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Dishonesty of outboard mechanics.

F

fxgardner

Member
I don't know about where anyone else lives, but where I live, here in Beaufort, S. C. an outboard motor mechanic has a license to steal. If you try to deal with one, you will lose! I, myself, and many, many people I know have countless horror stories of being screwed by them. My brand new 20 ft Center Console's electronics quit so I took it back to get checked out. Result! $400+ rewiring charge. Dropped off a Mercury gas hose to have a new end crimped on. Result! $46-which I refused to pay! 50 HP Merc. starter quit. Result! $400 to replace starter with new one which I later found to be not new but old one off of a sunk motor. Went back to the mechanic who did this but no longer works at the dealership, when it quit again, so I could vent, and he walks over to the motor, takes his fist and hits the wiring plug in on the side of the motor,and says "Try it now." I turn the key and it turns over. He says with a smirk, "That's what we used to call the $200 knock down at the dealership."

My present dilemma- I have a 1980 25 HP Evinrude that I've had since new. It needs a carb rebuild kit installed,which I have. The motor can't have more than minimal value but I can't afford a new one. $500 to fix it is ridiculous. Does anyone know where I can get a video tutorial or perhaps an instructional CD on how to do this? Some good ones are on You Tube but I need a blow by blow or step by step. I've rewired it and replaced the water pump thanks to this forum. Social Security is my only income so I've had to learn to fix stuff myself. Thanks in advance.
 
Do you understand the title "Small Claims Court"? Take these idiots to court! They're outright crooks and deserve being in the public's view. If you just want to bitch about it and do nothing, you better have a thick wallet!
 
I don't know about where anyone else lives, but where I live, here in Beaufort, S. C. an outboard motor mechanic has a license to steal. If you try to deal with one, you will lose!
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I hope you realize that several of the contributors on here are professional techs that have their own shops(myself included) and offer our assistance free of charge. I myself take offence a this sort of flaming posts......
 
I am a master woodworker/ juried artist with items on display at The Artisan's Center here in South Carolina. What seems simple to me in my field amazes people who are not familiar with complex joinery methods. However, in the field of outboard motor mechanics, I do not amount to a pimple on an outboard motor mechanic's ass. If you show me once, I will get it. I have taken the carb apart three times, made and replaced gaskets, cleaned and blown out the jets,and have done a basic rebuild job. The motor still dies when I give it throttle with the boat in the water and it's under a load. Runs great in a drum of water, just not in the river. Sooo I order the complete kit to do a complete rebuild. There are things in the kit that I don't know where they go.
 
Maybe the fault in the motor is not the carburetor.----------------But these carburetors are ELEGANTLY simple to inspect / repair.--------Did you remove / clean the high speed jet that is screwed horizontally into the carburetor bowl ???
 
I want to puke every time I hear stories like this. It's A**holes like that that make it bad for the really good and honest dealerships. As they always said, " word of mouth is the best advertising".
 
Thats what this forum is for... so people can get on here and seek help to fix it themselves. Do some research online and tear into it man. its just nuts and bolts. If you get into a jam theres plenty of experience here to help out.
 
You a dummy! Know where you money is going before you spend it. We laugh at folk like you where I'm from.

Find a good mechanic, establish a relationship like you would with anyone else.

Maybe you don't understand life!
 
Well, there's plenty of blame to go around. Particularly on the factory floor where these things get rigged and assembled by people who are not boaters. Talk about bodge. So it can be little wonder a brand new boat has major wiring issues. I wonder tho if mechanic did a quick fix (prolly) or did it to ABYC standard (which it's spoda be when it is delivered, but that's usually the exception not the rule)
So as people are telling you, your best weapon against the horde is education. If you know what the problem is, then 9 times out of 10 you can likely repair it by yourself while you are waiting for one of your fancy glue joints to dry.
As to rebuilding carbs...I used to do that. By the time I order the parts, spend the time to tear down and clean the parts, reassemble, adjust and reinstall...well I coulda just got a new one and be done and on the water. Unless you're so dirt poor that you can't afford one (and if you are you should rethink your boating habit anyway) new is the way to go.

