# Not to happy with new 15 hp Suzuki review



## tomme boy (Apr 10, 2014)

I bought this last year. It is the new EFI model. I had a couple of problems with it last year flooding out and would not start. They have replaced the evaporator ( I think that was what it was called ), fuel filter, injectors. Not sure if this has fixed it. It was at the end of the year when it was done. It would flood out and leak gas after a long run. Then would not start. 

Now it has a oil leak. It is coming out between the lower unit and the midsection. They first told me it was the cover on the oil filter was not tight enough. I have had it out 2 times since they "fixed" the leak. Oil has returned. I pulled the side cover and there is no oil coming from around the filter cover. None to be seen anywhere. Except between the midsection and the lower. It is engine oil not gear oil. 

I am thinking it is the lower main seal. If that is bad, what are the chances that the main bearings are bad? The seal went bad, if it is, because of a reason. Seals don't usually go bad foe no reason. Especially on a new motor. Something else usually causes it. We will see what they say when they call next week. 

It pisses me off as this is my first 4-stroke. I have not had any luck with this motor. This was one of the reasons for never getting one before this. I knew I should have bought the E-tec.


----------



## thudpucker (Apr 10, 2014)

Take it back. Ask for a new/different motor.
If that don't work, take your sales contract to the Local Prosecutor.
He'll tell you what your options are.
Don't let it get out of the Guarantee period still broken.


----------



## ccm (Apr 10, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=348139#p348139 said:


> thudpucker » 10 Apr 2014, 00:43[/url]"]Take it back. Ask for a new/different motor.
> If that don't work, take your sales contract to the Local Prosecutor.
> He'll tell you what your options are.
> Don't let it get out of the Guarantee period still broken.


100% agree. Don't let this bad impression reflect on all four strokes. I say bad engineering on Suzuki's behalf.


----------



## keelme (Apr 10, 2014)

had a merc 15 did about same the base gasket between power head and mid section around drive shaft had slid out it was taken back to dealer they said it was fixed but not I pulled lower I seen oil on drive shaft so I pull power head off found problem ..make sure your oil isn't getting gas in it it maybe getting to full and leak


----------



## muskiemike12 (Apr 10, 2014)

Your dealer sounds like the problem. Are there any other warranty service centers near you? If your dealer won't work with you, then you need to contact Suzuki directly.


----------



## lovedr79 (Apr 10, 2014)

have them swap the motor with a new one. you got a lemon.


----------



## tomme boy (Apr 10, 2014)

Well I went out today and talked to the dealer. He is putting a call into the Suzuki regional rep. I also told him about the cavitation issues I have been having trying to get the prop to hook up. I have tried this motor on 3 different boats and it has a major problem with it hooking up unless it is at top speed. If you let off the gas at all the prop will break loose and the speed drops and it takes a little while to hook back up. The lower unit has 2 burn marks on the side from the cavitation. I had a local prop guy look at this and he said it is a issue with the design of the lower unit. He is one of the very best in the industry for prop repair and modification. 
https://www.lindenpropeller.com/index.html

Anyway here is a pic of the burn marks on the side of the lower.





I am also a little concerned as the dealer kept saying "you didn't buy it here" And that I would have to take it up with the place I bought it from to see if I could get the motor replaced. 

Anyone have a contact for Suzuki??


----------



## muskiemike12 (Apr 10, 2014)

https://www.suzukimarine.com/Contact.aspx


----------



## Jim (Apr 10, 2014)

Let them know you posted your "problem" about the motor on this forum and that well over 100,000 unique visitors per month come to this site. I am almost positive some are eagerly awaiting a good end result with the motor from the dealer on up.


----------



## DrNip (Apr 10, 2014)

This is terrible. I would take it back to the place you bought it.


----------



## tomme boy (Apr 10, 2014)

Bought it over the internet at a place in Tenn. It was almost 1200$ cheaper than this dealer I am dealing with. I contacted the dealer I bought it from and he has a call into Suzuki and will be in touch tomorrow.


----------



## Boat2fast (Apr 11, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=348190#p348190 said:


> tomme boy » 10 Apr 2014, 15:53[/url]"]Well I went out today and talked to the dealer. He is putting a call into the Suzuki regional rep. I also told him about the cavitation issues I have been having trying to get the prop to hook up. I have tried this motor on 3 different boats and it has a major problem with it hooking up unless it is at top speed. If you let off the gas at all the prop will break loose and the speed drops and it takes a little while to hook back up. The lower unit has 2 burn marks on the side from the cavitation.


