Dodgy repairer???

[Homer_Jay]

Well after some advice on here from Bayside about a few minor problems with my Mercruiser I decided to to take it to the experts to get it repaired rather than do it myself. Anyway after looking around and making a few phone calls i came across a guy that said he mainly works on all types of sterndrives and seemed to know what he was tlkaing about so I took my boat to him.
I dropped the boat to him and he proceeded to look at it and tell me that nothing had been done to it in years and needed a full going over. (this engine had just been rebuilt about 3 years ago and had only done 23 hours since). Now this guy pulls out the dipstick and says "look at that oil, hasnt been done in years" Now i know a bit about engines and i have even rebuilt car engines in my younger days and i know that that oil wasnt that bad. But anyway i figued i will let him give it a full service while he has it. He said he had all the bits and should be ready next arvo. Two days later i dropped in to see how it was going. The leg was off but that was it, had not done anything else. I then get this guys life story about how he normally doesnt work in the shop but he had a guy running it for him. But this guy had taken off and ripped him off. Now from what i gather this has just happend in the last few weeks. This guy then tells me how he lost his licence and then got done again driving unlicenced so he is suspended for 2 years now... But he is still driving. This was just the start of it all. If my boat had of been in one piece i would have just taken it then. BUt i dont have much option now but to see it out.
I called back in today hoping it might be ready. But it still hasnt been touched. But the guy wasnt there. There was an old guy who said he was just looking after the place. I looked at my boat and the side had been run into the side of the roller door when they were taking it out or putting it back in. You could even see the black and white from the rubbing strip that was still hanging off the side of the door. Needless to say i am ready to kill some one!!!!
But i didnt say anything as i guess if i go off now then it just might make it all worse.
I am just hoping for the best now.


Aaron

[bin_lookin]

hope it all works out for you

[blaze]

Hi Aaron
think you only made 2 mistakes mate
taking it there for a start
not towing it home after the second trip there
no help I know, but thats what I would have done.
cheers
blaze

[steveg1100]

As soon as he pulled out the dipstick and told you that it hadn't been done in years should have been the warning sign. Once it is all resolved fill us in on the details.

Good luck. Hope it all works out ok..

[BaysideMarine]

Heres how to handle it:

1) Go back there when you know he will be there

2) Advise him that he has not fulfilled his end of the agreement (in terms of ready date)

3) Advise him that you are taking it "as is" and say nothing about paying him for his time thus far (only half a dozen nuts to take the leg off - 5mins)

4) If he protests about dollars then point out the damage he has done (it would pay to zip back down there and take a photo of it and the door)

5) Find an alternate repairer.

If you persist withthis clown you are going to get run around and have no end of trouble, heartache and drama. Better to get it the heck outa there and move on.

Doesn't Brisvegas have any decent MerCruiser guys?????

Cheers

[Homer_Jay]

The more i think about it the more angry i get.
I think I will go there monday morning and get it back as is.
There is no way i will pay him anything unless it is finished.

[BaysideMarine]

Well you did engage him to do the job, part of which he has commenced. So by rights he has some claim to remuneration. However, he has damaged your vessel whilst its been under his "care, custody and control" and hence is his liability.

Any good MerCruiser guys up there? Tell you what. Find me a few jobs to do when I get there to make it worthwhile and I'll fly up and do some work. I have relos in Brisvegas and woudl be happy to do so as long as it worked out viable.

Cheers

[fishingjew]

Aaron

I would take baysides advice this guy sounds dodgy god knows what you will get back

[Homer_Jay]

Thats my worry now... even if he does finish the job how good is it going to be. Maybe i will end up with more problems than i started with.

Nick, I agree that i have engaged him to do the work and now that i have calmed down abit then i know that I really have to see it out or atleast pay him for what he has done. I like to think that I am a fair and reasonable person and i dont like owing anyone money, as i hate doing work for people myself and then having to chase money. I think I will go down there monday morning and make a decision on what to do based on what i see. At this stage I cannot complain about anything he has done as far as workmanship goes as he hasnt done anything. Its just the whole situation and that this guy is a bull$H!ter. As far as the damage to the boat, it is minor and I know this could happen anywhere. I think you are right about not having any good mercruiser mechanics here. I think that there is nowhere near the amout of sterndrives to work on that you guys have down there, so we end up with a heap of outboard mechanics that all have a bit of a crack it sterndrives when the need arises, but dont do it often enough to become good at it. Maybe thats the problem. Maybe there is a good opportunity for you to move to sunny Queensland and start up a business here Nick. You will have my support thats for sure!

