THE PORTAL HUB - Pinzgauers, Haflingers, Volvo 303s and more!

Hey Guys.

I was thinking of heading down to CT to visit some Ural'ing buddies in late July, but it just so happens that another few Ural owners attend the Merrimack Show in Weare, NH on their bikes. Might be cool to trailer the Ural behind the Pinz and go to both places. Anyone here attend?

I attended college in the Weare, NH area and it was a cute typically New England town so I'm sure the Pinz would be well received. Remember their state moto is "Live Free or Die"......

I always loved the NH motto....

Unfortunately, I will probably do the 650KM on the Ural...Pinz community seems almost bashful...maybe it is me. Maybe I post, talk and expect to much, or perhaps it was the truck I paid $13,500 for, minus the $6500 I got for my Iltis. Seems I cannot get much aid on my axle issue, (thanks to those who posted)...almost silence...and the decision to buy a Pinz from a dealer/importer wasn't as beneficial as I thought, so I may have to take the more reliable Russian vehicle to New Hampshire. Parts from the US take time and cost money, and since I am doing the work myself...F$@K'em. I am pissed and have told PC. The truck will have to sit. Any Canadian's reading this thinking of a Pinzgauer, PM me, because I am fed up with Pinzgauer Canada at this point and what they let me drive 240KM home with. I also found out that while the engine oil was changed prior to my purchase, everything else was changed in 2010. Two tears ago! Pretty convenient when the diff is leaking into the axle. A free split boot does not cover the problem I am faced with, nor does the excuse of a problem mechanic. Good thing I caught it. I would have thought that a specialist in Pinzgauers would have found not one, but two, ripped one piece boots, especially the one loaded with oil/grease in a transparent boot, them removed it and determined that a seal was shredded. I guess I was the sucker and now I get to fix it. I love the truck, but I will not call on Pinzgauer Canada for assistance. They can contact me to make this right. I love the truck and I will make it work.

Sorry for the rant. I will use the search feature from now on and not bother you guys with issues that must have been discussed ad nauseum. If anyone goes to the show in NH...I will be on this...Rant over

I only know of PC so your experiences with him are distinctly different from the folks (that sell and service Pinzgauers) that you hear mentioned here in the US marketplace frequently (Scott, Jim, Thilo, Dennis etc). Good thing that you are mechanically inclined as that's a useful attribute as a Pinz owner.

I guess it could be worse ($50,000 Ferrari that needs a $35,000 engine overhaul?) Didn't happen to me but I've heard of similar circumstances.

I think it's just going to take patience on your part. Perhaps you might have had your expectations a little too high; from the start I figured I'd be on my own as far as repairs and maintainance are concerned. I think your experience is just how the dealers do business, when I bought mine from SAV, they did fix and replace small things, but when I got it home I realised, there was no way the oil or any other fluid had been changed in 11 years since it went out of Swiss service in 1999 from the way the oil filter was fused on from age. I think maybe they consider that too much time and labor to invest in something they want to turn around and re-sell as quickly as possible. I think you will still love your Pinz after you get over this hurdle; unfortunately many of us here on this forum can't help more because we don't really have much if any more experience than you do now as far as major repairs go.

You are right Berger..you paid a premium price from a dealer specializing in pinzgauers and this should be made right..after all...its not like you are buying a toyota from the local dealership and can get parts and service from any other dealer...What you bought is a specialized vehicle...and basically a relationship with the vendor...he should have gone through that vehicle soup to nuts...repaired and replaced every apparent deficiency and charged you accordingly, not to say that things dont break but the items like torn boots or leaking seals..well thats just inexcusable. I bought my vehicle from a private person that loved it took care of it...it had deficiencies but I knew about them..and accepted it that way...hope you can reason with PC and resolve this issue...as for this forum..this is the greatest place for information and sometimes people are on that will share info immediately but other times you will have to do the work...run searches...do extensive reading...and definately buy a manual if you have not done so already..the info is all there to be had. We all reach this site the same way every newbie starts the same way as I did and will ask countless questions about every detail of his newly acquired vehicle... we cant help it! When problems crop up and they definately will you might get lucky and have someone from the site bail you out with specific instructions, pictures, diagrams, even videos of how to fix your issue....BUT..not always...and sometimes you will struggle and knock your head against the wall trying to fix it with no help...but you will eventually..as we all do...and will gain valuable information that you will share as well Wecome to the joys of the green machine

