All about Kolm Engines
Looks like this 
12-20-2018, 09:22 AM
#103
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The exhaust system for the three cylinder looks terrific - design and manufacturing. It would be nice to have engines and mufflers available from one source.
I looked at Andy Kane's website. He's not gotten around to putting in any engine's details and prices. I am interested in a 50cc. I like the inlines and boxers, but the largest displacement the current build will take is about 75cc.
I looked at Andy Kane's website. He's not gotten around to putting in any engine's details and prices. I am interested in a 50cc. I like the inlines and boxers, but the largest displacement the current build will take is about 75cc.
01-10-2019, 01:11 PM
#111
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Ixtrim, Very well organized component placement and clean construction - even the epoxy fillets are wonderfully smooth and even. Could I ask what epoxy you use - I've not seen a white epoxy before.
I had posted earlier about Kolm engine availability. I was glad to see Andy Kane's website has now been updated, but I was dismayed at the pricing of the 50cc. But on top of that, shipping and import duties are listed as being extra... but I thought that's the point of having a regional distributor, that these costs are known before hand. Otherwise one could just order directly from the company in Europe. While I like seeing the installation of the big motors on this forum, I wish the Kolm brand was a little more accessible. Oh well.
I had posted earlier about Kolm engine availability. I was glad to see Andy Kane's website has now been updated, but I was dismayed at the pricing of the 50cc. But on top of that, shipping and import duties are listed as being extra... but I thought that's the point of having a regional distributor, that these costs are known before hand. Otherwise one could just order directly from the company in Europe. While I like seeing the installation of the big motors on this forum, I wish the Kolm brand was a little more accessible. Oh well.
01-10-2019, 10:03 PM
#112
Thread Starter
Ixtrim, Very well organized component placement and clean construction - even the epoxy fillets are wonderfully smooth and even. Could I ask what epoxy you use - I've not seen a white epoxy before.
I had posted earlier about Kolm engine availability. I was glad to see Andy Kane's website has now been updated, but I was dismayed at the pricing of the 50cc. But on top of that, shipping and import duties are listed as being extra... but I thought that's the point of having a regional distributor, that these costs are known before hand. Otherwise one could just order directly from the company in Europe. While I like seeing the installation of the big motors on this forum, I wish the Kolm brand was a little more accessible. Oh well.
I had posted earlier about Kolm engine availability. I was glad to see Andy Kane's website has now been updated, but I was dismayed at the pricing of the 50cc. But on top of that, shipping and import duties are listed as being extra... but I thought that's the point of having a regional distributor, that these costs are known before hand. Otherwise one could just order directly from the company in Europe. While I like seeing the installation of the big motors on this forum, I wish the Kolm brand was a little more accessible. Oh well.
Thank you!!
The expoxy is mixed with glass bubbles and thixotropy to keep it on its place. also i you have way less weight for your gluing joint.
The EZ50 will not be produced in future. this type is total different in all parts and we don´t sell a lot of them. so, 2 pcs are in stock and then its gone. we keep a lot of spare parts for repairs, no worries.
for total costs ask andy for an offer. for sure he can tell you exactly how much an engine will be!
Tom
01-10-2019, 10:05 PM
#113
Thread Starter
i have a question for you all here:
is it the work worth to start a building thread of my spitfire here ?
i did in flying giants and looks like people are interested. i thought maybe it will reach more persons of interest if its located at the warbird-section.
what do you think?
Tom
is it the work worth to start a building thread of my spitfire here ?
i did in flying giants and looks like people are interested. i thought maybe it will reach more persons of interest if its located at the warbird-section.
what do you think?
Tom
01-13-2019, 06:58 AM
#114
More info on the exhaust pipe Tom!
Anyone running one in flight yet? Video? Price? Where to buy?
I’ll Need one for the IL150 Long Version for the P-51.
Im disappointed in the handling of the warranty situation I have to say. Here is a $5000 engine, new, currently building the plane and never run the engine and now I understand there is no support? That’s really bad customer service, period. This is not how a company treats their customers and for sure unless there is some sort of bridge from old ownership to new owner covering existing customers then I don’t see myself continuing to support Kolm in the future.
Our engines are registered by order name and serial number and I can’t imagine they sold so many units it would be an inconvenience or financial burden to the company. What do I do in case a crank breaks, or rocker arm, or the ignition, whatever is covered under warranty, breaks? What if I mount the new engine now and it won’t fire?
I bought a business and honored the previous customers gift cards for one year! I had records and as the cards showed up I marked them off the list. We made the announcement clear and after one year we politely turned them down and offered them a 10% discount for their order.
At these prices the customer service has to be top notch. We get better customer service on DLE engines at a fraction of the cost!
I highly recommend Kolm rethink their policy on this matter Tom. It will be better for business.
