a lesson learned please read.

[lunkerhunter]

a little over 3 1/2 weeks ago, my boat would not start. i thought i flooded it and run down the battery. i pulled the plugs and was not getting spark. oh crap. well didnt know where to start so i took it to marine shop. sat there for 2 1/2 weeks till they got to look at it. well did some searching on bbc for what could be the cause,kill switch messing up, sensors, stators, power pack.. kind of what was going through your mind right. well i found a post on here about voltage being off just one volt could cause it not to fire, yeah right, hmmmm, well they call me the next day after reading this and say its fixed, just needed a new battery and spark plugs . well, i am all for doing things myself, but i can tell you this i have never payed for someone to put a battery on my boat till now . 65 dollars i will never get back for labor.... lesson learned fully research this site before taking your boat in..

[clayshooter]

Well it sounds as though you found a good, honest mechanic.A good one will save you money in the long run.Changing parts to cure a problem can get costly fast.Good mechanic's are worth there weight in gold.If you are not able to fully diagnose problems before buying parts,it is always cheaper to pay them,the part that hurts the most for me is the wait!!

Ed

[renegade basser]

Same experience with me.. I have learned several things on this site and saved several bucks in the process ! Many thanks to those who helped me resolve some problems.. Championman and Bassmeister to name two and I'm sure there are many more that I don't know. i'm a newbie here on this site and really appreciate the info available..Thanks Guys.

[cw95bronc]

+1 on what clay shooter said. There is some simple things you can try, ie plugs/plugs firing , take batteries in to have a part store or mech put a load test on them. check charging system, kill switch unplugged gets me from time to time.

But I know my limits and when to throw up the white flag and take it to a good shop. some things are better left to a good/honest professional.

so don't ever feel like you got cheated unless he was blatent about ripping a customer off/ always ask for a estimate first or call before repair and the you can make the decision. still may have to pay some for looking at it. just chalk it up as a learning experience. BTW at least now you met the mech. and shop personel.