Hey Michael -
Congrats on the new spa. And your gonna love the SpAudio II once you get the hang of it.
I can't address the transducer issue. Maybe they just forgot to tighten it down when they installed the speaker. Hopefully, your dealer will take care of this.
Regarding the remote, I found that there were certain areas which blocked the Radio Frequency (RF) remote. RF is not as sensitive as the Infrared systems (IF). I found that initial problems I had were also caused by the fact that the tech had not installed the receiver (in the equipment bay) high enough up in the bay to get the best reception. Might want to check on that.
Changing tracks on the CD is very cumbersome and I have b*tched about this on this board before. (Personally, I think the designer of this remote system should have all the remotes in his life set up the same way) To change tracks on the CD, use the Mode button on the remote to select MUSIC. Once there, hit the + on the remote. It should say Amp. Then hit the Mode button again and it should read CD. Then press the + button and TRAC will appear. Then use the + and - button to change tracks.
The problem is that this seems to be the only way to get to this function. And once there, it will 'time out' after a few seconds so you have to go through it again to move to the next track. (IF ANYONE KNOWS AN EASIER WAY TO DO THIS, PLEASE POST IT!!)
I have been looking at the remote for the Sony deck which is available from Crutchfield, but you would need some kind of a repeater that would allow you to control the deck from a non-line-of-site location. Plus, since the remote is not waterproof, I think you would also need a good supply of ziplock bags to keep it in. I haven't come up with a better solution, but am still looking.
Good luck and enjoy that Vista!
(And make sure you get the external speakers hooked up because it really adds to the sound!)
Rich