UnderWater Angler

Look at the shops that are near you, and see what motors they are associated with. Also, contact some of the charter guys on here that depend on there motors more than the average guy.



dkDiver runs suzukis, he'll give you a good opinion on them.

DOUBLE "D" & LV

You have to remember you would pay a dealer labor to perform these maint. items. If you look at the "required" maint in the service or owners manual and actuallly performs these, then you will have time invested into the service. Depending on the shop, your labor varies. This is why some of the stories you hear are about the high price ie. $90/hr for 3.5 hrs = $315 labor then parts: OEM fuel and oil filters including the $20 water seperator filter and the $34 engine fuel filter, gearlube, OEM oil, spark plugs, shop supplies, and tax. This will add up quickly to $500-$700 per engine.

When anyone does there service and actually does all the required maint for it, the parts are more than $20-$30. If you are talking only an oil change, so be it. You can do the maint yourself as long as you have record. This also means you can have any repair shop do the maint. Keep in mind, it will not void the warranty as long as whatever is done does not cause the engine to fail.

If you are interested in putting Optimax in the mix, I think Scott in Elberta can get his boats with them. I think Kenny can too but not sure.

Overall, do not be taken back by the maint. prices. You can do much of them yourself. You do not have to have the dealer do maint items, but you do have to have an authorized dealer for the warranty items. Wherever you take the engine for repairs, make sure they know what they are doing for whatever you have done. Call around and compare prices. Sometimes you will finda shop you trust may be lower on some, but higher on other items. But, ask why. Is it labor or parts because they do more of a job.