fishmaster - 10-16-2018 at 11:19 PM
Greetings,
The short story:
Just wanted to give a warning to folks out there looking to buy a new outboard. There are too many great motors out there to go with a company that
will not stand behind their product. I just discovered that Honda will not stand behind theirs.
The rest of the story:
A little over a year ago I took my boat in to an authorized Honda dealer because of some "clicking" that a mechanic friend heard in my motor. After
two months and two trips back to the dealer, I finally had my boat back with a new cam shaft which was covered under warranty. No word about what was
wrong, but just that it was a warranty repair.
I don't fish much in the winter, so the boat sat around a bit. Finally started fishing again in April for salmon and checked the oil after 4 or 5
trips. It was white! Take the boat back to the dealer and they screwed up putting on the head gasket! 5 weeks later we get the boat back and start
fishing again. Check the oil after 5 or 6 trips and there isn't even any oil touching the dipstick! WTF??? We have never burnt an ounce of oil
between 100 hour oil changes. The dealer wants us to fill it up and then keep track of oil burn. After 40 hours of use we burn about 10 ounces of
oil.
We take it back to the dealer and they start trying figure out why it is burning the oil. They do a leak down and compression test and they both come
back good. Honda then states that they won't do any further tests to try and figure out why it is burning so much oil. AND both Honda and the dealer
say that it is really not burning that much oil! Really, burning 25 ounces of oil in 100 hours for a motor that only holds 70 ounces is not a big
deal??? That is troubling!
I chat with my mechanic friend and also call the next closest Honda dealer and they both tell me that any damage to the cam shaft would cause damage
to the valve guides. This would allow oil to seep around the guides and "burn" off. I even "googled" damage to cam shaft and the first thing that
pops up is damage to the valves and/or valve guides. Seems pretty obvious to me and others, but not to Honda.
I then begin a long conversation with a Honda customer service rep who does his best to refute any and all parts of our claim. Of course all this
takes about 2 months!!! It was my impression that this guy was like an insurance adjuster, doing all he could to deny my claim.
As I said before, there are too many great motors out there to buy one from a company that will not stand behind their product, especially when their
motors cost more than most others. I'll be going with Yamaha or Suzuki next time!!!
Happy shopping!
Steve
mjs - 10-17-2018 at 07:57 AM
Actually sounds more like poor quality mechanical work.
John Harper - 10-17-2018 at 10:06 AM
So, you just gave up? I would be calling Honda and asking for a customer service manager, dealer relations manager, etc. Light a frickin fire under
those people! Don't just take it. You spent damn good money and deserve some respect.
You should have gotten an itemized invoice and detailed diagnosis before as well. Caveat emptor. I would be on them until I got satisfaction. When
did you buy the motor? How long is the warranty?
John
fishmaster - 10-17-2018 at 06:24 PM
I didn't quit...I directly contacted a Honda customer service rep after my dealer gave up (not impressed with dealer). I spoke directly with a
customer service rep from Honda for several weeks. It was the worst. Had to call multiple times to get a response and it just seemed like he was
trying as hard as possible to refute anything I was saying. Total joke! Definitely go with a different company!!!