problem with repair shop

[imported_boatrookie]

I took my boat to a local repair shop to see why it would not stay running. i rebuilt the fuel pump like you guys told me to, but still it would not stay running over 5 seconds. you guys told me i need to rebuild the carbs. I never had much luck with that so i decided to let the pros take care of it. I took it to the shop. i told the guy there the problems i was having and what i had done to try to fix it. The guy told me he would check everything over to make sure it was not the carbs that were not causing the problem, and if it turned out to be the carbs he would let me know. He called later that day and told me his mechanic ran some tests on it and told him the carbs needed to be rebuilt. I asked him how much everything was gonna cost me. he told me $515 to take care of the problem. I asked him, now after you rebuild these, this is gonna solve the problem right? he told oh yeah that's the problem and don't worry once we rebuild them it will run great. that was Tue its now Fri and there telling after they rebuilt the carbs and put it back together, it still wont start so there gonna have to run tests again and more then likely its the switch box now.
I don't know how you test boat engines to fiend the problem but don't you think they should of tested the electrical system also in the first place?
to me it sounds like they just took a guess that it was the carbs, and now i just got stuck with a $515 dollar bill for work that still didn't fix the problem, and i don't even know if it needed it to began with.
can you tell me what kind of rights do i have? do i have to pay work that did not fix the problem?
is there a GOV agency i can contact to see if they are just trying to rip me off, like the one you go to when you have problems with a automotive repair shop?
I live in Arizona and the motor i have is a 87 45hp mercury outboard.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: problem with repair shop

sometime there are more than one problem, the charge sounds steep, but you authorized it.

 

[Mike722]

Re: problem with repair shop

From your side of the story, it sounds like you got work done that may or may not have been needed. In my opinion you need to talk to the mechanic or the owner and see if you can work it out.

You might suggest that you will pay for the parts of the carb job and the shop forfeit the labor. Then have them explain why they think the box is bad and how they missed it the first time.

I do not know of any agency you can turn to. If they belong to a trade group or Better Business Bureau you could make a report, but I would turn to work it out with the shop.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: problem with repair shop

I'd ask them to cut the carb rebuild cost in half (They will still make money for that price) and assure you that the switch box will fix it or you don't pay for it. They are supposed to know what they are doing, not make guesses. From carbs to switchboxes sounds like guesswork to me....

 

[imported_boatrookie]

Re: problem with repair shop

I understand there could be more problems after you rebuild the carbs, that's why i took it to a pro shop so they could trouble shoot it and fiend the real problem, not just take a shot at it like i would of done, and then say oh sh#$t happens, looks like your gonna have to pay for more work.
I feel the same way you guys do. I don't think i should have to pay for the carbs to get rebuilt either, cause that is what they told me what will take care of the problems. i am headed over there this morning to have it out with them, I'll let you know what happens.

 

[imported_boatrookie]

Re: problem with repair shop

well i just got back from the repair shop and i asked them to not work on it until the guy i was dealing with comes back, cause he is the one i was doing all the dealing with.
let me ask you guys something. if the engine will start and run for 5 seconds does that sound like its the switch box ? if so what would something like that cost to repair? is it pretty simple to do your self or is it something the pros need to do?

 

[JUSTINTIME]

Re: problem with repair shop

these are the 5 steps before trouble shooting

1.VISUAL INSPECTION
2.SPARK TEST
3.COMPRESSION TEST
4.FUEL SAMPLE
5.LOWER UNIT GEAR OIL CHECK

well if it does not run then they skipped #2,3,4
sounds like a car mechanic turned boat mechanic type shop

get Ur self a manual if u r handy and read it. if u think u can understand it have a go
switch box is just plug and play

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: problem with repair shop

Boatrookie,

Engine diagnosis is often an inexact science. Ninety percent experience and ten percent guess work. Test equipment for most model engines is somewhat rare and usually only tests a few specific components...On older model engines anyway. You could have multiple problems and thats not unusual. Quite often one obvious problem will mask another problem preventing a tech from seeing it. The cost of the repair for the carbs would be inline with what a shop would charge for a 3 or 4 cylinder carb rebuild, it might even be a little on the low side. I wouldn't assume that they have done anything wrong at all at this point. This sounds more like you were just a little unlucky this time.