 I apologize in advance for these dumb questions. Is this a shortshaft motor being tried on a longshaft boat? Is the trim setting too far out? The cavitation problem is a 'thinker' but wanted to rule out some obvious stuff first.

About the dealer...These guys are rightfully sensitive about being undersold on the internet. Why should they have to clean up another dealers mess? They didn't get the profit from the sale and warranty work historically doesn't pay that well. 

I really have to feel for dealers who wait all winter with no paying work to do. First day of ice-out there is a line of guys at the service counter wondering if their boat could be ready on Saturday. Now he(the dealer) is in the position where he needs to hire twenty qualified mechanics...for the next three weeks.

I sympathize with you AND the dealer on this one.


----------



## tomme boy (Apr 11, 2014)

This dealer is not dead during the winter. They are also a boat manufacturer. They are busy year round. And it does not matter one bit that I bought it somewhere else. Lets say you buy a new chevy truck and are on a cross country trip. It starts leaking oil and the trany is slipping. You take it to a dealer in the town you stop at. They tell you to take it back to the dealer you bought it at as you did not buy it there. 

How pissed off are you going to be??? 

When you buy a new car or truck, do you just go to the only dealer in town and say give me this? NO, I went to this dealer and he was 1200$ higher on a 1 year older model. I asked him to come close and he would not budge on his price. He said that there is no way that the dealer I bought this from was even able to sell it for that price and that he was going to check into why he can sell it for so much less than he was allowed to sell it for. I don't know if there is a MAP type of pricing, but that was how he acted. Suzuki is just a very small portion of his business. He mainly sells ProDrive mud motors on the boats he builds.


----------



## turbotodd (Apr 13, 2014)

It's not uncommon for a dealer to "shun" a customer who didn't spend their money there. It happens more than people think. Think about it. If one purchases an item at a particular place, that place made the money. But if you are out of town, or purchased it somewhere else because it was cheaper and then you need a repair, the dealer you chose (which isn't the selling dealer) made NOTHING on your motor, and in fact most of the time loses a little. Especially with warranty repairs. Warranty typically only pays a percentage of MSRP for parts and a percentage of posted labor rate. So if a dealer spends an hour on a repair, many times they only get paid 70-90% of that hour's labor. The technician who is on commission doesn't care much to work on it either because he won't make a dime. Then if parts are involved, they're only getting THEIR cost + 25% (if that....). Automotive dealers share the same deal, BUT the automotive industry is quite a bit more streamlined than powersports because it can be. There is a LOT more money in automotive than powersports. You "think" you got a great deal on that new Chevy truck that you got $10,000 off of the sticker. But the dealer still made $10,000 on it. Powersports isn't that way. If the powersports dealer makes 20% he's doing well. That's why most powersports dealers are multiple-line dealers. I can see the dealer's side of this story. And I can see your side. I sympathize with both.

That said, a dealer can't REFUSE a warranty repair, as per their dealer agreement. But they can send you elsewhere without denying warranty, and they can put your motor in the back of the backlog, putting their customers first. It's not acceptable from the consumer standpoint one bit. But it happens.

This type of behavior from dealers when dealing with non-dealer internet purchases is unfortunately common, and exactly why it's always a better to buy local if possible. If nothing else, but to support the local small businesses.


----------



## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 13, 2014)

Your quickest resolve to this problem is to get a hold of the regional rep YOURSELF and raise hell. It really gets things done quickly.

You also learned why you shouldn't buy off the internet


----------



## Boat2fast (Apr 16, 2014)

I'm still wondering if the transom height was correct for the motor? Was the tilt pin set way out? The 'cavitation' problem may just be ventilaton from incorrect set-up. Is the cavitation plate roughly an inch or two below the bottom of the boat? Is the tilt pin adjusted so the cav plate is roughly parallel to the bottom?


----------



## muskiemike12 (Apr 16, 2014)

I'm wondering the same thing. Usually cavitation burns are on the prop. I think there might be something else going on here. Can you have someone who is knowledgeable with motor set ups take a look at your whole rig?


