JMCCLAM54

I live in Pensacola and have a motor home with a 7...

I live in Pensacola and have a motor home with a 7kw Cummins generator. The initial problem that I was having was the generator would shut down after 30 - 60 minutes of running while on a trip. When I returned to Pensacola, I contacted the local Southeastern Marine for service as they were supposed to be certified on these products. When I spoke with the technician, I told him that I needed a new carburetor and needed the valves adjusted due to prior service when I was out of town. I provided him with all the information about the generator needed for ordering the correct item. When he arrived at the scheduled appointment time, he had not ordered the carburetor. He evaluated the symptoms then left to order the part. A couple of days later he returned after receiving the carburetor. Once he started working. I could tell he wasn't familiar with this generator. Once he got the carburetor installed and adjusted the valves, we started the generator. I noticed a tapping sound coming from the generator and told the tech that that sound was not normal. The problem was he hadn't tightened down the adjustment bolt on the valves, which required having to remove the valve covers again to readjust and tighten the bolt. The tech made 3 or 4 trips to my house for this repair, and bottom line, after paying over $2000.00 for his "work", this did not fix the initial problem. Not ordering the carburetor prior to the first visit, the travel time back and forth, having to R&R the valves the 2nd time, and not being familiar with this generator, I believe there should have been adjustments to the labor charges. I think I was overcharged at minimum $700-$800. After my service with the Southeastern Marine tech, he quit the company and they no longer had anyone qualified to work on my generator. So, I had no warranty unless I wanted to drive to Tampa/St. Pete for service. I found a Cummins dealer in Mobile, Al., scheduled an appointment and they found and repaired the initial problem within a couple of hours. There was actually a Tech Bulletin regarding this issue, something Southeastern Marine should have known about.