Boat Service & Repair

[Eli]

I would ask if they have completed a certified technicians school. :0)...

I always start with a phone call to get a comfort level then go in to talk before letting them work on it.

I started going to Inland Empire Performance in Ontario last year since its so close to my house. The guy Alex knew what he was doing and got the boat dialed in...

If I were to go to a shop, I'd want to know that the place was reputable. I like Pfaff, Prime, GT and Concept Marine because they're top shelf, local to me and capable of anything. Lately I've been getting help from Rick King for engine stuff and Bubby Wilton when he's available.

Thanks guys. These are all great suggestions. What would you want to know, if anything that is of the most importance to you? For example, years of experience, range of work, do you prefer a specialized place or full service, would you prefer a shop that can work on all types of engines or just the type that you have? What other items are important to you?

[Ziggy]

Talking with the place, talking with the tech(s) and getting some info before anything. Hearing from past patrons. Been around long enough to smell a BS'er.

[Nordic Bear]

Talking with the place, talking with the tech(s) and getting some info before anything. Hearing from past patrons. Been around long enough to smell a BS'er.

The place I worked for back in the day required the mechanics to get Mercruiser certified, as we were a Dealer shop. The owner always said our reputation starts with what we can advertise, "Certified Technicians",,,, it wasn't a terribly difficult cert' to get, but it did require alot of school time. That doesn't mean that once a person aquires their certificate they continue to provide good service. But it's a start, I gave up working on boats because I learned if you turn the hobby you love into a job, you wind up HATING your hobby.... but I STILL love turning wrenches on my boat and my buddies boat... it's a HOBBY I once again love.... (if you can talk to the Tech,,, and he/she appears happy, attentive, and enthusiastic,,,chances are you found a good one!)

[Ziggy]

The place I worked for back in the day required the mechanics to get Mercruiser certified, as we were a Dealer shop. The owner always said our reputation starts with what we can advertise, "Certified Technicians",,,, it wasn't a terribly difficult cert' to get, but it did require alot of school time. That doesn't mean that once a person aquires their certificate they continue to provide good service. But it's a start, I gave up working on boats because I learned if you turn the hobby you love into a job, you wind up HATING your hobby.... but I STILL love turning wrenches on my boat and my buddies boat... it's a HOBBY I once again love.... (if you can talk to the Tech,,, and he/she appears happy, attentive, and enthusiastic,,,chances are you found a good one!)

Very true. I was a car dealer for decades. Letting customers talk with their techs was one of things I encouraged....made them feel much more comfortable.

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[She's Mine]

Let's just say, last year I was on a buddy's boat and we had problems. I called very well know techs and they have very vague answers. These are people I know as well. Never got a straight answer on where to start. I was at Teague one day and told the situation to Josh and he said it is this. Went to the back and came out 30 seconds later with the small part. Took me 45 minutes to install and I was done. I called all around Havasu and couldn't get an answer...

Another story... Building my current motor I went to a well know shop in HB and had them work on the motor. For 4 months they tuned and told my what needs to be fixed. Paid them 3 times to do the same job and never was done right. Told Dustin at Menace the problem and he said bring it up and he'll look at it. Got a call the next day with a list of things the shop in HB missed.. Loose distributor, fuel spike in the tune, kill switch shorting out... These are things I paid thousand of dollars to the shop in HB to have fixed and not to worry about and Dustin was able to fix them at a fraction of the cost and the first time.

You want a great mechanic? Go to a shop that stands behind their work, has integrity and great customer service. I know of 2 shops that provide this and they are both in Valencia... Teague Custom Marine and Menace Marine. Anyone else is a waste of your time and money!


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[gn7]

Anyone else is a waste of your time and money!

That's one hell of a statement!

[Singleton]

You want a great mechanic? Go to a shop that stands behind their work, has integrity and great customer service. I know of 2 shops that provide this and they are both in Valencia... Teague Custom Marine and Menace Marine. Anyone else is a waste of your time and money! Tapatalk

I agree with the first part, and think Teague and the smaller shops have much better customer service then shops in Havasu (excluding BCM). Used to use a shop in Havasu (where the boat is stored). One year I had gel work done and used WOT Marine in Carlsbad. They found stuff that the Havasu shop never even identified as an issue and showed me the parts they replaced and why they needed to be replaced. Ever since that day, I now trailer the boat back to Carlsbad to have them work on it. Through great customer service and honest answers Teague and WOT have earned my business for years to come.

[gn7]

I agree with the first part, and think Teague and the smaller shops have much better customer service then shops in Havasu (excluding BCM). Used to use a shop in Havasu (where the boat is stored). One year I had gel work done and used WOT Marine in Carlsbad. They found stuff that the Havasu shop never even identified as an issue and showed me the parts they replaced and why they needed to be replaced. Ever since that day, I now trailer the boat back to Carlsbad to have them work on it. Through great customer service and honest answers Teague and WOT have earned my business for years to come.

That's interesting. According to She's Mine, you're wasting your time and money taking it to WOT

[Sharp shooter]

That's interesting. According to She's Mine, you're wasting your time and money taking it to WOT

I spent $250 at Rick King Engineering plus $20 in gas (to Chino) to repair my blower 2 months ago. I did the R&R myself. Throw in another $9 for a base gasket bringing the total to $279. So all things considered, after my fuel expenses ($150) to Valencia and back (twice), Teague would've been able to R&R my blower, clean the huge mess from the failed seal, replace the seal and then toss in a base gasket all for under $129. That's astounding!

From this day forward, I will not lay a finger on my own stuff nor seek any help from anyone but Teague because I'm tired of wasting time and money.

You should do the same Bob, I know you work on your own stuff, but we've been educated here.

[djunkie]

What I would ask is how long will it take and will it actually be done by then? My experience in the past is most take longer than they say. But in most cases it was worth the wait as I was happy with what was done.