I had a 2.5 hp Mercury that we bought brand new and used for about 2 years. Then we had to replace the pull cord and had to remove the top part of the motor.
Guess what I found? Three bolts made of mild steel, rusted to a point that when I tried to loosen them they snapped off. Marine grade my a$$.
I spent three hours drilling and tapping to get the motor to a state where I could re-assemble it - for the new owner!! I won't have another one of them!!
Oh, and another thing, the petrol shut-off tap (plastic) broke the end off where a circlip tries to hold it together. Shocking design but that's not the worst - the replacement cost me NZ$77 for something that could not have cost more than a dollar to make. Damn piracy, nothing less.
Andre