Limitless Posted June 9, 2016 Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 January 2015 I bought my first ever brand new Hewes Redfisher (after owning 3 others purchased used) equipped with a Yamaha 115 4 stroke. I haven't had many chances to fish so she has very low hours and meticulously went through the break in period and had the requisite 20 hour service. The end of April I finally had a chance to take my wife to Islamorada to fish the flats. We were back by Blue Bank, before Sandy Key, and just about to head up to Flamingo; when I turned the key the motor would not start. Tried what I could to figure out the problem, but nothing. Got Boat US and an hour and a half later the tow showed up for the 2+ hour tow in. I pulled the boat back to Atlanta and called Bay Marine ( a major MBC line dealer) to get in line for their mechanics. They were jammed and after 3 delayed appointments I finally took the boat up to them the weekend before Memorial Day and they got to it this week. I got the call yesterday that the motor is toast - it will not turn over - totally locked up; there's a hole in the #4 piston, the cylinders show signs of corrosion???; there is some kind of black particulate matter in the motor; and, they are in the process of pulling the heads and middle and lower units to check everything else out. I was told they've never seen anything like this. So having been without a boat for a good while I'm waiting to hear what Yamaha is going to do under the warranty for this 16 month, 62 hour disaster. Bay doesnt know if I'll get a short block, long block or new engine and they are continuing to explore what happened and to determine how salt water apparently got in places it should never be. I want a new motor, but I'm guessing Momma Yamma probably is only going to do the least they have to. I was told that if they do a long block, the warranty doesnt re-set, just keeps going from the purchase date. I'm sure glad I got the extension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted June 9, 2016 Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 Dave, I feel your pain. I went through a lot of the same with our TE. No warranty extension, no new motor but a power head. I did get great service from our dealer and he did put me at the head of the line for the actual repair. I raised hell with Yamaha and MBC with not a lot of support. Between the issues I had with the Maverick and this boat I am done with Yamaha. I did trade the 40hp Yamaha for a Honda on the Maverick and have run that for a little over a year with no issues. I have had no issues with the Pathfinder since the powerhead but bluntly I think all of these guys are making to much money at this point to care very much about customer service. Good luck with you quest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason p Posted June 9, 2016 Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 Unfortunately I'm with Chuck on this one. I got the same support, of lack thereof from the MBC when Yamaha was giving me the run-around about some lower unit issues I was having while under warranty. I guess customer service is where the "Yamaha Powermatch Builder" relationship ends. My next motor will be black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted June 9, 2016 Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 As with most marine motors (gas or diesel), there are a few bad ones out of every 100 manufactured. I know Yamaha owners that have thousands of hours on their motors and no issues; same for the other outboard manufacturers. I can tell you that the builders don't have much pull with the motor manufacturers on warranty issues. The company I work for builds yachts up to $10million and we've never had any skin in the game whenever there is a motor warranty issue. I've seen it happen with three different diesel motor manufacturers. At the end of the day it is the owners who pick the motors, not the builders. Owners getting fed up with how a warranty claim is handled is very common. The manufacturers only have to honor what their warranty states and upgrades such as a new motor are rarely, if ever, granted. We all have the choice to try another motor manufacturer but don't expect more than what their warranty states if there is an issue. Best of luck, Limitless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason p Posted June 9, 2016 Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 I hear ya and I understand the builders responsibilities as well as engine manufacturers, and I know MBC isn't gonna eat Yamaha's issues when a customer isn't happy with Yamaha. I do have an issue when builders slap Yamaha Powermatched decals on the console insinuating that they have some sort of partnership, agreement, understanding, etc... with Yamaha when they're trying to sell you a certain boat/power package and then they're hands off after the sale. I know it's marketing BS but it still bothers me... OK I'm done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 I am pretty much with Jason on this one. MBC only factory installs Yamaha according to Skip about a month ago. If you want an MBC product without one you can buy a "less engine" boat and have the dealer hang on what you want. I went down this road and it's not a pretty one financially. So, in my mind there should be some shared responsibility here but there is not. MBC makes a great product. Both of our boats are superb fishing platforms and we love them dearly but when you lose confidence in a product it's hard to justify another purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linesider 159 Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 The whole power matched deal is just because yamaha bought the mbc transoms either through lump sum or per motor discount/incentive. Basically just more profitable for mbc, which I can't blame them for doing. Hope it gets worked out OP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 I agree with Jason as well. And it is all about marketing. However, no boat manufacturer can change, enforce or influence how a motor warranty responds to a claim because the warranty wording is set in stone by the motor manufacturer's warranty department. It's really that simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Troy Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 Never heard of a Boat builder getting involved in any issue with an engine warranty. Not ever. This is when a good dealer with a good service department comes into play. New motor is most likely not going to happen and you will be at the mercy of the dealer and Yamaha as to the outcome. This is where the dealer needs to shine and if he does Yamaha will meet the warranty obligation. MHPC has no place in the engine warranty process unless there was an issue of the original installation of which I doubt. There are plenty of major manufacturers that are aligned with Yamaha and are system matched to provide Yamaha products and all accessories to include props for their packages. None of the others get involved with Yamaha warranties. Sorry the OP has to deal with this and I hope his dealer is all he is supposed to be. Sounds like something very unusual happened with this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtaco Posted June 11, 2016 Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 This stinks, hope they make it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limitless Posted June 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 Got a call yesterday afternoon from the service director at Bay Marine. Yamaha is sending a new long block and will replace anything in lower unit that the mechanic deems necessary. So, except for almost two months with no boat, this worked out well. Still no idea how it happened or even exactly what happened, but