Outboard warranty issue-Please Help! - The Hull Truth

DeepDrop · 10-02-2007, 07:17 PM

I wont mention engine brand until i believe they are in the wrong, and ill try to make it as short as possible.

My 04 outboard's warranty expired on 4/07.
On 11/06, under warranty, I took my engine to a factory certified mech. for a problem I was having when shifting in reverse.
The gears seemed to slip causing the engine to shake and buck on the transom along with a loud knocking noise coming from the lower unit.

The mech dropped the lower unit and found nothing wrong except for a slightly worn clutch dog and shift rod o-rings were replaced.

The problem sprang up again a couple of trips later and was intermittent. Approx 1 month ago the problem got progressively worse and i decided to take the outboard in to the shop again for the same problem. I called the mech and he told me he would let me know when I could bring the boat in.

Last week I took the outboard, he dropped the lower unit again and again found no problem then he turned his attention to the shift rod and noticed that it was rubbing on something when it was shifted into reverse. Upon further examination he found that a "swollen" motor mount was to blame. He mentioned to me that he has never seen that problem before. He replaced the mount and it resolved the problem.

Now comes the sticky part.

He called the outboard company and told them of the problem including e-mailing them pics and that originally brought the motor in under warranty for the same issue that was not resolved. The company told him to pursue it with FPC the extended warranty that I have.

It turns out that FPC does not cover Outboard engine mounts.

My mech turned his attention back the outboard company who told him that they would just cover the parts but not the labor. I would be responsible for the 4 hours of labor.

I called "customer service" for the outboard and spoke with a gentleman who originally was cordial and helpful and told him of the dilemna.
He told me "there is no proof that you had the engine serviced under warranty for the same problem that you are describing" I had no service record for that visit however my mech supplied me with the service record#.

I called the "customer service"guy again and told him that I had proof of the problem originally occuring under warranty and he did a complete 180 on me..telling me in a less that friendly manner that they WOULD NOT pay for labor and there was nothing I could say or do to change their mind. It seemed that he was enjoying himself at my expense. They supplied the mounts as a "customer courtesy" but to not waste my time pursuing them to be responsible for the labor.

Do I accept my big company enema like a man or do I have a legit case to pursue it further with the higher ups??

Thanks in advance!

tommyr904 · 10-02-2007, 07:22 PM

your mech is the one who should be eating the labor as it was his mistake not the manufacture

lugger · 10-02-2007, 07:48 PM

I think your mech is related to the one I got my 250 from ,

UaVaj · 10-02-2007, 07:50 PM

Currently out of warranty. That is pretty cut and dry. Although it never hurts to beat the next higher door to possibly get the labor incluced. Go ahead if you have the energy. Worse that can happen is a No.

Bottomeline is you should be glad the manufactuer is offering you the replacement parts - out of their good will. Now it is time for your mechanic to step and eat the labor for improper documentation and improper inspection of the "actual" current problem..

What you should have done was take that engine to another mechanic for a second opinion while it was still under warranty.

Humvee256 · 10-02-2007, 11:41 PM

I completely agree with UaVaj.

DeepDrop · 10-03-2007, 12:26 AM

Is it unanimous that the mech's at fault??

looking back and playing devil's advocate its easy to fault him for not finding the problem originally but according to him and other mech's ive spoken to they have never seen or heard of a motor mount going bad..in fact he called the manuf. originally and they were also at a loss and even asked for the bad mount to be sent to them so they could take a look at it.

The problem i have in blaming the mech entirely for human error is that regardless of the diagnosis the problem started UNDER WARRANTY...its easy for the company to point a finger and say you f'd up when in fact they are not standing behind a defective item on the outboard which is not a moving part or a wear and tear item.....simply something that has suffered from poor design,material or workmanship.

Then the service guy has the nads to say that there is no record of a prior problem then when I provide the proof he changes his tune and gets defensive .And this outboard manuf has a record of taking care of customers out of warranty in the past to keep them happy and loyal......not this customer.

My mech has worked on my engine since day 1 and has always bent over backwards to accomodate me. He came highly recommended and is probably the top mech for this manuf in the tri-county area.

I guess this a great example of making sure warranty issues are addressed completly and promptly and being a pia for every little squeak, groan and shiver that comes out your outboard.

Thanks for the responses guys Ill let you know of the outcome.

ggibby · 10-03-2007, 12:39 AM

The motor mount failed during warranty coverage.
The mechanic didn't figure it out.
That doesn't change the cause.

I'd simply file a suit in small claims court, notify the manufacturer, and see what happens. I've never actually DONE this, but in a previous decade I actually did have to sue a school system over a disagreement and absolutely nothing happened until the instant the suit was actually FILED. Once that happened, the system's lawyer told the principal he was completely in the wrong and they settled the issue in an hour.

Let the judge sort it out.
I think you will end up having to name both the manufactuer and the mechanic: let them point fingers at each other. The judge will know how the law applies and will make it work whatever way is correct.

Law is too complicated for us mere mortals any more.