----------



## tomme boy (Apr 16, 2014)

The pin has nothing to do with the problems. I have taken it to a couple of people. This is one guy that is very respected. https://api.viglink.com/api/click?f...xt=https://www.lindenpropeller.com/index.html I have talked to another guy I know that used to race for Tahatsu. He has numerous world records for speed. He thinks the same thing

He mentioned that something might be wrong with the lower case it self. Causing a flow issue. Like I said, I have tried this on a couple of other boats and it was doing the same thing on ALL of them. The problem follows the motor. 

I am waiting on the dealer I got this from to hear back from his regional rep. He has not returned a call yet to him.


----------



## turbotodd (Apr 16, 2014)

Interested in seeing the outcome. I've personally never seen cav burns on something that sub 80 mph. But I have not been around the block like a lot of other smarter guys, either.


----------



## Boat2fast (Apr 19, 2014)

Is this a short shaft motor? Are they longshaft boats you were trying it on? Need to rule this out.
Is the tilt pin set way out? Need to rule this out.


----------



## tomme boy (Apr 19, 2014)

Short shaft motor and 3 short shaft boats and the pins were all the way in to the 4 up.


----------



## tomme boy (Apr 21, 2014)

Well, Last Friday I went to the dealer to see if they have gotten to my boat yet. I noticed that the boat was sitting outside. I had told them that I needed the boat inside as it is wood and I don't want water in it sitting there. Well the girl that I talked to said the owner was not there and to stop back Monday. I asked her why the boat was sitting outside and that I wanted it inside. She had no answer as to why it was out. I went over to the boat and the cover I had on it was ripped from the blades of the t-motor. The boat was completely full with water. The weight of the water pulling the cover down in the boat is what ripped it.

So, Today, I went out to check on it again. We had a really big storm this AM. Boat is still sitting outside. I go in and ask for the boss man. They have no clue to where he is at. I asked them again why the boat was sitting out side and told them it is full of water and the cover is ripped. They just had a dumb look on there faces and the girl went to see if she could find Paul the owner. Then he pops out of a door right next to me and tells me to " GET THE F*CK OUT OF HIS SHOP AND TAKE MY PIECE OF SH*T BOAT WITH ME! " He was yelling at me. Then he tells me that I am not going to tell him how to run his business. I don't understand this one. He then tells me that he never wants to see me again and that I was treating his girl like shit and yelling at her???? I never yelled one bit. I never even raised my voice until this jackas* started yelling at me. I told him fine and that I was going to call Suzuki and tell them everything he has done and said. He then says " I don't care what the F*ck Suzuki says!" 

Anyway I took a bunch of pics of the boat with the water in it and the torn cover and went home. I contacted Suzuki at their customer service # about the issue and they said they can't tell a dealer how they are to conduct business. They filed a complaint and said have a nice day! I then started to call around and see if I could get a regional service rep's #. I ended up getting a Sales rep's# and gave him a call and explained what has been happening. He pretty much told me the same thing as the CSR. He told me to take it to another dealer and that was it. He never even offered to contact anyone to find out what was going on. 

All I can say is I am extremely pissed off right now. I have never seen or heard of a company care less than what Suzuki has been right now. The dealer I took it to said it will be about 2-3 weeks before he can get to it. So much for my spring fishing this year. All I know is I will never buy another thing from Suzuki again. 

Now, I am going to look into filing a small claims case against the dealer here for leaving this outside and it filling up with water. I have an idea that the wood has been compromised by the water and will begin to rot from the inside out. The torn cover. The cover is just to keep the junk off it. Not meant to sit outside in the rain. 

I am going to keep updating this as it goes forward.

Oh yah! Now all of a sudden the motor has about a 1/4 of a qt too much oil in it now. I have a feeling this guy was try to sabotage me. I know it was not too full as I checked it before I took it back out there to see if it was low. It was right on the dot on the dipstick that tells you it is full. Now it was up the stick about 1/2"


----------



## Flbigguy1950 (Apr 21, 2014)

Lehr Outboards are sold at marine dealerships nationwide and over 300 West Marine stores.Lehr’s new 15 and its 9.9 feature the world’s first internal electric start battery weighing less than two lbs., eliminating extra weight or clutter of a typical lead acid battery in the boat.
It comes in eight, 15″ or 20″ shaft models using a typical five gal., BBQ propane tank.https://golehr.com/, video: https://vimeopro.com/derema/lehr.

These may costs more but maybe whoever you bought that junk outboard will order you one of these. Worth a try.


----------



## Bigwrench (Apr 21, 2014)

Sorry you had such a bad experience. Just use a different dealer is the only advice I can give. Good luck.