Aaron

[BaysideMarine]

Tempting. I used to live up there for a little while. Love the climate...

Make your decision prior to fronting up on Monday morning because if your mind is set prior to arrival it wont be changed (unless your easily talked around).

For me, the fact that nothing has been done, the guy keeps talking bs and all the irrelevant life story nonsense gives me no confidence. His world could be falling down around him but the professional face to the customer should be one of confidence and ability. (Not easy I know, especially if your like me, blunt and don't hide things.....)

As i originally said, get it out of there and take it elsewhere. How many restless nights do you want worrying about this??? ITS NOT WORTH IT...

Regarding payment I think his 5 minutes worth of time thus far should have no value when the damage to the boat is taken into account. But then again, is the damage to your boat worth more than his 5 mins or say 1/2 hr labour charge? If so he may well owe you money, or call it even and walk away with a handshake and no hard feelings....

Cheers

[gunna]

As far as the damage to the boat, it is minor and I know this could happen anywhere.
Aaron

Gee - if you had your car in for service and it was damaged even slightly you would expect it to be fixed. The boat is no different - he should rectify !!!

[griz066]

Go get the bloody thing before he does anything else to it [smiley=wut.gif]

[Smailesy]

tell the guy you are going to post his name on this site and make sure you pay him with a check the 1 that bounces dont cop it mate stand up 4 yourself jump up and down in his shop when other people are there this somtimes gets them on the move

[Argle]

Go and pick up your boat before the fool gets the chance to touch it again >:(
I would be looking for at the minimum a service centre that was an authorised Mercruiser repairer. Surley a Mercruiser sales place should be able to assist???

Cheers and beers
Scott

[Camo]

Any good MerCruiser guys up there? Tell you what. Find me a few jobs to do when I get there to make it worthwhile and I'll fly up and do some work. I have relos in Brisvegas and woudl be happy to do so as long as it worked out viable.

Mate come on up here. You'd get my work as well. Reputable dealers and mechanics are thin on the ground up here and those that are reputable are flat out.

Camo

[PinHead]

send me a pm if you are interested and I can give you a couple of names of pretty good mechanics on sterndrives..I use them on mine.

[ozscott]

Go see Brian at Wondall Rd Marine (Merc dealer) in Wynnum. He has worked on my Mercs and now Yammys for years - hes there with his 2 sons and they are all good.

Cheers

[BaysideMarine]

Cheers Camo ;)

[wayneoro]

bundaberg is desperate for outboard mec's at childers and surrounding areas there is none at 1770 they were also chasing a o/b mec

[BaysideMarine]

Would prefer Bris or Sunshine Coast ;D ;D

Food for thought though.....

What are the going per hour rates in QLD ?

Cheers

[Homer_Jay]

Nick,

this guy is charging me $85 an hour. That is on the Sunshine Coast. Not sure about the brisbane guys. The thing is , there is no shortage of mechanics around but it seems as though there is a high percentage of them are just rouges. I guess that there is enough work around for them to treat people bad and they know there will still always be work for them. If there is some out there that give really good service then im sure they would be getting all the work they could handle.

[BaysideMarine]

Saw a really nice house for sale on the Sunshine Coast a few months back, 4 bedroom, pool, spa, close to the beack at Mooloolaba i think from memory... (was on realestate.com.au) sold for 500 plus i think. Would have been real nice.....

Whats factory rental like up there? Any ausfishers got boating ownership stats at hand? Be nice to kno how many boats are in the area....

Homer, you are getting me thinking. Loved it when I last lived up there....

Cheers and hope it works out to your satisfaction tomorrow.

[Homer_Jay]

Nick,

$500,000 for a nice house at Mooloolaba would have been a good buy. The Sunshine coast is the fastest growing area in Queensland i belive. As far as boat ownership goes i think south east QLD has the highest percentage of ownership in Aust. And its no wonder with the perfect weather we have.....
I rent a small shed at Maroochydore about 80m2 for about $140/ week. Thats pretty cheap as we have had it for years but there is plenty around.
Theres only one thing you must remember... you have to learn to drink XXXX and to support QLD otherwise you just cant come!!!

