SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

[JustJason]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

Well said QC....
I'll add to what you said. Over the years I've gotten...
3 bad trigger coils in a row for a force OB from Rapair.
2 bad ball joints in a row for a ford taurus from napa.
Countless carb kits that were missing parts that were sierra.
Bad used flywheel from "outboard exchange" for a johnson.
Brake pads that didn't fit for my Highlander from napa again.
The list goes on and on. I'm sure Don and Bondo's list would trump my own.

But the point I want to make is this. I haven't got boned at all, not even once, by an OEM part. When you look at my list. think about how much time I lost second guessing my diagnosis. How much time I lost swapping the parts out, the trips to the store, talking to "tech" departments of aftermarket suppliers (who surprise surprise are not always that great)
I get none of that time back. I do not get any compensation what so ever from these aftermarket parts companys. When a job that should take an hour, but turns into a day because of aftermarket parts, I get paid for that 1 hour.
So ask yourself this. How many times are you going to let yourself get boned before you stick with OEM?

 

[JustinW]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

nice...
good cust. service is lacking with a majority of companies out there at this day and age...
it's good to hear, and possibly a testiment to the SEI brand.
The one remaining question I have is probably best left for the gurus at SEI...
I believe my Alpha One Gen One 5.7L to have a gear ratio of 1.50 (please chime in and correct me if I'm off)
The closest ratio for SEI drives is 1.47. Should be a non-issue, right?

A Gen One with a 5.7L would have been a 1.50 from the factory. The replacement for it is a 1.47 and that holds true if you are buying an OEM drive or an SEI drive.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

I can't possibly see what would be wrong with an SEI outdrive. The market was there for a product which does exactly the same thing as the OEM unit at half the price!! Boat parts are expensive because the OEM guys are pretty much the only suppliers of parts. SEI drives have a better warranty, reportedly function just as well, and leave tons more money in your pocket.

I don't care how much the boat is worth, if you don't have a good outdrive, powerplant, and transom: the boat is worth nothing. SEI keeps a lot of boats in the water because they made an alternative for the weekender guys. If you have a boat worth 6-7K, why pay 1/3 of the boats value just to keep it OEM, when you have spend 1/6 and never know the difference?

I also could care less where the units parts come from. If the unit works, it works no matter the country of origin. I suppose if SEI gets big enough and earns a long enough reputation, they may start coming standard on some boats. What then? Not good enough if the aftermarket becomes OE? Gimme a break.

 

[lmannyr]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

I'll be buying one from SEI in a couple of weeks. I have heard nothing but good things about the product. You think I'm gonna pay twice for oem... uhh..no!

 

[Starppy]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

I'm a little biased in this discussion since my dad is a retired Merc Engineer, but I will say that if Merc does not, or will not supply parts for older products, then it is fair game for aftermarket suppliers and I welcome their products and will gladly use them.

However, If the OEM repair parts are available, I will take them above all other options. It isn't just OB or stern drive parts, it's anything. You just don't know what you are getting. The statement that Mr. Pickren won't say what his source is due to a trade secret is BS. A few calls to US Customs would most likely reveal any inbound shipments to his company including the name of the manufacturer. The information is not confidential.

More than likely he does not want to reveal his source and hint at his costs which I am sure are the smallest fraction of Merc's. His brag at "cryogenic testing" is hype and without a full comparison to Merc's QC testing is meaningless marketing dribble. Warranty is a function of cost and not a statement of quality. The real statement being made is "These things are so cheap to build, we can afford to warranty them under these conditions." As with most aftermarket parts, the warranty probably only covers the parts themselves and not the labor which is usually the lion's share of the repair costs.

In short, SEI is a source of aftermarket repair and replacement parts. Usually the vessel is already at least half way through it's life and the parts do not have to be "good", they just have to be "good enough". There is nothing wrong with that especially if the OEM has abandon the product.

 

[Cptkid570]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

Greg - if you are still following this thread. Why were there paint issues and what has been done to correct it? (what's the difference now?)

Also, is the paint covered in the warranty?

 

[cheburashka]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

2) Our drives are assembled in Florida from parts procured around the world. Our cases are made on a contract basis from a foundry for which we own the casting and CNC tooling. As for where they are made, our competitors would love to know so it?s not something that we share on a public forum (but as a hint it?s not China).

