Problems with my Bad Boy Buggy
Equipment
I have just now joined this forum, in hopes of getting some help/advice on my situation, as well to inform others and learn more about archery. We bought a new 2016 Bad Boy Buggy Ambush Is in December and these are the problems we have had with it. The company or dealer isn't being any help. On the 1st night that the dealer delivered it the buggy wouldn’t crank/turn over in gas mode. The next day another member in our club helped us get it to crank by jiggling wires and filters. 2nd day we took it down one of our club trails in electric and it would not crank in gas to be put into 4wd. It later would not go forward or backward in electric which left us stranded for about 15 minutes while we turned the switch and buttons on and off, jiggled wires,etc. 3rd day We took it to the Eastern section of our property down a logging road which is all electric to go hunting that evening. Upon us getting back to the buggy at nightfall, the buggy would not move in electric so we had use gas while we discovered that we did not have any headlight. Therefore, we had to drive approximately 5 miles back to camp with a flashlight. The rest of the season we had to travel using a flashlight and auxiliary lights to travel, and we didn’t feel comfortable traveling far from camp. The next day the parking brake came loose so we had to take it to our dealer. When we took it to our dealer, he said that we shouldn’t use the parking brake unless we were on a steep hill. We had to adjust the parking brake handle twice afterwards ourselves and then adjust the rear parking break caliper cable. 2 weeks later we found out why the gas wasn’t wanting to crank/turn over sometimes. We found a disconnected plug going from the switch to the starter. We reconnected it and it started up in gas. In late January, we took it to our dealer to have him fix the headlights. He had to replace a 48-volt converter, and which fixed the headlights, taillights, and 12-volt outlet. We brought it back home to North Ga from South Ga and the next problem we had was when we were driving it around at home and the front right cv shaft started popping. When we turned to go around a curve it blew out of the boot and we almost flipped, with grease and ball bearings falling everywhere. It would not go anywhere in electric, so we drove it up on the trailer. When we told Bad Boy Buggies and our dealer whom we purchased it from that it broke, they told us to take it to our nearby dealer and they would fix it. We took it to. They said it would be 1.5 to 2 weeks before they could get around to looking at it, which we were fine with. They ended up ordering the front right cv shaft and strut assembly and it took them 2 months before they got it fixed so we could pick it up. When we got it back we noticed that it was leaning to the left on the back side and the front right strut assembly was higher than the left side. We took it off the trailer and then the front right cv shaft blew out again. When we jacked the front end up, we realized that while the wheel was connected to the body, there wasn’t anything to prevent the tire from rotating side to side. As we loaded it on our trailer, we discovered that we didn’t have any normal foot brakes. We then drove 200 miles to take it to our original dealer (which said that he would fix the brakes, cv joint, strut assembly, and measure where the buggy was leaning to the left and where the right strut was higher than the left one. When we got it back two weeks later he said that he fixed everything, and that there wasn’t anything wrong with the brakes except that there was a little bit too much fluid even though we never added any. He said that he measured the buggy and everything was level. We took it to our hunting club 70 miles away, and when we went to take it off the trailer, it didn’t have any brakes and it rolled backwards off the trailer. When we called the dealer the next day, he said that everything was working when it left his place and suggested that we bled the brakes and check the fluid. We did that and they were working fine, and we went riding down one of our club roads and didn’t have any brakes which caused us to loose control and nearly flip when we had to dodge a tree, while we ran into a briar patch. We topped the fluid level back off and brakes started working intermittently. Now the cart is leaning to the left and the left hand front cv boot is ripped apart and the right front cv joint is popping again. We brought it back to North Ga and parked it in our storage building. We then measured the front side and the strut on the right is 2 inches taller than the left hand side even though the tire on the right side 1-2 inches lower on the right side. Since it first arrived we have noticed that the front cv joints/axles are at an angle whereas our other members’ same year model and make bad boy buggies as well as the one at Bass Pro Shops goes straight out from the motor to the wheel. Ever since the first month we have tried to get Bad Boy Buggies and our dealer () to buy it back because it is a lemon. Bad Boy Buggies says that the dealer would be responsible for giving us a refund. Our dealer said that Bad Boy Buggies would be responsible for refunding our money. All they will ever say is that they can fix it if we take it to them. We have had so many breakdowns that we decided to buy a $80 technicians/service repair manual. It has been broken down for over 4 months and this is will just be month 7 of us owning it. It has had us scared to death that we would get in the woods and leave us stranded. It has always been very tippy and it seems prone to want to roll over. It will only go 10 miles on a charge our hunting land. What would you do or have any past experience with anything similar to this. I hate having a one ton 15k paperweight sitting in my garage. Disclaimer: This is MY experience, dealing with the dealers and people that we have. This is MY Bad Boy Buggy that I own. Yours may not give you any problems and may be the best hunting vehicle you have ever had, but this is to inform others of MY experience. Have a blessed day, 10 Ringer
You're not going to get any help unless you use paragraphs!