[Gbanger]

they sound completely unprofessional... give warning to other ausfishers and advise who they are...

get your boat back asap mate.. who knows what could happen next

[BaysideMarine]

Hmmm..... XXXX........

Hang on, I should be fine. I drink Bourbon, not beer......

:P ;)

[BaysideMarine]

I wonder if theres more boats in the Sunshine Coast area than the Bris area? i know theres better boating around the Sunshine Coast. Bris seems a bit light on for good swimming/boating areas. Or that could just be my wifes families strange theories..... I didn't have a boat at the time I was living up there.

Need about 150-200m2 ideally.

Searching realestate.com.au as I type... :)

Cheers

[Argle]

Brisbane light on???? Whats Tangalooma, the sandhills, ANYWHERE down the Pin, not to mention Bribie Island plus easy access to the Tweed and Northern NSW or up the Sunny Coast - Caloundra Maroochydore Mooloolaba etc etc etc...nah theyre right... Nowhere at all up here for Boating swimming fishing at all ;D ;D ;D

Cheers and Bluddy XXXX (Bourbons ok too ;) 8-))

Scott

[jim_farrell]

I'd invite three mates to help you pick your boat up asap. ;)

[Homer_Jay]

Well.... I turned up and had my mind set on picking it up and taking it home. When I got there he was actually working on it. The leg was in bits and he was putting in the new water pump. So I guessed that I couldnt really take it. So I gave him a bit of a talking to and he said it would be definatly ready tomorrow. He knows I am not happy. I am just hoping that he does it right.

I have learnt my lesson on this one thats for sure.

[BaysideMarine]

Keep us posted..

[gilbo]

There are certainly some dodgy types out there, particularly in this industry. Thank god there are quite a few helpful ones (on this site) as well. Wont go into all the trouble I have had with mechanics (again) but tried a smaller guy who was hopeless and lied through his teeth to me, and then tried a dealership thinking they might have a reputation to protect, only to be taken for an even bigger ride.

Hope it all works out for you as I know the pain I went through.

Cheers

Shane

[Homer_Jay]

Thanks Glibo.

I had a friend who had big problems with the "big" mercruiser dealer just up the road from my place. So thats why i thought i would try this guy as when i rang around a few places he came across like a good bloke who knew what he was talking about.

Anyway more to the story.... went there again today to hopefully pick her up...
Still in pieces. Told me that the part that was sent was wrong and now he wont get to it till Friday.

Its getting to a stage where I think I will have to take half a dozen blokes from work and go down there..... I am so pi$$ ed off right now.

[Crisp_Bee]

Good luck Homer
Keep your cool. But let him know you're not happy.
Sometimes things are beyond his control as well, lots of times I've been sent the wrong part. :-/
Hopefully it will be OK

[BaysideMarine]

Ah yes.... the wrong part syndrome...... Always a good cover story.......

By the way, why Friday?????? If I need a Mercury/Mercruiser part as long as I phone in my order by 10am (actually via one particular channel I can get an order in as late as midday) I will have the part (as long as its in stock) by 4pm the SAME day...

If its not in stock it will go on backorder from the US which takes around 1 week.

Mercury have 2 big warehouses. 1 in Melb and the other in Bris. I just had one part shipped in from the Bris warehouse and the other is coming from the US.

Which part was wrong?

Cheers

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

HJ

Go to your local paper and tell them the story, ask them to accompany you to the repairer, then ask him the questions.

Cheers

Dave

[BaysideMarine]

Media outlets wont usually do a story on a "dodgy" unless they have multiple similar reports. The current affairs programs usually require 3 or 4 similar situations before they will touch it. Local papers may be different though but as a one off complaint they investigated and reported on they could open themselves up to claims of maliciously targetting the repairer.

Cheers

[Homer_Jay]

I didnt even ask what the wrong part was. I was just so angry. I turned up there this morning again and he wasnt there. Turns out he is running another shop somewhere else. So this explains why he is not always there. So I guess thats the real reson for the friday pick up. Probably not going to be here to fix it till then.

