Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

[cecho]

I'm planning on getting a new SE106 to replace my damaged MC-1 soon. I had a few questions about it.


Is there a mercruiser manual that best works with the SE106?
When installing a new outdrive do I need to readjust the shift cable?
Is there a break in period for a new drive?
What is the meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything?

 

[Don S]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

6

Maybe

Sterndrive Engineering

42

 

[cecho]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

Thanks!

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

6

Maybe

Sterndrive Engineering

42

Best answer I've ever seen on this forum. Especially the 42!

 

[cdiamond]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

I have sold an installed a few of these chinese knockoffs on customers boats

over the past several years

anyone who thinks they are getting a mercruiser outdrive cheap is mistaken

i will no longer sell these drive due to my last installation

the customer calls me the day after installation

complaining of excessive whining in the drive

i go to his house and we run the boat out

the drive is pretty noisy

i assure him this is just breakin noise and not to worry ( let me state that in 30 years i have never heard a merc drive whine)

besides he's
got a '3 year warranty'

the next day i call sei and speak to the warranty dept

first question - if the customer is not satisfied with your product

can he return it

answer - no drive can be returned once installed

next question - will sei pay any warranty for the removal, dis assembly, shipping, reassembly, and reinstallation

answer - no !!!!!

I am not going to put myself in that position again

if someone wants one of these cheap knockoffs (so cheap they can give them away when they fail)

they can purchase it themselves - and deal with sei warranty

in closing let me say it is no cliche

"you get what you pay for"

 

[achris]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

6

Maybe

Sterndrive Engineering

42

Best answer I've ever seen on this forum. Especially the 42!

+1....

 

[cdiamond]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

here's a scenario:

2 boaters are on a family vaction

perhaps in the beautiful florida keys

both have new outdrives

boater #1 has a genuine mercruiser

boater #2 has an SEI

both develop outdrive problems

boater #1 simply goes to the nearest mercruiser dealer

where they access the problem, order parts - if not on hand, facilitate the repair

out of pocket cost - $ 0.00

and more important the family vacation continues happily

boater #2 goes the his choice of repair facility

where upon they remove the faulty outdrive

either ship it as one piece ( costly)

or split it in half for shipment

and send it back to SEI

boater #2 then waits for SEI

to either repair or replace his outdrive

then send it back

where upon the repair facility reassembles the drive fills with lube, and reinstalls the outdrive

out of pocket costs:

shop labor rate for all work done at their facility PLUS shipment back to SEI

and perhaps more importantly A RUINED VACATION

which boater would you rather be ???????????

at 60 years i've come to learn

YOU'RE NEVER SORRY YOU PURCHASED THE BEST

just my $.02

 

[achris]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

here's a scenario:

2 boaters are on a family vaction

perhaps in the beautiful florida keys

both have new outdrives

boater #1 has a genuine mercruiser

boater #2 has an SEI

both develop outdrive problems

boater #1 simply goes to the nearest mercruiser dealer

where they access the problem, order parts - if not on hand, facilitate the repair

out of pocket cost - $ 0.00

and more important the family vacation continues happily

boater #2 goes the his choice of repair facility

where upon they remove the faulty outdrive

either ship it as one piece ( costly)

or split it in half for shipment

and send it back to SEI

boater #2 then waits for SEI

to either repair or replace his outdrive

then send it back

where upon the repair facility reassembles the drive fills with lube, and reinstalls the outdrive

out of pocket costs:

shop labor rate for all work done at their facility PLUS shipment back to SEI

and perhaps more importantly A RUINED VACATION

which boater would you rather be ???????????

at 60 years i've come to learn

YOU'RE NEVER SORRY YOU PURCHASED THE BEST

just my $.02

I completely agree. I often get accused of spending more money than 'needed' on parts and tools. But I'm also the guy who has the fewest problems when I'm out on the water... and people are always asking me how I keep my gear (cars, boats, other toys) working so well....

Someone on this forum has a signature that goes something like "OEM parts may be the cheapest in the long-term"... Never a truer word. As you have so definitively demonstrated...

Chris......
BTW, I consider parts I bought for my engine from a GM parts supplier (ie, not Mercury) as OEM...

 

[cdiamond]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

hey
i don't think i'm much different than most folks

nobody want to spend anymore than they have to

i read somewhere:

PRICE IS WHAT YOU PAY -- VALUE IS WHAT YOU GET

i think value is more important than price

it may look like a "good deal" today

but down the road ( or water )

that might not be the case

as happens WAY TOO OFTEN

 

[Bondo]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

Ayuh,.... Glad you fellas are fallin' into line with My life's experiences with these drives,....

That bein', the Only folks I've run across that talk 'em down are,...
Fellas that make their livin' workin' on Mercruiser drives... or Merc. Dealers...

I put 1 on 1 of the barges in the fleet I maintain last spring,...
It's gone through a usual hard season, without issue,...
For less than 1/2 the price of the Oem part, I can live with the results of My recommendation to the Boss,...

'n while I don't do my own tear-downs, 'n rebuild of drives,...
My guy that does 'em for me says they appear to be of reasonable quality...

 

[cdiamond]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

mr bond-o

glad you had a good experience with your drive

the difference is the people in the marine repair of mercruiser equipment

see a little more than the average joe - no disrespect

i've seen mercruiser drive still functioning well after over 20 years

kinda doubt you'll get that kind of service out of a chinese knockoff

is there a place for inexpensive, lower quality replacement parts ??

i guess so - alot of people only care about the price

wasn't it YOU who was complaning about some GLM manifolds not too long ago

same principle

 

[cdiamond]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

as far as talkin down anything

i stated my experience with the last SEI drive I installed

when I perform service or repairs on some's boat

the last thing I want is a phone call from someone unhappy with what I sold them

i only get paid to do a particular job once

if that customer had decided he was dissatisfied with that SEI drive

I was going to be S.O.L.

