Scams to look out for when going to a shop??

[jbjennings]

Re: Scams to look out for when going to a shop??

If someone tells me my motor "runs like a top" and I get home and it doesn't run. Then someone else says "these settings are off", messes with them, and everything is fine....I'm going with guy #2. Especially if the first guy wants me to come back and spend "a LOT more".

Also, if a head gasket was blown, wouldn't the first guy have told me in an attempt for me to stay there and have them fix it??

I appreciate your opinions, and who knows, you could be right. I hope not, lol, but I guess I don't really know. The 2nd guy was retired, like 70 years old, and was an ex-teacher in an auto class teaching kids to work on car and some boat motors. He retired onto his sail boat and lives out of this little marina. I highly doubt he'd open a real shop even if he had the opportunity. He said it's more about passing along knowledge than making a buck.

That makes a lot more sense. I believe I formed an image in my head of the situation without all the info....sorry about that!:redface:
Sounds like the guy may be a real jewel. If so, treasure him because you won't find too many like him. I wouldn't take any high dollar motors to someone that is not a certified mechanic, either, but small used engines---heck yes!
Glad you found a "keeper" mechanic!!!
Good luck,
JBJ

 

[JoLin]

Re: Scams to look out for when going to a shop??

This is not a criticism, but I cannot understand how anyone can afford boating without being able to fix their own boat. Granted if I bought new stuff, my opinion might be different, but there is just a steady stream of maintenance and problems that need some level of technical expertise.

Different people have different areas of expertise. I'm kind of a jack of all trades, but I'd much rather work on electrical and mechanical, than on any 'carpentry' involved in boat ownership. It always looks like an amateur did it when I'm finished.

Even with my personal knowledge and ability with things mechanical, I won't touch the outdrive except to R & R a prop. Partly 'cause I'm unfamiliar with them, and partly 'cause it's just too big and heavy for me to manipulate. Sooo, I'll winterize the motor and water systems, then take it to a shop for annual outdrive service.

Long story short, I 'mix and match' what I do myself versus what I'll farm out, and I know many do the same.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Scams to look out for when going to a shop??

Totally depends on the person, and their desire and ability to learn.
Some people have this, others don't.
I love wrenching on things when I can. I'm cheap too, so it lets me save some money. Except when expensive tools are needed which don't pay to own unless you're a professional. Then I seek the pro.
Others don't know which end of the screw driver to pound on, and should stay away from tools, which they probably don't own much of anyway.
Hopefully most shops out there are honest- I'm sure a few are not.
Labor costs are so high for marine work around here that even basic repairs cost many hundreds of dollars, which upsets people, and may make them erroneously think they're being taken.

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: Scams to look out for when going to a shop??

My young daughter was driving home from Texas in an old Mazda when the battery light came on. She stopped at a shop, which informed her that she needed a new alternator, a new battery, and had to wait till Tuesday (this was friday afternoon) to get it done. It was going to cost $380. She called daddy, and I told her to have them put a charge on the battery, and head down the road, looking for a truck stop. Ten minutes later she called me while driving. (No way the battery had much in it.)

She stopped at the next truck stop and asked the busy mechanic to look at it. He took a quick look, told her it wasn't charging, probably needed an alternator. He didn't have time to work on it, but told her to get something to eat, it would take 30 - 40 minutes to top off the battery for her. I think he accepted 5 dollars for the help.

She got a motel, crashed for the night, and took off at first light. The battery went dead, stranding her about 8 hours later. A young man came along, took a look, discovered the alternator was missing a mounting bolt, and jammed it so the belt tightened up with a tire iron and a bunjee strap. He jumped her off, and she drove it the rest of the way home like that.

The original problem is that it was missing a 2 dollar bolt, that took all of about 5 minutes to install. An honest shop would have fixed that, and charged her about 50 bucks labor and a couple for parts. If they would have asked for less, my daughter would have made them take $50 anyway.

Anyway, I always help if I can, and aparently some of the come back has helped my daughter.

In the past 5 days I have given 3 jump starts to folks. One guy insisted I take 10 bucks, that I slipped back to his wife when he wasn't looking.
The guy that finally got your daughter home is the kinda guy I am and the kinda guy I want my sons to be.
As far as crooked boat shops go, there is always one in the bunch. Just like everything else.
As stated before, education is your best defense in the ripoff game. The more you, the better off you will be.