It seems that in this case the only resolution that Revdex.com or the customer is willing to accept is a refund of the customer's money, although that is completely unjustified Again, here is what transpiredOne thing to keep in mind is that for any motor to run properly it must have things all working correctlyThey are, air, fuel, lubrication, spark, compression and coolingAny one not working properly and the motor will not operate as it should Customer and a friend come to our business asking us to "diagnose" his [redacted] 2-stroke, carbureted outboard motor because it was not running right We asked him what it was or wasn't doing and he stated that it would start up but once he tried to throttle up it would hesitate and/or dieWe told him we had heard the same symptoms 1,000's of times and most of the time it's dirty or gummed up carburetors since with the hot temperatures and ethanol fuels evaporating quickly it gums up carbs in no time He then said that he, a friend or someone had recently cleaned the carbs but we could smell varnish, which is the gummy material that is left behind when the fuel evaporates away and the varnish clogs the carburetor jetsFuels, especially ethanol fuels can evaporate away in as little as to weeks We further told him that since his motor is an old, non-computerized motor that this is the best place and most logical place to start based on the varnish smell and the symptoms he stated and we then filled out a workorder to "clean the carbs" and nothing elseHe signed the workorder and left When one of our techs was beginning to remove the carbs for cleaning, we noticed that the linkage to the oiling system was missingWe contacted the customer to see if he or whomever previously cleaned the carbs had itHe said that they didn'tWhen we looked up that part it was no longer available, although the two ends wereWe called the customer and explained that we would have to fabricate the linkage and order the ends, since trying to operate the motor without it would damage or burn up the motor due to lack of lubricationWe told him the linkage and ends would be about $**, he agreed to that We cleaned the carbs and they were indeed gummed up and varnishedOnce the oil linkage had been made we installed it and checked that it functioned correctlyOnly then could we attempt to start the motor About this point the customer called and we informed him of the dirty carbs and that the oil linkage was now installedAt that time he asked us to additionally change the lower unit gear oil, which we did When the motor was started it idled roughly and/or would die as if it were only running on of the cylindersKnowing that we had air, fuel, lubrication and water cooling, we next checked for spark on all cylinders of which there are One cylinder had a very weak or inconsistant spark We checked/cleaned the spark plugs which were fine, then began looking at the stator, an electrical part of a motor that generates electricity like an alternator, but also sets the spark timing for each cylinderAfter ohming the stator we found one pot to be weak and inconsistant, which would account for the rough idleWe checked on the availability of the stator and found that it was unavailable and even if one could be located that it would be quite costlyThis is the point where we stopped checking or testing anything else (only compression was left to check) as it would be a waste of our time and the customer's money without a working stator We contacted the customer and explained everything including that often when a stator goes bad, so can other electrical parts such as coil packs or an ECM (electronic control module) and that it's almost impossible to test an ECMAlso, to start replacing expensive electrical parts on an old motor was foolish The customer came to pickup his boat and paid for the carb cleaning, oil linkage and changing the lower unit gear oil, but nothing else Evidently, he took his motor to another mechanic who upon hearing all that we did ran a compression check and found one cylinder was badHe did not recheck any of our work Besides the customer's motor having dirty carbs and a faulty stator, it now appears that he had run the motor for a period of time before bringing it to us without the oil linkage which probably burned up a cylinder causing the low compressionAgain, as I stated in my other responses, we are not pshycic nor do we have a crystal ball to diagnose motor problems and can only proceed based on what a customer tells us and what we can see, smell or hearHad we not seen the missing oil linkage and had attempted to test run the motor or do a compression check without lubrication, we would have damaged the motor for sureIn other words, had the customer taken his motor to the second mechanic and had he run a compression check without noticing the missing oil linkage, he would have damaged a motor that only had dirty carbs and an unforeseen faulty stator In closing, I doubt that Revdex.com is a trained and certified marine mechanic and to file this as "unresolved" is just not rightIf the only thing that will resolve this matter is to refund the customer, I'll be glad to so long as he brings us his motor to us so we can return it to the condition in which he brought it inIn other words so we can drain out the new lower unit gear oil that we put in it; remove the oil linkage that we made, and that we can make the carburetors gummed up and dirty again I request that you review this matter once again and do some research before you put this on any public forum or website as that would be defamation and possibly slander [redacted] General Manager Cougar Marine USA, LLC