A LOT of paragraphs!
As of now, your post can't be/won't be read by anyone, as it's unreadable in it's current form.
Sounds like a lemon to me and I can't imagine a dealer not making it right. That's why I bought a John Deere Gator last time. The other reason is my grandson is parts manager where I bought it.
Rhody, I'm in Ga and the state's lemon law doesn't cover atv's. The federal lemon law does, but we can't find a lawyer that's familiar with it. Shuteye, we would have got a Gator or a Ranger but our club is almost 3,000 acres of electric only.
10 Ringer, I have a friend that works at a boatyard and he lives about a half mile from me. He has all kinds of fourwheelers. Last year I went with him to check his deer stands. He said we would go on an electric golf cart. I couldn't believe that we could go through a swamp that I wouldn't even want to take my Gator in. He had put huge tires on the golf cart and raised it up. He had changed the transmission and that damn thing would out run my Gator. We went through mud and water that I couldn't believe. Did it really quiet too. Some people are so handy with tools it makes me sick.
As of now this is all the repairs that have been done by dealers and Manufacture(Not counting the off record things to get us out of the woods with). If this thing ain't a lemon I don't know what is. Dealer Number 1. (original dealer we purchased it from) A. February 2015 1.Dc-Dc Converter B. Late June 1. replaced (2) steering arm brackets right and left front Replaced (1) hub assembly right front Replaced (1) strut with bearing assembly right front Repalced (2)anti rattle brake pad springs right front Replaced (1) CV axle right front Dealer Number 2 April 1st- June 10th Cv axle assembly STRUT assembly, Front LH Right Front Strut Assembly Textron Specialized Vehicles (manufacture) All 4 struts were replaced, this included all 4 brake rotors, and brake calipers as well. All brake lines as well as the master cylinder were replaced, the brake system was filled and bled per specifications The park brake was adjusted per factory specifications The drive clutch and drive belt were replaced The engine oil, oil filter and air filter were changed The battery connections were all tightened to specification and batteries were cleaned properly. The inspection board on the back of the unit was replaced. There was fault in history that indicated a Main Contactor issue, the main solenoid was changed. The motor wires were all tightened to factory specifications.
It sounds like you beat the hell out of that thing. No wonder you're having so many problems!
what a piece of crap. You nee a lawyer for sure.
My question is why did you buy a Bad Boy Buggy?
I'm sorry about the piece of junk and the trouble you are having with it. I'd get an attorney and send some certified letters explaiinng my intention to sew the heck out of them for my costs and, the cost of my time, if I were no refunded 100% of my purchase cost or, given a new machine. My guess is you'll get your money back real soon. Good luck and God Bless
Ummmm. They seem to run fine on tv?
What a nightmare. Keep this thread going and inform them of the numbers here and the publicity they are getting. Soon they'll be giving you a call.
