Mermaid Marine Customer Support For Mp Range Chinese Engines

[tradthumper]

I'm just wondering if anyone has had problems getting Mermaid Marine to honour their commitment to these engines?

Mermaid's 2012 brochure for the MP range says:

"Compliance with emissions legislation, coupled with the Mermaid’s

unrivalled

customer support gives peace of mind that it can satisfy the demands of vessel, operator and market for years to come."

I know of one instance where one of these engines smoked badly from day 1 and shed its complete oil filter assembly, with disastrous results, just after the rather short warranty expired.

In order to get operational again without delay, the owners of the boat had the engine rebuilt at their own (very considerable) expense, fully expecting a firm with Mermaid's history to come good in due course.

Furthermore, it is a known fact that parts stockists had oil filter assemblies they had been instructed not to sell, which pretty much confirms that a manufacturing or design fault had been identified.

Mermaid Marine's long standing history and reputation was a substantial factor in the original purchase of this engine. However, my understanding is that Mermaid Marine have denied the existence of any fault in the engine, either in respect of its disastrous failure or the non compliance with emissions legislation. The engine, both in its original and subsequently rebuilt state, has always smoked very badly, even when lightly loaded (battery charging in neutral).

While not accepting any responsibility, I believe Mermaid Marine have offered a rather paltry sum by way of compensation. The owners will need to go to court, with all the implications that entails, to get anything approaching realistic compensation and they still have an engine that does not comply with emission standards.

I would be very interested to know of any other MP range owner having:

a) a problem with the oil filter assembly or indeed a Manufacturer's Recall to replace it

b) a persistently smoky exhaust

c) unrivalled (in a good way) customer support from Mermaid Marine

d) unrivalled (not in a good way) customer support from Mermaid Marine, similar to my acquaintances' experience, or even...

e) an MP range engine that really is clean running and reliable.

I would also be interested to know if anyone actually enforces emission legislation in any way by taking action against suppliers of non compliant engines?

Personally, I am an enthusiast for traditional British built marine diesels, slow revving, with huge flywheels and shed loads of torque and my 44 year old, direct injection, twin produces less smoke than the above mentioned MP engine.

However, I can also see the attraction of engines such as these, given their clever marketing and claims of emission compliance, economy and reliability, especially under the banner of long established, reputable companies.

The Mermaid Power ‘MP’ range brings traditional design and simplicity along with the pedigree of high quality you would expect from a hand finished, purpose built marine diesel from Mermaid."

 

As a casual observer, it has been interesting to see a number of established 'western' engine marinisation companies take on Chinese made base engines, only to abandon them after a few years.

[MtB]

Welcome Tradthumper.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a a Mermaid engine in a narrowboat, so I doubt you'll get much response or feedback here.

 

Better to try one of the forums populated by cruiser owners I reckon. YBW for example...

 

http://www.ybw.com/forums/index.php

 

 

MtB

P.S. Que a thousand Mermaid-powered narrowboat owners popping up next to contradict me!

[steamraiser2]

As far as I am aware Mermaid engines are not CE compliant at all. I think I would check this out with Trading Standards if it were me.

[tradthumper]

I have checked online and the claims of emission compliance are certainly there in the brochures, though you need to dig deep to find any reference to MP range of engines whatsoever. Mermaid don't seem to be offering them any longer!

 

As for:

I'm not as diplomatic as my son..Anyone who pays for something that he can get for free under warranty has to be a brick short of a full load !

 

 

I did say:

I know of one instance where one of these engines smoked badly from day 1 and shed its complete oil filter assembly, with disastrous results, just after the rather short warranty expired.

In order to get operational again without delay, the owners of the boat had the engine rebuilt at their own (very considerable) expense, fully expecting a firm with Mermaid's history to come good in due course.

 

 

There was no automatic entitlement to repair under warranty, just an assumption (call it naivety perhaps), that an obvious manufacturing fault would be rectified by a company such as Mermaid.

The vessel was shared owned so a number of 'owners' holidays were at stake if the vessel remained out of commission. Their actions seem reasonable to me.

[kenwatson]

You may well be correct Mike the Boilerman

 

I don't think I've ever seen a a Mermaid engine in a narrowboat, so I doubt you'll get much response or feedback here.

