Summit S-650 dilemma


 
G

Greg Y

TVWBB Pro
I finally got myself a Summit, and an S-650 at that. Problem is, I bought it (very) used and it's in pretty bad shape. The guy bought this beauty new and then left it outside uncovered under a tree for it's entire life. Then, when his buddy was staying there, he couldn't get the gas to work so the friend filled it with charcoal and cooked that way.
The floor of the cabinet is rusted through as is one side. It has some nasty cancerous rust creeping into the frame.
Also, after pressure washing it, I realized that the firebox has some very nasty rust-though along the front, with a nice big hole at the end of each flavorizer bar. Bummer.
The price for the firebox at ereplacementparts.com is about $400 with shipping. The side panel/frame assembly is about $100 and the bottom is about $75 or so although I am not certain which part number I need.

My questions are:
Is this an S-650? The sticker with the model and serial is completely illegible.
Any idea what year it is? I'm thinking 2007.
Is it worth fixing up?

I might be willing to buy the floor and side panels, but $400 for the firebox, ouch. I could add a layer of stainless steel to cover the holes along the front of the firebox to save it, but I would also have to blast out all of that cancer and then paint it with ? to keep it from rusting further.
Not to mention I would want to replace the knobs, thermometer, and maybe the lights. This thing looks like hell.
my '06 Genesis Silver B is in very good condition, and I keep it covered and under a patio cover as well. Kind of hard to muster up much pride in a grill that looks like this Summit.
I'm going to continue cleaning it up and repair a few issues with it. Then I will have to decide whether to keep it (replace my beautiful Genesis) or try to sell it to get my money back.
The only real reason I am looking for a replacement for my Genesis is that I really want one with a side burner. The Summit has a nice side burner and so much more.

As purchased pictures:







How do I get myself into these messes? Oh yeah, because I'm cheap.
 
Don't the fireboxes and lids have at least a 10 year if not longer warranty on them? Same with the burner tubes.
 
I sure hope you got that REALLY cheap (read free). It is sad to see fine equipment treated this way :-(. Perhaps you might find it more cost effective to simply "part it out", lick the wounds and look for another. You would be amazed at what Craigslist can cough up. For me it coughed up a Wolf all 304 stainless 36" 6 burner grill with rear infrared, rotisserie motor and all. Just no side burner but for $150 I wasn't complaining. Sadly my own Summit 450 (old style) has rust though in the front firebox panel also and like you am wondering how to "save" it. Weber does not make the replacement part any more so unless I can fabricate a piece from SS myself my old treasure may be bound for life ever after
 
It looks like you have a Summit 670 since it has the rotisserie burner. If you look just below where the drip pan is on left side wall there is a rectangular sticker with the serial number. If you can still make it out, give Weber a call and see what the warranty status is.

I just bought an '08 Summit 470 on CL here in Jacksonville for $300 that the owner never cleaned and had mild surface rust on most of the stainless steel. Three weekends of deep cleaning has brought it back to life. I would like to buy new knobs, but they are over $50.00 from Weber.
 
I thought the 670 had a sear burner in the center, which this one lacks. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Steve, thanks for that info. I looked it up in the online manual and it says that the firebox does indeed have a 10 year warranty. However; there are several stipulations:

Weber-Stephen Products Co. (Weber) hereby warrants to the ORIGINAL PURCHASER of this Weber®
gas grill that it will be free of defects in material and workmanship from the date of purchase as follows:
Aluminum castings 25-years (2 years on paint; excludes fading)
Stainless steel Shroud, 25-years;
Porcelain-enameled shroud, 25-years
Cookbox Assembly 10-years (2 year on paint excludes fading)
Stainless steel burners tubes, 10-years
Stainless steel cooking grates, 5-years no rust through or burn through
Stainless steel Flavorizer bars, 5-years no rust through or burn through
Porcelain-enameled cast-iron
cooking grates, 5-year no rust through or burn through
Porcelain-enameled
cooking grates, 3-years no rust through or burn through
Porcelain-enameled
Flavorizer bars, 2-years no rust through or burn through
Infrared Rotisserie Burner, 2-years
All remaining parts, 2-years
When assembled and operated in accordance with the printed instructions accompanying it.
Weber may require reasonable proof of your date of purchase. THEREFORE, YOU SHOULD RETAIN
YOUR SALES SLIP OR INVOICE.
This Limited Warranty shall be limited to the repair or replacement of parts that prove defective under
normal use and service and which on examination shall indicate, to Weber’s satisfaction, they are
defective. Before returning any parts, contact the Customer Service Representative in your area
using the contact information on our website. If Weber confirms the defect and approves the claim,
Weber will elect to replace such parts without charge. If you are required to return defective parts,
transportation charges must be prepaid. Weber will return parts to the purchaser, freight or postage
prepaid.
This Limited Warranty does not cover any failures or operating difficulties due to accident, abuse,
misuse, alteration, misapplication, vandalism, improper installation or improper maintenance or
service, or failure to perform normal and routine maintenance, including but not limited to damage
caused by insects within the burner tubes, as set out in this owner’s manual.

