1st motor service...

[journey on]

Well, ssobol, the Honda 150 that Judy owns is 15 years old and has ~1000 hrs on it. In those 15 years, it hasn't used many parts, so I might as well use the same parts and I'm interested in getting the right parts, soon. Not that the boat has been used recently, but I have hopes.

So in San Diego there are several Honda outboard dealers I've visited and had to argue with. I left them alone. Boats.net has answered my questions when I've called and sent me the right parts. So put not going to local non-outboard dealers up to a fear factor. And when I've needed service, I tend to go to LA. That's where I can find a dealer who really knows Honda outboards. For instance, I mentioned above that I had the gear case resealed. No way in heck was I going to pull the prop drive shaft out to replace the seals, so I dropped the gear case and hauled the unit to a dealer in Inglewood. Worked well and my son helped me lift the unit back in place.

I think my problem is that on-line parts dealers have taken over the parts game, leaving little incentive for the local dealers to stock parts. When the dealer has to order a part, they also want freight and tax. I might as well order it on-line, save some money and not have to drive back to the dealer. It's a sorry commentary on the service industry, but there it is.

Boris

[gpage3]

Seems that Amazon has original parts for reasonable prices, and I have never had a problem with delivery or returns.