 

[roscoe]

Re: problem with repair shop

Stories like yours are the reason why so many of us have come here, to learn how to do it ourselves.

Your engine is fairly easy to work on.
The carbs are not hard to rebuild.

Maybe you had 2 problems, but that is no excuse for entirely missing the ignition problem, if it even exists.

$515 would be way over priced around here, but maybe not where you are.

If the shop would have made the correct diagnosis and told you it would cost $1100 to fix, you could have made an informed decision on whether to repair it or not. Now, they have you on the hook for $515 and you still don't have a running motor.

Technically, they own your motor until the bill is paid. Its called a mechanics lien. They don't have to release your motor until the bill is paid.

 

[imported_boatrookie]

Re: problem with repair shop

that's just it they gave a price that was supposed to take care of it if they would of told me that there could be more after that, then i would of told them forget it and i would of taken it home

 

[DJ]

Re: problem with repair shop

...

 

[imported_boatrookie]

Re: problem with repair shop

that's why i am gonna wait for this guy to come back so i can only deal with him instead of getting passed around

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: problem with repair shop

smart move. stay cool and don't loose your head.

 

[reeldutch]

Re: problem with repair shop

if they rebuild your carbs because they had reason to believe that the carbs where not up to spec, as other people also believed, and causing a fuel problem they did the right thing to fix the carbs. they also called you to ask if you agreed with the job, then there is nothing you can do about it.

pay the bill and find a mechanic who you can trust and knows what he is doing.
not just changing parts.
i would not change any other parts before they figured out the problem(s).

 

[lifeisfun]

Re: problem with repair shop

...yes, he agreed to do the work since they confirmed that this will fix the problem ... it did not so he has the right to complain ...
Just my 2 cents

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: problem with repair shop

...yes, he agreed to do the work since they confirmed that this will fix the problem ... it did not so he has the right to complain ...
Just my 2 cents

Thats the kind of thing you need in writing though. Or that conversation did not happen !!

 

[lifeisfun]

Re: problem with repair shop

That's when honesty of all parties would be appreciated ...

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: problem with repair shop

There is never a guarantee that repairing a problem on an engine will fix an engine. There is only a warranty(usually) that the problem that is fixed will stay fixed for a period of time. There is no valid complaint here at all. As long as the shop had reason to believe that they were fixing "the problem" then what is there to be upset about? Marine repair jobs are expensive. This one doesn't even qualify as being that high. If the electronic failure is repaired there will still not be any way of knowing how long the engine will stay repaired. It could blow a piston tomorrow, shear a gear or maybe even a flywheel magnet could demagnetize. There is always inherent risk of failure of every part at all times. The only way to avoid repair bills is to buy a new engine and trade it in on a another new engine before the warranty runs out.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: problem with repair shop

What is there to be upset about? Well, for one, the shop told him that taking care of the carbs would fix his problem and it didn't. They checked everything else to make sure that was the problem. If I take my car in for a brake problem and they put a tire on and say it's good to go, I'd be upset when the brakes still didn't work. Sure, others parts can and will eventually break. But at least fix the current problem correctly and accurately. Where does it say that Marine Mechanics and Dealers can replace whatever parts they want until they find the real problem, while continuing to charge you? Remember, these are the pros we pay when all else we do fails... I'm of the type that when you tell me something will fix my problem, it had better or I'm not paying....

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: problem with repair shop

What is there to be upset about? Well, for one, the shop told him that taking care of the carbs would fix his problem and it didn't. They checked everything else to make sure that was the problem. If I take my car in for a brake problem and they put a tire on and say it's good to go, I'd be upset when the brakes still didn't work. Sure, others parts can and will eventually break. But at least fix the current problem correctly and accurately. Where does it say that Marine Mechanics and Dealers can replace whatever parts they want until they find the real problem, while continuing to charge you? Remember, these are the pros we pay when all else we do fails... I'm of the type that when you tell me something will fix my problem, it had better or I'm not paying....

I'm with you on this one !!
If you are paying for a diagnosis and repair then thats what I expect. I usually request a "not to exceed" cost in writing if i have the slightest doubt. Doctors get sued for the wrong diagnosis and treatment.