Find a lawyer, call around and someone will jump on this.
I would also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau regarding the dealer and Bad Boy Buggies.
I would put this story on every hunting BB I could find and email BB Buggies with the links to every writeup to see, you either make this right or I will find others with issues like this and file a lawsuit.
Time to get real aggressive, at this point you have nothing to lose.
also post pics of all the breakdowns when you post.
That stinks......but not as bad as Eyad's burnt up ranger!
I am sorry to hear about your problems with this machine. I for one would be very cautious about buying one. I was thinking about buying one but will hold off until we see what happens from here on out. Good luck keep us posted.
BBB's are for the most part junk.
I was a dealer for them from 2007 to 2013. I have personally owned 7 or 8. Every one that I ever sold or owned was an absolute maintenance nightmare. Everything from failed computers and terrible programming logic, to run away vehicles (had one slam into a brand new truck with no one on board at the time), to broken parts (every thing imaginable), to self destructing drum and disk brakes.
I was so glad when BBB forced most of the small dealers (like myself) out of the business by insisting on unrealistic sales goals.
I sold my last personal BBB in November of 2015 and have never looked back.
I know that doesn't help your situation OP, but if I was you, I would get the problems resolved and trade the machine in for something else.
I have just now joined this forum, in hopes of getting some help/advice on my situation, as well to inform others and learn more about archery.
We bought a new 2016 Bad Boy Buggy Ambush Is in December and these are the problems we have had with it. The company or dealer isn't being any help. On the 1st night that the dealer delivered it the buggy wouldn’t crank/turn over in gas mode. The next day another member in our club helped us get it to crank by jiggling wires and filters.
2nd day we took it down one of our club trails in electric and it would not crank in gas to be put into 4wd. It later would not go forward or backward in electric which left us stranded for about 15 minutes while we turned the switch and buttons on and off, jiggled wires,etc.
3rd day We took it to the Eastern section of our property down a logging road which is all electric to go hunting that evening. Upon us getting back to the buggy at nightfall, the buggy would not move in electric so we had use gas while we discovered that we did not have any headlight. Therefore, we had to drive approximately 5 miles back to camp with a flashlight.
The rest of the season we had to travel using a flashlight and auxiliary lights to travel, and we didn’t feel comfortable traveling far from camp. The next day the parking brake came loose so we had to take it to our dealer. When we took it to our dealer, he said that we shouldn’t use the parking brake unless we were on a steep hill. We had to adjust the parking brake handle twice afterwards ourselves and then adjust the rear parking break caliper cable.
2 weeks later we found out why the gas wasn’t wanting to crank/turn over sometimes. We found a disconnected plug going from the switch to the starter. We reconnected it and it started up in gas. In late January, we took it to our dealer to have him fix the headlights. He had to replace a 48-volt converter, and which fixed the headlights, taillights, and 12-volt outlet.
We brought it back home to North Ga from South Ga and the next problem we had was when we were driving it around at home and the front right cv shaft started popping. When we turned to go around a curve it blew out of the boot and we almost flipped, with grease and ball bearings falling everywhere. It would not go anywhere in electric, so we drove it up on the trailer. When we told Bad Boy Buggies and our dealer whom we purchased it from that it broke, they told us to take it to our nearby dealer and they would fix it.
We took it to. They said it would be 1.5 to 2 weeks before they could get around to looking at it, which we were fine with. They ended up ordering the front right cv shaft and strut assembly and it took them 2 months before they got it fixed so we could pick it up.
When we got it back we noticed that it was leaning to the left on the back side and the front right strut assembly was higher than the left side. We took it off the trailer and then the front right cv shaft blew out again. When we jacked the front end up, we realized that while the wheel was connected to the body, there wasn’t anything to prevent the tire from rotating side to side. As we loaded it on our trailer, we discovered that we didn’t have any normal foot brakes.
