Need some help refurbishing a Summit S-650


 
Ken I said:
Weber support may replace the cook box. They did for my summit 620 which had just a small amount of rust.

The Summits are fantastic grills. Yes the cookbox and manifold can give you issues, but give Weber a call and see if they can help you out. Good luck!
Click to expand...

"fantastic" is a little hard for me to accept in a +$2,000 grill with cheap painted steel cabinetry. I suppose when new they cook well, but too big, too heavy and over-complicated for my taste.
 
As others have already chimed in, I would go with the old school grills....1000-5000 or Silver B or C (or gold/platinum)...easy to work on and maintain and they cook awesome (including roti cooks). The newer ones are already showing signs of rust in the cabinet (of course). And we all know that the Exxx series are prone to rust at some point and if not taken care of then that rabbit hole becomes deeper and deeper.
 
I realize this is an old post, but I would appreciate some input on why I might want to avoid replacing the cookbox on my '07 Summit S-650. The cookbox is rusting out, but otherwise the grill is in decent shape, i.e. everything works. I've reached out to Weber to see if the part is still available, and what it will cost, but it seems that even at $500-600 it might be worth it. Those of you cautioning against this, what have your experiences been? Has it been a case of needing more parts than expected once you dig into the project?
 
MHarvey said:
I realize this is an old post, but I would appreciate some input on why I might want to avoid replacing the cookbox on my '07 Summit S-650. The cookbox is rusting out, but otherwise the grill is in decent shape, i.e. everything works. I've reached out to Weber to see if the part is still available, and what it will cost, but it seems that even at $500-600 it might be worth it. Those of you cautioning against this, what have your experiences been? Has it been a case of needing more parts than expected once you dig into the project?
Click to expand...

If you are the original owner, it should be warranty.
If not, then $500-$600 may be worth it, IF the rest is in really good
condition.

I was fortunate enough to recently pick up a S650 in very good condition
that had not been worked like a rented mule. The inside front of the firebox
is still nearly perfect also.
It will make a great grill for the next owner, but for whatever reason
Summits are not very popular in this part of the world.

https://kansascity.craigslist.org/hsh/d/excelsior-springs-weber-summit-s650/7659377499.html

My ad has been posted for 4 days, w/ a $50 price drop, added obo, and
nary a single reply.
 
To me it comes down to whether you would enjoy the size (and bulk and complexity) of these current generation Summits. To me they bring unnecessary weight and too many gadgets for the added space they provide. It is also important where you plan to use and store this grill. If you are fortunate to have a garage or other dry place out of the elements, that would make your idea more viable in my view. If your Summit will be out in the elements (cover not withstanding) you should expect future problems with rusty cabinetry and frames.
 
Thank you all for the feedback. I am the original owner, and the grill has been in the same spot on my deck since new in 2007. My reading of the warranty in my manual is that the cook box is only covered for 10 years, but I am still waiting to see what Weber has to say. I sent them pics this morning. I had a cover on it briefly when new, but taking it on and off was too much of a hassle, so it's been uncovered most of it's life. The rust patterns I'm seeing seem more indicative of heat than water. If I could replace the cook box for a reasonable price (or free) and get another 5 years out of it, I would be happy.
 
Well, I am thoroughly impressed. I just received an order confirmation for a free replacement cook box. While I disagree with Weber's choice to use such cheap materials in a critical part of an expensive grill, the fact that they are willing to replace it for free shows great customer service. So long as I don't destroy any of the old parts during the replacement, I should be able to extend the life of an otherwise great grill. I think the money I was anticipating having to spend is going to go toward the addition of a griddle.
 
MHarvey said:
Well, I am thoroughly impressed. I just received an order confirmation for a free replacement cook box. While I disagree with Weber's choice to use such cheap materials in a critical part of an expensive grill, the fact that they are willing to replace it for free shows great customer service. So long as I don't destroy any of the old parts during the replacement, I should be able to extend the life of an otherwise great grill. I think the money I was anticipating having to spend is going to go toward the addition of a griddle
Click to expand...
Congrats! 16 years of cooking is a long time to cycle cold and hot without issues and being exposed openly to all the elements with no maintenance is outstanding quality. My neighbors truck is 12 years old and has more rust than all the rehabs combined on this forum and that was an expensive truck in 2011 and they are not sending him panels under warranty. Congrats again.
 
MHarvey said:
Well, I am thoroughly impressed. I just received an order confirmation for a free replacement cook box. While I disagree with Weber's choice to use such cheap materials in a critical part of an expensive grill, the fact that they are willing to replace it for free shows great customer service. So long as I don't destroy any of the old parts during the replacement, I should be able to extend the life of an otherwise great grill. I think the money I was anticipating having to spend is going to go toward the addition of a griddle.
Click to expand...
That's fantastic! I've recently had excellent luck with webers customer service. Replaced the cookbox on 2 shirts, a 420 and 650. Just cooked a burger for my daughter on the 420, works real nice. 650 is still in the rehab process, but I'm looking forward to cooking Thanksgiving on it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top