long story, I will try to keep it short. took in a 115hp early 80's johnson to get checked out for low compression in one cyl. One of the only mechanics in the area that will work on older outboards but has a good reputation. Brought it to the mechanic last june to get it checked out, he pulled it apart and said it was a good condition low hour motor that needed the #3 cyl sleeved. well woth rebuilding. he said it would take 2 weeks to rebuild it. Gives me a quote of $1700 and I tell him to go ahead. A month had passed and I called him only to find out he hadn't started it yet. My mistake was not asking him when he would get to it, just how long it would take to rebuild. well, 3 months into this ordeal, he calls me and tells me he had the cyl sleeved and put it back together, only to test run it and find a water leak from the block. told me he would pull it apart and see what the problem was but it would take time. I said let me know, for by now I had given up on my boating season. Well, december comes and he calls and says that the motor was finished. I go up to pick it up, he test runs it and winterized it while I was there. He tells me that I need to bring it up in the spring so he can set up the motor and controls, set the timing and replace exchange the prop for me. All was good. I get the bill and he is over the quote by $1200 coming in at $2900. He explains that he had to replace the crank, and a few other parts aswell as replace the block. he used a 1978 block, and said he ate the cost of the machine work on my block because it was his mistake, but I was charged for another block.
well, late april comes and I give him a call to finish this motor off. this man is hard to get ahold of. I play phone tag with him for almost 2 weeks until I get ahold of him. he tells me to bring the boat up on the next saturday. I take the boat up, only to find out that I made a mistake installing the new controls, and had to take it home and re install them. My mistake, I take full blame for that. get the controls installed properly, and the phone tag starts again. finally get ahold of him, and he says to bring the boat up yesterday, but to call first to make shure he's there and not just his mechanics. I call yesterday, and no anwser. Leave a message, and no return call. I'm at the end of my rope.
I know that I made mistakes that cost time, not throwing the blame at him completly. but this whole process was handled poorly by him and me. I'm now a year in, out $2900 and have a motor that i still can't use. MY MISTAKE FOR NOT GETTING A QUOTE IN WRITING AND ASKING ENOUGH QUESTIONS.
bad thing about it is, if he would have caught the crack, or I would have know about the other parts that needed replaces with the extra cost, I would have parted it out and bought a new motor. Now I'm over a barrel.
sorry for the long first post, just needed to vent and get some input and ideas from the pro's.
well, late april comes and I give him a call to finish this motor off. this man is hard to get ahold of. I play phone tag with him for almost 2 weeks until I get ahold of him. he tells me to bring the boat up on the next saturday. I take the boat up, only to find out that I made a mistake installing the new controls, and had to take it home and re install them. My mistake, I take full blame for that. get the controls installed properly, and the phone tag starts again. finally get ahold of him, and he says to bring the boat up yesterday, but to call first to make shure he's there and not just his mechanics. I call yesterday, and no anwser. Leave a message, and no return call. I'm at the end of my rope.
I know that I made mistakes that cost time, not throwing the blame at him completly. but this whole process was handled poorly by him and me. I'm now a year in, out $2900 and have a motor that i still can't use. MY MISTAKE FOR NOT GETTING A QUOTE IN WRITING AND ASKING ENOUGH QUESTIONS.
bad thing about it is, if he would have caught the crack, or I would have know about the other parts that needed replaces with the extra cost, I would have parted it out and bought a new motor. Now I'm over a barrel.
sorry for the long first post, just needed to vent and get some input and ideas from the pro's.