----------



## muskiemike12 (Apr 22, 2014)

Sorry to hear that Tomme. I would not place all the blame on the dealer though. You are partially to blame as well. You cannot expect the dealer to bring your boat inside every night. I'm going to guess the space inside is limited and if everyone had their boat inside nothing would get done? Your cover sounds like a problem. Why would you have left it on the boat if it cannot handle being outside? Why did you not pull the plug on your boat. I'm also going to guess that you never fish in the rain or your boat never touches the water seeing as it cannot get wet.

I have worked retail/customer service for a long time and many times the customer is not always right. You bought nothing from this dealer and expect everything from him. Now don't get me wrong, I know there are some people that should have nothing to do with operating a company that deals directly with the public. This dealer might be one of those people, but without both sides to the story it is hard to tell. 

What is this dealers name and location? There might be others who have had similar experiences with them. I find it hard to believe that the regional rep from Suzuki would give you no help. Maybe it is time for you to contact the BBB and company you actually bought the motor from.

I still fail to under stand why you would leave your whole rig there for a portable motor that can easily be taken off the transom.

I don't mean to sound so harsh, but there are always two sides to every story.


----------



## tomme boy (Apr 22, 2014)

The motor is bolted to the boat. and it is a electric start. The wires are fastened to the transom and to one of the bulkheads. It is not just un clamp it and go. And the dealer has plenty of room to have this sit inside. He has 2 100x100 buildings that he puts boats in that are not to be left outside. Yes the plug was out but that was not the issue. The issue is a couple of the storage compartments do not drain and will hold water if left out in the rain. This boat sits under a car port when at home. The problem was he did not put it inside when he said he would. 

I do not see how I would be at fault for something he has done. I have bought a trailer and a bunch of other stuff from this guy before. He is the goto guy for having stuff welded and modified in the area. I have had him do stuff for me. So yes I have bought from him. I have worked at a service station for 10 years and drove a wrecker for half of that there. I also worked at a paint and body supply house that did custom work for paint for the automotive industry. You can't tell me about working for the public. I have been there. I know how to handle irate customers and people. One thing you never do is fly off the handle like he did. You just don't do that. You try to resolve an issue. He did not even try. He was pissed off because he was called out on his mechanic not doing his job in the first place and that he did not do what he said he was going to do. I am not going to name him right now as I am going to take this to court. Everything has been documented through Suzuki and through the dealer I bought this motor from. Like I said earlier, they can not tell a dealer how they conduct business. So nothing can be done through Suzuki. The only help they can offer is to have it fixed at a different dealer. That is what is being done.


----------



## muskiemike12 (Apr 22, 2014)

I hope everything works out in your favor! Good luck and God bless.


----------



## RustyGoat (Apr 23, 2014)

I almost bought the same 15 HP Suzuki from the same place in TN a couple months ago. Your situation is exactly why I didn't. Most reviews were good but people were saying that if you had a problem it could be up to 3 months to get fixed. Here in Ohio 3 months is most of the fishing season.


----------



## turbotodd (Apr 24, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=349624#p349624 said:


> muskiemike12 » 22 Apr 2014, 05:28[/url]"] there are always two sides to every story.



3 sides to every story.

We are learning what it's like to purchase online, and then have an issue. Kind of makes one wonder. If the motor in question had been purchased at the dealer you've described, would he have been more likely to fix it?


----------



## tomme boy (Apr 24, 2014)

From talking to a bunch of local people about this place, this is his standard of doing business. I have heard of a few others he has screwed and pissed off in the last few years. I am still waiting on hearing back from the Tenn. dealer. Seams they don't care either. I do know one thing. I will be telling everyone to NOT buy a Suzuki. I am done with all of these dealers. They all act like " I have your money now get out of here! " Including the Tenn dealer unless I hear something different. They keep telling me they are calling the Suzuki reps to see what can be done but they are not calling them back. If I owned a dealership and the maker of a motor I carried will not call me back, I would not be carrying that motor anymore.


----------



## Andrew04 (Apr 25, 2014)

I couldn't help but think "if it sounds too good to be true......" While reading this entire thread. You paid $1200 less to buy the motor elsewhere, this must have been a 20-30% disparity, that didn't raise any suspicions? I could see this for a $20,000 motor, but not a 15 horse. 

You have to realize your local marina is a small business, and probably isn't doing as well as they have in the past. You buy the motor elsewhere after he warned you that its suspiciously cheap, and now you're upset because it was outside while receiving warranty work? 

