Eds Marine Eds Marine Could have DIED after Routine Maintenance Fresno California

Hi guys, I'm writing this to make others aware of the nightmare I went through and warning others so that they don't go through the same. My boat is a Bayliner with a Mercruiser 3.0 and has run perfectly since the day I bought it as I have always done a lot of preventative maintenance and always had it done by a boat shop. My old boat mechanic went out of buisness and so I sought out a new boat shop.

So I take my boat into Ed's Marine #edsmarine in Fresno, CA. Prior to dropping off my boat, I detailed my boat inside and out. I also called and got an estimate for $400 for a FULL service, fluid changes, filters, thermostat, painted outdrive, and FULL inspection. I dropped my boat off and told them to take as much time as they needed to do the necessary work and run it through the actual checks. I even offered an additional $50 just to make sure it got done right, to which they accepeted. I told them if they found anything else to please repair it and I would cover any additional costs and to CHECK EVERYTHING. After 2 days, I got the phone call to come pick up my boat to which I did.

Upon getting my boat back I notice a puddle of oil at the bottom of my boat hull. Took quite a bit of time to clean up myself. Not something I would expect, especially after offering additional money to ensure a good job was done. I cleaned up the oil.

Flash forward 3 weeks, the boat has been sitting in my driveway, in an unusually windy period for the Fresno area, no rain. My plan was to take the boat to San Luis Reservoir which requires a dry dock inspection. The boat and motor were fully dried with shop fans and towels. Myself and the previous owner of the boat stopped in Dos Palos to lower and inspect the lower unit for water. None was found. Upon arriving to the inspection station, we pass all but the lower unit inspection. As we drove home with a quarintine tag which didn't allow me to boat anywhere in CA for 7 days from the date of issuance, we are puzzled as to how that could happen as both he and I are not new to passing the dry dock inspections. I should have known something was up but chalked it up to bad luck.

8 days later after the expiration of the vesssel quarintine on my boat, I'm launching out of Rio Vista on the California Delta. This is my boats mainden voyage after a full service, so I naturally expect everything with my machine to be in proper working order. We start out heading up toward the ferry area and all gauges are reading as ususal. We stop to troll and within minutes we begin catching fish and expect to start having a fantastic day when I notice that the temprature gauge is at 250 degrees which is the highest number on the gauge. We stop the boat and do our best to keep the boat in the middle of the river to avoid being swept into the rocks. We call Eds Marine and ask what the hell is going on as neither I nor the previous owner of the boat whom was fishing with me, never had a single issue with this boat. I was answered by one of the sons whom basically said his parents were at a funeral and the other mechanic had metal in his eye. He basically said that no one could help us.

He was quite rude and assuming in his wording and tones and tried to blame us for the issue. So after obtaining assistance from a fellow boater who wanted $40 for gas in order to tow us back, we were towed back up to Rio Vista. We load the boat up and finally get a call back from the boat shop whom said they were calling another Mercury dealer in Rio Vista to repair the boat. We were greeted after 1.5 hours of waiting by a gentleman whom I won't name and told to follow him to his "shop". We arrive at a radiator repair shop and are told to back our boat under a canopy. We're given a bench to sit on in 90 degree heat and watch the repairs take place. We watched 3 men, one with a radiator repair shop shirt, one with an automotive mechanics uniform, and another in a tank top disassemble the lower unit 4 times and shoot water into hoses (and all over the inside of my deck), replace random parts that I didn't need to "see if that fixes the problem". After 5 hours they call Ed's Marine back and say that they are baffled and don't know what is going on.

So they call in a Mercury Marine expert who's a retired big shot with the company. This guy showed up and fixed the issue within an hour. He said that Ed's Marine had installed a the water lift tube incorrectly, they had failed to scrape off the old gasket from the impeller housing, and that they installed a gear lube hose incorrectly. He stated that gear lube was pouring out of the unit in places it shouldn't have been. He also stated that i this would have blown the engine if not noticed properly. This gentelman having been a traveling service rep made interesting statments about Ed's Marine such as "I USED to recommend them but don't anymore" and "I'm not sure whats been going on there lately". So he fixes the issues and states that the lift tube was the reason for failing the San Luis dry dock as the stray water was shaken out of the area, normally covered/contained by the lift tube.

