Replace all seals when one leaks?

[LLJavelin]

2000 Ficht 175 shift shaft seal was leaking. Dealer wanted to replace all seals. Mobile mechanic with good reputation said it wasn't necessary. Less than one hour on engine, new leak. Waiting to see how he handles it, since he kinda talked me out of replacing all the seals to save me money. Heard a theory that once you 'break' seals, they can go bad quicker.

Comments?

Thx

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Replace all seals when one leaks?

Anytime you can get to a 2 dollar seal, its replaced...period

 

[LLJavelin]

Re: Replace all seals when one leaks?

Not the cost of the parts, its the labor. I paid $215 for the seal and an impeller, was quoted $415 for impeller and all the seals.

You think the mechanic gave me bad advice so he could charge me again to replace them?

 

[JUSTINTIME]

Re: Replace all seals when one leaks?

did he pressure check it and vacuum test it
that would have told him which seals

 

[DHPMARINE]

Re: Replace all seals when one leaks?

Problem is all the seals are 7 years old.I would have at least replaced the driveshaft seals and orings at the same time.The rest of the seals (on the propshaft) can be done without dropping the gearcase again.

But there really isn't a $200 dollar labor difference between just the shift seal and all seals.It's $3.00 parts to do just the shift seal,against $86.00 parts for the whole kit,and $115.00 more labor for the additional work.

DHP

 

[LLJavelin]

Re: Replace all seals when one leaks?

OK; I thought the parts were all cheap. I guess the $200 comes from both, as you suggest; 86+115. He did pressure and vacuum test it, which is why he told me I didn't have to replace any other seals. It certainly could be plain bad luck/coincidence; as I have no mechanical skills, i wanted to get knowledge from people here so I can back up any argument I may need to make if/when I ask him not to charge me for the redundant labor.

 

[F_R]

Re: Replace all seals when one leaks?

This is an interesting situation. We always hear about a guy that tries to sell you unneeded repairs. But here we have a guy that tried in all good faith to save you some money. He should be commended for that. However, hindsight says he was in error. What should he do? If I were the guy, I would now replace the rest of the seals and charge you for the difference in labor + parts. If for no other reason than good will and your continued future business, plus all the free advertising he'll get from you for being a "right" kind of guy.

But you have to be fair in your demands. Hostility and overdemanding will get you nowhere. Not saying you would do that, but a lot of people would and do. That kind of attitude promotes overcharging the next time the guy gives advice. "The heck with it, why should I get burned for doing you a favor"

 

[F_R]

Re: Replace all seals when one leaks?

Another thought. Did he actually advise against replacing all the seals, or did he present it as an option? That makes a big difference, because then it was you choice and gamble.

Recently, I took my front wheel drive minivan to the transmission shop for a badly leaking front seal. The shop guy said that removing and reinstalling the transmission in the vehicle was half the labor on a complete rebuild job. He gave me the choice of just doing the front seal + torque converter, or going ahead with a complete rebuild now instead of taking a chance that he'd be going back in there next month for something else. The something else involved with a future rebuild would also include another torque converter. I opted for the rebuild.

On the other hand, that kind of advice doesn't excuse the scare tactics that are used by unscruplous shops. How do you spell unscrup:}

 

[LLJavelin]

Re: Replace all seals when one leaks?

Hostility would work against me as fully-equipped mobile marine mechanics are apparently hard to come by, and the closest trustworthy engine repair shop is 30 miles to downtown Phoenix!
More importantly, I really want to be able to trust him, so the more I know the easier to recognize the truth. He did try to differentiate himself from the 'shops' who always replace all seals regardless of whether they need it.

BTW, I just spoke with the guy who sold me the boat (his family used to own the Stratos/Javelin dealership in Modesto), and he says that what the mechanic told me made sense; ie. when the seals are less than 10 years old, and still holding pressure, there's no need to automatically replace them. He also said that occasionally when a shift-shaft seal gets replaced, the new one fails right away, no fault of the mechanic.