Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

[Kronoss]

I have a bravo 3 outdrive that needed servicing, I brought it to a local shop, that seemed a little shady.

He told me when i brought it in, that it looked in good shape, and usually bravo's this old are usually in worse shape.

Now he called me, telling me that I have a crack in my outdrive. And that i need to weld it.

I said no, i have no problems with it, no oil leaks, never had a problem.

I really hope he is just trying to be nice, but it seems very suspicious.

I made a pic before i brought it in, hope it will show the diferences.
What do you guys think?

 

[Angrywasp]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

Holy upside down batman! Got another pic to compare it too?

 

[dubs283]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

if you are concerned, tell him to stop all work and get your drive back

if it seemed shady from the get go, you should not have agreed to any work suggested, or even given him your drive in the first place

i don't know anybody who would weld a case or do any other repairs for free

i would get over to the shop asap and get your drive back, hopefully with all the original parts still attached and unaltered

do some investigating, ask freinds/other boaters and find a reputable shop to do work for you in the future - even visit them and take a look around the shop, if they are reputable, they won't mind you looking

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

Howdy,


Did the guy put that "wing" -thing/whale tail whatever, on it too? (pull that thing off! ) The Bravo III is the LAST drive that would ever "need" it........


Your drive has a serial number on it. Did he remove the serial number? If he did, go back with the local deputy Sheriff.


I wouldn't let ANYONE weld on my drive.


Regards,


Rick

 

[Kronoss]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

Howdy,


Did the guy put that "wing" -thing/whale tail whatever, on it too? (pull that thing off! ) The Bravo III is the LAST drive that would ever "need" it........


Your drive has a serial number on it. Did he remove the serial number? If he did, go back with the local deputy Sheriff.


I wouldn't let ANYONE weld on my drive.


Regards,


Rick

the serial number looks like a sticker, is there a engraved serial number as well ?

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

I'm with dubs, I don't know any shop that will do things for "free", free welding, free (downgraded) drive...

Sounds to me like you know what's going on... Go over there and get your rig back with all your original parts, then take it to a shop that won't try to hose ya'.

 

[Kronoss]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

3 questions.

Where is the serial number on the outdrive located? I just found the transom serial #.

Is the backplate of the bravo 1 compatible with the backplate of the bravo 3?
Do backplates usually go bad and you cant put them on?


the mechanic already did all the work, i just need to go pick it up tomorrow, but i want to make sure that it is my outdrive, and not some cracked outdrive he swaped with mine.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

I feel for ya... Situations like this make me nauseous... Best of luck...

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

the serial number looks like a sticker, is there a engraved serial number as well ?

It is a "sticker" but it should be fairly obvious if he peeled it off ans stuck it on another drive.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

What the heck is a "backplate"? Some lingo he cooked up to confuse the situation?

You can easily see if he swapped out your Bravo 3 for a Bravo 1.

Bravo 3 = dual prop
Bravo 1 = single prop

 

[Kronoss]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

when he said backplate, he referred to the plate on top, that says "Bravo Three", he told me he swapped it with a non-corroded one that he took from a "Bravo One" he had around, and that it will say "Bravo One" now, but its just the "backplate" he changed (also said that we can take the sticker off the old one and put it on this)

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

duplicate

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

Ahhh, disregard my comments, I didn't read right and thought he was swapping out the whole drive for a Bravo 1.

Carry on...:redface:

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

Ask to see the old one.

Whats this guy gonna tell you next?

"Well I noticed that your props had a couple of nicks in them. I wanted to put news ones on but I only had one of them lying around. Its a better prop than the two you had on there. If you want I can still put that Bravo 3 sticker on there for ya..."

 

[Kronoss]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

I am not worried that he will put a bravo one,
I am worried that he will put one of his old cracked bravo 3 outdrives instead of mine.

 

[wire2]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

I am not worried that he will put a bravo one,
I am worried that he will put one of his old cracked bravo 3 outdrives instead of mine.

One thing you have going for you is the whale tail. I agree that it should be removed and thrown away, but for now, it's evidence of whether it's a different outdrive. Ask to see your "cracked" outdrive. Are there holes in the cav plate from the tail? Or is the tail still on there? Do the bolts look like they've recently been removed/replaced, (clean threads)?

To me, the proper, ethical procedure when a tech finds a surprise, is to call the customer, have him come in & look at the findings, discuss options, let the customer decide.

Also, check with the Better Business Bureau; does that shop have any complaints registered against it?

 

[Kronoss]

Re: Mechanic trying to steal/swap my bravo 3

I went to his shop today to check out the progress.

It seems that the dude is actually a real awesome guy and also a perfectionist.
He didnt charge me extra for any of the parts he added, and it looked like it was my outdrive (recognized some of the scratches from the photo).

He charged me $650, to change the gimbal, ujoints, bellows (my parts), then his parts: backplate (where the bravo 3 sticker is located), seal kit for the outdrive, took apart almost the whole drive and cleaned it up.