Cracker · 10-03-2007, 12:41 AM

Deepdrop,
I have never heard of a motor mount going bad but, who says this problem is not a new problem. Seems hard to prove. Also I think your mechanic should help you out on your labor. I think its wrong to expect the engine company or insurance company pay for it.

ndb8fxe · 10-03-2007, 12:43 AM

Quote:

UaVaj - 10/2/2007 6:50 PM

Currently out of warranty. That is pretty cut and dry. Although it never hurts to beat the next higher door to possibly get the labor incluced. Go ahead if you have the energy. Worse that can happen is a No.

Bottomeline is you should be glad the manufactuer is offering you the replacement parts - out of their good will. Now it is time for your mechanic to step and eat the labor for improper documentation and improper inspection of the "actual" current problem...

So what you're saying is that if a problem happens near to when the warranty expires it is OK for the Mech. to mis-diagnose the problem and give a band-aid fix that lasts just untill the warranty expires? Then nail the owner for the labor that should have been done in the first place?

If you would, please explain your conclusion.

What you should have done was take that engine to another mechanic for a second opinion while it was still under warranty

DeepDrop · 10-03-2007, 12:47 AM

Cracker,

The mech is giving me a break for the labor but I have a hard time paying a penny if the manuf is at fault and in denial.... also it sucks that the mech gets shafted for his labor.

DeepDrop · 10-03-2007, 12:59 AM

nd,

There is no one else I trust ...the only other time I took the engine to someone else to also address a boat hull issue it was a disaster that he ended up taking care of later.

Everyone who has a trustworthy, good mech knows what Im talking about.

UaVaj · 10-03-2007, 01:00 AM

Quote:

ndb8fxe - 10/2/2007 11:43 PM

Quote:

UaVaj - 10/2/2007 6:50 PM

Currently out of warranty. That is pretty cut and dry. Although it never hurts to beat the next higher door to possibly get the labor incluced. Go ahead if you have the energy. Worse that can happen is a No.

Bottomeline is you should be glad the manufactuer is offering you the replacement parts - out of their good will. Now it is time for your mechanic to step and eat the labor for improper documentation and improper inspection of the "actual" current problem...

So what you're saying is that if a problem happens near to when the warranty expires it is OK for the Mech. to mis-diagnose the problem and give a band-aid fix that lasts just untill the warranty expires? Then nail the owner for the labor that should have been done in the first place?

If you would, please explain your conclusion.

What you should have done was take that engine to another mechanic for a second opinion while it was still under warranty

Nice going on twisting my words. You should be a lawyer.

Anyway. Even as highly recommended as the OP's mechanic. We all are still human. Sometimes a second opinion is appreciated. In this very case - it was needed. 2 head is better than one. With the second opinion. The manufacturer (i am guessing Honda) would of handled this issue without THT ever knowing.

At this point. Trying to prove that the engine mount was part of the original problem is hard to do without proper history.

DeepDrop · 10-03-2007, 01:03 AM

Uavaj,

Its not Honda..........but close on the alphabet.

moklodge · 10-03-2007, 09:24 AM

If the warranty was FPC, must be an Evinrude or Johnson. They're the only company that doesn't cover their motors under the extended contract. All others are factory warranties even when extended.

chiefbob1 · 10-03-2007, 10:15 AM

Quote:

moklodge - 10/2/2007 6:24 PM

If the warranty was FPC, must be an Evinrude or Johnson. They're the only company that doesn't cover their motors under the extended contract. All others are factory warranties even when extended.

Evinrude/Johnson

surfncnow · 10-03-2007, 11:58 AM

Why should it matter if you give the company name out? Nail them to the wall on a national forum so it doesn't happen again to the next Joe.

murmrk · 10-03-2007, 12:56 PM

Should have bought a suzuki four strokes. If not for the 6 year warranty for the fact they rule!!!!! and never break down or have problems

fishingfun · 10-03-2007, 01:01 PM

Maybe it is the dealers fault. If they made the repairs the first time I would think that was a warranty repair and the manufacturer would have received a repair bill. That would explain why they said they had no record of the repair. So I'm thinking that they either did not turn it in for warranty work (not worth the hassle for a small repair) or they did not do any repairs. I'm thinking the first and now its coming back against you because the manufacturer does not have records of prior repairs for that issue. If you think about that its easy for a dealer to give an invoice after the fact and maybe the manufacturer has had problems with this in the past.

murmrk · 10-03-2007, 01:06 PM

Assuming they are Evinrudes my neighbor has a pair of 03 or 04 225,s and had the motor mounts replaced also. I should get the details but something almost sheered and they had to take both motors off to fix the problem. It was covered under warranty If it is the same issue Evenrude/bombardier knows about the problem and should fix it. Ill check the details with him tonightand post back to you.

MarkV_Deep6 · 10-03-2007, 01:10 PM

Quote:

DeepDrop - 10/2/2007 6:17 PM

I wont mention engine brand until i believe they are in the wrong, and ill try to make it as short as possible.

I believe you should mention the name of the manufacturer. They are giving the enema, make them live with the results.

I had an issue with my Chevy truck 2001 that I bought new. A steering issue was addressed when the truck was under warranty. The issue returned this year and was noted to be a design flaw. They fixed it when I wrote a letter to customer support. They were happy to fix it, and did not charge me a cent!