Choosing The Right Mechanic

[LuvBoating]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

We understand!
Funny thing about your comment below.....a short story I will tell:
On our move from CO to NC, we stopped in Pigeon Fork area and stayed at a motel. During the free breakfast, I noticed a guy that was REALLY "military" looking. I started talking to him. He told me that he'd been in the Marine Corp and got out as an E-6 after some years. While being in civilian life, he notice just how lacking the supervising and management skills were by people. He decided to enlist in the Army and due to him taking some college classes while in civilian life, he got a Commission to Officer. This guy ended up retiring as a "full-bird" Colonel! Actually, my past years of employment experience, since getting out of the Navy during Nam, I've noticed the same "lack of" in civilian businesses. Just wanted to comment about your comment!

Its been my experience that the most unpleasant thing about boating is dealing with the people who work in the boat service industry. Its downright painful most of the time, and consider yourself lucky for just a so-so experience.
I’ve dealt with over a dozen shops, all of them roughly the same. And none of them operating under with a sense of urgency. Most need micro managed in order for you to get on the water in a reasonable timeframe, but obviously don’t take kindly to it. They couldn’t care less about you missing time on the water, this guy for instance took you from broken petcock to a repower in the middle of the season... Petcocks are $6-$15.
In his defense, the rod is obviously bent.
I’m sure I’m going to get lit up by some people who make their living in the Business, but I’m just a consumer, and this is my real life experience.
BTW – if I ran 2 months behind in my job, Id get fired. As would most professionals. So they either aren’t working hard enough or aren’t planning very well, probably both.

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Well, we thought "new paint and sealing along with new oil pan-valve covers and timing chain cover, $1,220, we can do that" and it would be nice to not have any oil or water leaks! But, THEN, he started "convincing" us that we should have the other new stuff to replace the old worn stuff. As far as upfront cash goes, have never had that asked for by the two other marine services that we've used and one of them was a bonifide Mercruiser dealer/mechanic shop. It just seemed strange to us. At first he said that he didn't have the capital to cover the parts (oil pan, etc.) and then later he told me he always asks for half of the estimate to be paid for prior to buying parts and THEN he tells us that he's been "taken" before due to doing a job-not being paid for it and boat abandoned outside his shop.
As I've stated before, we will (have to) give him the "benefit of the doubt" and see how his work is. He sure seems to know what he's talking about, but then again he's knows one heck of a lot more than I do about boat engines! When he used the word "tin", I asked him to talk in "laymans" terms, not mechanics. He laughed and knew what I was talking about. He told me oil pan, valve covers, etc.

In following this and trying to be objective, I see that:
1-the guy you are now with fixed the original petcock problem the first mechanic did not even want to touch? You're 100% happy?
2-the guy got your approval to do some new work and agreed to waive the cost of the original work as he saw some oil leakage and you agreed to that arrangement?
3-then in performing the work on your new agreement which is with the engine out, he did some diagnosis on the oil leak which included the oil pan along with other parts which in taking the oil pan off, the rods/crank became visible and he found the bent rod. He showed you the bent rod and you have a picture so he's not making it up?
4-he's asking for upfront cash for the "parts" only, not labor?

Seems to me that so far, he's doing things right including getting your approvals and trying to fix all your problems at once instead of just part way now that will end up costing to even more in the future and what you really don't like is his shop organizational methods and the fact he wants you to pay for parts up front.
Which if I go to my local Merc dealer and wanted to order these exact same parts or block for my own mechanic to install them, I would need to pay for those parts now, not after my mechanic had them installed.
Seems like you want him to absorb ALL the costs now, get it all done then hope you pay for not only the parts, but also his labor costs.

Ever hired a contractor to remodel a room?
Usually pay 1/3 up front, 1/3 in the middle, 1/3 at the end.
The 1/3 up front is for parts/permist, the 1/3 in the middle is for labor and more parts, the 1/3 at the end for the rest of the labor and profit.

Mark

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Did this guy "see me/us coming", yes, no, perhaps. HOWEVER, he sure has the knowledge that we don't!

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

UPDATE: Went over to the marine repair shop late yesterday AM to check and see if the long block had come in yet and how things were going. When I got there, the mechanic was on the phone talking to the frieght company that was suppose to deliver the engine to him........unfortunately, he never got it and the freight company told him they didn't know where it was at. Seemed extremely odd to wife and I since today's frieght companies have computer's to track deliveries and pickups of items. And, most likely they would have some type of paperwork to go along with the computer information. How many stops did this frieght truck have to make and was there more than one truck/trailer that transported the engine......we don't know and the frieght company told the mechanic that they would check on the whole thing. The mechanic talked to the engine company and they told him that the long block was put into a crate and picked up, but that's all they did know.