 

 

.....but they were certainly targeted with an eye on the narrowboat market, along with other applications of course.

 

According to Mermaid Marine:

 

These engines are suitable for a wide variety of vessels where reliability and longevity are key selection criteria from leisure applications such as sailing and river cruisers or narrowboats on the inland waterways to commercial applications such as fishing and work barges.

 

 

Either way, it seems as though Mermaid regret their involvement with Chinese junk engines (was that a pun?). You would think they would cut their losses and compensate dissatisfied customers to make sure this rubbish does not sully their previously good name.

 

Didn't E.P.Barrus market Chinese engines for a while? It's difficult to find any reference to Shanks engines on their web site too.

[peterboat]

I try in every situation not to buy anything made in China it will fail cause lots of problems and if you are unlucky burn your boat to the waterline, its cheap crap which is why its cheap

 

Peter

[dor]

I try in every situation not to buy anything made in China it will fail cause lots of problems and if you are unlucky burn your boat to the waterline, its cheap crap which is why its cheap

 

Peter

 

Don't buy a Nikon camera or an Apple computer then.

[billS]

 

Don't buy a Nikon camera or an Apple computer then.

 

There is (usually) a fairly clear gulf between indigenously owned and designed products and these assembled for blue chip foreign companies. As in all things there are exceptions to this generalisation,

[peterboat]

 

Don't buy a Nikon camera or an Apple computer then.

Too true I wont, revert back to my first answer I look at stuff where its made and if its made in china reject it

 

Peter

[tradthumper]

I'm not sure if there is anything to be gained by knowing who chooses to avoid all things Chinese and who happily buys Chinese made stuff with a respected name such as Nikon, Apple or indeed Mermaid?

The reality is that people have bought Mermaid Marine engines on the strength of their standing and their clever marketing. I don't know if they were even aware of the country of manufacture, probably not.

It's disappointing to have no answers to my original questions but perhaps it's still early days?

I guess I'll have to take Mike the Boilerman's advice and join other forums. I hope they don't keep me waiting too long before I can post.

[MtB]

I'm not sure if there is anything to be gained by knowing who chooses to avoid all things Chinese and who happily buys Chinese made stuff with a respected name such as Nikon, Apple or indeed Mermaid?

The reality is that people have bought Mermaid Marine engines on the strength of their standing and their clever marketing. I don't know if they were even aware of the country of manufacture, probably not.

It's disappointing to have no answers to my original questions but perhaps it's still early days?

I guess I'll have to take Mike the Boilerman's advice and join other forums. I hope they don't keep me waiting too long before I can post.

 

 

Off topic but what's the engine in your profile pic? I don't recognise it...

[Guest User]

Isn't it the Petter PJ2WM in short boat Aries? http://www.kenw.me.uk/Aries.htm ? (I'm seriously impressed by Google image search )

 

LCx

[MtB]

Hmmmm you're right!

 

I wonder what the WM suffix means. No mention of it in the Marine Engine Database. Just a PJ2...

[tradthumper]

I used a convenient picture.

WM = Water Cooled Marine.

[dor]

It's disappointing to have no answers to my original questions but perhaps it's still early days?

I guess I'll have to take Mike the Boilerman's advice and join other forums. I hope they don't keep me waiting too long before I can post.

 

I think the problem is that very few canal boats are fitted with Mermaid engines. I've been around narrowboats for a few years now and have never come across one. The location of Mermaid Marine in Dorset suggests that their main customer base is on the lumpy water, so a forum geared to that area of boating will no doubt bring a much better response.

[MtB]

I used a convenient picture.

WM = Water Cooled Marine.

 

 

I hope you obtained permission before nicking their image.

 

If not, copyright infringement like this is the very thin end of a very thick wedge.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Mike the Boilerman

[Boat&Bikes]

I suspect we will all have to realise sooner or later that China is becoming an industrial powerhouse and will soon become known for making hi quality products. Much as the Japanese are probably producing the best quality product ranges now. Of course some will forever argue British is best...

[MtB]

I suspect we will all have to realise sooner or later that China is becoming an industrial powerhouse and will soon become known for making hi quality products. Much as the Japanese are probably producing the best quality product ranges now. Of course some will forever argue British is best...

