
Handbook and FAA Approved Flight Manual” or the Kodiak 900 “Pilots Operating Handbook and
FAA Approved Flight Manual”, as applicable, are required".
Thanks for clarifying this. That’s a very educated response and I stand corrected.
@@kodiakmd no worries! thanks for being so cool about it :). I hope you sort all of your aircraft maint. issues out.
🙏
Ok. You were correct about the placards, but really, is this what you got out of this video? Okay, the placards are important, but his safety, his family's safety, and their lack of responsibility are more important. Marijuana used to be illegal, and now it's legal, so this is not really about the placards. Rules change all the time, and the way he was treated was below standards and much more important than those stupid placards.
Hey Amir. Been thinking about this. I’m sorry to hear how disappointed you are and how this has turned into a bad experience for you. You have a few legitimate gripes. But overall I believe you haven’t understood how the aviation community works and went into this with unrealistic expectations. I’d be happy to sit down with you or chat on the phone if you’d like. And no, I have nothing to do with Daher or Kodiak other than I am considering buying a Kodiak and have bought a new airplane from its factory and have been in aviation for quite a while; all giving me some perspective.
Hi, thanks for watching and your feedback. I don’t think any of my expectations are unrealistic. I don’t think it’s unrealistic to expect the paint on my airplane to not peel less than 2 years from ownership especially with the paint upgrade cost I paid. I don’t think it’s unrealistic to expect help when 100 gallons of fuel have leaked from my wing all inside my hanger and my airplane is grounded. I don’t think it’s unrealistic to expect help when my airplane is grounded due to ITT issues. If you find these to be unrealistic with your understanding of the aviation community, then by all means drop $3m+ with Daher for your next airplane. Maybe I’ll help you with a video once you really realize the reality of the situation.
@@kodiakmd Like I said; you have SOME legitimate gripes. And no you don't know aviation. And you now are showing yourself closed to learning. Sorry for engaging.
Our expectations are much different in life. We can agree to disagree. Best of luck with your Kodiak purchase.
I hope that at the end of this ordeal you recoup what you’ve invested. I flew caravans for a few years and they are great planes but a lot of maintenance as well. All the shops we used were not afraid to touch vans.
It's very unlikely he will recoup what he has invested. Aircraft are not usually an investment that generates financial value unless 1. they are used for a profitable business/flight school/airline, 2. bought used, fixed up/upgraded and "flipped" for a profit, 3. have historical/collector value like a P-51 Mustang or 4. bought new on contract from the manufacturer and re-sold new at a higher price. The last situation is very unusual and has only happened because of Covid aftershocks.
Wow. Very surprising and disheartening. Amir brings the receipts and seems like a very reasonable guy to me. (Except for maybe the part about buying a $3m new A/P before he had his private in his pocket. Ha!) The K900 seems like a very impressive airplane to me. I was hoping to maybe take one for a spin in the future. Not now. I put 550 hours on a Cessna 421C 25 years ago and only had one problem that put me on the ground for 2 days over a four-year period. It was 16 years old with about 2,500 hours when I bought it. Absolutely no excuse for these problems and lack of support on a brand-new airplane. Good luck Amir on whatever your next aviation move is.
Thank you so much for watching and the support 🙏
The first thing any new pilot or owner should do is join AOPA. Great organization with information on just about every aircraft built with family type atmosphere and ability to pick the brains of many like minded pilots and owners.
I am a member of AOPA
Thanks for the video. I assumed buying new at these prices would get you white glove treatment during the warranty period. What a disappointment.
That’s what I assumed but it’s far from that. Save your money and buy used. Would be way better off in the long run.
I would reccomend what others have suggested. Warranty isn't enough, just because of how the industry works. When you get your next bird get one that has a real program behind it. You'll pay a flat hourly rate and all maintance and tracking is included. Definitely the way to go if you're not willing to mess around with this kinda BS from another manufacturer
A good lawyer would get you a million dollar refund which is richly deserved
This is crazy.... I had Kodiak on my top 3 choices, This has me rethinking everything.
You definitely should unless you’re ready to deal with all the nonsense I went through. Thanks for watching
Owning an airplane is not the same as owning a car. Mechanics are not random, they are certified which means they can read a manual and fix anything, yes even if they have never done that job before. Sounds like you need a local mechanic to do your work and bill the mfr for the fix. If they don't pay, just take them to court.
