I had repair work done on my 9.8 mercury - did i pay too much?

frosteeone · #1 May 30th, 2008, 02:43 PM

The 9.8 mercury is an o/b (is that obvious? see who you're dealing with here?)

I just payed about $250 ($180 in labor) to a local guy, that i trust very much (he's helped me in the past and even helped me put my bearing buddies on).

I would never question him about the price (to his face) and I really do trust him. I'm just pretty naive to what these things cost and I was just wondering if repair costs have really gone up this much since the last work I had done. Also, wondering how much a new motor would cost (to compare the price of the repair to). I live in the midwest.

I'm sorry, I don't have the parts list with me, but i know he replaced the impeller, lower unit, rebuilt the carb, replaced a cracked part on the throttle (which wasn't letting it open up all the way), plus the cost of the kit, two spark plugs (i didn't even know it had two?), tune up and some about $30 in other minor parts pieces.

Also, he's a heck of a guy and if he read this I wouldn't really want to insult him. (so why am i doing it? for piece of mind for the most part. that and I wanted to justify it to the mrs...ha).

Thanks everyone.

KnottyBuoyz · #2 May 30th, 2008, 03:28 PM

Sounds pretty good to me. If you've deferred maintenance for a few years and this has just caught up to you then you came out of it pretty good. Figure at least 3-4 hrs work so that's $45/hr. Cheap compared to the shops around here.

gss036 · #3 May 30th, 2008, 05:24 PM

Sounds more than reasonable. I just had a new Honda 225 motor installed and they billed at $92.00 (OUCH). Of course when I picked up the boat the service manager complained that they had to eat some hours because it took longer than the sales people bid the intall.
If the guy only charged 2 hours labor, (depending on his hourly rate) you got off cheap.

DRIFTER_016 · #4 May 30th, 2008, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KnottyBuoyz

Sounds pretty good to me. If you've deferred maintenance for a few years and this has just caught up to you then you came out of it pretty good. Figure at least 3-4 hrs work so that's $45/hr. Cheap compared to the shops around here.

Exactly, labour rates in my neck of the woods are over $100/HR

That's why I do my own service work.

frosteeone · #5 May 30th, 2008, 08:02 PM

thanks gentlemen. that makes me feel better. i guess i didn't mention, but it's an 84 model (but you people in the know probably figured that out by the 9.8 motor size).

Yes, I have neglected it for the last 3 years, but i don't run it more than a doz times a year and keep in my basement during the winter.

If anyone else wants to chime in, it will only make me feel better. Since I'm obviously not going to do the work (quite intimidated about what's under the hood/cowl?) I'm at his mercy.

I can't wait to get out.

j_martin · #6 May 30th, 2008, 10:29 PM

I paid my mechanic over 400 bucks to put in a water pump and some seals in the LU. I took it off and put it back on. I think it's a good deal.

You see, I didn't pay him like I pay the neighbor kid to split wood. I paid him for his expertise, experience, knowledge, and tools.

You have a hellova mechanic, be good to him.

John

jbjennings · #7 May 30th, 2008, 11:03 PM

I concur with all the rest. For all that, you got a darned good price. You also didn't have to risk all the opportunities there is on an old motor to break off bolts, break old brittle aluminum/pewter stuff, etc. And those opportunities are there even for an experienced outboard mechanic. The chances of a shadetree like me doing it are really high! Myself, I am pretty handy with outboards that I've worked on before and I still have to do the same job 2 or 3 times before I finally get it right such as lower unit seals and ignitions. Also, it's extremely hard to find a competent Mercury mechanic anywhere in my opinion. I think you got a heckofa deal. The most important question is----how does it run now?

I think those merc 9.8's are really good motors when you have them running like they're supposed to. Really fast and powerful for a 9.8. I'll bet you like yours, too.
JBJ

frosteeone · #8 May 31st, 2008, 03:25 PM

When I was dropping it off, he wanted to go over it piece-by-piece to make sure there wasn't anything else wrong that I might have missed.

He recommended having the motor in his tank so he could show me what he did and to watch it run. He also advised me on some do's and don'ts for the future. -- It ran great. We talked for awhile after that about safety stuff. He's ex-coast guard and has saw some ugly accidents in his day.

I consider myself lucky to live so close to him and for him to share his expertise.

If everyone were like him the world would be a better place.

frosty

KnottyBuoyz · #9 May 31st, 2008, 03:43 PM

Yup there's some people ya wanna treat well when ya get good service. Your doctor, your lawyer (especially your divorce lawyer), your banker & you're boat mechanic!!! That goes for your car mechanic too! I got a good one been looking after my vehicles for 20 yrs and he gets a bottle of Chivas Regal every Xmas & birthday! ;-)

We had (what I thought) was a good mobile marine mechanic and he tried to screw me over big time on an outdrive repair. He'll never touch my boat again so I've had to become self sufficient to the point where I can even R&R my own VP duoprop outdrive. There just aren't any good ones within a reasonable distance.

Keep yours and keep him happy! I'm sure you'll get some requests for referrals.