Am I being Ripped OFF by the boat shop?

[playyas4u]

I took my boat to a boat reapir shop because I had leak coming in from my outdrive. The leak was like a slow pour (not drip) and I saw it coming from towards the bottom of the outdrive while I was on the lake. I dropped the boat off at the shop and after a few days I called the shop to check on the status of my boat and was told that all the bellows looked good and that they would need to take it to the lake to try to find the leak. A few more days went by and I called the shop again to check on my boat, since I hadn't heard from them, and they told me I was all ready to go. I asked them what the problem was and they told me that they couldn't gaurantee that it wouldn't leak but they had sealed it all up really good and that I shouldn't have a problem. They also said they didn't take it to the lake because it would be expensive ($150). I ask them what my damage was and they told me $150 labor and about $25 in parts. I then asked them what parts I needed and they said they noticed a tear in a bellow and replaced it. It seems like they was just making up stuff. One minute he told me the bellows all looked good, then he tells me he saw a tear and replaced it. Do boat shops not have a way of telling if a bellow is leaking or not and do you think he's trying to rip me off? I don't have a good feeling about this and I don't think he actually replaced anything, because it seems like he would of told me upfront what he replaced instead of saying he just sealed everything up real good. Give me your thoughts and any questions I can ask him to see if he actually did the work.

 

[ShaneCarroll]

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

Personally, any mechanic I have ever dealt with, be it cars or boats, always calls me up front to tell me the problem before they replace anything. It does sound like something is fishy. Why did they not call you and tell you what they found before repairing it? But your problem does sound like an issue with the bellows.

 

[playyas4u]

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

That's a good question! I ask them several times when I dropped it off for them to call me before doing any work to it. They never called, I always had to call them. It seems like they would of called me once they found out what the problem was, but they didn't. That is why I am thinking they just made something up to tell me when I called.

 

[Bt Doctur]

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

The U joint boot is about $60 so parts didnt cover that.Sealed it up real good with what .An upper seal kit is more that the parts charge.
R/R drive $50
drive mounting kit $7
drain and refill with oil :2qts $?????
I charge $200 to remove the drive (Alpha`s,Series1`s only),split it, pull the upper shafts to inspect bearings and seals,new water pump kit,put together, refill,press test, reinstall,test operation.
shaft seals and carrier seal if needed extra($34.00)
I be more worried about what ,where,how this so called oil leak was fixed.

 

[Don S]

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

Could you get them (the boat shop) to post here with their side of the story. There is always 3 sides to a problem. The Sellers, the buyers, and the truth.
I personally, really need to hear both sides before voting on a poll.

 

[playyas4u]

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

I am not accusing them of anything at this point. I am just trying to make sure I am not getting taken for a ride. The purpose of my post is to get the information I need to be able to verify that something was actually done and that I am being charged for what was done. I have not named the company nor do I plan on naming the company so there is no harm intended. I am just giving out the facts of what was said so you all can gauge it. Basically my main concerns are 1.) If a bellow is bad, should it be obvious or should you be able to test it some kind of way. 2.) Is it standard practice to perform work on a boat and not be sure that the fix will work? 3.) If it doesn't work am I just out of $200?

 

[Gary H NC]

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

Go to the shop and ask to see exactly what parts were replaced,
Just the fact they stated it "may not leak" has me concerned.
I could see maybe the propshaft seal being around 25 bucks.
You would think they would have pressure tested the drive to make sure there is no leaks..

 

[Don S]

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

Until we here from your boat shop owner, we have no way of knowing his side of the story. Therefore, any replies are from those that choose your side without hearing the other side of the issue. Which basically makes it meaningless ( if that's a word).

There isn't a court in the world that would give an opinion on your information only.

 

[JimS123]

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

This is cornfusing!!!

Is it a water leak or an oil leak. The fix would be different.

 

[playyas4u]

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

Gary thanx for replying. That was the info that I was looking for. I knew there should be some kind of way of testing it for a leak without just guessing if it will leak or not. So if they pressure test it, that will tell if all the bellows and gaskets are good and weather or not it will leak? Don I am not looking for you to be a judge, I just put the poll there so that people can post their thoughts about it quickly. I am looking more so for information so that I can ask the right questions when I pick the boat up. I will ask him when I pick the boat up if he pressure tested it and what was the results. If he tells me no, I will ask him why he didn't pressure test it to see if it will leak. I think just knowing a little about what you are having worked on will help keep you from getting ripped off.

 

[playyas4u]

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

This is a water leak.

 

[cooter2506]

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

You dont pressure test the bellows. He is talking about pressure testing the outdrive. You inspect bellows for wear and tear. Rips, gapping holes and so on. Only thing you can do is go to the marina ask to see what was done and go from there. As Don said we can not be a judge without knowing for sure what was done and why. And that we would like to hear from them.