Anyone running one in flight yet? Video? Price? Where to buy?
I’ll Need one for the IL150 Long Version for the P-51.
Im disappointed in the handling of the warranty situation I have to say. Here is a $5000 engine, new, currently building the plane and never run the engine and now I understand there is no support? That’s really bad customer service, period. This is not how a company treats their customers and for sure unless there is some sort of bridge from old ownership to new owner covering existing customers then I don’t see myself continuing to support Kolm in the future.
Our engines are registered by order name and serial number and I can’t imagine they sold so many units it would be an inconvenience or financial burden to the company. What do I do in case a crank breaks, or rocker arm, or the ignition, whatever is covered under warranty, breaks? What if I mount the new engine now and it won’t fire?
I bought a business and honored the previous customers gift cards for one year! I had records and as the cards showed up I marked them off the list. We made the announcement clear and after one year we politely turned them down and offered them a 10% discount for their order.
At these prices the customer service has to be top notch. We get better customer service on DLE engines at a fraction of the cost!
I highly recommend Kolm rethink their policy on this matter Tom. It will be better for business.
01-13-2019, 07:10 AM
#115
Side note to new Kolm buyers, and any significant purchase made from overseas, watch out for the import tax! This was not disclosed to me at the time of purchase through Vogelsang Aeroscale and then I got a bill from Uncle Sam with his hand out. I was not expecting that and it really irritated me because it should have been disclosed and accounted for. After all they were the dealer and should point that out to the customer in advance or better yet, just pay it and include it with your invoice.
And for any of you saying to yourself why is he saying the IL150L with starter is $5000, that’s why.
And for any of you saying to yourself why is he saying the IL150L with starter is $5000, that’s why.
01-13-2019, 07:52 AM
#116
Thread Starter
I understand your sorrows Chris. but I also understand the strategy of Michael Ploberger. He decided to invest his money and find a deal with the owner of Kolm engines. He is the guy he has the risk and keeps the engines alive for us.
Also is he the guy who covers all existing engines with spare parts. So for me it’s is normal that he doesn’t not cover the warranty from all engines sold In 2018 by and company which was not his one.
The warranty time start with the date on the bill, by the way. And : your dealer has to cover the warranty, not the company. You didn’t bought an engine from kolm directly
so: primary you should not be worry about any problems you can have with the engine. Most time we get them back because of overheating due to bad cooling systems and not listen to our advises. This is why I do here all the work and show how to build a functionally cooling system , tell people what rpm you should run and answer every question I get.
Also; Michael and me will do our best to help people out in case it’s needed. For sure we find a good solution for all upcoming problems, warranty-case or not.
Also is he the guy who covers all existing engines with spare parts. So for me it’s is normal that he doesn’t not cover the warranty from all engines sold In 2018 by and company which was not his one.
The warranty time start with the date on the bill, by the way. And : your dealer has to cover the warranty, not the company. You didn’t bought an engine from kolm directly
so: primary you should not be worry about any problems you can have with the engine. Most time we get them back because of overheating due to bad cooling systems and not listen to our advises. This is why I do here all the work and show how to build a functionally cooling system , tell people what rpm you should run and answer every question I get.
Also; Michael and me will do our best to help people out in case it’s needed. For sure we find a good solution for all upcoming problems, warranty-case or not.
01-13-2019, 07:56 AM
#117
Thread Starter
Side note to new Kolm buyers, and any significant purchase made from overseas, watch out for the import tax! This was not disclosed to me at the time of purchase through Vogelsang Aeroscale and then I got a bill from Uncle Sam with his hand out. I was not expecting that and it really irritated me because it should have been disclosed and accounted for. After all they were the dealer and should point that out to the customer in advance or better yet, just pay it and include it with your invoice.
And for any of you saying to yourself why is he saying the IL150L with starter is $5000, that’s why.
And for any of you saying to yourself why is he saying the IL150L with starter is $5000, that’s why.
also a point which is not in our hands. But you have right ! If you tell us how much Uncle Sam asked for, we can tell this you our customers. The dealer is now Andy Kane. I will tell him to inform new customers about this fact. Thank you !
01-13-2019, 03:11 PM
#118
I understand your sorrows Chris. but I also understand the strategy of Michael Ploberger. He decided to invest his money and find a deal with the owner of Kolm engines. He is the guy he has the risk and keeps the engines alive for us.
Also is he the guy who covers all existing engines with spare parts. So for me it’s is normal that he doesn’t not cover the warranty from all engines sold In 2018 by and company which was not his one.
The warranty time start with the date on the bill, by the way. And : your dealer has to cover the warranty, not the company. You didn’t bought an engine from kolm directly
so: primary you should not be worry about any problems you can have with the engine. Most time we get them back because of overheating due to bad cooling systems and not listen to our advises. This is why I do here all the work and show how to build a functionally cooling system , tell people what rpm you should run and answer every question I get.