All this to replace one shift cable and a water pump!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He knows im not happy but I am still trying to be resonable and give him a fair chance. I will not go to the papers or anything at this stage. I just want my boat back and in one piece.

[Dodgy_Back]

Mate

Just tell us who this bloke is , so none of us get the same problem as you.

I had a similar problem to you , but on a much smaller motor.
As I fish twice a week, I wanted my boat back as quick as poss ( of course)

Once the mechanic broke the motor down, he said ,by the way I,ve been waiting on those same parts for another motor for weeks and don't know when I'll get them >:(

I did give him a chance for a week, then got all the part numbers of him and drove all around Brisbane , got the parts myself for him !!

And made him fix it on a Saturday.

But I must say that the motor has never ran better !

Even though I reckon he over charged me and I had to get the parts myself.

And I won't go back to him again .

He is a Merc dealer in Coorparoo

Mick

[BaysideMarine]

I wonder if after all the rooting around you will still get hit with a high bill????

I think 6hrs plus parts is about the maximum dollar. So thats $510 for labour and say $100 for the shift cable and $30 for the impeller (or kit) and say $20 for gear oil and maybe $10 for associated lubricants.

$670.... (wish I had the job...)

Cheers

[Homer_Jay]

Thanks Nick for the price guide. I will keep this in mind when it comes time to pay. He has already told me $160 for the shift cable so it sounds like you might be right about the big bill if you would charge about $100 for the same thing.
I will compare his price to what you have just said and if it is way over the top then I still have the fact that he has damaged the side of my boat up my sleave to negotiate the price. I will be taking a mate or two back with me when i pick it up just incase things get a bit out of hand.

[Homer_Jay]

Dodgy_Back

I hear what you say about naming him so on one else gets caught. But I dont take it lightly to bad mouth another business. I would rather get to the end of this whole situation and then I can post comment on the whole experience. It may by some slim chance work out in a good way. Also should this guy actually read this and hear me bad mouth his business then that will make it a whole lot worse for me.

[lattic]

What was the final price. Did you take a few mates down there?

muz

[Got_the_Fever]

Homer I know it is a fair way from you, but try cunningham marine at redcliffe next time. They are mecury dealers and have been around for a long time. I dont know if they do mercruisers but if you call them they will be able to tell you in a minute.

Kel

[steveg1100]

I agree don't name him until its all over then you can make a comment good or bad. He may come through give you a discounted price because of delay and mucking you about. We can hope anyway.

[BaysideMarine]

Keep me posted Homer on the situation. I have pm'd you with some info and as my name has changed again it looks as though admin will pull the pin on my login.. for advertising and presumably soliciting work.... for you guys in Qld and with me in Melb...... :o :o :o

Cheers

[Homer_Jay]

Sorry for the delayed update. My computer had a hissy fit so i have been offline for the last 2 days.

Update: Still dont have my boat back!

I havent been able to contact anyone there yesterday. Today the old guy was there that looks after the place and he said he is off sick! I got his mobile number out of him and have been trying to ring all day and no answer. The old guy said he would be back monday. Atleast the leg is back on so i hope we are getting somewhere!

My run of bad luck has to come to an end soon!

[gunna]

Gee it gets me angry reading an ongoing saga like this. How do people who are so incompetent stay in business >:( >:(. You just gotta name him when this is all over.

[blaze]

I think the problem is where you have a mass of people, like cities, large or small that there are plenty more customer that dont hear of the poor service. With the boating industry and the amount of boats being sold there is enough once of customors to keep the average boat repair centre going without the need for return clientel.
If you was to do a bad job or rip off a customer in a small town then its all over rover.
Maybe the answer lies in finder a service person that has come from a small town and brought with them the ethics required to survive in business in that envoiroment
cheers
blaze
ps
example would be Grand Marlin Pete, now he comes from tassie and we all have good work ethics, dont hear a bad thing about pete.

[Homer_Jay]

Well, I finaly have my boat back! After two weeks of being told B S

Along with a price tag of $1400.00

Went to pick it up after a rather forcefull phone call earlier today. He told me how it is all good but he needs to do an on water test to see if anything else needs to be fixed. He told me how bad it was running and how hard it was too start before and how it runs perfect now. I said "it ran perfect and started first time before".