I'll give them a call and see if they can do anything. I doubt it since I have no idea what the serial number is. There are many complaints online about the Summit series drip pan flooding if left uncovered in the rain and the soupy mess that rots the inside of the cabinet and takes the print off of the serial number decal.

LMichaels, I got it cheap, but not cheap enough. It's OK, I know I messed up. Just trying to figure my course of action.
I've been monitoring craigslist for a couple of years now, and the only higher end grills I've found that are a reasonable price that weren't sold before I called were this one and one Summit S-470 which was rotted out in the cabinet even worse than this one.

I'm going to clean this thing as best I can and then hope that it doesn't make me sick every time I look at it.
 
I think that you are spot on with the ID. 2007 was the first year for that model. Very shortly after that model came out it was changed so the rotisserie motor bracket folded down into the side table. Yours is not like that it’s a fixed bracket so it’s probably 07 or 08 but not any newer.

You are correct about the 670’s having a sear burner in the center. I think the only difference between the 650 and 670 is the sear burner.

That one is in ruff shape hopefully you can get some of the parts under warranty otherwise I don’t think the cost involved in restoring that one is worth it.
 
OMG. I've got a 17 year old 4000 that sits outside on the back deck, uncovered through the entire year through the brutal Chicago winters and blazing summers, and mine looks and runs like new. Not a lick of rust, and I only have to give the inners a quick brush once or twice a year. That said, I'm shocked how poorly this held up! that thing looks like it was at ground zero in a bomb zone. Jeez, good luck with that.
 
Yeah Scott, it did not hold up well. That's the second one I've looked at and they both have the same cancer ridden cabinet.
If left uncovered, the rain rolls down the back of the firebox and into the grease tray. That mess then overflows into the cabinet and eats up the painted carbon steel. As far as the firebox, I don't know why it is rusted so badly. It looks like porcelain coated steel along the front.
 
That charcoal didn't do it any favors, pretty corrosive stuff. Looking at those pics breaks my heart. I can't belive someone spent that kind of money for a summit then treat ti like that.
 
I guess everything is relative.
I mean, to this young rich guy, I guess the money was not a big deal. My boss has an $8,500 54" GE Monogram grill which he does not keep covered or take care of.

After doing some disassembly and wire-wheeling this weekend, I found that it really needs new burners as well, at $20 each. Hmm... I'll keep you guys posted.
 
I called Weber customer service, and as expected they will not warranty any of the parts of the grill without the serial number, which washed off of the decal inside the cabinet years ago. If they would have put the decal on the other side, it would be fine. Anyway, she said that the warranty only applied to the original owner which I did not see in their written warranty. I could get the original owner to order the parts for me (since they rusted through on his watch) but they would need the serial number even for that. Either way, the large holes in the front of the firebox should not have happened in 6 years. They were not caused by charcoal, they are in front of each flavorizer bar. Also, I wish that they would sell the firebox parts and not just the whole thing. All I need is the front piece.

One thing worthy of noting, Weber's prices were much different than the prices on ereplacementparts.com. The firebox from weber was only $212.80, vs almost $400 on E. All the rest of the parts are higher from Weber than E.

So now I still have to decide what to do with this thing. Those nice ss rod grates would fit my Genesis if I just trim them a bit.
But I think I will fab up a scab front firebox part and try to salvage as many of the burners as I can.
 
It is a long shot, but see if the previous owner still has the owner's manual. If so, the serial number for the grill should be printed on the front of the guide.
 
I already tried that. I figured that since he didn't take care of the grill he probably wouldn't have kept the manual, and he didn't.

I'm going to keep cleaning it up, get a new regulator (old one is broken) salvage the existing burners, patch the holes in the firebox and use it. If I like it (and why wouldn't I?) I will order a replacement side frame and cabinet floor and replace the burners as they crap out.
 
I patched the rusted panel with some 304 stainless steel panels that I got free from a dented dishwasher at work. I cleaned it up some more (still needs more cleaning) and cooked some burgers on it.
I LOVE the extra room over the Genesis, and I love those SS rod grates. Even though it sparks every time, and the gas comes a gushin' out of the starter tube, the burners don't always light on the first try. I need to look at that some more and get the rotisserie burner working and go through the motor (it works, but it seems like it needs to be cleaned and lubed).

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I know this is old, but... How did your patches hold up? Just picked up a free summit 420 with the common holes up front. I expected it going in, figured it was worth it for free!
 
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