Suzuki 2012/2013 20hp Outboard Motor

I have had my 20hp lean engine motor for over two years and have been more than happy with it. I troll a lot and have it on a boat that is a little too heavy for it but it has work well. I have 30 hours on it and It has never gave a problem.

If I had to do again I would have gotten 25hp.

The motor in general runs fine BUT if you happen to have a problem and need parts good luck! We have been waiting on one bearing for 3 weeks and now have been told it will be another 3 weeks before our marina can get it from suzuki. UNACCEPTABLE! Seriously thinking of selling it and going with another brand all together!

Suzuki outboards are amongst the best engines in the world, I've run them for years {without any problems} and I was about to buy another one, until I came across the comments and concerns of folks on the www regarding problems with the rigorous {make the dealer rich} service schedules and the warranties that could end up not being worth the paper they are written on...

I was concerned enough to write to Glen Coppock, Customer Services Executive, {you won't get any higher than Glen @} Suzuki GB PLC

Steinbeck Crescent, Snelshall West, Milton Keynes,Buckinghamshire,MK4 4AE.

Here on a point to point basis is how that exchange went...

We are sorry to learn that our warranty and service requirements fail to meet with your expectations.

If it was just "my" expectations Glen that that would be my problem, but the stringent requirements dealer service that Suzuki are imposing now to maintain the warranty have become Suzuki's problem, in that. I'm no stranger to Suzuki outboards I've run thousands of miles in Northern Canada {in the last 31 years} with small Suzuki outboards and I've never had a problem {except the notorious rip back of the starter cord}, but.

I lived 3 miles from a Suzuki dealer so it was easy for me to keep the motors {one after another, owned by my son and myself} well looked after and from that no doubt in conformance with the warranty requirements we never made a claim.

Now that I'm back in the UK the nearest Suzuki Marine service bay is over 30 miles away, would you guys expect me to do a 120 mile round trip to drop the outboard off and then go back another day for it, it's not just the mileage / cost of the petrol etc, but the time as well. Worse than that, to drive to the dealer of my choice {Pennine Marine in Skipton} I'd finish up driving 320 miles, there and back twice !!!

Until Suzuki recognise the problem / inconvenience {pain in the ass} they/you will be loosing {what used to be valued} Suzuki Marine product users, in this day and age who can afford to alienate their end users ???

We can confirm that the service requirements for our outboard motors are set by the factory and need to be adhered to in order to ensure the continued functionality of the product.

Oddly enough Suzuki outboards are likely to run for years without anything other than the general maintenance {oil changes etc} that most of their owners are well able to do, my guess {as a Marine QA Engineer with a Degree in QA Statistical Analysis} is that left to the care and devices of their owners maybe 3% of Suzuki outboards would fail {for any reason} in their first 5 years of ownership. At the end of the day if an engine is returned under warranty and it's obvious that the failure is due to neglect then bill the end user, if it's down to design fault then that should be done under warranty.

If there's a degree of uncertainty then cost it down to keeping the customers satisfied, people talk these days, and when they talk on the www with folks also running or thinking of buying outboards then thousands are listening.

Why make probably one of the best / most reliable outboards in the world and then do your best to make the warranty worthless !!!

When we the end users buy an outboard we aren't just paying for what we take home, {the build quality} the warranty is costed into what we pay, but if the approved service bays are few and far between then the warranty {that we paid for} aint worth a dime}.

Within the industry we are renowned for our build quality and recently were the sole outboard provider for the 2012 Olympic Games in which our products suffered no mechanical failures, which is a testament to the quality of the product.

As above, I {et-al} am well aware of how good Suzuki outboards are, it's the warranty that we don't like, and for that reason I {et-al} won't be buying Suzuki outboards until the attitude of Suzuki Marine becomes more understanding / respectful towards the folks that keep Suzuki afloat.

We would like to thank you for taking the time to inform us of your experiences and trust that should you wish to pursue with your interest your preferred Marine Dealer can assist.

I'd like to think that my words haven't fallen on deaf ears, yet I fear that's the case as it's obvious that the complaints made to Suzuki Marine over the last 5 years haven't made any difference to the attitude of Suzuki. Sticking with such a rigorous service schedule does tend to make folks think that Suzuki are looking for a way out of paying for any parts that fail or work that might need to be done under warranty, that or have us line the pockets of your dealers.

It's a competitive market with engines just as good {if not better} than Suzuki's, so with the above comments in mind my next outboard {sadly} won't be a Suzuki.

Bob.

In July 2012 I purchased a Suzuki 20hp outboard motor. Hearing of the new technologies that Suzuki had I took a leap of faith and bought one. It is for my small 16 foot boat. Bottom line, a horrible experience. I went out with this motor a total of 3 times and had to be towed in 2 times. The first time, it just quit. Cabela's said both plugs fowled for some reason. The second time I was traveling just above idle and hit a log. It broke part of the lower unit. Cabela's had it for 2 months trying to get Suzuki to solve the issue. I wrote a letter to Suzuki in CA. The service manager called me (good news) but was not sympathetic in the least. He sounded like he could care less. I just picked up the motor repaird, went to my nearest Honda dealer and traded it on the spot. Shame on Suzuki both tech wise and service follow up. Never again.