I nteresting. So they aren't made in China and you're
N ot saying where they are made. While I don't really
D oubt your statement that the casings aren't from China,
I could name some countries which have a reputation for
A low-cost foundry business whose products are worse than China's.

 

[JustJason]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

haha.... that's classic.

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

India castings are good enough for Twin Disk, a reputable name in marine propulsion and transmissions.

CONEX loads from this place:
MAGNA ELECTRO CASTINGS LIMITED,
62, Balasundaram Road,
Coimbatore - 641 018
Tamilnadu, INDIA

 

[cheburashka]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

To tell you the truth, I don't have problem with either Chinese or Indian metal products. I play a bass trombone from China and it's a fine instrument with excellent metal quality and very good build quality.

What I dislike is people being cagey about the origin of their stuff. Here's an example: I'm in the market for control arms for my Audi, and it's nearly impossible to get a straight answer out of anyone regarding who manufactured the parts I'm looking at. Eventually, after ten or fifteen emails where I get meaningless answers they'll finally come back with "The Orient" or the like. Generally, research shows that it's India or Malaysia.

If the product is a good one, I see no reason to disguise the nation of origin.

 

[jwkoehn]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

Any word if they are going to make a Bravo 3 unit?

 

[tmh]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

Mercruiser parts are outrageously high priced. So screw them, IMO. If I can use an automotive part safely in the engines I will. If SEI drives do the job as well I'd buy one (and have). yeah, they're a copy...so what? I'd say 25 years of screwing customers with Alpha One gear sets costing $500 it enough. When a company gets too greedy by 1/2 then another steps in to end the rip off - the American way.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

Mercruiser parts are outrageously high priced. So screw them,

"Blank companies's" parts are outrageously high priced. So screw them,

Just fill in the blank.

I am not attacking you, but I will say, be careful what you ask for. If you worked for "Blank Company" and was getting layed off you might not be so quick to "screw them"

All of us don't like our jobs going overseas, but we, as consumers, while not completely to "blame" might need to look in the mirror. We're letting our wonderful government quietly "take over" companies. where will it end?

QC Edit: ..... loved it, but too close to politics.........

I'm sorry for the comparison. It is a sign of the times. This thread probably needs to be moved to Dockside Chat.....it's moving in that direction....

 

[JustJason]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

I see this tread going into lockdown.....

QC Edit: ..... loved it, but too close to politics.............

that's a riot too!!! Very original!!!

 

[QC]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

Definitely watching, keep out any personal attacks and we'll be OK.

Yes, profit margin creates jobs, but high margins create competition. No way to separate the two . . . part of the deal.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

Definitely watching, keep out any personal attacks and we'll be OK.

Yeah, you're so right. My XXXcruiser was a little over the "top" I suppose.......It usually is when we say what a lot of people are probably thinking.

This particular forum is really not the place for it!.....My apologies.


Back at the SEI drives, having hung around on several web forums where people talk about them I have seen very little complaints about the actual product (everybody's products have flaws once in a while) ....

I have not seen anyone complain that when they did have a problem, it wasn't taken care of promptly. When mechanical things break......All any company has left after that is excellent customer service. It appears that SEI has just that!


Cheers,

Rick

 

[tmh]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

Can anyone here vouch for mercruiser drives being 100% american made 9not just assembled MADE). Doubt it.

I have an older 19' boat with an alpha one. I fried the gears last season due to a fluid leak so I had to replace the upper drive. The OEM part plus labor would havebeen nearly as much as the entire boat is worth! Give me a break. The SEI product has a better warranty and does the job just fine. It's not magic.

ALL "Mercruiser" labeled parts carry very high price tags - even though some are exactly the same as automotive (at 1/2 the price...only merc preys on the public's lack of knowledge of this and fear of "non-marine" parts causing a catastrophy or whatever. Well, they are killing the golden goose being just too greedy.

To the person who said 'be careful in this economy....with some getting laid off" or whatever, look, that's not my problem because I bought and SEI drive and support them. Talk to your greedy management, not me.

 

[Don S]

Re: SEI SternDrive... What's your take???

Turning into a bash fest. Closed