Caution - Boat Repairs

[DuroBoat]

I took my 2007 19' arima to a marine dealer downtown for a pre-purchase inspection as a friend is interested in purchasing it. my boat has 640hrs on the 2007 yammy 115 and 200?hrs on the 2016 9.9. I changed all engine and leg oils mid July and have probably put 10hrs on the boat since. the results came back everything good but engine oils "dirty recommend service". they asked if they could go ahead and replace all fluids and filters. I said no, I wanted to have a look when I returned to pick up my boat. at the dealer, I asked the mechanic to show me the dirty oil.. we checked both engines and he admitted they were not dirty. I then informed him that all engine and leg oils / filters were changed approx 10hrs ago. he then admitted the oil and filters actually look almost new. I asked why they reported them as "dirty" and had requested to change all fluids. he eventually admitted they made a mistake and would revise the inspection report. please use caution and double check your mechanics reports - this was a blatant attempt to drum up additional work and essentially replace new filters and oils. my friend got the bill at $350 but was quoted $150 for the purchase inspection. I've attached a picture of my dipstick I took for the record before leaving the dealer - does this oil look like its dirty to you??

 

[Ringo]

Good call. Oil Looks pretty clear for 10 hrs. Also sign of good quality oil as it’s been absorbing a bit of tan colour and that’s what good quality oil is meant to do. I wouldn’t get close to that shop again as they’ve been trying to literally gauge you.

 

[Damien]

Why the short nearsightedness? So frustrating in today's world.

Do the right thing now, "the oil at filter look great, come see as the end the year, we'd be pleased to freshen things up where needed and winterize for you, thanks for coming by!"

"And while you're here, do you have a good trickle charger/battery tender? Have you considered dehumidifier options or boat wrap over the winter? We have a great selection here". I see you have a fishfinder/gps/radar (whatever) from a few generations ago, I'd love to show what some of the new stuff can do! We have a pre-boat show special on ____"

There are hundred ways to earn a customer instead of burning yourself trying to make a couple hundred bucks bullshitting customers.

 

[Reel Gone]

Tell buddy to pay the $150 and they can pound the rest!
Could always report it to the BBB

 

[walleyes]

Two things, this is precisely why no shop people touch my stuff. If it’s a major I’ll consider it but never for services, I do it I know it’s done right. Second, if someone wants to buy your boat and they don’t trust you, they can pay for the inspection.

 

[tyeeking]

Two things, this is precisely why no shop people touch my stuff. If it’s a major I’ll consider it but never for services, I do it I know it’s done right. Second, if someone wants to buy your boat and they don’t trust you, they can pay for the inspection.

Ditto this. I do all of the scheduled boat and trailer maintenance myself. It's fun, I know it's done right, and I save a lot of dollars. I keep a meticulous log of all work done for my benefit and for when the day comes that I eventually sell the boat.

 

[casper5280]

I keep a log book on every hour on the boat and all servicing and maintenance and materials. I figure if you are going to own a boat you better learn to fix them.

 

[Zuktaylor]

What shop was this at?

 

[Rockfish]

It makes sense that changing motor oil, filters, leg oil and crush seals, T-stats and external zincs are considered money makers for dealers and pushed. They are all very easy to do with little skill, experience or diagnostic or proprietary tools needed. They can do them fast with junior guys with very little risk that they will screw something up and need to have an experienced well train marine mechanic wasting a lot of time to diagnose and fix what they did wrong which will be difficult to bill you for. Safe, easy and fast money for the dealers. These are things you can learn to do yourself. You may want to check on the policy related to warranty on new motors re: do it your self basic maintenance.

Changing plugs is also easy on many motors but not all. Some of the big motors may have access issues that the dealers are use to dealing with. Torque them correctly and don't cross thread or strip out the threads and need to have a dealer or machine shop put a heli coil in it.

 

[Cuba Libre]

Which shop ????