We then drove 200 miles to take it to our original dealer (which said that he would fix the brakes, cv joint, strut assembly, and measure where the buggy was leaning to the left and where the right strut was higher than the left one.
When we got it back two weeks later he said that he fixed everything, and that there wasn’t anything wrong with the brakes except that there was a little bit too much fluid even though we never added any. He said that he measured the buggy and everything was level.
We took it to our hunting club 70 miles away, and when we went to take it off the trailer, it didn’t have any brakes and it rolled backwards off the trailer. When we called the dealer the next day, he said that everything was working when it left his place and suggested that we bled the brakes and check the fluid. We did that and they were working fine, and we went riding down one of our club roads and didn’t have any brakes which caused us to loose control and nearly flip when we had to dodge a tree, while we ran into a briar patch.
We topped the fluid level back off and brakes started working intermittently. Now the cart is leaning to the left and the left hand front cv boot is ripped apart and the right front cv joint is popping again.
We brought it back to North Ga and parked it in our storage building. We then measured the front side and the strut on the right is 2 inches taller than the left hand side even though the tire on the right side 1-2 inches lower on the right side.
Since it first arrived we have noticed that the front cv joints/axles are at an angle whereas our other members’ same year model and make bad boy buggies as well as the one at Bass Pro Shops goes straight out from the motor to the wheel.
Ever since the first month we have tried to get Bad Boy Buggies and our dealer () to buy it back because it is a lemon. Bad Boy Buggies says that the dealer would be responsible for giving us a refund. Our dealer said that Bad Boy Buggies would be responsible for refunding our money. All they will ever say is that they can fix it if we take it to them.
We have had so many breakdowns that we decided to buy a $80 technicians/service repair manual. It has been broken down for over 4 months and this is will just be month 7 of us owning it.
It has had us scared to death that we would get in the woods and leave us stranded. It has always been very tippy and it seems prone to want to roll over. It will only go 10 miles on a charge our hunting land. What would you do or have any past experience with anything similar to this.
I hate having a one ton 15k paperweight sitting in my garage. Disclaimer: This is MY experience, dealing with the dealers and people that we have. This is MY Bad Boy Buggy that I own. Yours may not give you any problems and may be the best hunting vehicle you have ever had, but this is to inform others of MY experience.
Have a blessed day, 10 Ringer
When I was growing up there was a guy who felt he wasn't getting the deal he was promised at our local Ford dealership. He had several bright yellow banners printed out which he hung from that truck which he parked right outside their front entrance where anyone could see as they drove in or from the frontage road (which saw a massive amount of traffic). I think after a week it hit their bottom line to the point where they made things right for him. This being the computer age you could even post a link to a facebook page about how terrible they are, might make things go faster.
Hope all works out for you and if you do like the guy in OR please post pictures here
Just sold my Bad Boy that cost $16500 for 7 thousand. It never ran stayed in the shop and just kept paying for new parts that never worked. The buggy in two years never ran more than a total of 6 hours. It still had the plastic covers on the seats. Best day that I had while I owned it.
my skate board has been fine, and it never broke down yet, best 500$ I ever spent. 16500 for a golf cart ? buy a club car two wheel drive new for 5600
And you have had your board out on an actual hunt how many times? How many animals have you packed out with it? Give us a report next year about how great it is. Don't want to beat a dead horse, but all I know about skate boards is that you will eventually fall off. I hope it works out great for you, but it surely is not for everyone.
I have had a Polaris EV for about 3 1/2 ears without any problems. So far it has been a solid electric buggy and has almost 400 hrs on the clock.
Golf cart!
I don't own one but sure seems quiet and they're everywhere.
Application: Whitetail and turkey hunting in MN.
