Advice on required maintenance on Volvo sterndrive.

[durdy]

Hi, the boat dealer says I should have both a "bellows servicing" and replace the waterpump on my 2008 4.3l Volvo powered SX sterndrive. They said there's nothing wrong with the boat but recommend the servicing. I asked what the required interval was and they said every year for the water pump and every few for the bellows servicing (whatever this is). They said they had been a bit lax on the Volvo maintenance the past few years which is why it hadn't been suggested to me or done up until now.

What is this bellows servicing and is $550 reasonable for it?

Same question for the water pump - he quoted $160 to proactively replace it.

I don't mind paying for required maintenance but his "a bit lax" statement has raised alarm bells.

Thanks.

 

[Don S]

Re: Advice on required maintenance on Volvo sterndrive.

$550 seems unreasonable for a bellows change alone. It takes about an hour to replace, and that includes removing and re-installing the drive. They are usually good for 5 years. But we can't see your boat, or the bellows or do we know your weather condititions or how you use the boat, or store it.
Raw water pump impeller is a similar story, can you get to it? How much room in front of the pump? If you have easy access to the pump and impeller, it takes half an hour or less to replace.

Have you considered doing your own maintenance?