 

[playyas4u]

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

When I ask to see what was done, what should he be showing me? If he replaced a bellow should he still have the old one to show me where it was ripped or do most boat shops not do that? I am just trying to see what's the norm before I go in demanding to see proof of the work.

 

[JustJason]

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

why don't you take it out and see if it still leaks???
If it doesn't... then all sounds good.
If it does.... Then take it right back. If whatever they do after that, extra parts and labor etc.... If they credit you back your original 175 then it's fair. If they do not credit you back your 175 and just bill you more, then yes you are getting ripped off. And I would not pay (or would only pay the difference between the bill and the 175) and that's it. Never deal with that shop again.

I have a poll of my own.... I bet for 175 they tightened the transom bolts and caulked the transom plate on the outside instead of telling this guy he's got a rotten boat...
Aye or Nay???

 

[JimS123]

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

If its a water leak, it is either coming from the cooling system, or the boat is leaking.

If is the cooling system, simply put it on a pair of muffs in the driveway and that give some indication.

If its not leaking at home put it in the water. If the bellows was replaced, it shouldn't leak there any more. If its a rotten transom, it may be OK now, but it'll come back soon.

When you pick it up, just ask the guy to show you what he did and explain it to you. At this point, without that face to face show and tell we can all just speculate.

 

[havasuboatman]

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

So, did they fix the leak? That is what matters. If the leak is gone, $175 sounds reasonable. If you want to know if you have a new bellows, just look at it. A new one is all black and shiney. If yours looks washed out, It's not new. There is a way to see if the bellows leaks, you put the boat in the water, or pull the drive and see if there's water in there and/or reach in and press your fingers into he folds to see if they go thru.
But like I said, if your leak is gone, 175 is fair. If you got a new bellows, too, he cut you a deal.
Did he say anything about your gimble bearing?

 

[jkust]

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

I can't say if you are being ripped off, but our shop rates locally are over $100 per hour and if they did any labor at all and used any shop supplies, $175 sounds reasonable at least in MN. I would agree with you however that the work was done in a black box and you should at least question what was done.

 

[playyas4u]

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

Here's what happen when I got to the shop. I asked him which bellow he replaced and he told me that he didn't replace the bellow and that he just had to put a clamp on it because it had came off. I asked him which one had came off and he told me the one over the drive shaft. I asked him why he told me he saw a tear in it yesterday and he told me at first he thouhgt it was one but it had just come off. Basically everytime I have talked to him his story has changed. First he told me the bellows looked good, then he told me he had to replace one because of a tear, and today he told me a clamp had just came a loose. He charged me $170 for that. I took the boat to the water and backed it in, looked into the bilge and it was still leaking just like before. It hadn't slowed down a drop. I called the guy and told him I still had a leak. He told me that I would need to replace all the bellows. I asked him why couldn't he tell if I had a bad bellow instead of just guessing. He told me it takes a lot of work (hours) to remove the bellows just to inspect them and that you can't tell if they are bad unless the boat is in the water so that the bellows have pressure on them. I told him that with the fast leak I have it should be obivious because it's not a slow leak. I asked him how much it would be to replace the bellows and he told me about $900 and that it would take close to 8-9 hours. This really sounds like a bunch of bolagno to me. I am no boat mechanic but does it really take a lot of effort to tell if a bellow needs replacing and does it take 8-9 hours to replace all of them? How was he planning on giving me an estimate if he can't tell if the bellows are bad or not??? I am thinking about just doing it myself, I had a bad feeling when I dropped it off. What should I do at this point. I really don't trust the guy now. I wouldn't be suprised if he didn't even take the outdrive off the boat.

 

[Bt Doctur]

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

In My Opinion,
To properly install a bellow you need to remove the drive, gimbal housing(helmet) for access. I wouldn`t know how to remove the boot, clean everything up, apply bellows adhesive, install the transom end and reclamp it without removing the housing. let alone just replacing a clamp.
Most boots have a 5-6 year lifespan anyway and are changed in this period regardless of any leakage.Not to mention getting water in the U joints or gimbal bearing. Maybe 2-4 hours if everything went well, 8-9 is a bit of a stretch .

 

[krisnowicki]

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

ok now we need more information. What kind of boat? what year make and model is the engine and out drive . ( mercruiser OMC volvo?) Do you boat in salt or freshwater?
I know you said its a lake but here we have salt water lakes in florida. All of this will determine how long it would take to do the repair. The shop maybe able to do the work for the bellows in 2-4 hours but,
if there is corrosion from the water leak then it will take longer. I
f the ujoints are bad from the leak it will take longer.
If the gimbal bearing is bad from the leak it will take longer....

etc

So post some info and we can help?

As far as this shop. It sounds like they don't know how to diagnose a problem very well. I would find another one that wont try to reclamp and bubble gum it and tell you " they really hope it works". If you post where you are maybe some on here can help you with a shop they know of.