MUNSON MARINE

Munson Marine can be found at E Grand Ave 501. The following is offered: Boat Sales & Service. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Fox Lake there are 6 other Boat Sales & Service. An overview can be found here.

If you are buying a boat or looking for a slip consider Munson Marine as the one stop shopping resource in Northern Illinois.

The following has been my experience with Munson Marine of Fox Lake, Illinois over the past 4 months. They have left me no choice but to take legal action and precede though Honda Marine Group.

I purchased a brand new 2009 South Bay Pontoon with a brand new 2009 Honda 50 HP 4-Stroke Motor from Munson Marine of Fox Lake, Illinois in April of 2010. I paid for the boat in-full with a check on the spot and test drove the boat immediately after. During test drive, I noticed the boat not accelerating properly and stalling out numerous times when we accelerated. The Munson mechanic who was on the boat actually tried to tell me this was normal! He was also extremely limited to what features of the boat he knew how to operate, like the navigation, fish finder, radio, etc. I spoke to a service person, as well as Sam, the Sales Manager of Munson Marine, when we got off the boat and told them something was not right with the motor. They both assured me everything would be checked and repaired before delivering the boat to me in early May, four weeks later. I believed them.

In early May I took delivery of the boat. I wrote a check in access of $300 for delivery of the boat, and tipped the delivery person $20. He put the boat into the water and not more that 100 yards out into the water I noticed the motor having the same exact issues it did during the test drive a month earlier. Moments later the motor stalled out again and again, multiple times before I could even reach my dock. I called Munson, spoke to Pete the Service Manager, who told me they had tested the motor numerous times and had found no problems with it before delivery. I told him that was impossible because it was still having the exact same issues. I knew I was in for a long summer with the boat and with Munson, especially since they started off our relationship with a blatant lie. He said he would send someone up to look at it.

The next weekend a mechanic from Munson came out to check the engine. He removed the fuel line from the manufacturer’s (South Bay) fuel filter, essentially bypassing it, and connected it directly to the Honda motor. He told me that Munson technicians bypass the manufacturer's fuel filters all the time because they tend to cause problems with the fuel. He said this Honda motor had its own fuel filter on it anyway so it shouldn’t matter. He had also squeezed the fuel pump ball multiple times to make sure it was working properly. When he did so, I noticed a small amount of gasoline trickling down alongside the motor and into the water. He said this was a common event and that sometimes fuel will accumulate in certain parts of the engine components and will wash off into the water. It didn’t sound right to me, but what do I know, right? He's the mechanic. He said to try things out and let him know if it was still having problems after he left. I took the boat out a couple hours later and it was having the same exact issues I was having on the test drive and before he came to service it that day.

I called Munson back, again speaking to Pete the Service Manager, who told me they would have to locate a new fuel pump from Honda. After a couple weeks he had located one and scheduled a time to come up and install.

The same mechanic from Munson came up a couple weeks later to install the new fuel pump. He also reconnected the fuel line to the manufacturer’s (South Bay) fuel filter. After the new fuel pump was installed the boat did not stall anymore for about two months. However, the motor still did not seem to be running at 100%. It would chug while in neutral and always seemed like it wanted to stall. Finally, in early August, the motor began to stall every time I had the boat in idle. It also took about 10 minutes to get the motor started every time I took it out. I knew something was still wrong with the motor and it was indeed not completely fixed. Keep in mind the motor had 25 hours on it at this time. It was practically still brand new. I called Pete at Munson. He told me it would probably cost in access of $350 to come out and perform a 20-hour service on the motor which may or may not take care of the issue. After discussing the situation with him, we had agreed that the best option was to take it to my local marina and do an oil change and have the mechanic adjust the throttle and see if it fixed things. I did that. The owner of the marina performed an oil change and lightly inspected the motor. He told me there were bigger issues with the motor than anything oil or throttle related. There was most likely a problem with the carburetors and that I should have Munson come up and assess it. I called back Pete at Munson and he told me that it would take at least two weeks to get someone out to look at it. At this point I felt there was something going on and Munson was indeed not going to stand behind the motor or take care of me as a customer. If I didn't trust them a whole lot before, I definitely did not trust them now.

