Thanks. I was really getting worried with the warranty running out and being told there was nothing wrong with it. Seems they are looking into this issue now that others are popping up. Hopefully there will be a fix for those in colder climates having the same problem. Anyone with a Sidekick should check the oil often and let their dealer know if there is a substantial increase in a short period of time. New ones with the 54 hp engine are supposedly fixed but the engine is not interchangeable.
Sidekick RTV-XG850 backfiring / loss of power
- Thread starter catalyst
- Start date
Sometime you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you. Well, it's your lucky day, you got the bear!!!
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That's not an option. I feel that by the dealer helping me swap over to the diesel there shouldn't be any problems. My little BX has almost the same engine and it has been an awesome machine. Not as fast or powerful as the 850 but I will take reliability over speed after this incident.
The old and new side by side. Have a couple days to swap everything over that I added after buying the Sidekick. Tires , roof. Windshield, winch strobe lights, front lights, diesel heater, and several other items. What a difference the RTV is slow and very smooth, where the sidekick was fast and jerky.
One thing that ticked me off is the RTV had those new tires on at the dealership, but when it was delivered it had a dirty old set of ATV tires. Here's the dealership pic. I really wanted to try the new tires because I already have good ATV set I just removed from the sidekick.
Gonna take a couple days to rewire everything. Couldn't just swap wheels because they are different with different offsets. About a 3 inch wheelbase width difference between the 2. Boy is the RTV-X smooth and controlled.
One thing that ticked me off is the RTV had those new tires on at the dealership, but when it was delivered it had a dirty old set of ATV tires. Here's the dealership pic. I really wanted to try the new tires because I already have good ATV set I just removed from the sidekick.
Gonna take a couple days to rewire everything. Couldn't just swap wheels because they are different with different offsets. About a 3 inch wheelbase width difference between the 2. Boy is the RTV-X smooth and controlled.
The dealer got his last digs in by swapping out the wheels…stuff like that pisses me off too. I would DEMAND the OEM wheels be put back on the new machine. What a low thing to do.
Well that's straightened out now. Turns out the new style tires are a more expensive option and to keep the price difference lowest they sent one out with the atv tires. Will be paying the difference and swapping them out now. More of a misunderstanding in the end trying to keep the upcharge lowest.
They actually are OEM lower cost wheel/tire options. All straightened out now.
At least you have a machine that will do what you bought it to do, and upgraded to diesel. Maybe all the grief was worth it!
Thanks. This one shouldn't have a problem with just 10 acres and cold weather. They said the new Sidekicks have been fixed but I just didn't want to take another chance of having problems again. The diesel warms up quicker and is much quieter without the terrible jerkiness and exhaust stink of the sidekick. Luckily the roof, glass windshield, and rear window switched over. This should outlast me without major problems. Hopefully my old one will help them come up with a solution for the others developing the issue at higher hours.
Time for me to quit side tracking this thread and start one on the RTV-X. Have to get this back to the original issue that started this and hopefully there will be a solution for all affected machines in the future. I will say the Sidekick is like a race horse and the RTV-X is like a draft horse after driving both.
How is the towing on the diesel?
When I was buying my gasser I was surprised to see that the tow capacity on the XG850 was higher than any of the diesel models.
I ended up getting a good deal on the XG850 during the covid lockdowns - I really couldn't find new any machines anywhere at the time and used were selling for new prices. I though zoom-zoom would be more fun and the better tow capacity cinched it for me. I regret the poor fuel economy of the gasser.
Not enough hours to try that yet but the rating is lower on flat ground on this. My sidekick was very jumpy when trying to backup to anything and this is very smooth and controlled like my bx. The sidekick has a wider track and is much better on side hills. This is tippy but I think part of that is the atv tires. This is basically like a bx that seats 2. I tried a quick speed run up my road and this topped out at 19 mph where the sidekick would hit 40 in half the distance and speed limiter kick in. Hopefully this will pick up some speed with more hours. Let off the accelerator pedal with the rtv in low gear on my hill and it stops before being able to hit the brakes. This is like a precision slow work horse and the sidekick was like a race horse. Have to see if there are wheel spacers to get the track width of this to what the sidekick was. I had no idea it was different before trying to see how it lined up with my trailer e tracks.
2 1/2 hours and the fuel gauge just started moving. That would have been a half tank with the sidekick.
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I just watched a video on deciphering RTV part numbers. Mine is RTVX2-SKLH22
S= Standard model
K= Kubota orange
L=Liner
H= HD worksite tires
24=Year
"A" would have been there instead of "H" if ordered with ATV tires. So it definitely looks like they switched the tires and then wanted almost $350 additional to get them back. So Siesta Sundance was right. You just can't trust anyone anymore even after years of doing business with them. Thank God for honest dealers that make youtube videos.
S= Standard model
K= Kubota orange
L=Liner
H= HD worksite tires
24=Year
"A" would have been there instead of "H" if ordered with ATV tires. So it definitely looks like they switched the tires and then wanted almost $350 additional to get them back. So Siesta Sundance was right. You just can't trust anyone anymore even after years of doing business with them. Thank God for honest dealers that make youtube videos.
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Sounds like you need to make another recorded visit, just a shame after all the stuff you went through with the sidekick warranty and now the dealer playing switcharoo to screw you just a little bit more out of $350.
Not worth anymore aggravation because this machine has no problems with anything yet so I am thankful Kubota stepped up. I just wanted to try those tires for summer use, but now I will just put the ATV tires I had on the sidekick on it and dump the Kubota ATV tires that really have poor traction on Craigslist. Was waiting to go see a LX2620 cab they have comming in in a couple weeks I got a price on, but rethinking that. I realy wonder if Kubota wasn't aware of everything all along.
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I am glad they swapped you out. Unfortunately, Kubota left me completely out to dry.
My machine is sitting in the barn and we ate $500 in diagnostic fees while the dealer had the machine for 3 months... The whole situation just makes me sick, since they clearly know it is an issue if they kept yours for "testing".
I may reach out to your dealer for any possible suggestions.
My machine is sitting in the barn and we ate $500 in diagnostic fees while the dealer had the machine for 3 months... The whole situation just makes me sick, since they clearly know it is an issue if they kept yours for "testing".
I may reach out to your dealer for any possible suggestions.
Sad to say, but I think buying used and not having it documented as an issue from day one by the selling dealer is going to depend on how Kubota decides to address this. You should try to contact the original dealer that sold it and see if they have any previous case numbers or denials on record for your machine. I think it would be best to have the dealership you just opened a case with and spent money with to keep you updated. My dealer told me they have 2 more they sold new with the same problem at higher hours they contacted Kubota about that got the new rep to look into mine also. I will try to get an update from them in the future about the others. Mine was handled as a trade in towards the replacement while under warranty. They haven't seen a problem with the higher hp ones.