Re: COST FOR WORKING ON OUTBOARD MOTOR
By seahorse - In effect, you are saying that the tech (or the shop) should not charge you to pull apart a powerhead, clean up the parts, inspect them to see what needs replacing, look up all the needed items and price them out, then write up an estimate for you. That usually involves several hours of labor, depending on the motor.
That's not what I'm saying at all. You just want to argue again.<br /><br />If a tech has gone to that extent, then he has already done more than half of the entire repair work. This would hardly be what you're calling an "estimate". You are referring to an exact diagnosis and repair cost established by destructive diagnosis, with authorization by the customer. This is not an "estimate".<br /><br />
If you get the repair done, that labor is part of the bill, fine, but if you say "Nah, I'll do it somewhere else", then you should pay for the tech's (or shop's) time and expertise for pulling things apart and making the estimate.
Again, in this case the customer has already authorized disassembly of the outboard which included cleaning parts, diagnosing the exact problem, and itemizing the repair parts. At this point, the customer would be walking away at mid-repair and his obligation to pay for that. And since the outboard would now be disassembled in pieces and parts, and in the shop's possession, it would be very difficult for the customer to now take it "somewhere else".<br /><br />
Anyone can give a 'free' estimate by looking at something, then shouting out the highest priced worse case scenario to repair, but that would not be accurate, would it?
An estimate is just that....an "estimate".<br /><br />Estimates are usually never exact, and many aren't accurate at all. Some people might even call them a guess. They are based on what the
estimated problem is and what the
estimated cost to repair that problem is. They don't require complete tear-downs, nor an exact diagnosis. They only require that the owner understand it is an
estimate of what the actual authorized repair might be. Verbiage on the estimate form will be specific to that effect (by law).<br /><br />Good shops with much repair experience can make good honest estimates. In other words, they can give you a good idea of what you're in for. Most likely they've seen similar problems before and know what to expect. And once repair is authorized by the customer, they will immediately notify the customer if repair expenses will exceed the estimate. <br /><br />When a customer signs his name to the estimated repair costs, he is authorizing the repair with the understanding it could cost more or less. It is only that authorized repair that allows the disassembly, cleaning, diagnosis, and itemized parts cost you are describing seahorse. If you are doing that kind of work on outboards just to give an "estimate", and you're doing it without the customer's understanding that there is a charge associated with it, and without his signed authorization of that charge, you are crazy.<br /><br />Again, it doesn't take much for a shop to do an estimate. My shops do it free.
