Question: Abu C3 6501

And mine is in need of warranty service still 2 months new. Go figure. .

newer isnt always better i guess.

goodluck! I have 3 Abu reels and love them all. 2 of them are 15+ yrs old!

Walmart 6600 Abu.  Been my reel for the last 5 yrs.

Update: Went out with my wife on our tandem today & caught some nice fishes; will post report shortly. As for my Abu C3 6501, it is definitely defective. Wouldn't hold drag & when a fish was on it was horrible (the handle would turn as i reeled and nothing happened--frustration). I was able to fish by holding my thumb on the line & pulling the rod up then reeling. Shipping this puppy back to Amazon & ordering one directly from Abu

Looks very similar to my abu. I ended up sending it for warranty service,  but if I had a box i would return it - too many nice choices

Does your spool have any side-to-side motion & if so, how much?

Is that a made in Sweden 6501 or a made in China version.  If it is Chinese you are right to ship it back.  The Swede is preferred over the Chinese version.  I have noticed in BPS and Outdoor Pro shop that the 6500 is showing made in Sweden again. I can't say for Walley World and places like that as I avoid buying reels there. 

On a side note there is a Power handle for that reel, works great IMHO. 

Here is a tutorial on the 6500:

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=1512.0

Is that a made in Sweden 6501 or a made in China version.  If it is Chinese you are right to ship it back.  The Swede is preferred over the Chinese version.  I have noticed in BPS and Outdoor Pro shop that the 6500 is showing made in Sweden again. I can't say for Walley World and places like that as I avoid buying reels there. 

On a side note there is a Power handle for that reel, works great IMHO. 

Here is a tutorial on the 6500:

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=1512.0

His pic of the reel looks like it says Sweden but can't tell for certain.  I remember a while back when Penn had a warehouse full of International reels that they couldn't do anything with because of a serious design flaw that rendered the brand new reels seized right out of the box.  Guess it can happen to any manufacturer.

Swedes usually have high degree of quality control.  Your eyes are better than mine as I can't see it.  Any chance it could have greased drags?

Says made in Sweden (who knows thought; this stuff is all new to me). Shipped it back to Amazon and ordered one from Abu

I have several left hand Abu's in 5500, 6500, 6501, C3, C4, 7001, c60 Record, Revo, Toro, ect.
I love them all and have learned to tear them all down, service, replace drag washers, parts, and typically run 65lb braid with top shot of mono or flouro. I would recommend going to the guru of reel repair Alan Tani, as he is able to diagnose almost any problem and has an excellent website and forum that has many members that are very experienced and willing to help to problem solve almost any problem with any kind of reel. Here is the link and feel free to PM me with any additional questions on your reel. Abu Garcia is a great choice for inshore fishing on the California coast and beyond. Once you understand the inner workings and how to tear down your reel and put it back together, it's a great reel that will last a long time if you do the proper maintenance and take the steps to in between your fishing adventures that are needed with any reel to ensure you achieve the desired performance each and every time you fish. If you are not mechanically inclined and just prefer to send your reel in for service, they offer a very affordable service that will take care of any problem that you may encounter. Sounds like you either did not have your line properly spooled or you have a drag or drag washer problem. Don't give up on Abu, you just need to figure it out. Here you go. Cheers Mike

http://www.abugarcia.com/

http://alantani.com/index.php

http://smoothdrag.com/

Should have bought a C4!    Just kidding... I love both my C3 and C4! 

sorry for the thread jack! My buddy Dan "Shadow1888" tried to post a ? about local reel repair. Nether he or I can find that post so apparently it did not make it through. Anybody know where they service reels (level wind) locally east bay.

sorry for the thread jack! My buddy Dan "Shadow1888" tried to post a ? about local reel repair. Nether he or I can find that post so apparently it did not make it through. Anybody know where they service reels (level wind) locally east bay.

Randall, your buddy does not exist here.