Customer brought his boat and motor to our shop stating that it didn't run right and would quit running/dieThe other symtoms he mentioned indicated that it was most likely a fuel related issue, such as dirty carburetors, which is very common with ethanol fuels and the high temperatures of our
areaThe customer also asked us to change the lower unit gear oil while it was at our shop. We immediatey noticed that the motor was missing a linkage to the oil pump which was no longer available for his motor, but the two ends for the linkage were availableHe signed a workorder authorizing cleaning of the carbs; making a new oil linkage and changing the gear oilWe ordered the ends and fabricated the linkage in-houseWhen we tried to start it, we could not keep it running and then cleaned his carbs which were dirtyAfter that we again attempted to start the motor but it would run very rough and would dieAt that point we began "minor" testing of ignition coils, stator and other electrical items to be sure that they were producing spark and with the correct amount of currentWe did detect a slight variance on one cylinder from the stator, but it was not consistant nor far off of specificationsWhile it could have been a bad stator we did not want to spend more of the customer's money doing a full test without his authorizationSo, we advised the customer that his motor still had other problems, other than the dirty carbs, and that it might be electrical and could be expensive assuming the parts were still availableThe customer paid the bill and took the boatA few days later he informed us that he had taken the motor to *** *** and after explaing what we had done and checked, *** ran a compression check and one cylinder was found to be bad, probably damaged by the customer not having the oil linkage on the motor and it burned up that cylinderHe asked for a refund and I explained that normally, to diagnose anything on a motor it needs to be running first, or at least enough to detect other problems and the carbs had to be clean to do thatI also explained that the symptoms he explained to us indicated a fuel problem and that no mechanic just does a compression check for no reason at all, and that if he had authorized us to continue checking the motor for whatever problem it was having, we would have done a compression check at some pointAs an example of what happened, it's like you go to a doctor complaining about a stomach ache and he finds it's your appendixThen, during the operation the doctor finds a cancerous tumor that is inoperableSince you're going to die from the cancer, you want your money back for the appendix operation even though your appendix was bad tooIt's unfortunate, but these types of things happen from time to time, especially with older motors that haven't been taken care of
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint
If the owner of Cougar Marine would have followed the directive given of "check and advise" we would have only been out a much smaller diagnoses fee When I explained numerous time to that I wanted him to "check and advise" complete engine for diagnoses If he would have followed directive of "check and advise" I would be only out of pocket diagnoses fee not the additional services that were pushed on me as a new customerIf a customer give a vendor a directive that vendor should follow the customer request not go off on a money making process I have reached out to my fellow fishing members in the *** and there are numerous people that have had similar complaints of misdiagnoses from Cougar Marine I have statements from others that have had similar issues with Cougar Marine as well as the person with me at time of dropping off boat with clear directive on what I wanted As owner of Cougar Marine has stated, the motor is old and I did not want to put unnecessary money into the engine if not worth it I am not asking for anything but a refund for failure to follow directive request of the customer.
Regards,
We did exactly what the customer authorized on the signed workorderAgain, you can't diagnose much of anything on a basic non-computerized carbureted motor without trying to get it to runAlso, the customer claims others have had mis-diagnosed problems at our company is purely falseWhen we are unable for whatever reason to diagonse a motor problem we send the customer elsewhereThis matter is closed as far as we're concerned
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. If you look at the responses from the owner there are numerous inconsistencies in all of his responses. I am consistently stating the same facts.
I have stated numerous times that I never requested to clean carbs as he is the one that stated this in our conversations that is what it needed as he is the expert in his field of business. I have stated over and over that I asked him to "check and advise" to avoid huge cost for a old motor. The failure to follow simple customer request lead to these extra cost that I would have not approved if properly diagnosed accordingly.
I am simply stating the facts of what transpired and poor customer service I received from this company.