Also; Michael and me will do our best to help people out in case it’s needed. For sure we find a good solution for all upcoming problems, warranty-case or not.
Also is he the guy who covers all existing engines with spare parts. So for me it’s is normal that he doesn’t not cover the warranty from all engines sold In 2018 by and company which was not his one.
The warranty time start with the date on the bill, by the way. And : your dealer has to cover the warranty, not the company. You didn’t bought an engine from kolm directly
so: primary you should not be worry about any problems you can have with the engine. Most time we get them back because of overheating due to bad cooling systems and not listen to our advises. This is why I do here all the work and show how to build a functionally cooling system , tell people what rpm you should run and answer every question I get.
Also; Michael and me will do our best to help people out in case it’s needed. For sure we find a good solution for all upcoming problems, warranty-case or not.
The fact is unless he changes the name to something else then he is still Kolm Engines. As such then he owns all the aspects of the brand good and bad and has the responsibility to provide good customer service to all customers new and old. Even Andy is going to have to deal with this, I’m sure he knows that. If I have a problem with my engine I will be calling him.
Thanks for your support and effort.
01-13-2019, 03:17 PM
#119
Andy can check with the current federal import tax rates to figure out the category and the rate they will charge. I think it was classified as Small Engine Parts but I could be wrong.
01-13-2019, 10:16 PM
#120
Thread Starter
I won’t argue with you Tom, it is what it is at this point. Mr Ploberger/Kolm Engines will have to prove or demonstrate good customer service or he will lose customers.
The fact is unless he changes the name to something else then he is still Kolm Engines. As such then he owns all the aspects of the brand good and bad and has the responsibility to provide good customer service to all customers new and old. Even Andy is going to have to deal with this, I’m sure he knows that. If I have a problem with my engine I will be calling him.
Thanks for your support and effort.
we will do our best chris! hope we get the chance to show it (and also people let you know after). we will do our best, that no one will be left behind!!
Depending on the brand- name : we talked many times about it. change or not... or just modfiy ? meanwhile its well known, we will see :-)
01-14-2019, 09:15 AM
#121
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Brand name
please don’t change from Kolm as we understand it and modellers are getting to understand engines and understand value for money I agree with new owners ownership model and Tom thread is very good and has some great learnings as Kolm owner I value the information
01-14-2019, 11:29 AM
#122
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I have to agree with Chris: if the company name has been continued, it implies an agreement to restructure and retain the company - to benefit from the capital of the brand name and, though it may be undesirable, assume outstanding customer obligations for existing products. Otherwise the company should have been incorporated under a different name. As to regional distributor being the sole point of any after sales service, this should be clarified on the company website. Because the long standing practice with engines sold in the US is that there is a product warranty that is honored by the manufacturer who can choose to address it themselves or another designated party should a case arise. It doesn't matter if I buy a Saito from Chief Aircraft, Tower or my local hobby shop. As long as the sales receipt validates the date of purchase and it is not a fault attributable to the owner, then Horizon's service center handles it.
Regarding import fees, I have questioned this earlier in the forum with reference to ordering from Andy Kane in the US. There is no clear indication on what these will be. For example, I have purchased several engines (shipped to US) from Toni Clark. Wonderful website with clear listing of prices. I know exactly how much an engine will be to my door... and the DHL one week service has never cost more than $45. The Kolm US distributor will quote $200 for shipping with extra (amount unspecified) import taxes. This ambiguity is vexing. Clearly the distributor network setup can be improved.
So why mention all this? I really like the design of the Kolm engines which I believe show a genuine commitment to engineering details. For example, the rear cam setup in the 50 cc motor allows perfectly aligned push rods. All other motors have these either at an angle (less efficient and more prone to wear) or run off 90 degree helical drive gears towards the front of the motor. It's really nice to see sound engineering in a hobby inundated with cheap products. So I'm all for supporting Kolm, but the business and distribution side does raise a few concerns.
Regarding import fees, I have questioned this earlier in the forum with reference to ordering from Andy Kane in the US. There is no clear indication on what these will be. For example, I have purchased several engines (shipped to US) from Toni Clark. Wonderful website with clear listing of prices. I know exactly how much an engine will be to my door... and the DHL one week service has never cost more than $45. The Kolm US distributor will quote $200 for shipping with extra (amount unspecified) import taxes. This ambiguity is vexing. Clearly the distributor network setup can be improved.
