Annual Maintenance & Servicing Costs: Sunseeker Camargue 47

[Bouba]

Presumably 10 grand per engine is when serviced by main dealer? In your expert opinion, what sort of reduction can be achieved by doing the more straight-forward jobs myself?

When I first got my boat, an experienced owner on these pages told me that he had done the factory course...this meant that he not only did everything himself but it was also considered to be done by an approved mechanic and didn’t affect the guarantee or anything...unfortunately at the time I ripped the rotator cuff in my shoulder and by the time I healed, the course had ended.
The wife tells me that our annual bill for servicing our small single engine and generator is now about €6000....this is without any major (touch wood) problem.
Obviously the parts are now extremely expensive and the fluids are also eye watering.....but the majority is labour and tax

 

[ClaytonDJ]

When I first got my boat, an experienced owner on these pages told me that he had done the factory course...this meant that he not only did everything himself but it was also considered to be done by an approved mechanic and didn’t affect the guarantee or anything...unfortunately at the time I ripped the rotator cuff in my shoulder and by the time I healed, the course had ended.
The wife tells me that our annual bill for servicing our small single engine and generator is now about €6000....this is without any major (touch wood) problem.
Obviously the parts are now extremely expensive and the fluids are also eye watering.....but the majority is labour and tax

Thanks - thinking of buying a paddle board now

 

[Bouba]

Thanks - thinking of buying a paddle board now

The post covid prices of everything is soul destroying

 

[markc]

The wife tells me that our annual bill for servicing our small single engine and generator is now about €6000....this is without any major (touch wood) problem.
Obviously the parts are now extremely expensive and the fluids are also eye watering.....but the majority is labour and tax

Blimey Bouba, someone's having a laugh! When I first got the boat, I had MTU France come and service the engines (2 x 770hp 16 litre V8s) . It was approx 5000 euros all in. Since then I get a non-MTU company to do it along with the generator. This year the engines & generator service, including 80 litres of Shell Rimula and 20 litres of coolant concentrate including tax was €1938. I did supply all the filters & generator anodes, but wasn't more than a couple of hundred quid (I source matched filters etc)

 

[Bouba]

Blimey Bouba, someone's having a laugh! When I first got the boat, I had MTU France come and service the engines (2 x 770hp 16 litre V8s) . It was approx 5000 euros all in. Since then I get a non-MTU company to do it along with the generator. This year the engines & generator service, including 80 litres of Shell Rimula and 20 litres of coolant concentrate including tax was €1938. I did supply all the filters & generator anodes, but wasn't more than a couple of hundred quid (I source matched filters etc)

The price has doubled since before and after the lockdown....we get the main dealer service with their service schedule.....Cummins have changed their parts pricing policy a while ago...to match Penta...in other words to rip off clients.
The schedule changes year by year...some years are more expensive.
I will check the bills....but we are traveling soon

 

[Bouba]

Blimey Bouba, someone's having a laugh! When I first got the boat, I had MTU France come and service the engines (2 x 770hp 16 litre V8s) . It was approx 5000 euros all in. Since then I get a non-MTU company to do it along with the generator. This year the engines & generator service, including 80 litres of Shell Rimula and 20 litres of coolant concentrate including tax was €1938. I did supply all the filters & generator anodes, but wasn't more than a couple of hundred quid (I source matched filters etc)

Ok....the last bill was under €3000
The previous year was just over €6000
The service before that, just under €4000
Before that €4000
There has been no breakdown or anything....the engine has always purred like a lion
I think the water pump was replaced on the generator

 

[markc]

Ok....the last bill was under €3000
The previous year was just over €6000
The service before that, just under €4000
Before that €4000
There has been no breakdown or anything....the engine has always purred like a lion

Once out of warranty, I'd never use a main dealer for servicing, after all, they're just changing oil, filters etc... it's not hard.

 

[Bouba]

Once out of warranty, I'd never use a main dealer for servicing, after all, they're just changing oil, filters etc... it's not hard.

We have found that reputable mechanics following factory service schedules using genuine parts…charge about the same. In fact, along with the service schedule is the billable hours for each task…
Don’t forget on a modern engine they also have to plug in a laptop

 

[Alicatt]

First service we had done on our Volvo Penta MD7A 2cyl 13hp engine cost €700 it needed a few things done to it including new engine mounts, the tech ran through what was needing done with me and after that said now you should be able to service it yourself.

With the other boats in the haven he chases the owners off to the pub and says he will call them when finished. He lets me help him, servicing the Perkins in our current boat cost around €300, but I did do a lot of the work with him, I also paid for the consumables directly, oil €225 for 30 litres, €40 for 2 oil filters, same each for raw water impellors, so €645 to service 2 1978 Perkins engines.

 

[rafiki_]

Presumably 10 grand per engine is when serviced by main dealer? In your expert opinion, what sort of reduction can be achieved by doing the more straight-forward jobs myself?
And I understand that shafts are cheaper/easier to maintain than sterndrives (but have a premium hit on fuel burn).

See my post #9

 

[Seastoke]

It all depends , if you can do the work do you have time to do it, say do you do it while you are away with family or do you fly out on your own and do it. If so can you get time off from work , how much money will you not earn ??

 

[Bouba]

It all depends , if you can do the work do you have time to do it, say do you do it while you are away with family or do you fly out on your own and do it. If so can you get time off from work , how much money will you not earn ??

I have the time...but the cost to my health of getting into awkward position while swearing at a lump of machinery is the deciding factor. Plus, those of us with a single engine boat...tend to lavish care on the engine. Two engines...and you begin to divide the costs

 

[Seastoke]

I have the time...but the cost to my health of getting into awkward position while swearing at a lump of machinery is the deciding factor. Plus, those of us with a single engine boat...tend to lavish care on the engine. Two engines...and you begin to divide the costs

Owning a Bendytoy, is life choice.

 

[Bouba]

Owning a Bendytoy, is life choice.

Bendy just make the fiberglass.....Cummins make the engine

 

[Mr Googler]

Bendy just make the fiberglass.....Cummins make the engine

I’ll service your engine for 3k all day long…minus the laptop but what are they doing with that anyway!

 

[Bouba]

I’ll service your engine for 3k all day long…minus the laptop but what are they doing with that anyway!

You know the laptop is important......I’m not quite sure why.....but they charge a lot for it

 

[sharpness]

You know the laptop is important......I’m not quite sure why.....but they charge a lot for it

Reminds me of my favourite saying…..
”Bullsh*t baffles brains”