My experiences with Pinzgauers have been totally different, but I went in expecting all sorts of demons. Each vehicle had issues, each vehicle is still far from perfect, but I didnt pay for perfection. I paid the mid price range which i could afford knowing that the vehicles would need constant work. You tackle the big things and learn from it.

Paying $13000 for a 710m is a PREMIUM price. I would expect such a vehicle at that price range to have none of the drive train issues you are experiencing. Hell, I'd expect that 710 to be amazing!

My current view on Pinzgauer pricing (which im sure others will disagree with, but its mine )

Average 710m: $9-10k. Expect to do some work to it. Its an old truck with a good amount of use. Be happy with the new toy and get ready to learn a lot about the inner workings
Premium 710m: $12-14k. This should be a turn key vehicle with only a very small amount of work needed.

Average 712m: $15-17k
Premium 712m: $19-22k. Same logic applies


There are a quite of 710s selling for less than $9k these days. I consider them extreme bargains with a HEFTY amount of work needed.

Hey guys.

Sorry for the rant...bad work week culminating in not being able to drive the truck. Now, factor in an after work visit to the pub with some buddies and you get a "fueled" rant.

CentAr712 wrote:I think it's just going to take patience on your part. Perhaps you might have had your expectations a little too high; from the start I figured I'd be on my own as far as repairs and maintainance are concerned. I think your experience is just how the dealers do business, when I bought mine from SAV, they did fix and replace small things, but when I got it home I realised, there was no way the oil or any other fluid had been changed in 11 years since it went out of Swiss service in 1999 from the way the oil filter was fused on from age. I think maybe they consider that too much time and labor to invest in something they want to turn around and re-sell as quickly as possible. I think you will still love your Pinz after you get over this hurdle; unfortunately many of us here on this forum can't help more because we don't really have much if any more experience than you do now as far as major repairs go.

I do agree with you. Perhaps I expected more from the dealer/importer. I really did expect to work on this truck, and I really enjoy it (I own a Russian motorcycle!! ), I just didn't expect to be out of pocket for things like this when I was told it was gone over.

Now, if you were told that the truck was gone over by their mechanic, that does somewhat imply a sort of warranty in my opinion. Nothing of the sort was ever mentioned when I bought my Pinz, so I knew my own senses were going to be the best judge of what I was getting into. I kind of figured you would be in a good position to understand some of the possible frustrations since you are also a fellow Russian motorcycle owner; trust me, I completely know how troublesome that can be at times.

CentAr712 wrote:Now, if you were told that the truck was gone over by their mechanic, that does somewhat imply a sort of warranty in my opinion. Nothing of the sort was ever mentioned when I bought my Pinz, so I knew my own senses were going to be the best judge of what I was getting into.

When I bought mine they were pretty blatant, undoubtedly as required by law, that there was no warranty and it was completely 'as is'. All this meant to me was that everything in it could be a "time bomb" waiting to go off But so far nothing bad. The assessment I got was "I did a walk around and I don't see any issues, but hey, it is a 40 year old truck so anything can happen" (...good luck and godspeed to you, call if you need help).

I never got the sense that it had been gone through by a mechanic, but if I had been told that, like you I might be a bit ticked.

Any time you buy a vehicle from the mid 70's no matter what brand, you can expect things to go wrong. If the dealer stated NO WARRANTY even tho his mechanic went thru it you take a gamble. Fixing the Pinz is fun/frustrating and is a part of Pinzgauer ownership.

Good luck with your new baby and enjoy it to the fullest.

Looks like I am definitely going on the Ural. Not because I don't think the Pinz would make it, but because 2 of my Ural buddies are going too.

EDiT

No slight on the Pinz, just going with a bunch of Ural owners.