So why mention all this? I really like the design of the Kolm engines which I believe show a genuine commitment to engineering details. For example, the rear cam setup in the 50 cc motor allows perfectly aligned push rods. All other motors have these either at an angle (less efficient and more prone to wear) or run off 90 degree helical drive gears towards the front of the motor. It's really nice to see sound engineering in a hobby inundated with cheap products. So I'm all for supporting Kolm, but the business and distribution side does raise a few concerns.
Last edited by Nostromo1; 01-14-2019 at 12:11 PM.
01-14-2019, 11:43 AM
#123
Thread Starter
I have to agree with Chris: if the company name has been continued, it implies an agreement to restructure and retain the company - to benefit from the capital of the brand name and, though it may be undesirable, assume outstanding customer obligations for existing products. Otherwise the company should have been incorporated under a different name.
Regarding import fees, I have questioned this earlier in the forum with reference to ordering from Andy Kane in the US. There is no clear indication on what these will be. For example, I have purchased several engines (shipped to US) from Toni Clark. Wonderful website with clear listing of prices. I know exactly how much an engine will be to my door... and the DHL one week service has never cost more than $45. The Kolm US distributor will quote $200 for shipping with extra (amount unspecified) import taxes. This ambiguity is vexing. Clearly the distributor network setup can be improved.
So why mention all this? I really like the design of the Kolm engines which I believe show a genuine commitment to engineering details. For example, the rear cam setup in the 50 cc motor allows perfectly aligned push rods. All other motors have these either at an angle (less efficient and more prone to wear) or run off 90 degree helical drive gears towards the front of the motor. It's really nice to see sound engineering in a hobby inundated with cheap products. So I'm all for supporting Kolm, but the business and distribution side does raise a few concerns.
Regarding import fees, I have questioned this earlier in the forum with reference to ordering from Andy Kane in the US. There is no clear indication on what these will be. For example, I have purchased several engines (shipped to US) from Toni Clark. Wonderful website with clear listing of prices. I know exactly how much an engine will be to my door... and the DHL one week service has never cost more than $45. The Kolm US distributor will quote $200 for shipping with extra (amount unspecified) import taxes. This ambiguity is vexing. Clearly the distributor network setup can be improved.
So why mention all this? I really like the design of the Kolm engines which I believe show a genuine commitment to engineering details. For example, the rear cam setup in the 50 cc motor allows perfectly aligned push rods. All other motors have these either at an angle (less efficient and more prone to wear) or run off 90 degree helical drive gears towards the front of the motor. It's really nice to see sound engineering in a hobby inundated with cheap products. So I'm all for supporting Kolm, but the business and distribution side does raise a few concerns.
thanks for your input !
First:
no way to send a box coverd by insurance for thousands of dollars for 45 dollars. No way !
How much it really is depends to the weight. Also we informed Andy to inform customers about tax fees.
For the moment I can’t really tell if the name will change. For sure : the company changed. Only the products will stay. by the way:
glad you like the EZ50. Sadly we will not go on with producing this type. 1 is in stock, then it’s gone. We only keep parts for repair and service.
01-14-2019, 11:44 AM
#124
Thread Starter
thanks Mr. Hodson
01-14-2019, 01:10 PM
#125
Kolm Engines was almost GONE.
If it was not for Mr. Ploberger and his passion for these amazing engines Kolm would be completely gone. Mr. Ploberger has told many people that he can not honor any warranty work 100% free of charge for any engines that were sold prior to his acquisition of Kolm BUT, he will be willing to offer a discount for service and repair to the people that did buy a Kolm prior to his acquisition of Kolm. This is a huge benefit for those people. Imagine if there was know Kolm at all! What then? I see some people getting upset at the situation when they should be glad that someone stepped up not only to continue to produce such an amazing engine but also to honor to a fair and reasonable point after sales support for everyone that purchased before there was Mr. Plobereger
I for one am glad that I can still purchase a three-cylinder powerhouse with an incredible sound and that I can get service for the Kolm Motors I purchased prior to Mr. Ploberger stepping up to keep the legacy going...
If it was not for Mr. Ploberger and his passion for these amazing engines Kolm would be completely gone. Mr. Ploberger has told many people that he can not honor any warranty work 100% free of charge for any engines that were sold prior to his acquisition of Kolm BUT, he will be willing to offer a discount for service and repair to the people that did buy a Kolm prior to his acquisition of Kolm. This is a huge benefit for those people. Imagine if there was know Kolm at all! What then? I see some people getting upset at the situation when they should be glad that someone stepped up not only to continue to produce such an amazing engine but also to honor to a fair and reasonable point after sales support for everyone that purchased before there was Mr. Plobereger
I for one am glad that I can still purchase a three-cylinder powerhouse with an incredible sound and that I can get service for the Kolm Motors I purchased prior to Mr. Ploberger stepping up to keep the legacy going...
Last edited by sipixx; 01-14-2019 at 01:27 PM.