PS your 25 horse Evinrude is a very robust, reliable and desirable outboard. It is verymuch worth all of $500 plus.
 
I happen to be another of those professional mechanics that takes great offense from rants like that. True, dishonest businesses are not to be defended, but you have no clue what it costs to operate an honest repair shop these days. You have no clue what it costs to dispose of the cleaning fluids that were used to clean your carburetor. Or even the dirty rags. You have no clue that before it can even be shipped off for disposal, it must be chemically analyzed for hazardous content. You have no clue what waterfront property is worth where most of these shops are located, and you have no clue what the taxes are. You have no clue what it costs to hire an employee, on top of his wages. You have no clue what replacement parts cost today. Given your location, you have no clue, how much extra labor goes into the job if the mechanic busts off a screw taking it apart, which is almost a certainty, considering salt water in the area. I could go on and on, but the end of the story is you have no clue. BTW, I am retired on Social Security too, and am damned glad I have it and you won't hear me complaining.
 
Agreed, most folks have no clue in what is involved with doing proper repair work and the cost of keeping the doors open on a shop !!
 
fdrgator said:
I happen to be another of those professional mechanics that takes great offense from rants like that. True, dishonest businesses are not to be defended, but you have no clue what it costs to operate an honest repair shop these days. You have no clue what it costs to dispose of the cleaning fluids that were used to clean your carburetor. Or even the dirty rags. You have no clue that before it can even be shipped off for disposal, it must be chemically analyzed for hazardous content. You have no clue what waterfront property is worth where most of these shops are located, and you have no clue what the taxes are. You have no clue what it costs to hire an employee, on top of his wages. You have no clue what replacement parts cost today. Given your location, you have no clue, how much extra labor goes into the job if the mechanic busts off a screw taking it apart, which is almost a certainty, considering salt water in the area. I could go on and on, but the end of the story is you have no clue. BTW, I am retired on Social Security too, and am damned glad I have it and you won't hear me complaining.
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Ah.... Yes we did! :cool:
 
The Montana Department of Employment, Division of Labor Standards claimed a small rancher was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent out to investigate him.
AGENT: I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them.
RANCHER: Well, there's my hired hand who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $200 a week plus free room and board. Then there's the mentally challenged guy. He works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night so he can cope with life. He also sleeps with my wife occasionally.
AGENT: That's the guy I want to talk to - the mentally challenged one.
RANCHER: That would be me.
 
I can understand the frustration, but it proves the value of this forum. I bounce my outboard issues off of the forum members and receive invaluable advice and information. I'm a "DIY" type, but I understand that some repairs need a professional shop in order to do it right. Part of my enjoyment of owning and operating an older boat and motor is the education of taking care of it. Boats, even new boats, are not infallible, so having the knowledge of how they operate and how to fix minor issues makes the whole ownership enjoyable. I've actually had some good service from local outboard mechanics, even free advice and "how to" info, that kept my expenses down. I'm sorry to hear that someone not far from Charleston (Beaufort) did not have the same experience. I wish him better luck in the future and encourage him to follow this forum.
 
All I can say is do your homework before hiring someone. Been in business a long time, enjoy a good reputation. From working hard & delivering a quality product.

The uninformed always tell me how wonderful it must be to run my own business. "Take days off" "Work when you wan't to" "Make all kindsa money(?)"

Sigh.
 
71V153 said:
The uninformed always tell me how wonderful it must be to run my own business. "Take days off" "Work when you wan't to" "Make all kindsa money"
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I know... wasn't it wonderful? I got so sick and tired of going to the bank to make deposits! Then one day this fellow dropped by... said he was from the IRA, IRS, IR something and mentioned something about money. Could be he said I are here for the money... funny, never had much of it after that!
 
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