Have outboard repaired or have money returned?

[Kylersk]

As some of you know, I bought my first boat this season, a 2000 crestliner 1750 sport fish with 115 Evinrude Ficht. I bought it from Cabelas and they have been great.

Well, this past week, I finally got it on the water and ran it for a little bit. After running the engine at 5500 rpms for a few minutes, and then returning to idle, the motor died. It took forever to start. After restarting, I landed my boat and called the service department. They recommended adding fresh gas and stabilizer. So, I added 10 gallons of gas and stabilizer for that amount and tried it again. The boat did the same thing, died once I got back down to idle. But this time, after I finally got it started again, the motor sounded louder and then Pop! Smoke came pouring out and I killed it as quick as I could. Well, it looks like something blew a hole right throught the front of the motor. There was an aluminum clamp and shaving laying in front of it, unde the hood. I think the clamp was the rod clamp?? I dont know.. but it's not good.

Anyways, cabelas has not totally assesed the situation yet, but the manager mentioned he'd take care of me and either give me my money back or repair the motor. I really have to wait to hear what their final answer is, but I dont know.. ..

Should I have the motor repaired? Or should I just run from this deal? I really like the boat and the price, but this motor has me worried (evinrude ficht).

[DTro]

That's too bad, almost sounds like it threw a rod or something.

Well, if you have a choice, I would have it replaced for sure.

What a bummer

[boatfixer]

If there is a hole in the front of the block there is no rebuilding. they would have to replace the power head or give you your money back. I would insist on a reputable shop though if you go that route.

[efgh]

I would insist on a whole different motor, that sounds like a lemon to me. Who knows what will be the next thing to go.

[PerchJerker]

I'm not very familiar with Fichts but they have a bad reputation - may have just been problems with certain blocks - but carbon buildup was a big killer. If you can get your money back and get a different motor I would be tempted to go that route.

[croixeyes]

Take the money and run.What does your gut instinct tell you to do?If it were me,Id nix the deal and go another direction.I know opener is just around the corner,but this is something you dont want to rush into .2cents

[Northlander]

Either get a new motor or get your money back for the whole works.

[Ufatz]

which ever option you choose you at least have the comfort of knowing you are dealing with a high class, reputable company.

[boatfixer]

I doubt Cabelas will replace a 6 yr old engine with a new one. Not an option at this point.

[iffwalleyes]

Fichts have had a lot of troubles. I personally wouldn't buy one with a Ficht on it. One think a person has to remember there are lots of boats out there. So if you could get your money back that might not be a bad route depend on what they are going to do for you. See what they will do for you and go from there. A new powerhead would be ok but you might still have to worry about it.

[Surface Tension]

I get my money back and go out and buy another boat.

[john.wells]

ditto

[vermilionfox]

What's the harm with waiting to see Cabelas solution to the deal, if it doesn't take too long. They may offer a different motor to put on the boat. I don't think I'd want to have that Ficht motor repaired based on what I've read, but I really have no experience. Make a decision after you have all the info from Cabelas. If you decide to go with another boat and are satisfied with Cabelas as a dealer and with the way they treated you let them help you find another boat.

[hanson]

Those Fichts definitely have a bad reputation.

You've had 1 thing go wrong, and maybe it is/will be an isolated incident, but I'd always be wondering what's next.

Personally, I would get out of that deal. At the very least, I would not put another Ficht on that boat.

[Schloogs]

I would not repair the motor, personally I feel a little uncomfortable everytime I took it out knowing that there was already a problem. I would either take a different motor at a pro-rated price or get your money back. Good luck.

[Scott K]

Im sure Cabelas will treat you right! Give them the chance to make it good, Im sure it wasnt there fault it broke! Im sure they wouldnt have sold it to you knowing that! Let them replace the motor with something else, but dont let them repair it, if thats the case I would take my money back.

[eyepatrol]

If it were me, I'd wait to see what Cabelas has to say first. But in the end, I would probably try and negotiate (in my favor) the price of a new motor (with free installation & free SS prop) if it were within my financial means. To me, it would be a big headache to start over looking for another boat in my price range, espcially if I really like the boat I got. If it doesn't work out in your favor, get your money back and start over.

True, they may not be responsible for the motor blowing up on you, but still they should have taken it out on the lake for a while and ran it around (and if they were careful, they should have done this before they took the boat in on trade).

Best of luck to you!

[DinkADunk]

You should probably be able to get out of the deal or get the depreciated value of the motor back. You would then need to remotor the boat. If you can find a motor for the same price as the depreciated value of the motor that blew then fine, if not you'll need to pony up the extra cash. They may be nice and rig whatever motor you choose for free (or deeply discounted). As for what motor to rig with that's your choice although you may wish to go with something that uses the same controls

[Valv]

Don't confuse the troubled 6 cylinders Fichts with the good 4 cylinders Fichts, they were good motor and had no problem whatsoever. All the bad rep was from the 6 cylinders.

At this point I would ask for my money back, it's Cabelas they should have no problem at all, unless they want to install a brand new motor.

[Kylersk]

Thanks for all the responses.

I got a call from the Boat sales Manager and he definatly wants to make sure that if the motor is fixed, that he's confident it'll be a good running motor. He's looking at a 3rd party shop (someone knowledgable in the evinrude ficht motor) to possibly repair it. I also threw in a 3rd option, how much would it cost to upgrade to a new motor.

Hopefully soon all options will present them selves and I'll be able to make a decision one way or another. But so far I can say, dealing with a dealer, such as cabelas, has made this alot easier to deal with.

[iffwalleyes]

Well hopefully they treat you right. It sounds like they are doing a decent job so far.

[JohnMickish]

Keep us posted on how you get treated and what kind of deal they come up with. If your motor has a hole in the block it will not get fixed. They will probably want to throw a new/rebuilt powerhead on it. Basically a new motor, just not "new".

[Stizo]

I can't believe Cabela's would even chance their reputation by dabbling in the used boat market.

Kinda like buying a used car from PEP Boys

Don't let em stall you with the we'll take care of it baloney. Tell em you want your entire purcha$e money back immediately. If they say no, we'll fix it! tell em you'll reconsider a repurchase after it's fixed and seaworthy.

Be adamant, be angry , tell em you trusted them because of who they are and don't take no for an answer.

Good luck, I hope it all works out for you...keep us posted.

Stizo

[Scott K]

Being nice and curtious will get you farther then being a jerk! I have delt with NiceGuys and they get the out the door treatment, while nice people get the good guy treatment!

[eyepatrol]

Absolutely. I agree with you on that 4wanderingeyes.

At this juncture you're much better off being courteous than stringent. So far the dealer is trying to work with you and is making attempts to do something right for you (although I'm not a fan of a rebuilt motor). The only time to show an ugly face is if a dealer starts jerking you around, doesn't respond in a timely manner, is not being considerate or other actions that lean towards a negative response. This is not the case right now. I'd be willing to bet that Cabelas is going to try and make this a win-win situation for the both of you, as long as both of you stay civil about it.

[Kylersk]

Ok, I can say that Cabelas has dealt with this matter extremely well. Now it's up to me to decide which route to go.

1. Get money refunded and look for a new boat. At this point, I'm extremly gun shy on buying any used motor.

2. They will have another shop repair the Evinrude ficht. Not too thrilled with the ficht motor.

3. Have them install a new Optimax 115, controls and prop, with 5 year warrenty for about 4 grand more? Basically, they are selling me the motor (minuse trade in value) for dealer cost and installing it for free. Is this boat worth the 14000 and change? or am I better off throwing 4 grand down on a completely new boat?

Decisions, decisions, decisions...