In a perfect world he would treat you as well as his cash paying customers, but it is quite common for dealers to not care about work for motors purchased elsewhere. 

Threatening the servicing dealer with litigation is a waste of time, and in poor taste in my opinion. Unless yours was the only boat outside, you can prove he was out to harm you, and he told you to build your boat out of wood.

I would focus on dealing with the purchasing dealer, as well as Suzuki. Remember profit is what drives business, and makes marinas and companies want to help you. You took your savings up front, you may need to spend some to get them to care. Sad, but true.


----------



## Boat2fast (Apr 25, 2014)

I, for one, would like to hear more facts about this mysterious cavitation/ventilation phenomenon. I still can't clearly picture or even imagine it.

Next time the situation occurs, maybe someone could whip out their cell phone and take a video. Then, without changing anything, I would like to see a picture of the setup (motor on transom on trailer)...from all angles.

Then, and only then, can we begin to analyze the situation and find a cure. Let's face it, fixing the actual problem fixes everybody's problem here. The owner is fixed. The dealer is fixed. The selling dealer is fixed. Suzuki is fixed and the sales reps are fixed. The lawyers and the judge are all fixed too. Now everybody goes fishing in peace.


----------



## tomme boy (Apr 30, 2014)

Well I got a call from Suzuki this AM. They have called the place that I have it at now. They are supposed to get to it next week to tear into it. The dealer in Tenn forwarded all the emails to Suzuki. I told the dealer yesterday in an email that I had put all of this on a boating forum and everyone seems very concerned as many want to buy motors online but will not because of stuff like this that is happening. We will see what happens next


----------



## tomme boy (May 21, 2014)

And I am still waiting. The dealer took the lower unit off as the oil mysteriously stopped leaking. Ya right. He had to run it a few times to get it "hot" his words. And it is now leaking a little bit from the lower mail crankshaft seal. But he still can not fix it as he has to get authorization from Suzuki to be able to get the parts. 

I wonder how HOT is hot? This is really starting give me very little faith in anything that is Suzuki related. I am supposed to go on a fishing trip on the 30th of this month. They know it and we will see if I am able to go or not. Who knows if they actually will get fixed right. I have little faith!


----------



## bobberboy (May 22, 2014)

My brother had a 70hp Suzuki 4-stroke that ran like a dream - never any problems. 

There are so many ways a thing like you're going through can go wrong - from the factory to the dealer and every step in between. I feel for the dealers only a little. In the last two years I have bought new a snowblower, rototiller and lawnmower. In each case I went to the small engine shop that's one block from my house and in each case the owner matched the big box store price. More $ than some faceless internet address and less than retail. Each time the machine was assembled, checked out, filled with gas and I got a personal thanks. Just as importantly, each time I developed a better relationship with a local small business. I buy a lot of things on the internet but when it's something complicated or expensive I want a face connected with the purchase. In your case I don't feel sorry for the dealer because it seems he might have been able to do something for you on the price. He would have been money ahead in the long run to have created some good will where you're concerned and a potential return customer rather than three pages of hard feelings on an internet forum like this. 

The thing I have no patience for is the attempted extortion (or maybe it's punishment) by the dealer when suggesting that because you didn't buy it at his shop he has no responsibility to fix it. It seems to me that when one becomes a dealer of any product you join a network of dealers who are each supporting the others. What happens to _his_ customers when they are away and have a problem? Does he want his customers treated that way? I doubt it. And what about the manufacturer, do they want this kind of bad feeling generated? I doubt that as well. For my part, as long as manufacturers give warranties to their products their dealers have to accept warranty repair as a fact of life. Not doing so in my view is a failure on the part of the dealer to provide service that was guaranteed to the customer when they purchased the product. Don't like it? Then give up the dealership.

For those of you old enough to remember the animated cartoon "Super Chicken" you know his famous line "you knew the job was dangerous when you took it". The internet has changed a lot of things about doing business but in the end customer service matters.


----------



## jethro (May 22, 2014)

You learned the hard way that there is extreme value in buying from someone instead of something. I personally would never buy anything big like this with a faceless transaction no matter how much money is saved. There is huge value in a handshake. I hope you get taken care of well. I have owned a half dozen Suzuki products and they have all been fantastic.