Now i will go through the bill and see if it looks like everything is done that was said. Not real happy about the whole thing but I have got to the stage where it was getting me down too much and i was getting so angry about the whole thing. I just paid him and bought my boat home. I just hope its all done right. That might take some of the bad taste out of my mouth.

Remember all this on an engine and leg that has only done 30 hours since a full rebuild.

[BaysideMarine]

Ouch, so what exactly was done for those dollars????????

[Homer_Jay]

Lower shift cable. Water pump and service.

[Dodgy_Back]

Now it's time to let us know who this fella is.

[BaysideMarine]

I didn't realise you were having the engine serviced also.

So overall, the engine service should be about $350-400.

The shift cable and leg service about 4hrs so at his rates = $340 plus impeller $30 plus oil $30 plus cable $120 (from memory) = $520

Total around $900.

Methinks you got taken for a ride, got delayed and upset and got your boat damaged also..........

Hope it runs ok... :(

By the way, why service an engine and leg after only 30hrs running? and why wasn't the shift cable changed when it was rebuilt? What did the box and engine rebuild cost you?

[Homer_Jay]

I didnt realise i was having the engine serviced either!!!!!
When i dropped it off he went on about how bad the oil is.... I told him its only done 30 hours. And it had been serviced once in that time already.

I olny just bought the boat a few months ago and the previous owner had all the work done. I have the recipts here for about $12,000. Total rebuild engine and leg. I am not sure why they didnt do the shift cable. Maybe it wasnt too bad when they did it. The rebuild was done back in 2003 and was serviced last year. The old guy who owned it had a heart attack after it was done so hadnt been able to use it much. You could still use it how it was it was just abit stiff and really anoying trying to use it. I just like things to be working 100% right.

[Homer_Jay]

All this was done by a guy who calls himself "Complete Marine" At maroochydore on the sunshine coast.

Wouldnt recomend him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Atleast not if you expect decent service and value for money!

[BaysideMarine]

$12000!!!! Must have been the same repairer that did Gilbo's boat.....

How does the bill look? Wheres the extra $500 you were charged? Got a breakdown of it??

Cheers

[Homer_Jay]

Labour $800
Shift cable $148.00
Water pump kit $102
Gasket set $30
Bellows clip $15
screws and washers $23
oil and lube $85
Bushing kit $57
Freight $20
Shop supplies $15
Lever $65
and somthing else (cant read it) $40

[Homer_Jay]

oh and to top it all off the boat is a mess.
My new carpet has greasy foot marks all over it and the is oil and engine coolant splashed everywhere.

[Homer_Jay]

Is $12,000 expensive for a total rebuild?

That was done by probably the biggest dealer in south east QLD

[BaysideMarine]

Sure is dear.......

A factory remaunfactured engine is around $4000US and a factory remanufactured drive unit is $2700US.

Reman units are essentially brand new and look completely brand new when you get them.

But to do the job locally I'd say about $3000 max for the engine rebuild and maybe $3000 for the drive unit (really depends on what needs replacing coz you dont change everything). So 6K plus maybe a bit more for other things along the way. Maybe $7000-7500 in total. But probably less.

Its not uncommon for people to cop a bill thats double the real price. People get taken advantage of with the apparent "complexity" of these engines and accept it when they are being reamed up the date......

Unfortunately, the marine trade has such a high turnover of people buying boats (and then selling a year or 2 later) that stories about bad dealers never seem to propogate far and wide.

Cheers

[BaysideMarine]

Re your boat now.

If you can be bothered take this clown to consumer affairs (or whatever its called in QLD, Fair Trading is it?).

Photograph the damage to the boat along with the state the inside of the boat was left.

I would then ring the gov department and have it put on record with them and advise you will be in touch shortly, pending the outcome of a letter of demand to the repairer to make good on the damages.

Get a quote for the hull repair and a quote from a cleaning mob to clean the inside filth he left.

Send this guy a letter, actually better still, go serve it on him in person. He cannot deny receiving it then.

This letter will seek financial compensation in ordere ot have the repair work carried out. Ie: where he hit the boat on the roller door, clean or replace the carpet and clean up after himself. Attach copies of the quotes so its all there.

The letter will give him 14 days to come forth with the dollars and will state that at the conclusion of that period the matter will be referred to "Mr whoever it is you spoke to at Cons Affairs" for them to continue the case. And you will also commence proceedings in the civil tribunal (we have VCAT down here for those type small claims matters, dont know what you have up there).

