Service Prison

What is it with the boat service industry . It never fails that if you have to drop your boat of for any service its like putting your boat in prison with no timeline for release. It doesnt matter how small of a service you need done, simple oil change, upholstery work, anything. Its like putting your recreational livelyhood into some never ending timewarp. When is someone going to figure it out that when they say you are going to be done it actually gets done, and sometime in the next month doesnt cut it!! Also when they say its going to cost X it actually cost X. Its ridiculous, no other industry would allow such level's of service. Why do we put up with these people. Oh ya we dont have any other option. Vent over. Sigh!!!!

It all depends on your dealer. Our Supra dealer here in Dallas is top notch. Contrary to other dealers they will not allow you to drop off your boat without a scheduled appointment. You call them up and let them know what the issue is and then they schedule a day and time for you to drop off your boat.

In 4 years of dealing with them I think the longest they've had my boat for service was maybe 3 days. In fact, one time I dropped off my rear bench seat with them to be re-upholstered because a seam had started coming apart. I dropped off the seat on my way to work. By the time I got to my office (45 minutes later) there was an e-mail from Marty waiting for me to tell me that the seat was re-upholstered and ready to pick up. Now that's service!

Two thumbs up for Water Ski Boats Dallas!

Century Marine in Mesa, AZ is exactly what you are asking for. It's done when they say it will be and costs what they say it will. If during the course service they find something else wrong they call you and ask what do. If they see something that can be submitted as a warranty claim, they do it, you don't have to ask. You boat is done when it they say it will be. They are a family owned and operated business which is awesome! BTW, I don't even have a boat brand they sell, my brother now has the boat they sold me. I DO however take my Malibu there for service.

Two thumbs up for Century Marine!!

D.
I.
Y.

"Why do we put up with these people. Oh ya we don't have any other option." ...yes you do, perfect reasons to do the service yourself.

600 hours, and my boat has never been to a dealer or repair facility yet.

DIY is great if you have the time. If you value your time more than turning a wrench on a boat or don't know how a good dealer is great. I would rather spend my free time with my friends and family not in the garage working on my boat. This is why I go to work, so I can have professionals work on the boat and I can spend time doing things that are important to me.

(Message edited by wakeboardsam on May 20, 2009)

I do all of my own service, but when my boat was still under warranty if a warranty issue came up you bet your ass I was going to have the dealer take care of it. For the warranty issues my dealer has been great.

Otherwise, I agree.... it's more of a hassle to drag your boat to the dealer and pay 5 times as much to have something done that you can do yourself.

DIY on the boat with your friends & family. Get it done right. My friends & family help all the time. And likewise, I help them get their own boats done.

Or go to service prison & be the very definition of B.O.A.T.

On my 4th boat & none have ever been back to the dealer. My boat is important to me & my family. So I make sure that it's done right.

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quote:

By Bill K (bill_airjunky) on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 2:23 pm:

DIY on the boat with your friends & family. Get it done right. My friends & family help all the time. And likewise, I help them get their own boats done.

Or go to service prison & be the very definition of B.O.A.T.

On my 4th boat & none have ever been back to the dealer. My boat is important to me & my family. So I make sure that it's done right.

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My dealer does it right! Do you have a OBD II scanner? My dealer does! Can you service a PCM fuel cell? My dealer can! Can you warranty out a bad guage? My dealer can! Can you get a huge discount on Zero Off? My dealer can! Can you get a replacement muffler for a SANTE next day? My dealer can! Can you service your boat and take your six kids shifter kart racing, then to dinner, a museum, and a movie? I can!

If you are a loyal customer to your dealer and your dealer is honest they will take care of you. If you think your dealer is not honest or wants to rip you off why in the world did you buy the boat from them? You should find a good dealer and support them!



Maybe you guys should just make more money...lol...

You don't have to be in Service Prison if you did your research to begin with! Do your research and buy from a good dealer!

(Message edited by wakeboardsam on May 20, 2009)

Wow, someone is a little hot.

I use birth control. Rather than birth controlling me.

Yea, I have an ODB II scanner. And have never had to do any of the other stuff your having problems with. Maybe thats why your at your dealer so much.

If I did it the way you do, I'd be at the boat, bike, ATV, cart, trailer, truck, or car dealer everyday getting something fixed.

Sam I'm sure there are good dealers out there but not everyone has access to them.

I have a couple available to me but I've never taken my boat to them. It's not a matter of make more money it's a matter of I like to do it myself and it saves me time. I can work on my boat right on the lift and not have to wait in line for other customers who brought their boats in first. Not everyone is capable mind you but for those of us who are it's a great thing. It really isn't that hard if you just try.

Most fixes are simple and don't require complex tools. That goes for everything in life. In the past 10 years I can only think of a few things I've actually paid someone else to do for me, otherwise it's all been DIY. The things I did pay for were things I had no interest in doing like roofing, concrete or drywall. They aren't hard but certainly aren't fun.

As for taking the kids out to do things.... how about have them watch and learn how to fix things, that way they are not at the mercy of service people in the future. That's how I learned, I was my dads "gofer" go for this tool, go for that tool, pretty soon I knew how to fix things myself. I wouldn't trade that knowledge for anything.

