Buyer Beware!
A few years ago, I purchased our house on the Bay in Truro, MA. The house had a two year old, top of the line, 70kwt Kohler stand-by generator - purported to have been designed to live outside in a salt air environment with a fifteen plus year life expectancy. These pictures show what it looks like after seven years in the salt air. Today it is on the verge of collapse, as its panels and controls have totally rotted out.
It is dead!! A product that is supposed to last for fifteen years has not even made it through seven!
In the event you are considering a similar investment, I invite you to review Kohler's response to my numerous requests for help. I hope my unfortunate experience with Kohler will serve as a warning to others who may fall victim to their exaggerated claims and evasive customer service.
The Story So Far
I've contacted Kohler president Herbert Kohler, Director of Residential Generator Business John Schultz, and Manager of Field Service Dennis Christian regarding my concerns and have never received a response from them. I did receive a response from Eric Hanson, Kohler's Supervisor of Switchgear Service Systems, dismissing me.
Residential generators are designed to live outdoors. If special maintenance is required in a salt air environment, consumers should be to be informed of as such. If you reside in a similar environment, I am not optimistic that Kohler will do the right thing. I am appalled by Kohler's dismissive response and believe that Kohler is selling a product that is ill-equipped to service sea coast homes - yet continues to market them as such.
Kohler has only responded to my requests for help once. Despite the fact that "Kohler Power Systems works hard to provide quality products to [their] customers," they were "unable to honor [my] request." Click here to see my correspondence with Kohler Power and their complete dismissal.
I've serviced the unit properly during my ownership of the home and have accommodated everything Kohler Power has requested of me, yet they still refuse to help. I created this site as a warning for all potential Kohler customers to alert them that Kohler misrepresents its products and then may well refuse to repair them when they inevitably break down.