Around March, 2024, I purchased a fuel supply module (FSM) from Boats.net that was advertised, and priced ($1,300), to be an OEM part for my 2014 Mercury 90hp EFI. The first red-flag was that it wasn’t the correct reservoir for my engine, but for a Mercury Verado which uses different cooling water ports. But, having read enough 1-star reviews concerning Boats.net’s return policy, we opted to modify the cooling water ports. The second red-flag was that the boat was taken to a certified Mercury mechanic for an unrelated problem. The mechanic noticed that the part number on the wiring harness of the new FSM was not a Mercury number, and verified so with a phone call to Mercury. I shrugged it off as, “well, it’s just a wiring harness and Mercury certainly doesn’t manufacture every part that they use”. Fast forward to the recently discovered third red-flag. Mercury had issued a Service Bulletin regarding failures with the level switch in the FSM, and had upgraded the switch. I bought the upgraded switch and proceeded with the install. That’s when I noticed that the high-pressure fuel pump did not look legit. It has no markings whatsoever on the pump body, and only “Made in Chech” on the endcap. The lift pump looked to be a correct Mercury fuel pump, but I wanted to research the part number, and serial number through Walbro’s (the pump manufacturer) website. Lo and behold, there is a large enough problem with counterfeit Walbro fuel pumps, that their website has a guide on how to spot a fake. And, sure enough, mine failed the test. I called Boats.net with my concerns and spoke with both a front-line rep, and a supervisor. Both seemed concerned and seemingly helpful, but we could not arrive at a resolution. They just wanted me to buy a new FSM at a slightly discounted price.Does Boats.net knowingly broker counterfeit parts? I can’t say for sure, but I can say that neither the rep, nor the supervisor, pushed back at all about my concerns. Will I be buying anymore parts through Boats.net? Yeah,no.
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