Regards,
It seems that in this case the only resolution that Revdex.com or the customer is willing to accept is a refund of the customer's money, although that is completely unjustified.
Again, here is what transpired. One thing to keep in mind is that for any motor to run properly it must have 6 things all working correctly. They are, air, fuel, lubrication, spark, compression and cooling. Any one not working properly and the motor will not operate as it should.
1. Customer and a friend come to our business asking us to "diagnose" his [redacted] 2-stroke, carbureted outboard motor because it was not running right.
2. We asked him what it was or wasn't doing and he stated that it would start up but once he tried to throttle up it would hesitate and/or die. We told him we had heard the same symptoms 1,000's of times and most of the time it's dirty or gummed up carburetors since with the hot temperatures and ethanol fuels evaporating quickly it gums up carbs in no time.
3. He then said that he, a friend or someone had recently cleaned the carbs but we could smell varnish, which is the gummy material that is left behind when the fuel evaporates away and the varnish clogs the carburetor jets. Fuels, especially ethanol fuels can evaporate away in as little as 1 to 4 weeks.
4. We further told him that since his motor is an old, non-computerized motor that this is the best place and most logical place to start based on the varnish smell and the symptoms he stated and we then filled out a workorder to "clean the carbs" and nothing else. He signed the workorder and left.
5. When one of our techs was beginning to remove the carbs for cleaning, we noticed that the linkage to the oiling system was missing. We contacted the customer to see if he or whomever previously cleaned the carbs had it. He said that they didn't. When we looked up that part it was no longer available, although the two ends were. We called the customer and explained that we would have to fabricate the linkage and order the ends, since trying to operate the motor without it would damage or burn up the motor due to lack of lubrication. We told him the linkage and ends would be about $**, he agreed to that.
6. We cleaned the carbs and they were indeed gummed up and varnished. Once the oil linkage had been made we installed it and checked that it functioned correctly. Only then could we attempt to start the motor.
7. About this point the customer called and we informed him of the dirty carbs and that the oil linkage was now installed. At that time he asked us to additionally change the lower unit gear oil, which we did.
8. When the motor was started it idled roughly and/or would die as if it were only running on 2 of the 3 cylinders. Knowing that we had air, fuel, lubrication and water cooling, we next checked for spark on all cylinders of which there are 3. One cylinder had a very weak or inconsistant spark.
9. We checked/cleaned the spark plugs which were fine, then began looking at the stator, an electrical part of a motor that generates electricity like an alternator, but also sets the spark timing for each cylinder. After ohming the stator we found one pot to be weak and inconsistant, which would account for the rough idle. We checked on the availability of the stator and found that it was unavailable and even if one could be located that it would be quite costly. This is the point where we stopped checking or testing anything else (only compression was left to check) as it would be a waste of our time and the customer's money without a working stator.
10. We contacted the customer and explained everything including that often when a stator goes bad, so can other electrical parts such as coil packs or an ECM (electronic control module) and that it's almost impossible to test an ECM. Also, to start replacing expensive electrical parts on an old motor was foolish.
11. The customer came to pickup his boat and paid for the carb cleaning, oil linkage and changing the lower unit gear oil, but nothing else.
Evidently, he took his motor to another mechanic who upon hearing all that we did ran a compression check and found one cylinder was bad. He did not recheck any of our work.
Besides the customer's motor having dirty carbs and a faulty stator, it now appears that he had run the motor for a period of time before bringing it to us without the oil linkage which probably burned up a cylinder causing the low compression. Again, as I stated in my other responses, we are not pshycic nor do we have a crystal ball to diagnose motor problems and can only proceed based on what a customer tells us and what we can see, smell or hear. Had we not seen the missing oil linkage and had attempted to test run the motor or do a compression check without lubrication, we would have damaged the motor for sure. In other words, had the customer taken his motor to the second mechanic and had he run a compression check without noticing the missing oil linkage, he would have damaged a motor that only had dirty carbs and an unforeseen faulty stator.
