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wrote:
On Sat, 1 Apr 2006 16:24:45 -0500, "John Wentworth"
wrote:

I recently brought my boat and Mercury 60-hp 4-stroke outboard back to the
dealer for a factory recall of a defective voltage regulator. Mercury picked
up the tab for the parts and 6-8 hours labor for the recall.

I requested an oil and filter change, and a change of the gearlube, while it
was at the shop. When I picked up my boat I was given a bill for $179.90 for
the oil and gearlube change; $32 in parts and $127.50 (1.5 hours) in labor.
I do most of the routine maintenance on this motor so didn't expect to pay
$180 for such a simple job. Was this bill out of line, or am I just out of
step with the current reality?

When I questioned the bill, the service manager reduced the amount by $50.

What are you folks paying for this type of work?

BTW: With the bill I received a note from Mercury Marine stating they would
be sending me a survey asking about my service experience. I wonder if
that's the reason for the $50 cut?

I had a similar experience when I took my 60 in for the free regulator
(mine was really bad). I went for a foot oil change and an impeller,
closer to $300. I think that is just the price you pay to have a
dealer acknowlege your warranty. I figure this motor will have close
to 2000 hours when the warranty expires.

The last time I paid someone to winterize my boat it was approximately
$225. An outrageous price considering it really is fairly simple to fog
the engine, drain the engine of water, change the oil and replace the
outdrive oil.

--
Reggie

"That's my story and I am sticking to it."