ezstriper

ok, hear's another possibility, My Gibson, no comparison I understand has a short drive shaft with 2 u-joints in each one, which I grease every spring, no problem, been doing it for years...july 4 weekend we were on a trip, boat started vibrating..for about 15 sec than bam !!....well a u-joint failed, took out the ends, both couplers etc..looking at the the ujoint, you couls see that it burned up from no grease, yet the other half was lubed fine...so now the question is did something get the center and clog the joint ?? or was the hole not drill from day one and just happened to live that long on the original grease ??? mine was so destroyed that there was no way to tell, from now on I will make sure I see grease from all 4 ends !!!

GrandLake353

This is all good information. My main dispute that I am currently facing is in regards to the amount of labor that I was charged, which is extremely hard to dispute, because I wasn't present when the work was done. However, most educated people that I have discussed this with, all seem to agree that 33 hours of labor is way too high. I understand that the argument in regards to if it was greased or not will never be resolved, considering that it will be too tough to tell or prove either way. I realize that I am going to have to cough up money here, as it is not worth going to court over, but the question lies in regards to if my mechanic is going to show any kind of mercy, which you would think that it would be in their best interest to do so, considering our long relationship and the dollars that we spend with them. I guess we will just have to see....

Thank you everyone for your input, and it is my hope that we are able to reach a resolution here without things getting nasty.

FIXX

OK all B.S. aside.on stock engines it usually takes me 15 minutes to pull the drive, 3hours to pull one engine, 1/2 hour to pull the gimbal housing..now for the stelling box's i cant see no more then 3 hours to repair the ujoints and bearings.

reassembly always takes longer..reinstall box to drive to the transom,would take approximately 1 1/2 hours,reinstall engine with checking alignment approximately 5 hours,reinstall drive and checking drive fluid 1/2 hour..add 1/2 hour for hydraulic steering..

Here's my question? Ask them how long till the other side breaks? Ask them if they took the inspection cover off and look..or better yet see if the bolts have ever been removed..

cocktails

I have had many, many bad dealings with marinas and mechanics over the past 25 yrs. so I started learning on my own and doing most things myself. This is my advice for you. You have stated the total number of hours for the bill to be 33 hrs. Ok Now have the Marina manager and or Mechanic give you a complete breakdown of how the 33 hours were tallied up and at this point I mean detailed. How many hours for each part of this job. You will be able to challenge them alot easier if they tell you it took 6 hrs. to take the hatch off. I would be there when they total the hours. Have them do it in front of you don't give them time to make up or add things you may not be totally familiar with. Post the detail and then let the OSO panel of experts have at it. You can also have a friend call the marina and inquire about pricing for different services. Give you a little more info to compare your bill.

Good Luck.

Greenkeeper

Your getting more than hosed. coctails and mrfixall I think said it best. Break it down you will have more of a chance. Find a HONEST mechanic. The experts can on oso can help. I'd fight 4 every dime unless you have more time than money. If you have given up your money I'd more than likely say that youve lost it. if you have not you may still have a fair chance. Find a friend 2 help you . Now make us all proud of you and leave bite marks all over his ass. Keep us posted.

bcfountain

i think every boater sometime on another has been in the same boat your in now.been there ,done it.i would learn how to work on you stuff,or find a guy on the side to help you along.its a pain in the azz to work on any boat let alone a performance,but least when you do it yourself ,and when you fix it great,when you dont you have no one to blame but yourself.i think the labor rate is high.the job is not that labor intensive,10hrs max,and thats when chit did,nt go right.just my 2cents

racinfever

UPDATE 353 Drive line can be replaced without removing engine. check with Stelling for more info.

Griff

Yes it can. I was wondering why the engine was pulled in the first place. Something could have broke inside the engine bell housing where the drive line connects.

Bottom line is that a detailed, line by line, invoice is needed to see the costs of all parts and labor charges.

A lot of places will charge the standard "book" labor hours for certain things, even if it only takes half the time. Good mechanics can make money this way. It may book at 4 hrs to remove an engine and a good mechanic can do it in 2hrs. Or if the mechanic is slow, he will charge his actual time. He can putz around all he wants and bill you $100 and hour.

JaayTeee

+ 2

I replaced a driveshaft on a friends boat,
(that was about the same age as the boat in question
here, ) and did it all through the opening in the box.

It wasn't fun, but it can be done.

The new shaft that was sent was a heavier
duty piece.....apparently there were some issues
with that vintage of shaft.

GrandLake353

Where would you recommend that I purchase a book like this? I am very open to learning as much as I can, and hope to be able to start doing more of my service. I am also planning on replacing the shaft on the other extension box next spring, and I am needing to know where stelling products can be purchased? I have looked for a website, but have not come up with anything.