I have a 1994 EZ Go 36 volt (I should have done 48 volt) that I had converted 4 years ago...6" lift kit, 25" aggressive tread tires, front basket, rear fold down seat/bed, high torque D&D electric motor, locking rear diff, new cables, new solenoid.
top speed: 16 mph range in warm temps: 25+ miles range at 20F: 4 miles
It has been dependable and works better than it should as I have a tendency to "beat it" a bit. Can pull like an army mule...the torque is incredible.
Use it extensively all year round. Will drop guys off and pick up at stand sights. One of the best thing about using the electric is when you need to "bump deer off a field"...moving slowly at 3-5MPH...the deer look, might stomp and then usually move off without paranoia (of being chased).
For my application, its been awesome and I don't ever see myself hunting whitetails without one. The only thing I wish it would do is more range in cold weather..thus my interest in lithium ion batteries as a realistic option...
Mark
BBB are sorry. I was stupid enough to buy two. I purchased a Classic and traded it in on an Ambush. Both brake down often. The brakes have to be replaced almost every time you use them. I have been through several charges.
I have spent over $8,000 in repairs on my Ambush over the past 2 years. It now sits in my driveway and I stack stuff on it. I just can't bring myself to spend anymore money on it.
For anyone out there thinking about buying one....DON"T!!!!!!!!!!!!
So Mark, you can beat it up a bit and no break downs? How much do you have in it and what would a 48 volt system cost?
Tomberlin vanish. Not much fun to drive at all but works well and will go over or through just about anything.
UPDATE: After we took it to the factory, they still didn't get everything fixed. When going from forward to reverse in gas, it wants to continue going backward after changing it to forwards then it goes out of reverse and grinds gears then decides to go into forward. When using it in electric it just stops working if you try to turn around or go forward then backward. Me and a buddy went to go check trail cams and turned around in a food plot and we had to turn the key on and off for 5 or 10 minutes till it ever decided to work. Late November, my dad was driving it along one of our firebreak roads and as he started to go down a slight hill the brakes failed and he couldn't steer it either. He centered about a 6" tree and the whole front end is messed up now. It left a nasty bruise on his leg as well as a pretty bad cut on his leg when he crashed.
Bear Track, All told I have about $5,200 in mine. I've looked at the BBB and the Ranger EVs but between cost, breakdowns and not being able to use it and the cost of maintenance, I have stayed with a modified golf cart. I think the fact that they have been around forever and are a simpler vehicle.....the bugs have been worked out and they just flat out work. And maintenance is done by your local golf cart dealer....usually very knowledgeable because they've worked on them for years...
If you want to use it in the winter months (as I do) my suggestion is to replace the batteries every two or three years.....and keep them properly maintained/check water levels monthly.
If I was going to go to a 48 volt system, I would start with a different cart...buy a used one from a private party (lower hours of use).
For whitetail hunting in the Midwest, east or south, it is invaluable...
Mark
People keep buying these POS because certain TV hunters rave about them. Now the "pros" are pimping 3000.00 elec fat tire bikes. You can buy a great low mile/hour used atv for that price and actually use it in the real world.
try a ClubCar used flat bed , they have kits for lift , lights and tires . stay away from ezgo, and any Textron product. I serviced and repaired them all . Sorry to here problems , sounds more like they are not qualified to repair , they are not that hard to fix .
Sorry to be an upper here, or is it downer ?, but I have an Ezgo Beast and an all electric BBB also. You do have to break new batteries in right, as in discharging almost all the way before you charge them for the first five or six times. This is best done fairly close to your electric source so as not to have to walk a long way. After that, if you maintain the batteries right, and pay attention to corrosion and tightness on the cables, you are pretty much good to go. I had a little learning curve on this myself, but my local cart guy wised me up. Batteries gonna cost you $600 bucks every 4/5 years , but gas and oil changes will too. I like my electric carts for what they are intended and that is to get me where I want to go silently.
I have a Polaris EV that is about 4 years old and has almost 500 hours on it. So far no breakdowns or problems.
Thank you Kelly...my headache is starting to go away now.
