What should I expect from an engine refurbishment?

[PeterGibbs]

A sad story.

Remedies:

1. Have you given the first engineer an opportunity to put right the problems arising from his work? He is entitled to this. Serve notice of problems in writing and in detail - you will need this if taking further action. Give him 14 days. Stick to the facts, no emotional outpourings.

2. Still not satisfied? Write again and put him on notice of his failings and copy the local Trading Standards Office.

3. No response? Get another engineer to put all matters right, produce a written report on what he found, and serve notice of claim against the first engineer for his shortcomings.

4. No response? Send him a letter before action for recovery and 14 days to respond.

5. No response? File papers with the small claims court. The court will send the papers to the engineer and seek a response. If the engineer does not repond satisfactorily (you will see any response) a court hearing will be set.

6. Worth going down this route? If the recoverable sum is significant, say, £500+, a win will be in your interests. If the engineer is a "man of straw", even if you win the case, you will receive no recompense, or a few dribbles to show the court he tried.

The facts are that marine engineers need watching - all of them - productivity in this sector is appalling, time is charged, not work done, and collateral damage is seldom owned up to. Most owners are not present when Charlie turns up on site, has a fag, phones his friends, and sometime later slowly gets on with the job, until something more interesting grabs his attention. So often work is taken offsite - a device for spinning time and holding on to something of value to ensure he gets paid / the job is not allocated elsewhere. Forgetting what he's done, or not having the right parts, he charges you for phoning suppliers / picking up parts etc.

Pessimistic of me? I've seen it, and I'm sorry for you. But the only way forward in future is to get a firm quotation (not an estimate) for work and parts, pay only when the gear is proven recommissioned and operating satisfactorily, and supervise all operations closely. Otherwise you might as well post a blanc cheque......


PWG

 

[Lakesailor]

Whilst that sounds logical and correct it would seem that you can cut out the first 5 actions as the bloke didn't manage the job in the first place and charged more money not to progress the situation.
The money he took will already be spent so you won't get it back however much the law is on your side. So if you get someone else to do the work properly you are effectively paying a second time to have the work done.
And you still have a 2 stroke petrol inboard engine that hasn't been made for some time.

Cut your losses, flog it and get a diesel engine.

 

[sandeel]

hi chrissie,
sorry to hear about your woes with your vire 12, I have a vire 7 and they are practically identical, they are very simple 2 stroke engines and although the parts for vire are expensive (and scarce for the 12) you would need serious rebuilding to warrant a bill of that magnitude. However the main reason I am writing is that you say you filled the cylinder with water. This has probably come from continuously cranking the engine which continues to pump water into the exhaust via the injector and this has filled the exhaust to the point of flowing back into the cylinder. Being a 2 stroke there is a possibility this water will have gone through the cylinder ports and some will now be in the crankcase this will need to be drained as it can cause your main bearings to rust up and seize. I think there is a drain plug under the crankcase.
Regards
John

 

[Channel Ribs]

[ QUOTE ]
The facts are that marine engineers need watching - all of them - productivity in this sector is appalling, time is charged, not work done...

[/ QUOTE ]

Just to be sure. You are suggesting that it is a good idea to watch us all and not that we all rip people off? /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[PeterGibbs]

Lake Sailor,

Going to a diesel is, as you point out, the best on water strategy. Not cheap, but no one can afford to have an unreliable motor on the open seas - it's a non-starter because
in the event of any incident at sea and consequent claim, the investigation would cast a lot of blame on the owner if they knew they put out to sea with faulty propulsion. The damages that could be awarded in such a case would wipe many of us out!

Concerning this case, I have admitted that matters are apparently too far advanced for a successful small court claim. And it doesn't sound like the engineer can be reasoned to do a proper job, or even shamed (let alone named) into performing. But I thought it could help in future to lay out what I do as a result of repeated bungling and charges-loading I have experienced. Caveat emptor, and don't be seduced by a cheeky smile amidst a feeling of relief that you've found someone who will come to your boat this year, not next! Doesn't every marina have a 3 years+ waiting list? Try to get a qualified Corgi gas (marine) engineer to visit your boat...it's almost laughable.

These problems are endemic in this business..not a reason to shrug the shoulders and accept it!

PWG

 

[Nauti Fox]

Must say I agree with Malthouse here, just a tad harsh I feel. Yep you guessed it I used to be an engineer. Learned the trade with BP and then spent several years with Tough Bros in Teddington and can honestly say that we did actually work when we were there, I've spent many an hour in sometimes pretty horrible conditions, either melting or freezing trying to gain access to something you needed to be double jointed to just touch, let alone work on. I'm not saying that all are angels, just like any other job really, you get good, bad and average.