Let Cons Affairs do their thing but prepare your own case also and have it listed for hearing. You can cancel the hearing if you get a result via Cons Affairs.

If it goes to a hearing you will quite probably win as those organisations are generally pro consumer (a bit unfair really but thats how they are).

You have a good case, its worth a run and the chances of winning are good. Tou could even build into your case the excessive charges and have those determined by the hearing also (or Cons Affairs can take that up with him too).

Your repairs could come to $400-500 which would then put you where you should be on cost and a clean repaired boat.

[john_laura]

I have been following this post for a while know and if this was happening to me my eyeballs would be popping out!!!!! :o

Stuff this fella, let him have it both barrells, so that other poor pricks have less chance of dealing with him.

Start the ball rolling straight away and keep records of all your dealings with him etc.

John

[griz066]

Sick em Rex >:(

[stuart]

Homer-Jay

I know this guy well, I build rods just across the road from him for many years up until he moved to just a month or two ago. Never heard a good thing about the guy. Steer clear of him every one. >:(

Stu

[Argle]

Homer, I hope this can be resolved for you, take BM's advice, dont let this clown get away with what he has done. Take photos and document everything and you have an excellent chance of getting some dough back. It makes my blood boil when i hear about rip-off merchants like this >:( >:( >:(

Cheers and beers
Scott

[Homer_Jay]

Thanks Stu.
I guess you always wonder if just maybe its only me and maybe this guy is just having a bad run. But from what you say he is just a shonky.

I know you all are saying to go get this guy but the more i think about it the more it gets my blood boiling. I have decided not to let it get to me anymore. I will put it down to experience and try to forget about it. I could try to take the guy to court but in the end it will probably effect me more than him and for maybe a few hundred dollars. When I take into account the time i would have to spend to go through it all its just not worth it. And in the end he will go back and just do the same thing to the next guy anyway.
I just hope that when i get my boat in the water that what he was supposed to fix is fixed.

I just hope that everyone reading this site never uses him for anything. He also runs a marine shop at Tin Can Bay. Not sure what its called but anyone up that way BEWHERE!!!

Thanks to everyone for your comments along the way as somehow it feels like i have people on my side.

I just dread the next time I need to have somthing done. As i have heard bad reports about the other mercruiser dealer here on the coast. So looks like i will be learning how to do it myself or taking it to brisbane.

[BaysideMarine]

Learn to do it yourself Homer. Its not difficult. If you are reasonably mechanically inclined its a matter of experience thats all.

Cheers

[gunna]

Its some consolation to know the Sunny Coast members have all read this - and know never to go near him. Word of mouth from them wil also affect him.

[familyman]

Homer j you can do it yourself,its not at all hard if you have a manual and some mechanical ability.Remember someone put it together so it must come apart :o
Get some snaplock bags and a permanent marker and bag your parts as they come off.Make notes about little details ,even descriptions of where the parts came from.Get also some good quality tools particularly small things ie allen keys,Torx drives and small thin walled sockets.They will pay for themselves on the first job .Dont force things and coat all threads in grease,dont be afraid to ask plenty of questions .Have a go ,you'll be glad you did.I did the rings and exhaust /water jacket plate on a 50merc ob,put it back together and had it running on the second attempt(first one timing was wrong).A great deal of satisfaction can be had from doing it yourself :)
cheers jon

[Homer_Jay]

I have good tools and a reasonable mechanical knowledge as I have worked on cars and rebuilt engines abit when I was younger. I guess for me there has always been a stigma attached to outboards and in particular sterdrives that has made me think it is best just to pay the expert and have it done right. But after all this I dont think i would have been any worse off doing it myself.

I think I will be on the look out for a workshop manual for it now and hopefully with time and some advice from people on here I might start to do things myself now.

You hear so many stories about this sort of thing in the marine industry that is wonder that so many people have boats after all. You would think that the dealers would want to give great service to build a business on and want the experience to be all good so you come back to buy your next boat from them. There is alot talked about the shonky motor mechanics but I have never had a problem with any mechanic like this. And now days I get all the work done on my cars by mechanics.

[BaysideMarine]

If we need to run "Sterndrive servicing 101" then let me know..