In closing, I doubt that Revdex.com is a trained and certified marine mechanic and to file this as "unresolved" is just not right. If the only thing that will resolve this matter is to refund the customer, I'll be glad to so long as he brings us his motor to us so we can return it to the condition in which he brought it in. In other words so we can drain out the new lower unit gear oil that we put in it; remove the oil linkage that we made, and that we can make the carburetors gummed up and dirty again.
I request that you review this matter once again and do some research before you put this on any public forum or website as that would be defamation and possibly slander.
[redacted]
General Manager
Cougar Marine USA, LLC
Sadly, the customer is not being realistic. His old outboard motor, a [redacted] as previously described, had dirty carburetors that had to be cleaned first in an attempt to get the motor running well enough to determine if anything else might be a problem. Normally, with the effects of ethanol fuels, clogged up and dirty carburetors are extremely common. I guess he expects us to be psyhic or have a crystal ball so we would know everything that is or could be wrong with his motor beforehand. It doesn't work that way and the only reason the second mechanic was able to test and make a final diagnosis was because he knew what we had already done (he and I discussed that). And had the customer allowed us to continue, we would have come to the same conclusion. Unlike newer, fully computerized outboard motors that have built-in diagnostics, older motors such as this customer's almost ** year old one must be diagnosed step by step, and getting it to any type of running status was the first step. The customer was not charged for the other minor disgnostics that we performed, only what we actually had done. If every marine, automotive or small engine mechanic was forced to refund all work they performed on a motor in an attempt to get the motor to run when later in the process it's determined that the motor has a major problem, then the mechanics would either refuse to work on motors with certain problems or their hourly shop labor rates would increase dramatically to cover these types of situations that quite honestly happen all of the time, especially with older motors. In this case, the customer's motor has a bad cylinder which can be rebuilt and if so, his carburetors are already clean. Just because he may choose not to rebuild his motor does not entitle him to a refund for work done that was done correctly and which he authorized by signing our workorder that clearly states to "clean the carburetors and make a new oil linkage", nothing else. Although while we were working on his motor he authorized changing the lower unit gear oil, which we did.
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.
It was posted on [redacted] when I requested information and advised of my experience. I will be happy to provide their comments if requested.
Regards,
It seems that in this case the only resolution that Revdex.com or the customer is willing to accept is a refund of the customer's money, although that is completely unjustified Again, here is what transpiredOne thing to keep in mind is that for any motor to run properly it must have things all working correctlyThey are, air, fuel, lubrication, spark, compression and coolingAny one not working properly and the motor will not operate as it should Customer and a friend come to our business asking us to "diagnose" his [redacted] 2-stroke, carbureted outboard motor because it was not running right We asked him what it was or wasn't doing and he stated that it would start up but once he tried to throttle up it would hesitate and/or dieWe told him we had heard the same symptoms 1,000's of times and most of the time it's dirty or gummed up carburetors since with the hot temperatures and ethanol fuels evaporating quickly it gums up carbs in no time He then said that he, a friend or someone had recently cleaned the carbs but we could smell varnish, which is the gummy material that is left behind when the fuel evaporates away and the varnish clogs the carburetor jetsFuels, especially ethanol fuels can evaporate away in as little as to weeks We further told him that since his motor is an old, non-computerized motor that this is the best place and most logical place to start based on the varnish smell and the symptoms he stated and we then filled out a workorder to "clean the carbs" and nothing elseHe signed the workorder and left When one of our techs was beginning to remove the carbs for cleaning, we noticed that the linkage to the oiling system was missingWe contacted the customer to see if he or whomever previously cleaned the carbs had itHe said that they didn'tWhen we looked up that part it was no longer available, although the two ends wereWe called the customer and explained that we would have to fabricate the linkage and order the ends, since trying to operate the motor without it would damage or burn up the motor due to lack of lubricationWe told him the linkage and ends would be about $**, he agreed to that We cleaned the carbs and they were indeed gummed up and varnishedOnce the oil linkage had been made we installed it and checked that it functioned correctlyOnly then could we attempt to start the motor About this point the customer called and we informed him of the dirty carbs and that the oil linkage was now installedAt that time he asked us to additionally change the lower unit gear oil, which we did When the motor was started it idled roughly and/or would die as if it were only running on of the cylindersKnowing that we had air, fuel, lubrication and water cooling, we next checked for spark on all cylinders of which there are One cylinder had a very weak or inconsistant spark We checked/cleaned the spark plugs which were fine, then began looking at the stator, an electrical part of a motor that generates electricity like an alternator, but also sets the spark timing for each cylinderAfter ohming the stator we found one pot to be weak and inconsistant, which would account for the rough idleWe checked on the availability of the stator and found that it was unavailable and even if one could be located that it would be quite costlyThis is the point where we stopped