Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

[Don S]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

All this talk about how long it takes, and how much the parts are, etc. etc, and know one even knows what kind of engine, drive, year, or anything about this boat.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

I haven't seen anywhere on here where you mention what it is you have - Mercruiser? OMC? Volvo? Etc.... If you did, I missed it. Having said that, if what you say is true, (and I have no reason to doubt it ), then yes, you got ripped off. AND don't go back!

If what the mechanic told you was the truth - that the drive bellows came loose and he simply put a clamp back on, then the mechanic either did not know what he was doing, (reason #1 not to go back), or he was lying to you, (reason #2 not to go back). There is no way a mechanic would simply put a clamp back on a drive bellows without removing the drive at least and checking for further damage. IMHO.

 

[playyas4u]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

I have a 1992 OMC 3.0L, I think the drive is a cobra. I did some searching and I feel comfortable taking the outdrive off, seems pretty straight forward. As far as replacing the actual bellows, I don't know where to begin. With proper instructions I think I can do it. What's a good repair manual to buy?

Don if you want to hear the other side of the story I will PM you the contact info for the shop and you can inquire about my boat. I told the guy that I would probably get another estimate anyway. I haven't distorted the story in anyway and after talking to him you will see.

 

[Robj]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

If a bellows clamp came loose, and you don't know when it was changed last, it is time to change it. You don't wait until the bellows starts to leak to change them, you change them before, Preventative Maintenance. I agree with Jason's poll, my guess is a rotten transom. Check that to make sure it is solid before you spend any more $$. Rotten transom gets my vote.

Have a great day,

Rob.

 

[cheburashka]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

You need to get more information from the shop. From what you've described, it sounds like he charged you $175 to tighten down a screw on a boot clamp. That's got to be a hard one to justify. It also doesn't explain the $25 in parts. He should have provided you with an itemized list of the repairs that were made.

 

[cheburashka]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

Get the specifics of your engine and drive and then call around and ask what it will cost to have the bellows replaced. Pick one to go with or roll up your sleeves and get after it.

Except that we're still not certain it's the bellows. A lot of folks seem to think it's a rotten transom, in which case throwing money into the outdrive will be completely pointless.

You'll need to be able to figure out exactly where the water is leaking from.

Also, if it is the bellows there's a very good chance that there's other damage as well from water intrusion.

 

[playyas4u]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

I don't think I have a rotten transom. I may be wrong but I mounted a depth finder transducer on the transom last year and it was solid as a rock. Atleast it was solid where I drilled at. I am willing to roll up my sleeve and do some investigations if someone can point me in the right direction as to what to check. I have a camera and can post pics if necessary.

 

[JustJason]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

drill a couple of small holes as close to the inner transom plate as you can. From the inside. You only need a 3/16ths bit, and you only go in about an inch. If you have anything moister than dry sawdust then your transom is on its way out. If you get wet pulp or water, then you know its rotted. If you come out dry you can fill your holes with 3M 5200 sealant.

 

[boatguya1]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

Prior to drilling holes.... Go to the back of your boat with a helper, Put your finger on the bottom of the transom hsg where it meets the transom. With the drive tilted have your helper lift up/let down repeatedly with a lot of force on the drive. Do you feel the transom hsg moving in relationship to the transom at all? If so your transom has compressed or your lower hsg bolts loosened. Bad news is if the problem is here you must remove the drive, pull the engine, remove the transom hsg and put a new seal on it.

You could try to tighten the transom hsg bolts the bottom ones with the U shaped metal thing that spreads the force on the transom will be the loose ones. As much as it seems like it should this won't fix it. If it is leaking here it will rot your transom if it is not already to late.

One more thing, don't take your boat back to shop #1. If what you said is the accurate they don't know what they're doing and or are dishonest.

James

 

[playyas4u]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

I hope this isn't a stupid question but what is the transom hsg?

 

[boatguya1]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

The transom hsg is the part that is attached to the transom. The motor is in the boat, the drive is outside the boat, the transom hsg is "sandwiched" on the transom inside and out. Go to the rear of the boat reach under the drive and touch where the aluminum hsg meets the gelcoat on the boat. With the drive being yanked up and down you should not feel the aluminum hsg move in relationship to the gelcoated transom it is mounted to. If it does you have a problem as refered to in the previous post.

James

 

[boatguya1]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

Sorry transom hsg= transom houseing

 

[playyas4u]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

I will try doing this today. How hard should I yank it? I have a pretty big helper! Should I yank it with the drive up or down? Thanks for the help.

 

[bigbob_FTW]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

up or down doesn't matter. yank hard, you can't hurt it (unless it's rotten).

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

Is there no other shop in your area? Second opinions? After some of the vauge answers and the 900.00 estimate..Go someplace where you feel comfortable or get a manual, get dirty, get on the water

 

[dgopetactical]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

My opinion would be to take your boat to another mechanic and see what there opinion is.. So far, if im reading correcty your only $175 in the hole and honestly thats not bad concidering some of the nightmeares I read in this forum... If you stay with this mechanic and let him throw parts at a leak without investigating then there is no reason to complain aperently you beleve your getting the shaft and anything we say I dont think will help your thinking..

If you are able pull your drive and take a look it should be evedent if you have bad bellows... If its the transom and im kinda leaning that way then you got bigger problems than being "ripped off" $175...........your looking at many thousands of dollars if your not a hard core diy'r or looking into buying a new boat if its truly the transom..
good luck
Denny

 

[cbavier]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

IMO

If you couldn't trust the shop you shouldn't have taken the boat there to them in the first place. Second If he fixed the leak you don't have a beef even though he/they should have called before doing any replacement if indeed they did replace anything.
The place really sounds shady or poorly managed but.............?

Tell them you want to take the boat to the lake and water test it before you pay them anything. If it costs too much for them to take it they should be willing to let you test it. I agree I wouldn't take anything back there again or at least I would think real hard on it.

Like stated we are only hearing your side and since you really don't know if they did fix the leak it's hard for us to judge.

 

[playyas4u]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

I think some missed the post where I said that they DID NOT fix the leak. It's still leaking. Yesterday when I took it out the water I did a little looking around before removing the plug. I noticed that water was leaking from around the seal/caulking where the outdrive connects into the transom. The caulking looked old and I could see a split in the caulking where water was sipping out. I did try pulling up and down on the drive but didn't notice the transom hsg moving. Do caulking get old and should it be replaced? The boat is about 17 years old.

 

[Don S]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

There shouldn't be a need for any caulking of any kind between the transom shield and transom. If that is where it's leaking, then you have transom problems, broken bolts or something because the shield seal is no longer making contact with the transom.

Your boat shop probably tried to caulk it so you could use it, But that is at best a bandaid fix and the core problem was not addressed. That is why they said it may still leak.

Either go talk to the original shop, fix it yourself, or find someone else to fix it. That is your only 3 options.

 

[boatguya1]

Re: Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

There should not be any calking/silicone around the transom hsg. If it's there someone has tried to do a cheap fix on an expesive problem. Water leaking here will rot your transom if left unchecked. It needs to be fixed correctly and from what I've seen here the shop you went to is not capable of this.

James