Well, to say the least, my wife was one VERY UNHAPPY person when I called her at work and told her what had happened. She talked to the mechanic on the phone and he totally assured her that he would get this straightened out and that we'd get our engine. Like myself, she was still upset, but both of us were calming down.


About a half hour after I left the mechanic's shop, he called me and said the engine company was going to ship out another long block that day (yesterday) and that we should have it by the 10th. We are I are still uneasy about the whole thing, but hearing that another long block was going to be on it's way sure helped us to settle down our frustration feelings.

While at the mechanic's shop, I asked him where the long block was coming from and he told me both the name of the place and the State. As soon as I got home, I looked up the place on the Internet and got a picture and what new stuff comes with the block. I also found out how much this thing cost (manufacturers price) and how much extra the mechanic put on the cost for his "take" on it.

So, will wait until the 10th, but b/c of the holiday (4th), I think it will show up on the 11th.
We just want to get this engine into the shop, get it together, back into the boat and get the water-test and "break-in" started.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Well I can say that a lot of shipping company's do not do very well at tracking their loads. I used to buy and sell large transformers and most were a single load on a tractor trailer all by them selves. and on many occasions. While it was on the way their was no real information other than it was being shipped, and yes most made it on time as promised. I also had many get lost and would be a week late. And you would think it would be very hard to lose track a 20 ton load.

But it dose sound like he is trying to be up front with you about things, He may be just starting out as a independent shop and cash flow is tight, not trying to defend him mind you, just a thought. Over the years I have dealt with a lot of small shops.

The very best of luck to you and I hope it works out.

 

[V153]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Top 10 reason you've chosen the wrong repair shop: You ask your mechanic how the tranny is and he replies, "Ehh Steve's okay I guess ..."

Sorry ... Happy 4th!

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Trust , but verify...

What I was saying about a broken petcock turning into an engine replacement seeming suspicious might not be the case as that rod does look tweaked, and could have been running that way. But, it'd verify the block. If he was painting the engine, replacing tins and seals, he would have full access to the rods. Why wouldn't a good marine mechanic take the 2 seconds to glance at the rods to see if the engine had been hydro-locked, maybe he noticed it as something looked "off". The engine could have run like that for years, or blown on the next trip out, no way to know for sure.

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Sorry, I forgot to say that our mechanic told us that the engine company is having a different motor carrier bring the long block to his shop. The engine company told our mechanic to reject the first long block if/or when it comes in to him.

I know that, before UPS and Fed-X had handheld computers for their drivers, a number of packages were delivered to wrong places. For a numerous years I worked in warehousing, shipping and receiving and had "first hand" experience with them doing this. Now, they scan each package with the handheld computer and sometimes require a signature on the computer pad. After an item (s) is unloaded from a common carrier, the driver has a company employee sign for it. I have heard of this happening also: a forklift driver has to unload a pallet that doesn't belong to his company b/c there is a pallet (s) behind that pallet that belongs to his company. The forklift driver gets distracted somehow and forgets to put that one pallet back on the trailer. BUT, generally that pallet is seen and reported to management as not belonging to the company. Neither our mechanic or us knows what happened to our long block, but the above situations have happened.

As far as this mechanic's cash flow........he has been in business for some years. He told us that the lack of business during our winter months and that he has lost money before due to people having him repair their boat, but then abandoning the boat on his property. He has two boats on his property right now that have been abandoned/not paid for.

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Surprise, surprise..........the mechanic just called me and told me that the engine is in town and will be delivered to him around noon. Great news, BUT (yes a "but" to this"), he won't start putting the engine together until later. My wife was happy when I told her that the engine was going to be delivered today, but wasn't so happy to hear that he won't start working on it til later. I asked him "I thought we'd be somewhat of a priority with this job since the boat has been sitting there for awhile" and he said "I've got two big boats I've got to get done and out of here first." What could I say, but "ok". He also told me that he needed some "cast flow" coming in and that is why he has to concentrate on other boats before ours. I do know that he has one employee he must pay and he pays rent for his shop.