checking or testing anything else (only compression was left to check) as it would be a waste of our time and the customer's money without a working stator We contacted the customer and explained everything including that often when a stator goes bad, so can other electrical parts such as coil packs or an ECM (electronic control module) and that it's almost impossible to test an ECMAlso, to start replacing expensive electrical parts on an old motor was foolish The customer came to pickup his boat and paid for the carb cleaning, oil linkage and changing the lower unit gear oil, but nothing else Evidently, he took his motor to another mechanic who upon hearing all that we did ran a compression check and found one cylinder was badHe did not recheck any of our work Besides the customer's motor having dirty carbs and a faulty stator, it now appears that he had run the motor for a period of time before bringing it to us without the oil linkage which probably burned up a cylinder causing the low compressionAgain, as I stated in my other responses, we are not pshycic nor do we have a crystal ball to diagnose motor problems and can only proceed based on what a customer tells us and what we can see, smell or hearHad we not seen the missing oil linkage and had attempted to test run the motor or do a compression check without lubrication, we would have damaged the motor for sureIn other words, had the customer taken his motor to the second mechanic and had he run a compression check without noticing the missing oil linkage, he would have damaged a motor that only had dirty carbs and an unforeseen faulty stator In closing, I doubt that Revdex.com is a trained and certified marine mechanic and to file this as "unresolved" is just not rightIf the only thing that will resolve this matter is to refund the customer, I'll be glad to so long as he brings us his motor to us so we can return it to the condition in which he brought it inIn other words so we can drain out the new lower unit gear oil that we put in it; remove the oil linkage that we made, and that we can make the carburetors gummed up and dirty again I request that you review this matter once again and do some research before you put this on any public forum or website as that would be defamation and possibly slander [redacted] General Manager Cougar Marine USA, LLC
Customer brought his boat and motor to our shop stating that it didn't run right and would quit running/dieThe other symtoms he mentioned indicated that it was most likely a fuel related issue, such as dirty carburetors, which is very common with ethanol fuels and the high temperatures of our
areaThe customer also asked us to change the lower unit gear oil while it was at our shop. We immediatey noticed that the motor was missing a linkage to the oil pump which was no longer available for his motor, but the two ends for the linkage were availableHe signed a workorder authorizing cleaning of the carbs; making a new oil linkage and changing the gear oilWe ordered the ends and fabricated the linkage in-houseWhen we tried to start it, we could not keep it running and then cleaned his carbs which were dirtyAfter that we again attempted to start the motor but it would run very rough and would dieAt that point we began "minor" testing of ignition coils, stator and other electrical items to be sure that they were producing spark and with the correct amount of currentWe did detect a slight variance on one cylinder from the stator, but it was not consistant nor far off of specificationsWhile it could have been a bad stator we did not want to spend more of the customer's money doing a full test without his authorizationSo, we advised the customer that his motor still had other problems, other than the dirty carbs, and that it might be electrical and could be expensive assuming the parts were still availableThe customer paid the bill and took the boatA few days later he informed us that he had taken the motor to *** *** and after explaing what we had done and checked, *** ran a compression check and one cylinder was found to be bad, probably damaged by the customer not having the oil linkage on the motor and it burned up that cylinderHe asked for a refund and I explained that normally, to diagnose anything on a motor it needs to be running first, or at least enough to detect other problems and the carbs had to be clean to do thatI also explained that the symptoms he explained to us indicated a fuel problem and that no mechanic just does a compression check for no reason at all, and that if he had authorized us to continue checking the motor for whatever problem it was having, we would have done a compression check at some pointAs an example of what happened, it's like you go to a doctor complaining about a stomach ache and he finds it's your appendixThen, during the operation the doctor finds a cancerous tumor that is inoperableSince you're going to die from the cancer, you want your money back for the appendix operation even though your appendix was bad tooIt's unfortunate, but these types of things happen from time to time, especially with older motors that haven't been taken care of
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint
If the owner of Cougar Marine would have followed the directive given of "check and advise" we would have only been out a much smaller diagnoses fee When I explained numerous time to that I wanted him to "check and advise" complete engine for diagnoses If he would have followed directive of "check and advise" I would be only out of pocket diagnoses fee not the additional services that were pushed on me as a new customerIf a customer give a vendor a directive that vendor should follow the customer request not go off on a money making process I have reached out to my fellow fishing members in the *** and there are numerous people that have had similar complaints of misdiagnoses from Cougar Marine I have statements from others that have had similar issues with Cougar Marine as well as the person with me at time of dropping off boat with clear directive on what I wanted As owner of Cougar Marine has stated, the motor is old and I did not want to put unnecessary money into the engine if not worth it I am not asking for anything but a refund for failure to follow directive request of the customer.
