Back in the old daysThe point to the OP being that buying an engine with local service is important
The hardest thing to do was find parts for the outboards, mostly around the area where you use the boat, because that's when most people had trouble pop up. It became clear to lots of folks using their boats over time, that a main source of problems with the outboards, inboards, was points. Those that had car engines in their boats were lucky, because local auto parts, still could be miles from where the boat broke down, would most likely carry the points. People with outboards were not so lucky. Back then most of the smarter guys carried spare points, and other parts, as well as fly wheel pullers to get to them. Just leaving a key on in your boat for to long would fry the points.Today we have more reliable engines, yet more complicated. Having a dealer close to your house has its advantage to those that are unlucky enough to have an engine that acts up. Still, having a dealer to far away wouldn't stop me from buying a certain brand if I wanted it. I would check say the local merc, yamaha, whatever dealer and see if they would work on my off brand engine if there were a problem. Any dealer with a good plan would work on other brands of motors, if they were smart. Parts today, can be found easy on the net, and have them shipped to you within a couple days almost anywhere in the world.
Having a dealer for your outboard near by, can also get people into a false sense of security too, first of all, not all dealers carry all parts, so they have to be ordered more times than not, but the reality too is most of us will have problems with the outboard when we are using the boat, not when it sits at home. A whole vacation can be ruined, for want of a minor part if you dont have a spare, or the knowledge to try and fix the problem.
catigale, didnt you just find and fix a burnt connector on your engine, before a major trip? The fact that you hunted down the problem, fixed it and were good to go, was the key to you having a good time later. If that would have happened while you were on vacation, you would have found and fixed it then too. Most of us that have had outboards our whole life have had some things pop up and dealt with it without a dealer's help while on vacation.
My point in all this, is most everyone with a new outboard, or older one, will never have to see a dealer for repair or maintenance, if they have the knowledge to do basic repairs, basic maintenance, and have the spare parts available on hand a head of time. We all should have a spare water pump impeller, spark plugs, thermostat, and fuses on board. Plus the tools to do those jobs. Only a very small percentage of people will have problems beyond our ability's and tool wise.
The etec is not a problematic engine, in fact its one of the most reliable engines out there. As far as having software, or other exotic tools to work on all engines with fi is a plus for us, we cant screw up the motor, messing with its brain. The dealer when he installs your engine does not go into the mapping software, he only programs the motor through the gauge that comes with the engine, as with my merc, all settings are done through the gauge, and that can be done by the owner too, with out a lap top. Its all in the owners manual on how to do that.
Just because a motor starts missing, doesn't mean the computer is whacked out, we still need to check the other sources, like plugs or sucking air from the fuel hose. By checking the basic stuff, before we panic and run off to the dealer for help, can save lots of cash. Although we are used to having our cars, when they have a hiccup, running for a place of repair, we sort of have to have a different mind set with our boats. Those far away secluded areas we go to to get away from the hustle bustle of life, are most likely not going to have professional help if you have a problem there. We must be somewhat prepared, to deal with these problems ourselves.
There are only so many things that can go wrong, with a certain problem, knowing and understanding how things work, most every thing can be fixed by the owner, if we get the mentality that the motor is way to complicated, because EFI, or the computer is sitting on the engine, Its easy to say its to complicated for us to do anything. We are still dealing with an internal combustion engine, that will have the same problems as older non efi engines have. In fact the EFI takes away a ton of older problems people used to have with clogged carburetors, and jetting, as well as oily fouled plugs.
You can get a hold of software that will change the mapping, or trouble shoot potential problems, but then what, if all you had was a bad plug the software isn't going to fix the problem, or may not even find the problem. If your a whiz with a computer, but don't know how to turn a wrench, or trouble shoot without a computer, your in trouble when you are 25 miles from shore, hook up your computer, tells you you have a bad fi sensor, then what? are we smart enough to open the cowl and find a wire that got loose? Or do we just call it a day, wait till we get home to our dealer to have him fix a loose wire for a couple hundred bucks.
Some things for sure would be out of our control, as far as fixing them, but that would be a very rare thing in my opinion. 3rd world country's use our same engines to make a living, with very little resources for parts or repairs available, and the common tool they use is a hammer. The idea of a boat is to get away from the idea that we need people for anything in life, we want to be self sufficient, independent, toss society aside and relax. That means too, you have to be able to work on your own stuff as much as you can. Nothings free in this world.
Cut that cord we have to the dealer, or lap top, have faith that the company that built your outboard knows what they are doing, and have made you the best that tech can be made, be glad your not changing points, every trip, that you dont have one fouled plug every trip, dont anticipate major problems with out some sign that one is brewing, be brave, trust your stuff, the more you know about your stuff, the better off you are. Fresh gas, replace fuel lines once in a while, change the water pump every couple years, clean the terminals on you battery, keep spare fuses, and enjoy the motor for many many years trouble free, for the majority of us.
Think of the computer on your outboard as the last thing to go, instead look for problems from moving parts or parts that are actually stressed as the engine runs, even loose wires from all the vibration. Make sure you have fresh gas all the time, EFI's like clean filtered new gas to run perfect.
Mike