----------



## turbotodd (May 22, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=353108#p353108 said:


> tomme boy » Yesterday, 20:40[/url]"]And I am still waiting. The dealer took the lower unit off as the oil mysteriously stopped leaking. Ya right. He had to run it a few times to get it "hot" his words. And it is now leaking a little bit from the lower mail crankshaft seal. But he still can not fix it as he has to get authorization from Suzuki to be able to get the parts.
> 
> I wonder how HOT is hot? This is really starting give me very little faith in anything that is Suzuki related. I am supposed to go on a fishing trip on the 30th of this month. They know it and we will see if I am able to go or not. Who knows if they actually will get fixed right. I have little faith!




Does Suzuki have overheat protection? I know nothing of them. On many of the Yamaha's if the engine reaches a certain temperature, it will reduce RPM to about 2500 to help keep it from self-destructing. If your new zuke has that feature, then it generally won't hurt itself, even if a greenhorn tech forgets to run water through the muffs....

Again, never messed with suzuki's stuff. Yamaha's crank seals are simple fix on the smaller motors. Remove powerhead, remove seal plate, replace seal, reassemble. Only done one in 22 years; and it wasn't the factory's fault. Another shop attempted an "overhaul" and did a pretty poor job. That was a 25 4 stroke 1998 model IIRC. Took about 2 hours start to finish best I remember. 

oops...2 seals in 22 years. The other one was a 2 stroke 25 hp that exhibited classic signs of an air leak, lower cylinder not running, etc....pulled powerhead, seal was just flopping around. Easy fix. Under an hour, best I can remember.


----------



## tomme boy (May 25, 2014)

He told me he has to split the case????


----------



## tomme boy (Jun 2, 2014)

Still have not heard anything on when this is going to be done. 

Lost out on a $500 non returnable deposit for a cabin rental for a fishing trip I was supposed to go on last week. The dealer knew this as I told him I had to have this back by the 29th. I am so glad that Suzuki and all of their dealers are so caring and trustworthy.


----------



## PATRIOT (Jun 2, 2014)

Was considering this new Suzuki from the Tenn website (newoutboards dot com) but guess I'll pass . . . found a local dealer that will match internet pricing anyway.


----------



## tomme boy (Jun 6, 2014)

New update. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: 

Went this AM to pick the boat and motor up. Got back about 10AM and went right to the boat ramp to take it for a ride. Got in the boat and it started right up. Idled out for about 100 yds to let it warm up a little. I took off an when the boat was about on plane the motor started to spit and sputter and then outright died. Tried to start it again and the starter sounded like it was dragging and then it stopped working all together. Tried to pull start it and it started then died. I dropped the trolling motor in the water and worked my way back to the ramp. Once back at the ramp it started up again and it idles fine. Put it under power and it spits, sputters and dies. It had a hot electrical motor smell to it with the hood off. 

I took it back to the dealer and he has a call into the Suzuki tech rep. Supposed to call back this afternoon. I am picking this up if it is fixed or not later today. I am going on a 600 mile drive to Tennessee on Monday. I am going to drop this POS off at the original seller. I have already called them and told them what is going on and how pissed off I am to have to drive 600 miles to get this fixed or replaced.


----------



## jasper60103 (Jun 7, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=354909#p354909 said:


> tomme boy » Today, 1:05 pm[/url]"]New update. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
> 
> Went this AM to pick the boat and motor up. Got back about 10AM and went right to the boat ramp to take it for a ride. ...



Did the dealer attempt to fix anything or just wanted to wash his hands of it?


----------



## tomme boy (Jun 7, 2014)

Well I took it back up to him and dropped it off. He called back about 3 hours later and said it was ready. I asked him what he did. He said he went through all of the electrical connections and tightened up everything. Then he said he put it in his test tank and ran it at full throttle in gear. He said it might have been a bad ground. 

I took it out this evening for 2 hours and it ran fine so far. We will see.


----------



## Abraham (Jun 7, 2014)

So much for saving money on an internet purchase huh? Maybe you should have listened to your local dealer when he told you it was too cheap instead of sending your money 600 miles away to someone who could give two shits about you?

I work at a dealership and I swear the internet is making an expert out of any person who can run a mouse. And to be quite honest it pisses me off a lot of times. 

Examples in the last 3 months or so:

Some guy told me a website was blowing our price out of the water on a $220 radiator. It was $25 cheaper, coming from Florida, and he had to pay freight. :shock: 

Guy calls and says he's been buying injector pressure regulators from Oreillys or Autozone but they only last 6 months or so. Our price was $30 more so he got pissed off of course. So I reminded him that the original had lasted 6 years. Made no difference, he still went and got a junk one from downtown.