NOW, just how long will our engine/engine parts and boat sit around there til he gets enough "cash flow" in, is another question. One thing for sure, this dude isn't making us very happy! I did tell him, the last time I seen him, "we'd like to have the boat back by the time my wife goes on vacation the week of Labor Day holiday" and he told me that it would definitely be faster than that. During our last phone conversation he said "it will be done before that deadline you told me about" (my wife's vacation) and now we are thinking he won't have it done until the middle-to-later part of August??? To us, that would be VERY UNACCEPTABLE, but nothing we do about it.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Labor day is at the end of August, so it seems to me he is still on schedule? It was not his problem with the shipping, and other boats came in that he cannot just ignore now. I bet if you let him be he will get it done by the time you all agreed on. Bug him all the time and complain on web blogs about him and you might be lucky to get it before Thanksgiving, just sayin'.

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

First of all.....we didn't agree on any time-framer/schedule. When he told me about the first engine being missing, I was kidding with him when I told him that we hoped to have the boat back by the first week of Sept. I was being somewhat sarcastic, but did want him to know that we'd like to get the boat back as soon as possible.
As far as your "bugging him all the time" goes, we're not doing that, but it is OUR boat and some customers do like to know how their boat repair is progressing! Our concern is NOT how his "cash flow" is going, but HOW our repair is progressing.
You know, it seems so, so funny that people who have told us to keep our cool about this AREN'T in the situation we are in!

Labor day is at the end of August, so it seems to me he is still on schedule? It was not his problem with the shipping, and other boats came in that he cannot just ignore now. I bet if you let him be he will get it done by the time you all agreed on. Bug him all the time and complain on web blogs about him and you might be lucky to get it before Thanksgiving, just sayin'.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Maybe we have been in that situation.

Plus, you said this "First of all.....we didn't agree on any time-framer/schedule." What does no agreed upon timeframe mean to you?

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

It sure wouldn't mean a 3-month repair time!
A friend of ours calls our situation "a nightmare" and him/his wife have had boats for many, many years.
We were looking VERY forward to getting this new engine in so he could start getting the job done, not just letting the boat, engine and parts simply sit around in his garage for ? many weeks. When parts are on back-order, the customer has no choice but to wait around, but when parts are right there in the shop..........
Guess all we can really say is "oh well" and PRAY a lot!

 

[hostage]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

This guy seems vindictive, but cheap. I would try not to **** him off, the cheap places are best if they like you.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

This guy seems vindictive, but cheap. I would try not to **** him off, the cheap places are best if they like you.

Yup. Pissing this guy off is not going to make him any speedier.

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

We aren't trying to **** this dude off, but it is OUR boat that he has! If he gets pissed off because a customer asks him questions and/or concerned about the repair status/time, then perhaps he shouldn't be in business serving the public! I mean, come on. He seems to be extremely knowledgable about marine stuff, but that doesn't give him the right to throw "customer service" into the wind!

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Pray and leave him alone would be your best bet. Your boat may be your #1 priority, but it sounds like he - like most marine mechanics have plenty of work to do.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

If you think praying will work then why not just pray for a new boat?

 

[LuvBoating]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

Leave him alone???? This is somewhat of an expensive repair, for us that is, to simply tell him "call us when the boat is ready to take home." The boat is a VERY HIGH priority to us because of what we paid for it and the money we've already put into it. We know he is busy right now, but does that mean our boat/engine just sits there until he gets some "cash flow" going? It's like I've already stated........."if there were parts he ordered that were on back-order, we have to wait it out" BUT, that isn't the case! We just hope that he gets to our boat SOON!

 

[Lakes84]

Re: Choosing The Right Mechanic

You know that show on the History channel called American Restoration with Rick Dale? I'm fairly sure he is where he is now because #1 he is good at restoring/rebuilding things like a mechanic does. What has put him over the top besides his obvious talent is his great customer service and his great patience with dealing with difficult/impatient customers. (we can all learn from that show)

I am a retired Air Force SMSGT and can tell you that customer service and management practices are severely lacking in the civilian world. I will say however, in the military we NEED those management skills and attention to detail, especially when you have the lives of young airman in your hands. With that being said, it's sad that there isn't better customer service in the business industry, but it is what it is.

My boat is in the shop as well, so far he has been open and honest and comes highly recommended by resort folk who have used him in the past. My only request has been to let us know our options and cost BEFORE he does anything. We have authorized for him to only take off the heads and tell us wheres he's at when he gets to that point (at his suggestion). I won't bother him again until we get to that point. (although the waiting is murder) I'm wondering if I should request a return date of around the 1st of August. Anyway LB, I understand where you're coming from. I've learned from your thread and hopefully others will too. After all, we are at their mercy and the best we can do is ensure we do our due diligence when choosing someone to fix our boats. Good luck!


Joe