So the day after I get back to Fresno, I take the boat to another mechanic in town to have the work that was done by Ed's Marine and the Rio Vista "boat mechanic" and find that there was a leak from the oil filter from not being properly installed and that my ENGINE OVERHEATING ALARM had been disconnected which I know I had inspected on the previous seasonal maintenance. The local Fresno mechanic stated that this work looked "suspicious". As if this sequence of events was intending to blow my engine in order to get an additional repair or engine rebuild.

I called Ed's Marine after getting my boat back from the mechanic to inform Donna of the issue, but when I called and asked for her, a gentleman said "Well, I'm Ed and I can help you with whatever you need". So I tell Ed whats been going on and I inform Ed that I'd like the cost of my gas for the 2 trips (I have reciepts and all documentaion) and the cost of the secondary shops repairs and inspection covered. To which Ed of Eds Marine said "I'm not authorized to pay you any money, you'll have to call Donna back in the morning". So now they're giving me the run around and playing me for a fool. How can the person who's name is in the business title not be authorized to pay for their mistakes?

So I call back in the AM and speak with Donna. I tell her the whole ordeal and she basically tells me that theres nothing they can do and that I was to cover any additional costs myself. So I took my boat in for a yearly maintenance for $450 and ended up paying an additional $200 in gas for trips I didn't even get to go on because of shotty work and an additional $250 to pay to have their mistakes fixed. She tried to tell me that the lift tube was bent and damaged, but the on site mechanicHi guys, I'm writing this to make others aware of the nightmare I went through and warning others so that they don't go through the same.

My boat is a Bayliner with a Mercruiser 3.0 and has run perfectly since the day I bought it as I have always done a lot of preventative maintenance and always had it done by a boat shop. My old boat mechanic went out of buisness and so I sought out a new boat shop.

So I take my boat into Ed's Marine #edsmarine in Fresno, CA. Prior to dropping off my boat, I detailed my boat inside and out. I also called and got an estimate for $400 for a FULL service, fluid changes, filters, thermostat, painted outdrive, and FULL inspection. I dropped my boat off and told them to take as much time as they needed to do the necessary work and run it through the actual checks. I even offered an additional $50 just to make sure it got done right, to which they accepeted. I told them if they found anything else to please repair it and I would cover any additional costs and to CHECK EVERYTHING. After 2 days, I got the phone call to come pick up my boat to which I did.

Upon getting my boat back I notice a puddle of oil at the bottom of my boat hull. Took quite a bit of time to clean up myself. Not something I would expect, especially after offering additional money to ensure a good job was done. I cleaned up the oil.

Flash forward 3 weeks, the boat has been sitting in my driveway, in an unusually windy period for the Fresno area, no rain. My plan was to take the boat to San Luis Reservoir which requires a dry dock inspection. The boat and motor were fully dried with shop fans and towels. Myself and the previous owner of the boat stopped in Dos Palos to lower and inspect the lower unit for water. None was found. Upon arriving to the inspection station, we pass all but the lower unit inspection. As we drove home with a quarintine tag which didn't allow me to boat anywhere in CA for 7 days from the date of issuance, we are puzzled as to how that could happen as both he and I are not new to passing the dry dock inspections. I should have known something was up but chalked it up to bad luck.

8 days later after the expiration of the vesssel quarintine on my boat, I'm launching out of Rio Vista on the California Delta. This is my boats mainden voyage after a full service, so I naturally expect everything with my machine to be in proper working order. We start out heading up toward the ferry area and all gauges are reading as ususal. We stop to troll and within minutes we begin catching fish and expect to start having a fantastic day when I notice that the temprature gauge is at 250 degrees which is the highest number on the gauge. We stop the boat and do our best to keep the boat in the middle of the river to avoid being swept into the rocks. We call Eds Marine and ask what the hell is going on as neither I nor the previous owner of the boat whom was fishing with me, never had a single issue with this boat. I was answered by one of the sons whom basically said his parents were at a funeral and the other mechanic had metal in his eye.