Local fellow calls and says the vehicle he purchased came with only one key. I asked him where he bought it and of course it was two hours away. The selling dealer wanted us to sell the key to them at %10 over cost and program it at a discount as well. Well of course they did, they don't want to look like assholes for making this guy drive four hours round trip for something they should've handled. Plus, they don't have to deal with the customer.

I told him to take it back to the selling dealer. This was not the answer he expected of course lol. He said "well, I'm never doing business with you again!" I calmly replied with, "well, have you ever before?" No? Well I guess I'm not missing out on much than am I

Moral of the story, big dealers from far away don't care about you and can sell things cheaper because they can deal in larger quantities. Big dealers also get kick backs from the brands they sell that smaller, local dealers do not get. Support local business and keep your money where it can help your community and don't look for the cheapest way to do something.

If we sell a vehicle and it has a warranty issue, recall, needs an oil change, a detail, etc...That vehicle gets pushed to the very front of the line. Every...single...time...


----------



## tomme boy (Jun 8, 2014)

You are talking about 30$. I am talking about 1500$ Not the same at all. I asked him to come close as I wanted to buy it from him. He would not budge on the price. I didn't want him to meet the price, but come close. I have done business with the original dealer before and have sent A LOT of people his way to buy boats from him. I have done a lot more checking about this dealer and even Suzuki does not recommend him for repair anymore. They advise two other places in a 50 mile radius. So that tells you something right there. I have heard all kinds of stories of him charging 3 x's the amount on repairs that he said would only cost 100$. Then holding said boats hostage till it is paid. He charged one of my friends 75$ to clean the battery posts on one battery that was sitting in the back of a flatboat in a battery box. Plus 1.5 hours of diagnostic time to find out why his motor would not turn over. At 85$/hr I think a little vaseline should have been free at no charge. 

Oh and 20-30 on a radiator ain't shi*. Thats the price fluctuation just from one store to another. If this was a dealer part at that much difference, I would go with the dealer part as they are always way better than any of the big box stores parts. I have been involved in a local repair shop for over 30 years and see it every day. The bad thing is they are getting worse every year on the parts they are selling to the masses. So think what you want, if this was over 500$ I would not be as mad.


----------



## earl60446 (Jun 8, 2014)

If it ran right for 2 hours, you are good to go. The ordeal is over, calm down now and enjoy some fishing.
Tim


----------



## Abraham (Jun 8, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=355086#p355086 said:


> tomme boy » Today, 10:24[/url]"]You are talking about 30$. I am talking about 1500$ Not the same at all. I asked him to come close as I wanted to buy it from him. He would not budge on the price. I didn't want him to meet the price, but come close. I have done business with the original dealer before and have sent A LOT of people his way to buy boats from him. I have done a lot more checking about this dealer and even Suzuki does not recommend him for repair anymore. They advise two other places in a 50 mile radius. So that tells you something right there. I have heard all kinds of stories of him charging 3 x's the amount on repairs that he said would only cost 100$. Then holding said boats hostage till it is paid. He charged one of my friends 75$ to clean the battery posts on one battery that was sitting in the back of a flatboat in a battery box. Plus 1.5 hours of diagnostic time to find out why his motor would not turn over. At 85$/hr I think a little vaseline should have been free at no charge.
> 
> Oh and 20-30 on a radiator ain't shi*. Thats the price fluctuation just from one store to another. If this was a dealer part at that much difference, I would go with the dealer part as they are always way better than any of the big box stores parts. I have been involved in a local repair shop for over 30 years and see it every day. The bad thing is they are getting worse every year on the parts they are selling to the masses. So think what you want, if this was over 500$ I would not be as mad.



I thought it was $1200? 

I just mentioned the two stories to show how little the dollar amount can be to upset someone who is internet surfing.

How much did you spend on this motor if you don't mind me asking? $1,200-1,500 is a pretty good chunk of change.


----------



## tomme boy (Jul 14, 2014)

Well I have only used the motor two times and it has been sitting because all of the rivers around here are way too flooded to use. 

The motor is still leaking oil out the bottom. I am taking it back to the dealer that *fixed* it and we will see what happens this time.