[BaysideMarine]

Actually, Mod's please contact me about this concept on a grand scale.

Thanks.

Nicholas

[gilbo]

BM - Sterndrive Servicing 101 would be great.

Let me know where I can apply :)

[Homer_Jay]

You can sign me up too!!!!!!

Will save me a fortune.

[BaysideMarine]

Stay Tuned.... Coming to a forum near you!!!!


If the mods ever speak to me... :(

Mods??? We must chat...

Cheers

[blaze]

Hi Nick
Have you tried to pm ausfish direct (always find it best to talk to the boss)
cheers
blaze

[BaysideMarine]

Hi Blaze,

Must admit I'm carrot dangling tonight...... hehehe

I will get serious very soon. I am preparing some DVD's for production very soon and I would like to organize something with Fishnet, Ausfish, Mr Fisho and others too.

Peopel getting screwed REALLY GETS UP MY NOSE..... And I want to empower people to be able to protect themselves when buying a boat, learn how to best launch/retrieve their boat and look after it etc etc and potentially do a series on home maintenance....

And I want to involve the various forums in the whole process too. So for arguments sake, you may buy a certain DVD at a discount from the forums and also have a guaranteed access to responses to particular questions etc etc.

That part is up to the forum controllers themselves. Many other forums here in Oz have well set up arrangements where advertisers (I am not an Ausfish advertiser yet) actually have their own forum.

Cheers

[Homer_Jay]

Nick,

That sounds fantastic. Put me down for one of your DVD's!!!! It will be a big seller.

Its the next best thing to you moving up here so I can get you to service my boat!

[garpe]

Homer
Sorry to hear about your trouble but naming this scumbag is a great service done for all.
It would be great to start a register of good and bad service agents with feed back like ebay, so you can make your own judgements. Give doing your own work a try as it is very satisfying if you don't stuff it up and if you do it becomes a steep learning curve but still rewarding. Love the idea of the DVD
cheers

[Bo]

Hey Homer,

Sorry to hear about all your troubles. I've fiddled around with two srtoke bike motors and a little with cars, and have found that as long as you have a decent manual, it really isn't difficult to do the work yourself, especially if you have access to the brains trust available here if you do get into trouble.

For what it's worth, I found taking some video footage or plenty of digital photo's along the way as you strip the motor down was always a great playback reminder when it came to reassembly, especially for us guys that don't do this stuff everyday. Also good to refer back to next time you might need to do something- you know, "oh, that;s how I did it!". As they say, a pictures worth a thousand words!

Just my 2c worth!

Cheers, Bo.

[kitty_cat]

springwood marine does mercruisers as long as it is not to old
i work for them in the sales department and is a totaly professional outfit
we sell mercruisers and have been in buisness for over 30 years
wayne
ps even if you dont use us pick the bloody thing up iam sure the outcome off leaving it there to be finished will not be good

[moondancer]

Guys, in reading this thread it reminded me of a bad experience with an old boat of mine years back - made the same mistake of leaving it with the guy even th0ough I sensed something wasnt right - anyway, that was years ago, and bloody expensive. He eventually f%##% d himself up, got taken to court by his partner and out of business (unfortunately, he is working in the service dept. of another large dealership) After the whole b/s I went through, they even had the nerve to charge me $50 for 'cleaning the boat'!!!!!! (on top of a $1500 + bill - in the late 1990's!!) When I challenged this, he got quite agressive, threatening to impound the boat, etc. etc. Anyway......this leads me to why I am now searching for a good outboard mechanic in the Redlands area, who is well priced and trustworthy. I had a good one these last few years , but he has left the area.
BM's idea about DIY traing/ instruction is great, but for people like me 2 left hands mechanically, I'm a bit concerned that I will even stuff up basic instructions (I usually do!) so am prepared to throw a checque at someone who is a professional!

Maybe we need to get a listing of service providers with ausfish members feedback..a bit like the e-bay sellers who get feedback, and a rating?? Just an idea - I know I would use it - particularly if they are people who are/ become known to ausfish members. Always easier to trust the work of someone a lot of us know ! Lawry

[Argle]

An "Ausfish preferred Trader List" now thats a good idea! Whaddya reckon guys? Would certainly help people new to the area who were looking for someone reputable and trustworthy.

Cheers and Beers
Scott