I can't operate a business successfully like that

for the average boater, they dont know any difference

a new SEI drive is just as shiny as a new Merc drive

but as I stated earlier only a fool would think they are the same quality

just trying to educate the uninformed thats all

 

[cdiamond]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

sorry for the rant

over the past 30 years i've seen or used just about every aftermarket part out there

at this point in my career i only use OEM equipment

listen i can make as much on the resale of aftermarket parts as OEM ,maybe more

but I RARELY have comebacks or problems with OEM

and if there is an issue OEM warranty is the best out there

whether Merc. , Volvo ... whatever

it's all about customer satisfaction for me, long term

I think I'm done now ... whew!!

 

[MarkSee]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

it's all about customer satisfaction for me, long term
I think I'm done now ... whew!!

Not sure about the other folks that follow the forums but I tend to enjoy, good or bad, any and all comments, opinions, experiences, etc. all you guys share who have worked on this gear for so many years.


The only question though is:
Do you give your customers a choice on which way to go with parts after giving them a cost for each and the pros/cons of each and let them decide which way to go or at least what you recommend? Or does that not work in the marine business?

I know the honest Mercury shops around here are only allowed to sell Mercury stuff and couldn't sell and SEI as they tell me that would void their agreement with Mercury. The independent shops can sell either if it's available through Quicksilver and let the customer choose.

Mark

 

[cecho]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

I've done several hours of research on whether or not I should get an SE106, get as new Alpha 1, repair what I have, or find a used drive. I also started looking for a used boat specifically with an Alpha 1 in January because I knew the SE106 existed. Here's where my logic and opinions has taken me:

• The cheapest method is to get a used drive. I've found those for as low as $500 shipped. I don't want to buy someone elses problem though. Too many unknowns for the cost.
  
• The most expensive method is buy a new Alpha 1. Not gonna happen. If I'm gonna buy a new drive it's not going to ever be an Mercruiser Alpha 1... ever. I'd rather put that money into a Bravo 1 or 3.
  
• A good option is to rebuild my MC-1, but putting $1500 into a 35 year old outdrive also seems like a waste. There are too many special tools involved and they are way too expensive. Having someone else do it is not something I'm interested in. Working on the boat is all part of the fun. This would have been my option of choice if parts and tools were reasonably priced.
  
• The most reasonable seems to be to buy a new SE106. $1300 shipped with a 3 year no-fault warranty seems great and should be much better money spent than buying a used alpha 1.
  
• Overall, I've had very good experiences with aftermarket parts in general. I've had more trouble with OEM in several cases.

In my experience it's MUCH easier to find bad reviews than good reviews on a product. I've found many more good reviews than bad reviews on the SE106 out drive. The majority of the bad reviews also come from people who have a natural and understandable bias against a company that sells after market parts. This seems like more of a plus than a minus. Also, I seriously doubt mercruiser makes their drives and parts in the USA... I could be wrong though.

 

[cdiamond]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

any "bias" i seem to imply

comes from 30 years of service & repair

i dont care if you're talking about

car parts, boat parts, hell - washing machine parts

aftermarket "will fit" parts are NOT the quality of OEM

it's your money, and no skin of my nose

just my $ .02

good luck and safe boating

 

[cdiamond]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

i think you'll find DIYers are the market for aftermarket parts

whereas the pro cant afford the comebacks with inferior parts

as i stated before the profit on aftermarket is as great or greater

maybe that's the 'bias' referred to by the OP

 

[Bondo]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

i think you'll find DIYers are the market for aftermarket parts

whereas the pro cant afford the comebacks with inferior parts

as i stated before the profit on aftermarket is as great or greater

maybe that's the 'bias' referred to by the OP

Ayuh,.... Nobody's sayin' yer wrong, just comin' from a different point of view....

 

[cecho]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

I apologize if I offended anyone. Most of you professionals have probably worked on more boats than I've ever even seen. My experience with OEM and "Aftermarket" parts started with computers in the 90's. OEM parts were almost always inferior quality, outrageously priced and needlessly complex. When I started working with vehicles and farm equipment I found the aftermarket parts to be nearly as good and sometimes of better quality for huge savings in price. When I got into flying and working on experimental aircraft I found the same pattern. 15 years of this type of experience has given me a bias towards Aftermarket over OEM.

I rarely run into trouble when I go with my gut instincts, and my gut is telling me to go with the SE106. I'm new with Mercruiser and I may find Aftermarket to be complete crap compared to OEM. I'll just have to find out.

 

[achris]

Re: Installing SE106 in place of MC-1

I agree with you about computers. I was a computer hardware engineer for 10 years in the 80's (working on mainframes and super-minis. I speak hex as a second language ) and yes, OEM wasn't (and still isn't) the best way to go. However..... car/boat engines are completely the opposite. I have seen GLM and Sierra manifolds that have corroded out and killed an engine inside 12 months. That just doesn't happen on Merc manifolds. Just pick one of each up. The merc one weighs considerably more... wonder why???

I am no longer a Merc dealer (sold my shop in the 90s) and so have no bias. Heck, just read some of my posts, I have some serious issues with Merc and if there was an alternative I would be pushing it hard, just to get back to them.

Chris......