He basically said that no one could help us. He was quite rude and assuming in his wording and tones and tried to blame us for the issue. So after obtaining assistance from a fellow boater who wanted $40 for gas in order to tow us back, we were towed back up to Rio Vista. We load the boat up and finally get a call back from the boat shop whom said they were calling another Mercury dealer in Rio Vista to repair the boat. We were greeted after 1.5 hours of waiting by a gentleman whom I won't name and told to follow him to his "shop". We arrive at a radiator repair shop and are told to back our boat under a canopy. We're given a bench to sit on in 90 degree heat and watch the repairs take place. We watched 3 men, one with a radiator repair shop shirt, one with an automotive mechanics uniform, and another in a tank top disassemble the lower unit 4 times and shoot water into hoses (and all over the inside of my deck), replace random parts that I didn't need to "see if that fixes the problem".

After 5 hours they call Ed's Marine back and say that they are baffled and don't know what is going on. So they call in a Mercury Marine expert who's a retired big shot with the company. This guy showed up and fixed the issue within an hour. He said that Ed's Marine had installed a the water lift tube incorrectly, they had failed to scrape off the old gasket from the impeller housing, and that they installed a gear lube hose incorrectly. He stated that gear lube was pouring out of the unit in places it shouldn't have been. He also stated that i this would have blown the engine if not noticed properly. This gentelman having been a traveling service rep made interesting statments about Ed's Marine such as "I USED to recommend them but don't anymore" and "I'm not sure whats been going on there lately". So he fixes the issues and states that the lift tube was the reason for failing the San Luis dry dock as the stray water was shaken out of the area, normally covered/contained by the lift tube.

So the day after I get back to Fresno, I take the boat to another mechanic in town to have the work that was done by Ed's Marine and the Rio Vista "boat mechanic" and find that there was a leak from the oil filter from not being properly installed and that my ENGINE OVERHEATING ALARM had been disconnected which I know I had inspected on the previous seasonal maintenance. The local Fresno mechanic stated that this work looked "suspicious". As if this sequence of events was intending to blow my engine in order to get an additional repair or engine rebuild.

I called Ed's Marine after getting my boat back from the mechanic to inform Donna of the issue, but when I called and asked for her, a gentleman said "Well, I'm Ed and I can help you with whatever you need". So I tell Ed whats been going on and I inform Ed that I'd like the cost of my gas for the 2 trips (I have reciepts and all documentaion) and the cost of the secondary shops repairs and inspection covered. To which Ed of Eds Marine said "I'm not authorized to pay you any money, you'll have to call Donna back in the morning". So now they're giving me the run around and playing me for a fool. How can the person who's name is in the business title not be authorized to pay for their mistakes?

So I call back in the AM and speak with Donna. I tell her the whole ordeal and she basically tells me that theres nothing they can do and that I was to cover any additional costs myself. So I took my boat in for a yearly maintenance for $450 and ended up paying an additional $200 in gas for trips I didn't even get to go on because of shotty work and an additional $250 to pay to have their mistakes fixed. When talking on the phone with her she tried to say that it was a damaged part eventhough 2 other mechanics reviewed the lift tube and said that it was in perfect condition and that it had to be mechanic error. I was surprised at how she tried to conver their tracks with deception rather than admit their error.
I remembered reading an article in the Fresno Bee where the author Roger George whom also was a customer of Ed's Marine had a brand new engine blow on him from overheating for an unknown reason RIGHT AFTER GETTING IT BACK FROM EDS MARINE. Luckily, his boat was under warranty but it raised my suspicions so after looking on YELP and a few other sites, I found that I wasn't alone.

So boaters beweare of Ed's Marine in Fresno. Do not take your boat there if you value your boat and your familys safety. It will end up costing you.

I remembered reading an article in the Fresno Bee where the author Roger George whom also was a customer of Ed's Marine had a brand new engine blow on him from overheating for an unknown reason RIGHT AFTER GETTING IT BACK FROM EDS MARINE. Luckily, his boat was under warranty but it raised my suspicions so after looking on YELP and a few other sites, I found that I wasn't alone.

So boaters beweare of Ed's Marine in Fresno. Do not take your boat there if you value your boat and your familys safety. It will end up costing you.