Steering Cylinder

[fishaholic18]

Why does everybody think mechanics are ripping them off?
Being an auto tech for 25+ years, that really pisses me off.
It is probably true that the helm was on it's way out and wasn't noticable due to the problem with the cylinder.Now that the cylinder is working properly,another weak link is found.Happens all the time with cars too. I say, if you don't want to pay to get it fixed right....Go bust YOUR knuckles,buy Your own tools and spend YOUR money on the education and fix it yourself!

[Squid kids Dad]

I tend to agree with fishaholic...Tho when spending hard earned bucks its tough to trust anyone...I think the marine mechanic or any responsible mechainic should have told him what might happen ..I.E. If you only replace this, the other realted items might fail but maybe not...At least the owner knows about it ahead of time..Good customer service!!!

[fishaholic18]

Originally Posted by Squid kids Dad

I tend to agree with fishaholic...Tho when spending hard earned bucks its tough to trust anyone...I think the marine mechanic or any responsible mechainic should have told him what might happen ..I.E. If you only replace this, the other realted items might fail but maybe not...At least the owner knows about it ahead of time..Good customer service!!!

Problem there is...You can't possiblty predict what will happen. If I replace a brake line on a guys car and the rest look OK, how do I know what may fail next? Would you just be happier if I said you should replace them all,(Probably the safest,but most expensive way out), I would still be accused of screwing you.. Catch 22 I guess. Then there's the liability issues. Not easy!!!
But...try to save a guy money and say: I can fix this one line for you....Have another one fail and see what he thinks of you...

[Fish On]

There are several valid points here to a passionate situation that we all encounter one time or another. I'll admit I wanted to take the cheap way out from the beginning. I typically always look for the most cost effective solution. I was affected by the size of the bill but also that the day I went to pick up the boat I found it with the issues mentioned previously. Long story short they kept the boat another night, rebled the steering several times, and it seems to be working much better. Took the boat out for the weekend. There was a small drip at the help when I started, but after cleanup it did not return. Play is down to about 100 degrees which is better than it was when I started. I'll keep an eye on it and replace the helm if necessary and give it a shot on my own first.

Tight lines!