Lol. 😂😂😂. Just take them to court? Easy? Said no one ever.
Ha. Easy!? 😂
Must be a Lawyer.
Doesn’t work like that, btw, im an aircraft mechanic
@@jnick1909A mechanic's lien can bite hard.
Sounds like you should have invested in a management company or a mechanic on retainer.
Wow, this is a real bummer to hear. I’m not sure if Kodiak was always that way however when larger companies buy smaller companies, their lies the problem.
I’ve been thinking about purchasing an aircraft and one of my goals drill down on warranties and customer service. I agree that’s a lot of money and to be treated like that is unbelievable. May have to scratch Kodiak off the list.
Did you see the email from Kodiak I posted in the video where they basically wrote that they liaise with other companies and “sometimes” may be able to negotiate a warranty? It’s an absolute joke. If you want a plane with a warranty and proper support I’d recommend looking elsewhere for now. I will update everyone if Kodiak decides to take meaningful action. Thanks again for watching and the support.
After watching the video and looking at your next steps...I think you should heavily consider a PC-12.
It’s being considered. Thanks for watching
First time I saw you on P2010 with Rich . Now I understand how you got so many gray hairs on your head in two years. The answer is how many nerves it took to get a beautiful Kodiak bird serviced under warranty.
That’s crazy! Salesman are the same in all category. They over promise what the company can offer.
Only a small part of this was a salesman issue. The majority of it is the culture of the company and their policies and for this I directly blame the CEO. Thanks for watching.
So I watched the whole video…I am with you as to how it should be I get it. You are a physician so I know you understand balancing expectations vs reality. You are a high net worth individual, and have expectations in line with that. private aviation ownership is a beast and has its own set of realities. You need to find a management company who will handle your aircraft and all the pain that comes along with it. There are plenty of private jet management companies and I am sure you can find one that will manage a PT6. Let them handle the issues with warranty and getting you an a&p or a painter or whatever else you need. I am not aware of any manufacturer who has a team to go out and fix stuff even though in a perfect world they would.
I agree, this is a steep learning curve for the uninitiated. Kodiak and any salesman should have educated him on the need for a management company. Most jet owners have one.
@@mitchellfamily3899 In my opinion, absurd to think you have to hire a management company for a personal/business use aircraft like Amir uses his. Also, a management company has no silver bullet to get things done with an OEM. In my experience, the person who wrote the check for the airplane has the biggest hammer with manufacturer. Now we get to the real issues with GA, a lot of people get into GA, and then get this kind of experience, and simply exit. The solution - spend more money on a management company. That's a band aid at best - what's wrong with the OEM having some degree of customer service that matches other products?
@@FlyingwithRich Everyone's entitled to their opinions. However, if you review my previous comments in other videos, I've already asked how the customer service was after sale, correctly approximated his insurance bill through math not conjecture, asked about windows breaking (a known issue), spoke about having a larger maintenance network with Cessna/Textron, talked about tax incentives, and discussed that larger customers buying in volume (the military) get better service. I feel for him as he appears to be learning as he goes, instead of having the facts from previous purchasers. Plenty of commenters appear to have already walked this road. Hope everything works out for him in the future.
@@mitchellfamily3899 My point is that a management company certainly isn’t a guaranty that the issues he had will be handled better than Amir’s result. These are fundamental customer support concepts that Daher/Kodiak dropped the ball on - plane and simple. I’m not sure what tax incentives, insurance and fleet customers have to do with very poor customer support from Daher/Kodiak. As he said in the video, his decision to buy a new airplane was based largely on Daher/Kodiak’s ‘World Class Kodiak Care Program’ - what they gave him was the opposite.
Get some legal advice KMD, that serious fuel leak is enough to get a recall. I would work towards returning the aircraft and get your money back, it was sold under false and misleading pretenses (to my understanding) "Before" your warranty expires. Document "Everything" that has occurred. Maybe research the Lemon Law, just my personal views here and please Keep us updated. :)
I hope you do a video on the response from Kodiak as I’m sure they will have watched this video
They have watched it and I will update people on the response. But why did it take a video like this to get a response from the company 🧐
Happy with my caravan. Never bought a plane or ANYTHING on looks or sales process. It’s about the plane.
One thing I’ve always done in the sales cycle is to call up custom support anonymously before I bought the plane and see if they pick up the phone
Customer support answers the phone 24/7 and they are actually really good. But I’m not looking for phone support, this isn’t a laptop that’s not starting up. I need support to actually get the airplane repaired especially when it’s grounded.
