Dealership Screw Up

[sldwys87]

Well when my fz6r reach the 600 mile mark, i debating taking it to the dealership for the check up, well i did. It took them four days to do everything. Anyways, i went to pick the bike up and a couple of days before taking the bike to them, i had noticed that one of the clips on the plasitc piece around the gauge cluster had popped out.(so i was going to get them to fix it). I pick it up, theres no clip in the plastic piece, the bike has finger prints and grease all over it. Finally after talking with the manager about the clip, he got someone to come out to put one in. (which didn't go well, so they had to take it in the back) Well thirty mins later, i'm on my way-all is well, right?? I get home and can't ride, because of the rain and work. So the bike sits for two days in the garage and i come out Sunday and notice oil on the floor, I check around the bike and notice its coming from the drain plug.... So i tighten it up and hadn't seen any since. So today, i called the service manager and told him about the problem and said it could have been very bad if my motor would of locked up or something else. He said, bring it in again and they would check everything out again. It just pisses me off that i pay $230 and a simple task of checking the oil drain plug they couldn't get right, it makes me wonder about the rest of the bike.(Sorry for the rant)

 

[PuRpl3_Dr4nK]

That really sucks. Especially since you had to pay for it. I thought services were included when you buy a bike from a dealership but maybe it depends???

 

[fz6rwolf]

That really sucks. Especially since you had to pay for it. I thought services were included when you buy a bike from a dealership but maybe it depends???

Not where I got mine.

 

[porky45]

the first service can always be included in the sale of the bike (if they charge you more haha.)

 

[dart1963]

Glad you caught it before any damage was done.

no service with purchase here either...

Some dealerships = ripoff, some are reputable.

If you don't have a friend with years of experience with the shop, treat them like dirt until they prove themselves reputable. Check their work before you leave, ask to have a walk-through with the person who did the work to see what they found (don't by off on, I checked it and it was in specs....) and what they did to fix it.
Hope you got something out of this, free oil change, %off future work, something.

 

[cbzdel]

good thing you caught it!! If you leaked out all your oil and locked the engine, the dealer would really give you hell trying to blame them..

 

[JonKerr]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I had a little bit of an issue with my dealership service department too. I had been under the impression that buying the 36000 mile extended warranty also enrolled you in their "VIP" program that includes free service for the duration of the warranty. (Among a bunch of other perks) Apparently that only applied to the 48000 and 60000 mile warranty programs. But they didn't do a very good job of explaining that to me. (NOT COOL) After 600 miles I took it in for it's break-in service. They asked if I had the VIP service, I told them yes, they didn't even check in the computer, so I left it there not expecting to have to pay anything. Not putting it into the computer until after I left, they didn't have me sign an estimate since it was the end of the day and since I was supposed to have the VIP, the estimate would have been $0 anyway. I went to pick it up the next day and they were charging me $275! (REALLY NOT COOL!) After going back and forth with them for an hour (explaining that I was under the impression I had signed up for it) they decided to take care of me and waived the charges. VERY COOL of them to do that.

However later I had a major issue with the service they did on the bike. They didn't get the oil filter tightened properly! As soon as I got it home from the dealership I noticed there was oil all over the side of the bike and the tire! I'm very lucky I didn't dump the bike. I cleaned it all up and checked the drain plug and oil pan bolts Everything was good and tight. As I was checking all of that, I noticed another drip from the oil filter. I was able to turn it with my bare had! Tightened it up and no more leaks. Luckily I didn't loose enough oil to to even register below full on the dip stick.

So needless to say, I'll be doing all my own maintenance now even though they were kind enough to eat the charge for the first service. But $45 for parts and 1 hour of labor at $230 an hour to change the oil, tighten the cables, and clean the chain, and then not even get the oil filter on tight enough is crazy. I have friends who are automotive mechanics and they were actually pissed off that a service department would let something so simple yet so dangerous go. I'm normally all for letting the "professionals" take care of the bike that they should know inside and out. But this has soured that theory and it sounds like you're having the same issues. If something comes up for me that's above my ability, I'll be relying on friends instead of a service department who wants $230 an hour for shoddy work.

 

[porky45]

Hey Jon...

do you mind telling me where this was at? I live in san diego as well and would like to avoid this dealership.

 

[JonKerr]

YGPM. I don't really want to "bash" anyone out in the open like this.

 

[btastarsky]

IMO, if you aren't happy with the quality of work from a dealership or shop, change shops. Although $230 is an awful lot for an oil change. I did that part myself plus all my chain lubings. I had my dealership do the 1k service and only paid $145. Maybe's its the location difference. PA rates even in car shops are only like $60-$75 per hour.

 

[sldwys87]

Well i plan on buying the service manual and doing all other routine work myself. I called the service manager, he said, to bring it back up for a free check up. which i'm not going to do. they probably would just take it in the back for an hour and say everything is good.

 

[cbzdel]

Well i plan on buying the service manual and doing all other routine work myself.

PM me if you want a CD of it

 

[dreamer0716]

I'm getting my first service here tomorrow! I just rolled on 615 miles. I hope everything goes well. So far the dealer I go to is decent... So far. When I got the bike I was promised a full tank of gas and it be road ready, well I ended up with an empty tank of gas and when I went in for some additions, they ended up telling me my handlebars were not in the right position. So I hear ya when you have some Dealership rants. Hope all goes well with everyone else!