Winterization issues, Ice in engine compartment
 

I just picked up my 2014 MXZ i had winterized over the winter and stored in doors (non heated) and took a look at my V drive and saw this. the battery cables are not unhooked and i am not entirely sure my boat was even winterized. I took it to the local dealer to analyze the situation. I guess i am wondering what my move is here if there is significant damage. Legal action?

If you paid to winterize and they didn't, they should be on the hook for whatever damage was done. Beware of the legaleze in their ppwk.

If you have a battery switch, the cables aren't an issue.
or if you have frozen water in your bilge and nothing else wrong...

Probably wrecked the bulge pump at a minimum. What a **** job. I would pitch a fit!!

Where did that water come from? Was that the water that they drained out when they winterized & didnt take the plug out for it to drain, or clean it up?
Or did something crack because it wasnt winterized and thats the water that drained out due to the crack?

How deep is that water/ice in the bilge. Where'd the water come from (was it left outside at some point), and was your plug left in? Like denver said, if you paid them to do it, and they fubar'd it, it should be on them. Try to work it out directly with them first, and save the legal recourse for a last resort - as you're more likely to have a favorable outcome that way.

I have no idea where the water would have come from.i dropped it off into their warehouse to winterize In the fall and picked it up yesterday and literally pulled it out of the covered warehouse myself ( same company I stored in doors with handled the winterization )so I would assume any of that water would have been drained during the winterization in the fall and it’s been indoors untill I pulled it out yesterday. I have my fingers crossed. I should have went with the dealer from the start

The water is about 3 -4inches deep. I have it at the dealer now so Hopefuly
It isn’t too bad . Very bummed either way

That’s why I winterize it myself. It’s not hard to do at all and you will know not was done right!

Have you attempted to contact them about the crap job they did or didn't do ? I feel like they are going to be upset you didn't let them make it right and went somewhere else even though you have every right to do so . That's BS I'd be livid .

Bilge pump looks like white cylinder near top of pic, just right of center. Appears to be ok when this pic was taken.

you look for freeze plugs or check out block/exhaust manifolds?

They could've have just drained engine/manifolds to bilge. It's a ****ty way to do business, but nothing really wrong with it, other than water freezing and thawing over and over in your bilge. Not all boats drain bilge empty sitting on the trailer. so there's that.

got a heater on board?

Hope your boat is ready for spring and you're not engine shopping.

Hope your engine is okay. But if you got a heater & they didn't blow the lines out you deff lost the core & will need a new one.

So this has been an interesting ride. I called the company that I paid to winterize it and store indoors with and told them what was up and the owner told me it was between me and her mechanic and she wasn't going to be involved. I had never spoke to any mechanics or anyone but her. I wrote her company a check for winterization and storage and she said she was "taking herself out of it". I continually told her i didn't pay her mechanic, and that i paid her so she can't take herself out of it and she just kept saying it didn't concern her and I'd have to speak with him. I spoke to the mechanic and he said it must be water from the front of the boat that settled in the back. to which i responded the drain plug wasn't removed and he just said hes been doing this for 15 years and I shouldn't have called the dealer.

I've never dealt with worse service in my life.
I heard back from the dealer and everything checked out OK Thankfully but I am paying for startup and testing services i would not have paid for otherwise. They said it looked like the boat was winterized but they kept it outside at some point in the rain without the cover on it because there was so much water. I am just so happy I got lucky on this one . Thanks everyone for your input.

Well I guess you won’t be using that same storage place again. What a bunch of douche nozzles

I'd be blasting that service on line locally

15 years? just 'cause some mouth breather has been ****ing things up for 15 years doesn't mean ****. what a load of bull****. I trust you never put your boat in their hands again.

so leaving water in the bilge for long periods can eventually do damage to the hull/fiberglass. at a minimum, ice sloshing around in there will damage your soft lines, wires, etc. **** them. Who the **** stores a boat with the plug in???

agree, put these *******s on blast so local cats don't get hosed with ignorant dodgy service.

That's some bull****. As long as the boat is OK just eat the service cost and move on with your life. Not worth getting angry over.

Summer is coming!

Wow Reez. Glad it worked out but I can't believe the scam and sham owner of a company who would "take herself out" of any problem caused by her company. You wrote a check to the company therefore the company is responsible. Make sure you post the name of that place and write some really negative reviews to warn others to stay away from that place.

since this popped up again, it got me thinking. how would you like to work for this bitch???

You're the boat dude, putting money in her pocket while you undoubtedly earn just above minimum wage. Customer comes back with some very basic questions about what appears to be very shady service work. and she sidesteps herself out of the conversation, leaving you, the boat dude, in what could be a legal dispute with a customer? Doubt it would fly in legal proceedings as she received compensation, but there's a lot of back and forth before things get to that point.

Just shady from all angles.

That's a ballast pump. You can see it's twin on the other side of the tranny.


This is why it's a good idea to pull the center plug during winterization. I'm sure someone can find that pic of a tige with a pond in it. You just never know. I always zip tie my center bilge t handle plug to my steering wheel, even though my boat is stored indoors over the winter.

Bummer about the ice and havign to deal with the whole situation. I am a bit curious... is the dirt and grime in the bilge (on the tank, lines, etc) from water in the hull over the winter (if so it was a lot of water!) or something else? Just curious how that area got so dirty. Maybe the camera is making it look worse that it is but it looks like the boat boat sat outside uncovered with the rear seat out for the winter or you had a bunch of muddy water in the bilge. I have never really cleaned down by the V-Drive of my LSV but after 10 years it still looks new (even if a little water in the bilge from time to time.)

I Keep my 06 supra clean and my bilge looks like that. To me it seem to come from the humidity in the air and under the cover.

Most of what you are seeing there is mold, not dirt.

Clean it well and use an anti-microbial. In future, use a couple pails of Damp Rid!

Did you deliver the boat with the plug in or out? If you would have delivered with it out then probably the water would have drained out.

In my experience some people never remove their plug and a bunch of junk accumulates, and i guess weird problems like this can occur.

Plus - here at least - i think you are required to transport your boat with the plug out. The purpose is to avoid moving invasive species from one lake to another.