 

 

True.

 

When I was a child my parents viewed a 'Made in Japan' label as a guarantee of poor quality, just as 'Made in China' means now. Then when Japanese cars came along with their legendary reliability compared to British, the reality changed.

 

Same is likely to happen with Chinese manufacturing one they have made a few bob and have the money to raise engineering standards.

[larkshall]

Well China is the source for plenty of high quality subcontracted electronic assemblies for major companies, including Siemens, Cisco, Dell, and many more. iPhones etc have been mentioned earlier. Plus much of the technology used in major infrastructure projects. It's not practical to try and purchase anything without Chinese input.

We can argue how they gained the technical experience, be it industrial espionage, or legally.

 

There is however a load of old tut produced. Much as happened in Japan and Hong Kong in the late 50's, out of which better manufacturers emerged. I'm sure the same will occur when Cambodia, Vietnam, and Burma get involved. It's part of life's rich tapestry.

 

Avoiding Chinese products isn't an option. Again it's down to buying to a quality not a price.

[kenwatson]

Off topic but the PH2WM and the photo are mine and permission was given. It's in the public domain as far as I am concerned.

Ken.

Sorry, that should have read PJ2WM of course.

[Tony Brooks]

Although the OP has not given the date the engine was purchased It seems to me that there may be EU consumer protection legislation breaches here. If Mermaid claimed it meets emission regulations and it does not then in my view it was never fit for service and as such one is entitled to reject it. It also has potentiality serious CE/RCD implications if the boat is CE marked (Post 1997ish).

 

I am not sure of the year the EU inspired consumer protection legislation came into force but it gives the consumer up to six years to claim for faulty goods and the need for a rebuild suggests to me the original engine was faulty.

 

I think the OP needs to jump through the hoops that talking to Consumer Protection (Trading Standards) now require. A phone call to Hampshire Consumer Protection who are the Marine RCD lead enforcement body may help.

[MtB]

Off topic but the PH2WM and the photo are mine and permission was given. It's in the public domain as far as I am concerned.

Ken.

Sorry, that should have read PJ2WM of course.

 

 

That's pleasing to hear.

 

Plagiarism of my work has been a major issue for me in the past. Probably still is if I take the trouble to do some more googling.

[Athy]

 

 

 

 

Same is likely to happen with Chinese manufacturing one they have made a few bob and have the money to raise engineering standards.

You say so? If you were making products which fell to bits just after the expiry of their warranty, and people from other countries were falling over themselves to hurl hard currency at you for container-loads of them, what would be your incentive to improve their quality? The only one I can think of is to salve your personal conscience, which may not figure in these manufacturers' business plans.

[tradthumper]

I have now taken Mike the Boilerman's advice and joined YBW forum but not sure when I will get posting rights.

 

Although the OP has not given the date the engine was purchased It seems to me that there may be EU consumer protection legislation breaches here. If Mermaid claimed it meets emission regulations and it does not then in my view it was never fit for service and as such one is entitled to reject it. It also has potentiality serious CE/RCD implications if the boat is CE marked (Post 1997ish).

 

I am not sure of the year the EU inspired consumer protection legislation came into force but it gives the consumer up to six years to claim for faulty goods and the need for a rebuild suggests to me the original engine was faulty.

 

I think the OP needs to jump through the hoops that talking to Consumer Protection (Trading Standards) now require. A phone call to Hampshire Consumer Protection who are the Marine RCD lead enforcement body may help.

 

Thanks Tony.

My acquaintances purchased the original Mermaid MP engine in March 2012, when it was installed in an old, non CE compliant, share owned, narrowboat. My understanding is that the status of the vessel does not affect the requirement for sales of new engines to be compliant and, from a Trading Standards perspective, Mermaid's claim that it is compliant should surely be the key.

I have already suggested Trading Standards to them but they don't have much faith in statutory bodies. Perhaps I will make the initial phone call myself. I was hoping to establish whether there have been other catastrophic failures of the oil filter assembly but perhaps the other forum will be more productive in that respect.

[MtB]

I'm puzzled by the delay in posting rights you've mentioned more than once.

 

There should have been none with CWF and I don't remember there being any delay when I registered with YBW.

 

 

MtB