|
|
Post by Juan on Aug 18, 2011 17:26:36 GMT -6
Serious question believe it or not:
A friend has two Suzuki 115 four strokes on his boat... I've fished with him many times and those motors never missed a lick.... Well, he has the boat for sale and got a compression / leak down test done on it at the local Suzuki dealer just to be sure it was in tip top shape... He had a marine survey done the week prior and the boat came back valued at over twice what he's asking... but here's the issue.... The Suzuki dealer told him that one motor was blown and the other had lost 50% compression and could blow at any minute.... (both motors ran perfectly during the survey and that was the last time they were run)... The dealer claims that mud dobbers (wasps) got under the cowlings and sucked into the engines... He said these motors were the 6th and 7th Suzukis he's had this happen to this year.... I'm calling BS... Has anyone had any bug problems with their Zukes?
|
|
|
|
Post by Weaverama on Aug 18, 2011 18:37:12 GMT -6
My recently purchased 206cc hull came with plenty of mud dobber nests but none had made it into my Yamaha air intake. But I guess I can see where they could. And I suppose that the grit in the nest might be enough to do some significant damage to a combustion chamber, injectors etc. But I guess I have to ask about the time between survey and when the Suzuki dealer told him they were shot. What happened in that time? That's what I think sounds fishy.
|
|
qlake
Sailor
Posts: 96
Location: Punta Gorda FL & Lake Quivira KS.
|
Post by qlake on Aug 19, 2011 9:20:00 GMT -6
Compression testers are cheap and I think your friend should purchase one and check the compression himself.
|
|
|
|
Post by T-Topless on Aug 19, 2011 9:58:57 GMT -6
I'm with Qlake on that one- check it yourself and be sure ...
If the motor was "blown" you would know it pretty quick - it probably wouldn't even start, and if it did, it would run very rough if it could keep running at all.
Mud Dobbers burn up - the nests would be a problem if they got sucked in though.
|
|
|
|
Post by Juan on Aug 20, 2011 7:22:13 GMT -6
You'd have to know my buddy to understand, but he's the type that has a mechanic do everything...I doubt he could change a spark plug if his life depended on it. So, his boat has always been well cared for when service was required..
I was with him when the survey was conducted and the motors ran perfectly ...correct speed and rpm readings the whole time they ran and the surveyor took 5 hours to do the survey.... The motors weren't even started between the time of the survey and the time he had the compression test done... I could believe that one motor might have gotten a mud dobber nest in it during the test and messed up the compression in some way, BUT both motors at the same time?? What are the chances of that?
AND: when he got it home, he hooked it to the muffs and both motors start and seem to run the way they should. If one was blown and the other lost a lot of compression, wouldn't they run like crap or not at all?
He's taking it to another repair shop Monday...It will be interesting to see what the compression test shows.
|
|
|
|
Post by T-Topless on Aug 21, 2011 7:55:44 GMT -6
Very fishy (and not "fishy" in the good sense).
|
|
|
|
Post by Juan on Aug 23, 2011 14:24:46 GMT -6
Update:
He carried the boat to another shp and had both another compression test and another leak down test done on both motors... This time both motors passed with compression between 190-195 on all cylinders and no signs of leakage on any cylinder... As hard as it is to believe in this day and time, it's pretty obvious that the owner of the other Suzuki shop attempted to rip him off..
|
|
|
|
Post by Simple Man on Aug 23, 2011 15:51:42 GMT -6
Scumbag!!  I want to know who that was for future reference. PM me if you don't feel that you need to post his name. |
|
|
|
Post by Weaverama on Aug 23, 2011 16:17:01 GMT -6
I'd kind of like to think he may not have known how to do a compression test but from his statement that he's seen "6 or 7" other engines with mud dobber damage makes it sound like he had a little racket going on.
Knew I smelled fish.
|
|
|
|
Post by AHHHH-Spray on Aug 23, 2011 21:21:34 GMT -6
Just another example of why it's so hard to trust anyone to do service work for you these days. Thank God my dad taught me how to work on stuff when I was a kid so I usually know when somebody is trying to rip me off. I'd rather fix everything myself, but I don't always have time. I just wish my dad would've taught me how to find an honest mechanic, contractor, HVAC guy, etc...
|
|
qlake
Sailor
Posts: 96
Location: Punta Gorda FL & Lake Quivira KS.
|
Post by qlake on Aug 23, 2011 21:30:27 GMT -6
Please name names.
|
|
|
|
Post by Juan on Aug 24, 2011 8:21:39 GMT -6
I probably shouldn't say who it is and I doubt anyone here will use him anyway, but I think it should be public knowlege what he tried to pull...
|
|
|
|
Post by Simple Man on Aug 24, 2011 13:21:41 GMT -6
I wouldn't have used him myself but I have alot of kin folks/friends just to the north of him. Hard to believe a guy from that area would try to shaft someone like that. Does your buddy live in Fl. or is he a local? If he thought the guy was from Fl. or a yankee I might could understand him trying to put the screws to him! ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by Juan on Aug 24, 2011 17:23:41 GMT -6
He's a local... he's a Lt. with the local P.D. and has thrown a lot of business this guy's way in the past since he's always taken extremely good care of his boat and motors and wouldn't know how to do the maintenance himself anyway...
The really strange part of this whole thing is that he had taken his boat to the guy a few weeks prior to having the survey done and since he knew he was about to sell it, he had them check it out and do a compression check along with the other maintenance... The check showed nothing wrong at that time, but when he brings it back a few weeks later he's told the engines are blown due to mud dobber nests...
Joe told him he was sure they were blown and that he had dome the testing himself... then he gave him a price of aprox. $5,000 per engine to repair them.
I can only wonder if he's ever pulled this scam before...especially on the owners of the other motors he said he had with mud dobber damage this year.
|
|
|
|
Post by T-Topless on Aug 25, 2011 6:13:26 GMT -6
That's sad. And it hurts the industry as a whole, because it erodes people's trust in general.
Lucky your buddy checked with some people 1st.
Better Business Bureau and Angie's list!
|
|
RunninLate
Lieutenant
Thinking about the boat sitting on the trailer.......WHY
Posts: 794
|
Post by RunninLate on Aug 25, 2011 15:59:45 GMT -6
I would go to Sears and buy a compression gauge and do the test myself. Those gauges are not that expensive. Probably cost less than what the shop charged him for the materials used/disposal fee. That charge burns me up.
|
|
|
|
Post by lafromla1 on Mar 3, 2012 13:48:21 GMT -6
I belong to a cigar forum and there is a list of people whom not to do business with for various reasons. Its important that this community knows who to avoid as well as who is reputable. This is the only way to weed out the scumbags and continue to show patronage towards those that work hard to care for their customers. |
|
codman
Petty Officer
Posts: 151
|
Post by codman on Mar 3, 2012 21:57:43 GMT -6
This so called mechanic's skills sounds suspect. Do the compression test yourself! On the other hand, on one launch last summer the tell tale on my yamaha was not showing a stream. I put the boat back on the trailer and examined the engine in the parking lot. Our best guess was that mud wasps had sealed the orifice up. We sprayed some wd-40 up into the orifice and it opened up. We have a lot of mud wasps up here and I would always see them hovering around the engine and boat. Sometimes I would see the beginnings of a nest under the gunnels and hit it with the power washer.
|
|
Drop your top and go 