----------



## Djknyork (Jul 15, 2014)

Wow Tomme boy sorry to hear all of this and most especially about the dealer. What all dealers don't understand is that by not properly servicing the product they chose to sell, regardless of where it was purchased, they are potentially losing customers. Because if I took my truck or my evinrude to a dealer and they treated me like that I'd be sure to trash them every opportunity I could. With all the social media these days a dealer is taking a real chance snubbing a customer. And with some folks, lol, like myself, I'd make sure it was paid back 10 fold with horrible reviews on every single website I could find. 
Btw... Once your motor is running normally or has been replaced by Suzuki please share with the forum the name of the dealer so fellow members can avoid it in the future and tell all of their buddies to also avoid it. 
Best of luck man


----------



## tomme boy (Jan 16, 2015)

Well it still has not been fixed. I talked to the dealer yesterday and he said that he can't touch it till one of the suzuki people stops by to advise on it. They have had it for over a month and a half. And have known about it since July. I told the dealer that I do not want it back unless a new powerhead is installed. Suzuki said that there is no way that will happen. 

I gave them a month before I am coming to pick it up. So we will see what they do. I will never buy another of these motors again. I know of 6 people from the local area now that know me that bought other motors because of this BS that they have done.


----------



## jasper60103 (Jan 17, 2015)

tomme boy said:


> Well it still has not been fixed. I talked to the dealer yesterday and he said that he can't touch it till one of the suzuki people stops by to advise on it. They have had it for over a month and a half. And have known about it since July. I told the dealer that I do not want it back unless a new powerhead is installed. Suzuki said that there is no way that will happen.
> 
> I gave them a month before I am coming to pick it up. So we will see what they do. I will never buy another of these motors again. I know of 6 people from the local area now that know me that bought other motors because of this BS that they have done.



Sounds like you had some rotten luck. Hope this gets resolved and doesn't ruin another fishing season. Good luck.


----------



## tomme boy (Feb 8, 2015)

Still have not heard anything yet. Been at the dealer since Dec 1


----------



## SumDumGuy (Feb 9, 2015)

wow, what a nightmare - total frustration me thinks.


----------



## JoshKeller (Feb 9, 2015)

at this point, if you're still under warranty, id run it with no oil, lock it up, fill up the oil, and demand a new one. :mrgreen: [-o<


----------



## jy951 (Feb 15, 2015)

JoshKeller said:


> at this point, if you're still under warranty, id run it with no oil, lock it up, fill up the oil, and demand a new one. :mrgreen: [-o<




I wouldn't do that. They may be able to determine it was run with no oil and not cover it under warranty and then you're screwed.


----------



## turbotodd (Feb 17, 2015)

jy951 said:


> JoshKeller said:
> 
> 
> > at this point, if you're still under warranty, id run it with no oil, lock it up, fill up the oil, and demand a new one. :mrgreen: [-o<
> ...



An engine that has been run out of oil....is obvious once it's opened up. Been there, done that, and unfortunately people will do this kind of thing to get what they want. And in some cases, they got more than they bargained for-like fraud charges.

The dealer working on the suzuki 15hp motor sounds like....not much of a dealer if they can't make a decision without the help of Suzuki's reps. I haven't dealt with 'Zuki any, but on Yamaha stuff, if I have a problem with a customer's motor and I can't resolve it, I call the local rep and he is there within 48 hours. But I also know that Suzuki has been (still is?) having financial issues which might play into things a little bit. I won't go into more detail with that, but Suzuki was having some serious financial problems for a while. I haven't kept up with it recently but it doesn't look any better to me, based on some "inside" info.


----------



## tomme boy (Feb 19, 2015)

Well I got it back. Whether it is actually fixed or not that is another thing. They replaced the lower tank??? They said the main seal was not leaking at all from the last time it was worked on. They said it was leaking out a gasket where the drive shaft ran through the lower tank. 

We are locked up in ice for a while yet. I just bought a Lowe 1440MV to run some of the smaller rivers around here. Man is this boat light. I also just got in a new 4 blade PowerTech SRT 10" pitch to put on the motor. I was bumping into the rev limiter so hopefully this will turn the rpm's down a little bit. The computer records every time it does this. He showed me on the printout for the motor how many times it hit the limiter and how many times it went over before the limiter kicks in. There is like a 200 rpm difference. Pretty neat all the stuff it records. Like temp outside when it was started. All the different rpms it runs in. 0-999 1000-2000......... I spent a lot of time idling trolling for walleye. about 2/3 of the run time was idling.


----------