@@kodiakmd I get it. My point was to due due dillagence around post sales. I feel for you but I watched your first Kodiak vids and you were more enamored with how cool it looked and the brochures.
Only thing I could help with now is for next plane you should troll the owners boards and talk to actual owners at the field etc for a LONG time and see what they are saying.
A purchase as expensive as this should be made over years.
Besides aircraft channels I also watch a bunch of sailing channels. Many of the channels I watch have purchased brand new boats. There are a lot of components to these boats with different manufacturers that have their own warrantee's. Not all repair shops handle warranty work for all manufacturers. The generator is one company, the engines are another company, the sail drives are another, the navigation instruments is another. Many customers when buying these boats don't understand or research the process of warranty work and the expectation of how it works was never explained to them. For many in the industry this is just common knowledge and shouldn't have to be explained. Many times they find out when they have issues and a met with the challenges of managing the warranty's on all the different manufacturers and it doesn't meet expectations.
It's the same with aircraft. Most pilots have never had the experience of owning a brand new plane and having to deal with warranty's, so the just assume its handled by the company that sold the aircraft. Like boats this is not true. Some manufacturer's on boats or aircraft offer better customer service by assisting owner having warrantee issues, some don't. This is why its important to read your contract for sale, the manufacturers responsibility with warranty repair work from the different products on your plane. Talk to other people that have bought from this manufacturer about their experience with assistance with warranty work.
Although I do feel sorry you had to find out this way, I am very surprised you didn't know this going into it. I can see how your expectation of what would happen and what actually would happen lead to your frustration. I appreciate the knowledge you are giving to people about the process of owning a new aircraft so they can manage their expectations and know exactly what they're getting into, so they can make the best decision on the type of aircraft they can buy for their needs.
To me, except for the delivery issues, since this is standard across the industry and in other industry (sailboats) its just how it works. It would be no different with Cessna. With Cessna, they have so many service centers world wide, its probably much easier to get warranty work taken care of. The ease of warranty work is definitely one of the major considerations to consider when purchasing an aircraft.
Well stated. Airplanes are not iPhones.
Sounds like he didn’t read the fine print.
You don’t get the fine print until you’ve paid a $250k non refundable deposit and the aircraft is delivered. What I was sold was a warranty which has rarely been honored.
@@kodiakmd Damn that sucks.
Good video. They need to completely do a 180 on their policies and take care of their customers.
Let’s see what they do. The ball is in their court and I would love for that to happen. Thanks for watching!
oh woah...
ummm new subscriber... glad I saw this before I won the lotto ;) hehe
If you win the lotto, don’t buy a new Kodiak 😜
@@kodiakmd naaa I like the COMP AIR or the BEARHAWK eh, probabally would have to get into line for a Velocity Vtwin with turbines for a ''goto oshkosh & fun in sun'' plane lol eh... there is more ''large aircraft'' commin on the scene now that may be ''better'' than the kodiak ''was'' anyhow , right?
I am actually kinda bummed tho cuz well, that also kinda nulls out TBM's too cuz like , same company? or do they treat TBM peeps diff, kinda like CHEVY and a CADDYLACK? LOL
Good news spreads fast enough, but bad news flies at lightning speed . A great airplane bought from a not so great company with bad management. Total lack of respect for customers. Thanks to you they have money today but they don't think about customers tomorrow and the day after tomorrow ...
Thanks for the support and watching!
Sounds like you need to get yourself a Cessna grand caravan! Cessna service centers are great!
Wow. I mean I've heard of expensive and stupid bs with TBM maintenance, but I never imagined it would be this bad. Must be the same since it's the same company.
As a TBM owner, I have not experienced anything like what Kodiak MD has experienced. The TBM service network is not the same as the Kodiak network. If a TBM is AOG, the service centers work aggressively to get the plane back in the air, including sending techs to the plane’s location. Nothing like what Kodiak MD apparently experienced. Out of network support for TBMs is a little more challenging for the mechanic, but not much. Daher publishes all the maintenance manuals, so out of network mechanics have full access to the same information and step by step instructions as in network mechanics. Also, parts can be ordered from the service centers by out of network mechanics. No plane is perfect, mine has had its list of squawks, but bottom line is this guy needs a better relationship with his mechanic. Surprised Kodiak did not recommend a service center in his area, either in network, or a credible one out of network.
