Unauthorized work, how to handle?
 

Looking for advice. I have an 01 envision with a 502 mag mpi. Week of 4th of July I was having an issue and boat would not start. Put a starter on it and single click wouldn't turn over. Towed to marina. Marina calls says there is water in a cylinder and it needs exhaust flappers and riser gaskets.. quoted 800 and I authorized. Calls says works done but bad news the works done never started the boat and there is water in the cylinder. He said u have a bad head or a bad headgasket. I asked how much to fix. If it's just a head gasket. He said 3k including what he did already. If there is a cracked head then it would be additional. Fast forward a week engines out we are just going to send it to the machine shop because he can do it faster and milling the heads and everything it will be quicker. Okay no big deal. Week goes by no update. So I call..marina guy I need to talk to is out of town..calls me 5 days later including the weekend. Say what's going on..well he got the heads off and bad news he had to bore the block .010 over the cylinder has pitting it it so he bored the entire block over and ordered new pistons..I said wait who authorized that? Silence...I said you better call that machine shop and get a quote because I never authorized anything beyond a possible head and headgasket..so tonight he says your gonna be rite at 10k. I Said we'll whats lead time he goes a week. Just waiting for the crank to come back..so this machine shop has already done the work..now I work in the automotive industry. In service at that. I would never quote a headgasket job and overhaul an engine with no authorization. A I don't have 10k laying around B) I don't feel I should have to pay for what been done. I'd be okay paying up to 3k because that is what I authorized. I have a buddy with a frsh 496 I would dropped in had I gotten a call but now I feel taken... what would you all do?

Agreed. They should have stopped and contacted you soon as damage to cylinder wall was discovered.

Most likely was not even a bad head gasket that allowed the water intrusion . 99% of the time it’s from a rotted riser or riser gasket between the riser and exhaust manifold. If not that the manifold might be rotted but I’ll take a $100 on bad riser Alex.

Agreed. Sounds like they were low on work and needed to "create" some. Did you ask for the compression results from the bad head gasket diagnosis?

When i asked what the result of the leakdown and compression results were he just looked at me and said that the leakdown is not going to show anything because there is water in there and he knows there is a leak so he just wanted tear down to that point which was headgaskets. Not disassembling the short block. Yesterday when i asked how much longer if i approve. He said it will be done next week..so they are already doing it. I think ny head is here. Pitting in the cylinder wall is not going to cause water in the cylinder. The pitting is from the presence of water in the cylinder. Therefore i was trying to fix the actual water leak. I feel like they over repaired on top without authorization. Ithe boat was for sale and now another 10k i would have just did the head gasket and ran it til i sold it.

pretty sure they have not pressure tested the exhaust manifolds..I'm not a boat mechanic. I am in the auto industry so boat exhaust is not my specialty for sure. The truth is I took it there because I don't have the means to pull a motor out of a boat on a trailer.

I would go to the shop and look at your boat. If they’re this unscrupulous they may have not even pulled the motor . How long did the boat sit from the last time it ran to the time you discovered it wouldn’t start ?

The fact that they started off with exhaust flappers and riser gaskets but somehow jumped directly to head gasket seems off. If you know there is water in the cylinder you immediately get the water out as step 1, then address the rest after because there is no reason in the world to work on external parts if the inside of the engine has issues.

This voat was dropped at the marina same day riser gaskets and flappers replaced, week lager engine is out and the engine builder is going to just pick the engine up and do the work cause he can mil heads if needed and pressure test heads.

We always always always call first. No is always an acceptable answer. These are boats not hearts, lungs, etc. If it isnt in the cards right now, that needs to be ok and your decision.

I think my frustration is that to me pitting in cylinders are not the cause of water its the result of. The repair i think was a headgasket and maybe even manifolds. Headgasker probably could have been done and ran without water getting in the cylinder. My non marine experience opinion. I feel the bore and balance rotate assembly was above and beyond and not needed to grt it back out on the water

Well had a call with an attorney today he suggested let them finish the work..give them a check for what he quoted and let them take me to litigation even though he said they will not find anyone to take the case since they have nothing in writing..not sure if I like the idea..although I don't think I owe him for the work I never authorized. Thoughts?

Question is, will he release the boat back to you if it's not paid in full?

If you can grab the boat, take it and let him keep the motor........but I strongly suspect the guy won't release the boat.

I'd let the mechanic keep the motor and spend the money on a new one instead.

Throwing good money out the window twice.............Lawyer will get his fees and you likely won't get a judgment that collectible (if you even get a judgment)

In what state did this occur?

In order to get the boat in your possession, insist that you take it and sea trial it. Once you physically have the boat it will tilt the advantage towards you.

My assumption is that cool heads will prevail and there will be a number someplace between the original quotation and the "final" invoice that will work for both of you. You will both take a haircut, no doubt, but it will be behind you and you will not waste any more time or emotion on it. If the original quote was $3k, and he wants $10k, if you meet someplace in the middle it will cost you an additional $3k or so. Most small business guys are "cash flow challenged" so there is incentive on his end to settle up. It will take you less time to go earn the $3,000 than to deal with it.

My day used to remind me at times that in order to keep somebody else down, you gotta stay down there with them. Have the conversation, get it settles and move on.

I highly doubt your engine "didnt" need the work thats being done to be right BUT for a shop to go from a 3000$ quote to 10,000$ WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION is crazy. Clearly they dropped the ball. At some point did you tell them "its broken, I just want it fixed, do whatever it takes"?? Even then, they should have gotten authorization before going further as everyone has a budget and as you mentioned, you would have just bought your friends 496. Laws vary greatly between states, alot of people in Michigan that are vaguely familar with the bureau of auto repair mistakenly think it covers boats and it does NOT whatsoever for example.
At my shop in Michigan, IF you dropped your truck off for repair, I told you 3000 to fix it, you agreed in writing, I did NOT call for authorization beyond that then called and told you your final bill was say 6000, one phone call to the state from you and they would be here ripping thru my work orders like a hyena. Handing out 1250$ fines for every tiny clerical violation in paper work on every job Ive ever done, force me to give you your vehicle without paying the extra, IF you did pay me to get it, they would make me reimburse you triple the overcharge and again fine me for every vehicle on property with work in progress that does not have perfect work orders, etc.
Now when it comes to a BOAT, they wouldnt care whatsoever because its not a registered road vehicle and would tell you too bad, theres no one at the "state" here in Michigan that will do anything for a boat customer. You would have to sue me, its possible if your work was done and bill was higher then you agreed to in writing and you called the sheriffs department and said I wouldnt release your property, they may force ,e to give it to you but they typically wont get involved and will tell you "its a civil matter".

The thing I worry about is that you will end up with a mechanic's lien on the boat, and end up losing it. Get the boat out of their possession ASAP.

This ?

the words whatever it takes or just fix it or anything remotely close to that never came out of my mouth. Literally he told me again verbally 3k for headgaskets. I said okay if u find a cracked head or anything beyond the head gasket I need a call..never got one until after the block and everything had been bored over

my attorney said because he has no signed quote nothing in writing he couldn't place a lein

Have you gone and looked at the boat to see the motor is out ?