Regards,
We did exactly what the customer authorized on the signed workorderAgain, you can't diagnose much of anything on a basic non-computerized carbureted motor without trying to get it to runAlso, the customer claims others have had mis-diagnosed problems at our company is purely falseWhen we are unable for whatever reason to diagonse a motor problem we send the customer elsewhereThis matter is closed as far as we're concerned
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. If you look at the responses from the owner there are numerous inconsistencies in all of his responses. I am consistently stating the same facts.
I have stated numerous times that I never requested to clean carbs as he is the one that stated this in our conversations that is what it needed as he is the expert in his field of business. I have stated over and over that I asked him to "check and advise" to avoid huge cost for a old motor. The failure to follow simple customer request lead to these extra cost that I would have not approved if properly diagnosed accordingly.
I am simply stating the facts of what transpired and poor customer service I received from this company.
Regards,
It seems that in this case the only resolution that Revdex.com or the customer is willing to accept is a refund of the customer's money, although that is completely unjustified.
Again, here is what transpired. One thing to keep in mind is that for any motor to run properly it must have 6 things all working correctly. They are, air, fuel, lubrication, spark, compression and cooling. Any one not working properly and the motor will not operate as it should.
1. Customer and a friend come to our business asking us to "diagnose" his [redacted] 2-stroke, carbureted outboard motor because it was not running right.
2. We asked him what it was or wasn't doing and he stated that it would start up but once he tried to throttle up it would hesitate and/or die. We told him we had heard the same symptoms 1,000's of times and most of the time it's dirty or gummed up carburetors since with the hot temperatures and ethanol fuels evaporating quickly it gums up carbs in no time.
3. He then said that he, a friend or someone had recently cleaned the carbs but we could smell varnish, which is the gummy material that is left behind when the fuel evaporates away and the varnish clogs the carburetor jets. Fuels, especially ethanol fuels can evaporate away in as little as 1 to 4 weeks.
4. We further told him that since his motor is an old, non-computerized motor that this is the best place and most logical place to start based on the varnish smell and the symptoms he stated and we then filled out a workorder to "clean the carbs" and nothing else. He signed the workorder and left.
5. When one of our techs was beginning to remove the carbs for cleaning, we noticed that the linkage to the oiling system was missing. We contacted the customer to see if he or whomever previously cleaned the carbs had it. He said that they didn't. When we looked up that part it was no longer available, although the two ends were. We called the customer and explained that we would have to fabricate the linkage and order the ends, since trying to operate the motor without it would damage or burn up the motor due to lack of lubrication. We told him the linkage and ends would be about $**, he agreed to that.
6. We cleaned the carbs and they were indeed gummed up and varnished. Once the oil linkage had been made we installed it and checked that it functioned correctly. Only then could we attempt to start the motor.
7. About this point the customer called and we informed him of the dirty carbs and that the oil linkage was now installed. At that time he asked us to additionally change the lower unit gear oil, which we did.