hey are replacing it with no hassles. I was worried in the beginning but Yamaha is doing what they should to make it right. Kudos. Also, Bay Marine as a dealer of the full MBC line did everything they could for me. The timing was tough because it happened at the height of boating season and they are swamped. I'll be back in business in a couple weeks and headed to S FL skinny salt to keep trying to learn how to fish the flats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdemott Posted June 11, 2016 Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 37 minutes ago, Limitless said: Got a call yesterday afternoon from the service director at Bay Marine. Yamaha is sending a new long block and will replace anything in lower unit that the mechanic deems necessary. So, except for almost two months with no boat, this worked out well. Still no idea how it happened or even exactly what happened, but hey are replacing it with no hassles. I was worried in the beginning but Yamaha is doing what they should to make it right. Kudos. Also, Bay Marine as a dealer of the full MBC line did everything they could for me. The timing was tough because it happened at the height of boating season and they are swamped. I'll be back in business in a couple weeks and headed to S FL skinny salt to keep trying to learn how to fish the flats. Glad it worked out. Had a Mercury that dropped a lower unit after 8 months. Between the dealer and Mercury they put on a new unit within a week. Great dealer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Troy Posted June 11, 2016 Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 Good on them with sending the long block. I would have been very worried about using anything from the old one. Some component went hay wire to cause what ever happened. Glad your only down a few weeks also. I hear even trying to get a new motor right now ain't gonna happen real quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Posted June 11, 2016 Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 I'm glad that you'll get a new long block and start fresh.. It ruined your trip to the Keys and made for a long, miserable ride home. I've been there too. Just know that Yamaha has a process for big warranty items; Everybody does. M-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted June 12, 2016 Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 I had a blown powerhead back on my Pathy...it had 464 hours and a some type of internal shifting rod went...it was a known issue, according to the boyz at Boat Center here in FLL....but, the first question they asked....are you running Yamalube in the F150? They told me they took samples and sent it in when the warranty claim was made...as many of you know, i always use Yamalube, ring free, etc. etc. and OEM parts I buy from my dealer..not on line... Power head was replaced...cost me oil, plugs, etc. ...ran like new after that.....sold with with just around 600 hrs..... I was under original warranty...(with extension) dc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason p Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 OH yeah, I forgot about the Yamalube caviat, same thing with my lower unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slyshon Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 Dave, Sorry to hear that and happy to hear Yamaha is doing the right thing. Every manufacturer has issues, it all boils down to how those issues are handled and in most cases Yamaha steps up. Contrary to what some say, MBG is not Yamaha and we each have our own warranty policies and procedures. Yes, we can contact Yamaha and in many cases have been of some assistance in matters such as these. As Troy stated above, this really is a dealer manufacturer relationship and I am happy to see the fine folks at Bay Marine getting this resolved. Yes, we only hang and rig Yamaha products here but we do allow hull only purchases where the customer/ dealer can have their engine of choice hung on the transom. Believe me, we have offered other engines here and there are many issues as all our riggers are Yamaha certified and this is what they know. Skip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawg Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 Skip, Does Yamaha offer to help out with the (rare) warranty issues that you have with your hulls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 C'Mon, Hawg ! That kind of a logical question can be embarrassing. I am glad you got taken care of, Dave. I hope you get back on the water and enjoy trouble-free years ! M-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanjj Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 I had a 200 Yamaha salt water series on my year 2000 PF 2400v and had 1650 hours on it when I decided to buy a 2008 F250 because I thought I needed the extra 50 horses and wanted a four stroke. Dealer gave me $2500 for it on trade. After proper break in running and 10 hour service at a certified Yamaha dealer....at 71 hours it locked up. Took to dealer...Yamaha rep asked for verification that all lubes in engine were YamaLubes. Dealer provided samples and service records, three weeks later, Yamaha replaced the engine at no charge to me. The dealer had a new one on floor display and they said to put it on my boat. The only part that was not new was my old 4 blade Power Tech prop. Since then I also have a F150 Yamaha on a 2200XL and a F90 on a 17 Whaler and I use YamaLube oil, ring lube, grease, etc. Yamaha stood behind their warranty on my F250 which now has 825 hours on it and runs great ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John U Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 That's a real bummer, you might want to consider speaking with Yamaha directly. It may not change the outcome, but they can explain the root cause of what happened and give you the piece of mind. Before I purchased my boat, I spent some time at boat shows and talked to people about their warranty experiences. Based on this, I decided how to power my boat. In addition, I have moved twice since I have owned my boat. I was very careful in selecting the dealer. This makes a big difference. We had a other boat brand with a 2 stroke Black motor which was built without the oil system functioning properly. As soon as it finished the break in, the motor locked up with 20 hrs on Thanksgiving Day with the entire family on board. After a long process, they provided a new long block. The dealer took 2 months to fix it. The boat came back with grease all over it with a different prop and we never trusted it afterwards. Last year I had a problem with tach in my boat which showed up in mid June. My dealer was very backed up and it took 3 weeks to replace it. They offered to detail the boat for free to make up for the lost time. In addition, they followed up multiple times to make sure it was working. There were no questions, no excuses, just fixed the problems. While I was on vacation a few years back with the boat, I had an issue with Stereo. I called the local MBC dealer and saw me right away, and we fixed the problem. I think MBC does an excellent job in selecting the people to represent their product. I have experiences with 2 dealers to back to that up. I hope you get back and running soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarpon Terry Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 For what it's worth, I have had two (2) major issues with my F150. In both instances, Caribee Boat Sales in Islamorada handled the issues promptly. Also, there use to be a forum member, who was a Yamaha rep. He apparently monitored this forum for Yamaha issues. Can't remember his forum name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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