CONTINUOUSWAVE

I just inquired to a popular Evinrude dealer in New Jersey for a 300 hour service for an [Evinrude E-TEC 115-HP engine made in 2013]. The dealer quoted [me an estimated cost of] $925, plus tax.

Does $925 seem extremely high?

I thought [the services to be performed were to change the] impeller, [the spark plugs], [the] gear oil, and [the] fuel filters.

[At that rate I will] be doing the service myself.

The list of items to check and replace is in the owner's manual.

What I believe included is:

• Plugs
• Gear oil change
• Water pump*
• Fuel-water separator change
• fuel filter change
• zinc anodes*
• computer diagnostics
• lube specific points
• Thermostats*.

*These items do not need to be replaced if they have been changed since new.

You should be able to do all but the diagnostic check--which takes a half-hour at a dealer to read [service] codes. To get parts from a dealer in person or online should not be hard.

You should ask the dealer for a specific quote listing the labor and all the parts with their individual prices. Estimates range around 4-hour to do it all. Parts are probably same cost, that is, costs of $400 in labor, $500 in parts, plus shop fee, and taxes.

How many years has the E-TEC engine been in service to reach the 300-hour mark?

Has the engine been running in saltwater?

I have posted a compreshensive summary of all the routine maintenance on my E-TEC engine. See:
E-TEC Engine: Maintenance History After Ten Seasons
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3937&p=29142&

My narrative of all service procedures may give you an idea of what is routinely done. My engine runs exclusively in cold, clear, fresh water. Seasonal use averages about 50-hours, and lately even lower hours, more like 30-hours per season the last several years.

I don't think my total bills for three service visits has exceeded $925.

My E-TEC engine retailed at about $15,000. The idea of spending a few hundred dollars every three to five years for routine maintenance by professionals does not seem outrageous to me.

As PHIL T mentions above, the Evinrude E-TEC engine owner's guide gives details about the recommended service intervals based on elapsed time and engine running hours, and on nature of the engine operation in particular waters.

canyonkid91 wrote:Does $925 seem extremely high?

No--[the quote of $925 for service] sounds about right. New Jersey is the operative location scale as far as the cost of labor. Legitimate shop labor rates are around $150 per hour.

The 300 hour service on my E-TEC 60 back in 2018 was $850. It was performed by the dealer who sold me the engine.

The service required is every 300 hours or three years for legacy models.

Last fall and this spring I worked for a marine repair facility that was an Evinrude dealer. I performed many 300 hour services on Evinrude E-TEC legacy outboards. I believe the horsepower range was 90 to 300. My most experience was with the 200 horsepower. Poppet valve service required taking the entire wiring harness and ECM assembly apart to access it.

And that is not to mention the fun of indexing spark plugs and altering the oil supply inline filter for the retrofit kit.

Billed labor hours were from 4- to 6-hours depending on the engine. It took me 2-hours more to do the service because I was not a seasoned mechanic, but the pros who are very well seasoned rarely get it done in less time that is billed.

The computer analysis is an absolute necessity in maintaining these engines.

By all means, buy the parts yourself and do the maintenance based on an internet web site recommendation by an individual or individuals who I am assuming have never actually performed a 300 hour service under the direction of an expert dealer mechanic. Just don't get all pissy about a legitimate dealer not willing to answer all your questions when your service parts you purchased on the web don't work or there is a problem with the engine that could have been diagnosed by one who knows what they are doing.

Just drop it off and have it done.

Pay peanuts: get monkeys.

Rich