8. When the motor was started it idled roughly and/or would die as if it were only running on 2 of the 3 cylinders. Knowing that we had air, fuel, lubrication and water cooling, we next checked for spark on all cylinders of which there are 3. One cylinder had a very weak or inconsistant spark.
9. We checked/cleaned the spark plugs which were fine, then began looking at the stator, an electrical part of a motor that generates electricity like an alternator, but also sets the spark timing for each cylinder. After ohming the stator we found one pot to be weak and inconsistant, which would account for the rough idle. We checked on the availability of the stator and found that it was unavailable and even if one could be located that it would be quite costly. This is the point where we stopped checking or testing anything else (only compression was left to check) as it would be a waste of our time and the customer's money without a working stator.
10. We contacted the customer and explained everything including that often when a stator goes bad, so can other electrical parts such as coil packs or an ECM (electronic control module) and that it's almost impossible to test an ECM. Also, to start replacing expensive electrical parts on an old motor was foolish.
11. The customer came to pickup his boat and paid for the carb cleaning, oil linkage and changing the lower unit gear oil, but nothing else.
Evidently, he took his motor to another mechanic who upon hearing all that we did ran a compression check and found one cylinder was bad. He did not recheck any of our work.
Besides the customer's motor having dirty carbs and a faulty stator, it now appears that he had run the motor for a period of time before bringing it to us without the oil linkage which probably burned up a cylinder causing the low compression. Again, as I stated in my other responses, we are not pshycic nor do we have a crystal ball to diagnose motor problems and can only proceed based on what a customer tells us and what we can see, smell or hear. Had we not seen the missing oil linkage and had attempted to test run the motor or do a compression check without lubrication, we would have damaged the motor for sure. In other words, had the customer taken his motor to the second mechanic and had he run a compression check without noticing the missing oil linkage, he would have damaged a motor that only had dirty carbs and an unforeseen faulty stator.
In closing, I doubt that Revdex.com is a trained and certified marine mechanic and to file this as "unresolved" is just not right. If the only thing that will resolve this matter is to refund the customer, I'll be glad to so long as he brings us his motor to us so we can return it to the condition in which he brought it in. In other words so we can drain out the new lower unit gear oil that we put in it; remove the oil linkage that we made, and that we can make the carburetors gummed up and dirty again.
I request that you review this matter once again and do some research before you put this on any public forum or website as that would be defamation and possibly slander.
[redacted]
General Manager
Cougar Marine USA, LLC
Sadly, the customer is not being realistic. His old outboard motor, a [redacted] as previously described, had dirty carburetors that had to be cleaned first in an attempt to get the motor running well enough to determine if anything else might be a problem. Normally, with the effects of ethanol fuels, clogged up and dirty carburetors are extremely common. I guess he expects us to be psyhic or have a crystal ball so we would know everything that is or could be wrong with his motor beforehand. It doesn't work that way and the only reason the second mechanic was able to test and make a final diagnosis was because he knew what we had already done (he and I discussed that). And had the customer allowed us to continue, we would have come to the same conclusion. Unlike newer, fully computerized outboard motors that have built-in diagnostics, older motors such as this customer's almost ** year old one must be diagnosed step by step, and getting it to any type of running status was the first step. The customer was not charged for the other minor disgnostics that we performed, only what we actually had done. If every marine, automotive or small engine mechanic was forced to refund all work they performed on a motor in an attempt to get the motor to run when later in the process it's determined that the motor has a major problem, then the mechanics would either refuse to work on motors with certain problems or their hourly shop labor rates would increase dramatically to cover these types of situations that quite honestly happen all of the time, especially with older motors. In this case, the customer's motor has a bad cylinder which can be rebuilt and if so, his carburetors are already clean. Just because he may choose not to rebuild his motor does not entitle him to a refund for work done that was done correctly and which he authorized by signing our workorder that clearly states to "clean the carburetors and make a new oil linkage", nothing else. Although while we were working on his motor he authorized changing the lower unit gear oil, which we did.
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.
It was posted on [redacted] when I requested information and advised of my experience. I will be happy to provide their comments if requested.
Regards,