Strange experience with Honda shop

[crabbie]

I went yesterday to look at a used 90HP Honda at a local Honda shop. It would be a private sale, but the owner just had a bunch of work done at the shop, and I don't think he can afford the repairs without selling it.

ANYway... it was all very odd. First the one mechanic noted that serial number plate was missing. "That's normal," said the other. "They come off really easily." Ooookay.

When I asked what year the motor was, they said that Honda outboards don't have years. "???" They said there was no way to tell how old it was. Ooooookay.

So my question: is that for real? Or are they just blowing smoke? Either way, it doesn't install any confidence...

Thanks!

rodney

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

The plates do not come off by themselves and they do have years.

 

[crabbie]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

I kinda figured.

Well, if and when I move to a Honda, I definitely won't be going to THAT shop to have any work done...

Thanks!

rodney

 

[zzzzz]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

Honda's have 2 serial #'s...one on frame(transom bracket) and one on block-usually at lower front of block

 

[Graphiterod]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

Run!!!!

...while holding your wallet.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

Mercury's haven't had "model years" in a couple of years. They say a couple of other manufacturers are the same way, don't know if one of them is Honda or not. But it is possible that they weren't totally "full of it" on the model year thing.

http://www.mercurymarine.com/serviceandwarranty/outboardfaqs/mye.php

 

[p15camborne]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

Yamaha's last model year was 2006. New engines have a date of manufacture, but no model year.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

All outboard engines sold in the U.S. have a model year. Some brands do not have a model year stamped on the engine, but they do have a model year assigned to them by the manufacturer before they reach a dealer for resale.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

Outboard motors today do not necessarily have a "model year". They do have a "manufacture date" on the MSO, just like a trailer. The manufacture date will not necessarily correspond to the model year of your boat.

From the Mercury website (linked in post #6 above):

Title
Only six states require outboards to be titled (Missouri,
Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah), so most
owners are not affected. If you reside in one of those states,
Mercury will supply an MSO (Manufacturer?s Statement of
Origin) for your outboard that will be submitted by a dealer to
the state for titling purposes. In the past, the MSO document
indicated a Model Year. Today, however, it displays a
manufacture date (for example, ?Sep 2006?). Those six states
do not require titling for sterndrive or inboard engines.

 

[Frank Martin]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

As Off 2008 Or The "ak" Designation There Will No Longer Be A Year Designation Attached To The Motors Every Thing Before That Has A Year . There Is A Chart We "honda Dealers" Can Use To Look It Up
The Honda North America Group Tells Me The Biggest Problem Honda Has Has Had With This Model Year Thing Is Macking All The Parts To A Motor Putting It Together And Getting It To The Dealer Show Room Before Its Non Current . They Build More Motors Of All Sorts Than Any Other Motor Maker In The World They Build Outboards In Groups To Keep Production Costs Down . They Are Just Too Big A Company To Make Motors To Orders As Needed . They Did Not Want To Be The First To Do Away With The Model Year Designation But When The Other Big Makers Decided To Go No Model Year They Had Their Chance

I Get Worried When Some One Tells Me Stuff That Just Dont Make A Bunch Of Sense , Some One At The Daler Has To Have Better Answers Or Like Some One Said Run Out Of There With Your Wallet Tight In Hand . Before You Panic And Run Out You May Want To Find Some One There Better Equiped To Answer Questions May Be You Just Did Not Ask The Right Persons Your Questions? Some Times Dealers Have Some Help That Try To Answer Questions They Realy Dont Have The Answers For And Cause More Confushion Than Help

Good Luck With The Shopping!

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

By state law, in the states that have a law regarding the titiling of outboards, an engine must have a model year. Regardless of anything you find in print, if you contact a outboard manufacturer and give them a serial number they will have a model year assigned to that engine. Also, Honda is a tiny maunfacturer in terms of number of outboards produced.

 

[p15camborne]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

Question and answer from Yamaha Website for "Outboard Model Year Elimination":


Question: Why has the model year designation been eliminated from Yamaha Outboards?

Answer: Outboards do not change from one “Model Year” to the next; therefore a “Model Year” doesn’t communicate anything significant about the physical product.

Yamaha plans to introduce new products and upgrades to models on a continuous bases instead of only at the traditional “model year change-over.” By eliminating the model year, Yamaha will be able to introduce new products (and upgrades) throughout the year, which means Yamaha will be better able to meet consumer needs in a fast changing market.

Additionally, dealers and boat builders are now better able to carry adequate inventory throughout the year because they won’t have to slim down inventory in advance of a new “Model Year.” Therefore, there is a much better chance your dealer will have what you want, when you want it.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

The model year designation has NOT been eliminated. It is simply not put onto the engine itself. Every single engine by every outboard manufacturer cannot be sold to a dealer without a model year being assigned to it. Think of it as a floating model year if that makes it easier to understand. Imagine a warehouse full of engines at Yamaha. None of those engines have a model year. Then Yamaha sells ten of those engines to dealer X on November 9th of 2007. Those engines then become 2008 models. Lets say that on November 9th of 2008 there are ten engines from that same batch left in that Yamaha warehouse. They are sold on Novemeber 9th of 2008. They now become 2009 models regardless of when they were manufacturered. So, there are model years. Are they meaningful to consumers? Only in that a "last year model" can be compared in price to a current year model". Since tech changes can happen at any time the model year as a guide to a change has been eliminated. But model years remian.

 

[1730V]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

Yamaha's last model year was 2006. New engines have a date of manufacture, but no model year.

That is true. They are moving toward build dates. Build dates are more accurate for tracking product changes that may need to be known for ordering parts.

Model years may be with us for a while but really are not that important. A build date tells me everything I want to know.

 

[mickjetblue]

Re: Strange experience with Honda shop

Be glad that you didn't get to the point where you are enticed to join
the Honda "family". The catch is, that costs about $200 for some fancy
paperwork that is virtually meaningless.