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July 2024 by Todd Townsend
A friend bought a 2002 90HP Mercury 4-stroke, supposedly "refurbished/rebuilt". It sat in his garage for two years, did not try or use it. Put it on a boat, and immediately found out the the trim switch on the motor/tilt unit was broken and replaced it. Then when we first put it in the water, we ran it for less than 5 min and it started to bog down then stall. A local mechanic went over the engine and found that the gear oil and engine oil were jet black (not changed at Blackbird). This mechanic also put new carburetor kits on all carbs. The motor still would not run under load for more than 30 second without bogging down and stalling.
Upon further inspection at a different, certified Mercury mechanic, they found that it was not firing on cylinder #3 at all, and the problem was not a simple fix like spark plugs, coil. At this point, we had over $1600 into the supposedly "rebuilt" motor and it still was not working.
I called Blackbird and relayed that the engine apparently had not been rebuilt/serviced while with them. The person who answered (I think it was the owner) immediately told me "I cannot take you seriously" (RE: you are lying), and repeated it two more times. He said that's "not how they do business." Never asked me a question about what was wrong, never asked for the serial number to look into it - nothing. Not asking for more information and calling me a liar was a clear sign that they had no interest in resolving this.
The charitable answer is that everyone makes mistakes and *maybe* this accidentally made it back out the door without refurbishing. After reading several reviews here though, I think it may be a pattern of deception or incompetence.
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April 2024 by B B
Great experience here buying a new motor for my boat. I was needing to update and upgrade my outboard. Larry did a nice job explaining everything clearly with what engine to choose and why. He drew up a very professional quote. . He even took me in the shop to show me around and the facility. They even accommodated me with letting me drop off my boat outside of hours and staying later to help me. After installing the new motor Larry went over the engine and took me around the boat and showed me everything they did. I was very impressed. Larry went over maintenance. recommendations and how to best operate the new outboard. They also allowed me to leave my old outboard on the property until I found a buyer and even helped my buyer load my old engine onto his trailer. Amanda was so great in the office. She did such a good job with the quote help and setting up my loan. Thank you for all your professionalism and help.
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March 2024 by Jeremy Oesterling
The staff here are incredibly knowledgeable and professional! Their overall skill and availability impressed me. If your having problems with your motor or just want to get a new one I highly recommend talking to them first!
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January 2024 by Alejandro Clark
Great experience! I’ve bought 3 motors over the years and haven’t had any problems! The office manager was easy to work with and helped get my parts out asap! Definitely would recommend buying a motor from blackbird!
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January 2024 by Leah Grace
DEFINITELY BUY WITH BLACKBIRD! Bought a 250 merc and had a great experience! Mike Sr knows his stuff! Gave my husband great advice and knowledge on what we should spend our money on! My kids are having a blast tubing with this new motor!
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November 2023 by Cato Meowgarius
Guy named Mike Jr. Not the dad. Is a heroine addict. Dont trust yer stuff~ Extremely unprofessional and will hang up on you. Grown adult acting like an 8 year old. So if you wver wonder why it take forever to get anything "fixed or serviced" hes probably passed out in his car.
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November 2023 by John Leone
This place gets your money which is always more than they say it will cost
They also say they are there for you which never happens
They will tell you Larry will call you back
Their customer service is rude as hell
And their timeline is wrong
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July 2023 by Preston Kauffman
Extremely rude. Have nothing nice to say about them. They are some cranky people for a company. That’s all I have to say just don’t be surprised if you experience the same attitude I got
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July 2023 by Julie Palangi
Coming back for review #2! Unbelievable customer service is all I can say. Had motor replacement done at Blackbird in Jan 2023 (6 hr drive away from my home in MD) because they were the only shop with motors in stock. Install went flawlessly including all SmartCraft gouges and a new 250V8. Had some small issues for the past couple months though. There are zero competent Merc Certified mechanics that had any idea what to do (in my area). I wanted to get the issues fixed locally if possible because I was sure I just needed hooked up to the G3 diagnostics software for 20 min tops. Two local shops have the G3 but don't know how to run it. Called a 3rd shop who said it would be 4 weeks before they could look because it would likely be warranty work and they really didn't want to mess with up. That tech said "I hate troubleshooting." My last choice was to trailer my boat back up to Blackbird. I called and talked to Larry and he said no need - I'll bring the G3 to you over the holiday weekend. I was floored. He arrived at 10am, we were on the boat immediately, and within 30 minutes he had diagnosed and fixed the problem. Larry is by far the most talented and knowledgeable Merc Technician on the East Coast. I recommend if you need a rebuild or want to buy new, they always have stock and can install on-site. I won't go anywhere else. If I have warranty work I will travel to them period. FYI Larry did this on his own dime. Thanks Larry and Josh - you're the best. Tony
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July 2023 by Ryan Breininger
Love the straight forward knowledgeable advise. Quick and fast service was done in half the time I expected. They have my business for life.
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July 2023 by David Colangelo
This place is a scam! Your reman is a bunch of slapped together parts from their junkyard with a coat of paint. If you use them check your serial numbers.
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July 2023 by Jesse Mendoza
I've purchased two motors from Blackbird motors. A 225 Optimax and most recent a 2000 Mercury 200 EFI. Been having Optimax for about 4 years now with not one issue. A few months ago I recieved the 200 EFI and could not be happier. Both motors run perfectly and look brand new. Don't hesitate buying. You won't be dissappointed. Thanks! Jesse
Update: On my third motor. First two ok. Third having a few minor issues and Mike will not even return a phone call. So if you buy and motor has no problem your good. But if you do have issues of any kind your on your own!!
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July 2023 by Robert Mckrisky
Took a blown up motor to them in the middle of fishing season within 3 weeks mike had me up and running.had trouble with a remanufactored lower gear case mike sent it back and made it right.the best service you could ask for.
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July 2023 by Bob Barnes
Always busy they must know there stuff
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July 2023 by MurphyRT
I couldn't have had a better experience with these folks and highly recommend this Company if you are looking for a new or remanufactured outboard. Very knowledgeable about the outboards and provide product recommendations to best fit your boats needs. They back their warranty support and ensure your motor is running correctly post installation. Thanks Mike, Mike Jr, Linda and Larry for everything!!