@@capchuckpriceutyoub well that's good to hear about TBM. He asked for a factory approved tech many times and never got one. The shops he found himself never got paid for the supposedly warranty work. Even OCR won't deal with them because they don't pay their bills. Wrecking relationships with the people who fix your mistakes is a surefire way to kill a company.
@@danielreuter2565 I would agree. Kodiak is a recent Daher acquisition. I presume there are some growing pains, but this report appears to raise issues beyond the normal hassles of aircraft maintenance, warranty or not. There are of course two sides to any argument, and I’ll be curious to hear Kodiak’s or Daher’s response. I’m a TBMOPA member, and a member of the TBMOPA maintenance committee. I’ve raised this to the committee, and will certainly be discussing Kodiak support in our next meeting.
Not sure what the other side would argue. Take the simple fact that 100 gallons of jet fuel spilled out of my 6 month old Kodiak from the wing into my hanger and I had to plead with them and then pay the travel expenses for them to send someone out to repair it. What is their argument? Or how about the fact that my paint was peeling on a hangered airplane that they failed to repair. Let’s not even discuss the ITT temp stick failure and the fact that my airplane was grounded and I had to figure out how to repair that myself. There is SO much more that I didn’t talk about in my video such as issues with the TKS system, my exhausts, seals on the airplane,etc.
@@kodiakmd the tank sealant and the paint are particularly egregious since that's not something that would not happen at a manufacturer with good QA practices. Both are likely caused by failure to prep the surface correctly. And they wanted to blame the paint vendor. The thing about all this deflection of blame is the organization is clearly not learning from the mistakes. And the fact that they told you to go fly with a defective bleed air valve. It's like they're trying at all costs to avoid acknowledging when things are broken.
OMG, that is crazy! What are they thinking??? I can see the idea of buying a new aircraft in order to have warranty!
I’m surprised they put some of this stuff in writing. It’s nuts. Can you imagine new Kodiak clients that see this and see the email from the warranty director basically spelling out the fact that there is no warranty. I couldn’t even make this up if I tried.
@@kodiakmd Yes indeed! Really sorry that you had such a bad luck and such a bad experience with your 1st aircraft! I’m lucky that the European dealer is only 15 min away from my homebase here in Germany. Not sure what they would do if I had to deal with warranty issues, since my Kodiak is a 2014 model. At least they know Kodiaks in and out including window replacements. They just did both on mine. Paid by Daher. Thanks for sharing all your info including the introduction of the Kodiak. Of course I watched all of before I got mine.
I had only planned on watching the first few minutes to see how it was going to play out.... Man, I was hooked on the horrific treatment you received from the manufacture. Totally unacceptable and sorry you had to deal with all this nonsense. Best wishes moving forward....
Thanks for watching and the support
I’ve never seen this channel until today. Recommendations are funny.
Google knows you are about to buy a Kodak 😂!
I hope after watching this he doesn’t 🤣
I have the same thoughts about Daher. I have seen the horrible support from Daher with the TBM products.
I’ve had tbm owners reaching out to me telling me the same thing.
What are the reasons you think the Kodiak is better quality than the caravan?
Thanks
If you watch part 1 I go through all the reasons I think the Kodiak is better. However now that I’m 2 years into ownership experience and seeing the lack of service I’ve received from Kodiak, my mind has changed a bit. Thanks for watching.
@@kodiakmd thanks. I feel for you. I worked in Wall Street for a long time. Retired now but going to check into daher ownership and financial position for a little fun.
Things are never what they seem. They could be falling apart financially for all you know. Or be doing great and just a bunch of French a….holes.
I
I'm more than curious how Kodiak responds not just in the short term but over time. It would be interesting to see a video log because sometimes a change for the better happens over time... Or not?
Me too. They have reached out to me. I will update everyone with what happens.
So this is a commentary on Daher/TBM? Which organization do you believe is core to your poor ownership experience? Is the original Kodiak team still in place ?
I think it’s both Daher and Kodiak. This is an issue with upper level management sadly. Since I bought my airplane a lot of people have left the company as well.
What a shame. thanks for the info.
Big time. Thanks for watching!
Are you sur Cessna ou Piper have a better after sale service?
I’m not sure, but I have friends who have bought from Cessna and have had a much better experience. They are baffled at how bad the Kodiak service has been.