New J-480 Arrived & Reviewed

[blakeonline]

Hello all!
So our new/used Jacuzzi J-480 has arrived and is up and running.
We purchased a Jacuzzi for Life return, it was substantially less than new, a 2013 model. Opal & Mahogany.
https://youtu.be/SM8MxYl4iYI
there's one of my videos on YouTube. I try and post as I do things.
The delivery guys were great, the tub is great, the only complaint I really had was that the tub was filty upon arrival. It looked like it had been pulled from someones yard and brought right here! My wife needed to climb in and scrub the interior....also, immediately I've had 3 of the 4 diverter valves spring a leak due to bad orings. If they really do test and refurbis these tubs, I wonder how that passed. Also, It has been 2 weeks since delivery and not one call to ask how it all went.
Makes me wonder wht these guys are doing if they want to be all about customer service.

[bwspa]

I never heard of them selling refurb's.  What kind of price did you get that for?  I agree, based on the condition don't think it was refurb'd.  If the price was great and no major issues you the cleanup effort will likely be worth it.

[JacuzziJack]

It's rare when a company over-delivers but overall it looks like a nice H/T.

I can't quite tell by looking at the video, but a lot of the new H/T matt finishes would be damaged if they were buffed with a buffing wheel, so that might be part of the situation. I wonder how far they had to transport it from the warehouse to your place? Was it covered up? It doesn't take more than 15 minutes to wash off with a soft brush on a broom handle when it's tipped up (the water just runs off.).

The screw heads strip easily because they're aluminum not steel decking screws. On the other hand, I've run mine in/out numerous times and have only stripped one or two. But it's not too difficult to do. I don't know what it is about technicians, but when it comes to the finicky finish-work most seem to do the minimum or even less. I wouldn't have been surprised if a bunch were missing. Where I used to work, we had a lot of technicians (in the HVAC industry), and the vast majority of them did great work, but when it came to running a whole bunch of screws to get to remove the unit's covers ...to get to the innards, they'd basically do the same thing, and leave 3/4ths of them laying on the ground when they were done. Too lazy to put them in, or they had stripped the screw holes a long time ago out of carelessness. Sure they may have done a good job fixing the unit, but what the owner saw was sloppy work, and I frequenly heard about it. I had many a talks with our guys about this after having my rear chewed out by owners ..but it's hard to get through to these guys. Maybe it's genetic, I don't know. They're worried about the inside ..the mechanics, not the appearance. It only takes a little extra care to run most of them in w/o stripping them out. 

The bowing out of the side is hard to say. There's a perimeter frame usually made of wood, and the siding screws to the frame. Maybe the wood 2x2 in the center bowed out over time, or maybe it was stapled a little further out during assembly. Or might be some piece of debris that got caught between the panel and the frame when it was put back on. It's probably nothing. I have lots of deck railing spindles that have warped slightly over the years. If the surface of the acrylic is shiny I bet one of your handy neighbors can lightly wetsand it with 1500 grit and buff the top edge out like new for a case of beer.

Basically it looks fantastic and you (presumably) paid thousands less. Avoid buyer's remorse and enjoy it for all it's warts and so-on. A lot of people think they can get used stuff for thousands less and it'll be like new. Rarely works that way. 

[Jacuzzi Jim]

  Jacuzzi doesn't use "aluminum screws" they use a really nice stainless steel screws even in their 200 series. They can strip but it is hard to do unless your a moron using the wrong size (too small) Phillips head     Jacuzzi Jack no offense and I have no idea if your a dealer or just an owner, but your info many times is just not correct regarding Jacuzzi.   

  Back to the spa, it looks great now!  Sad the dealer didn't get one of his guys to go out and clean it before delivery.  When I did delivery's back in the day, I would go out of my way to clean a spa before delivery and would have been ashamed to deliver any spa that looked just used with a scum line still. 

   If the panels look bowed, many times you can remove all the screws at one end, then work your way back from one end to the other while holding the panel tight to the frame going hole by hole inserting the screws as you go. 

[JacuzziJack]

Jacuzzi doesn't use "aluminum screws" they use a really nice stainless steel screws even in their 200 series.

Thanks for the correction, that's good to know. I guess that proves the tech WAS a moron as you say ....to strip the heads. Someone should have given it a final look over before it left the warehouse and caught those things. An owner hates it when a unit arrives late, but if it goes off w/o a hitch and looks great, the wait is usually forgiven.

Hopefully it'll operate trouble-free for many yrs for you from this point on.

[blakeonline]

When I had purchased the tub my wife & I were told, as well as another couple that bought a tub at the same time ( the husband convinced us to buy a Jacuzzi & we are still in touch as he awaits his) the tub would be polished to a new appearance by a professional....the same way they offer an in home service of draining & polishing then refilling and starting the tub.
After delivery I was told they don't polish it when I went in and complained. The husband we met at the store, after I told him, called and was told they do polish the tub pre-delivery. The service tech that came out here because of the leaks also told us it is supposed to be polished at the warehouse.
Not a Matt finish, in the showroom it was as shiny as my Audi It was the nicest finish out of all the brands we looked at. High gloss mirror like finish.

Yes, we saved thousands off the purchase of a new tub. It just is never a good start when you're sold this great story of why their used product is going to be awesome, then it has two ( now three) leaky diverter valves & is filthy. How did it pass inspection with leaking valves? That's the thing that gets me.
If , as we were told, it was filled and tested for issues, emptied and polished, something went seriously wrong. I'm just telling my experience here.

We do love the tub, it is great!
Savings were substantial.
Looks killer....but for the 12k + for a USED tub, no way it should have shown up like that. Just as a matter of pride it should have been cleaned.
Every time I sell one of our old cars I have it professionally detailed & polished, all new wipers & oil changed. Just for the new owner to be that much happier.

[blakeonline]

Oh, and the technician didn't have the parts to fix my tub so I get to do it myself now when the parts arrive in the mail from Jacuzzi.