(Message edited by sbt3 on May 20, 2009)

All I'm saying is that DIY is not always an option and everyone isn't always able to (or want to) do things themselves and that all dealers are not bad!

So I didnt purchase my boat from a local dealer but from a dealer were I moved from. Nor did I drop 50+ grand on a boat. Is that the only way to get good service is dropping 50+ grand for a new 2010 boat then you get good service. A 2010 boat doesnt really need service. How convienient for the dealership.

Not everyone including myself has a full garage of tools. If I did and had the knowhow to fix my boat I would do it. But I have neither of them. I still think the issue isnt being addressed. Ive been to several dealers dealers/shops and all of them have the same mentality as stated in my first post. I'm glad to here that some folks have a good experieince. I have'nt found one yet. Major overhaul needed in the boat service industry in my opinion.

Guess I need to make more money to get good service Seriously??

My dealer has it back to me within a week tops if it just a basic service/oil change. Liquid Sports FTW.

I guessing you're going to have a problem with the dealer if you didn't buy the boat from them or have a relationship with them. I agree it probably isn't fair but that is the way it is.

My guess is if you bought a new boat from a dealer you would expect to have preferential treatment over someone who had not. This is probably what you are experiencing at the moment. They prioritize their repairs. That's just a fact of life, I don't think it's going to change so you either have to deal with it or find an alternative.

All true, sbt3.

And to compound the problem, the typical boat owner will bring their boat in around the same times, ie; spring or fall, and do nothing when the dealer is slow.

Coincidentally, I had 4 or 5 months to find an hour or two to change the oil in mine. Wasn't all that tough as I didn't have any riding taking up my time anyway.

Someone needs to change this "fact of life" (as quoted above) and open a shop that treats all customers with the same level of service. I would likely purchase a boat from them in the future if I knew they had a good shop to back up their boats. They are so short sighted.

Sorry Dallas,
This time of year that shop is backed up too. Two months ago he was probably laying people off for lack of work.

I have owned a couple boats over the years and have never needed anyones help with anything. Why drop it off at all? Problem solved.

Sam sorry to hear about your lemon. Maybe you should look into the lemon law in your state.

I bought a oil pump station for $250 through the local mac dealer and me and all my buddies use it to service our boats. Its quicker then towing it a hour to the shop and then a hour to pick it up whenever they call plus I can do a top notch oil change for less then $30.

If it needs warrantty or something I'm not capable of handling I'll take it to my dealer in a heartbeat.

And for the record my dealers not perfect but they've always tried and they'll order the parts i need and have them sitting there so I can be down the least amount of time possible.

When my tower cracked they pulled a tower off a stock boat on the showroom to get me back on the lake the next day. When my motor blew I only missed one weekend at the lake. I must say in my experience they have been much better then dealing with my local car dealer! lol

I can change the oil in my boat A LOT quicker (and cheaper) than taking it to a dealer. If I change the oil when I get back from the lake it takes me about 20 minutes start to finish.

That's what I'm talking about greg. If you tried to back up to trailer hook up pull boat for 3 miles then back back trailer in and unhook you would be over 20 mins. And 20 minutes 15 of that is waiting for oil to drain. I pull the hose thru the drain and start draining oil when I get home in the evening drain into a bucket overnight. Pull filter. In the morning screw on new filter and plug refill. It would be one short go cart ride 5 min at night and 5 min in morning.

I'd try to find an independent service guy. I've got two guys that I trust and take my boat to. One is by appointment only. You know that when you take your boat in, work will start on it that day. Usually, unless it's something major, you can pick it up in the evening. The other guy is a drop off guy, but he is super cheap, knows inboards inside and out, and has surprised me with his turnaround times. I busted the drive plate in August last summer and took it to him expecting a two to three week service time given the time of year. He had it ready in a week.

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quote:

By 882001 (882001) on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 4:00 pm:

Sam sorry to hear about your lemon. Maybe you should look into the lemon law in your state.

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First I don't have a lemon, those were all examples of things that a regular guy couldn't do as well as the dealer.

Second, you should know that LEMON laws in all 50 states do not apply to boats! They apply to cars and trucks only!

Timing is everything and we are getting to the peak time. Even if you schedule and the shop actually adheres to the schedule, you may be told to bring it by in 2-3 weeks when they have a slot, which is OK if your boat is still functional, but if it is not working, you will still not have use of your a boat for several weeks. I used to take my boat in for most service but have slowly been converted to DIYer when I figured out that it actually takes LESS time to service most things myself. I keep my boat on a lift, and by the time I get one of my kids to drive the trailer to the ramp, me drive the boat to the ramp, load it up, take it to the service center, drop it off, drive back to the house, drive back to the dealer to pick it up when it is ready, launch the boat, drop off the trailer, get the boat on the lift, I can almost always do it quicker turning the wrenches myself. I know if you keep your boat on a trailer, there is less time to gain by doing it yourself, but even then there are a lot of things you can do quicker DIY unless your mechanic is next door.