I called a very reputable Mobile Marine Specialist with 30 years experience in the business to come assess the motor and give me an unbiased, honest opinion of it. After inspection, he told me that the #1 Carburetor was broken and had fuel leaking out of it. His recommendation was to have Munson replace the motor or to replace all 3 carburetors. He said in his 30 years experience it was not commonplace to see a brand new motor have this many issues. Again, the motor had a little over 25 total hours on it at this time.

I called back Pete at Munson and told him what the gentleman had found. I told Pete I was fed up with this motor and that I wanted either a new motor or 3 new carburetors. Pete's reaction? He laughed at me. He literally laughed out loud at me through the phone. You can imagine how I felt as a customer of Munson at this point. Pete said he would send someone up to take a look at it at his earliest convenience. After a few days he called me back and asked me for a credit card number for the trip charge. Trip charge? I said I was not paying any trip charge for a repair that was promised to be made at the dealership before I took delivery. A repair Munson promised would be made after I had already paid for the boat in full and in good faith. I said I wanted to speak to the owner, Craig Munson. He said he was not available. I asked what Craig would think about the service being provided when his Service Manager laughs at his customers’ requests and concerns. He told me Craig was the one who put into place all the ways Munson handles service. I had no choice but to tell Pete I would have to have my attorney call him. At that point Pete said he needed to hang up the phone and broke all contact with me. I tried to call Craig directly a couple days later to sort things out. Sam, the Sales Manager, answered the phone. She told me Craig would not speak to me because I threatened legal action and I would need to have my attorney call them. That was the last contact I had with Munson Marine. I am now in the process of going though Honda Marine Group with my attorney to make sure I am not left in the dark with this motor.

I have done business with many stand-up people in my life and feel I am a stand-up person as well. Maybe I was a bit naive to think Munson Marine would fall into this category. Although they tried to fix the problem and were seemingly on track to make things right between us, they fell way short and left me with nowhere to go. The bottom line is Munson Marine knowingly sold me a bad motor. I will be in the market for two more boats and a couple of jet skis in the next year or two. Munson has truly lost a great customer. I am hoping to find a quality, honest marine dealer in the Midwest who can fulfill my future needs. I also hope Honda Marine Group can sympathize with the ordeal I have gone through with their Authorized Dealer, Munson Marine of Fox Lake, Illinois. I have always heard good things about Honda products, now we will see if they stand behind them as I would expect.

They have gone out of their way to make sure my kids have a great time boating. The boat is always ready and full of fuel so all we need to do is have FUN!

Thanks Munson Marine!

Sandy

Where the fun begins.

Craig Munson?s family has owned and operated Munson Marine since 1957, located at the corners of Grand and Route 59, with Craig at the helm since the mid 80?s. During that time the Munson family?s commitment to providing hassle-free boating has earned them several hundred industry recognition awards for excellence, including U.S. Boat Dealer of the Year and untold...

Munson Marine, Fox Lake, IL, Dealer, Used Boats, Monterey, Crownline, South Bay Pontoons, Crestliner, Tracker, Sun Tracker, Nitro, Tahoe, Services, Parts, Glastron, Larson Boats, Chaparral Boats, Chris Craft Boats, Sanibel Pontoons, Sea Ray Boats

Munson Marine is located at the address Grand & Rte 59 in Fox Lake, Illinois 60020. They can be contacted via phone at (847) 587-4902 for pricing, hours and directions. Munson Marine specializes in Custom Work, Electrical Systems, Mobile Homes.

Munson Marine has an annual sales volume of 2M – 4,999,999. .For more information go to...

Munson Marine located at 501 Grand Ave in Ingleside, IL services vehicles for Marina, Boat Supplies. Call (847) 587-4902 to book an appointment or to hear more about the services of Munson Marine.