Very interesting and expensive day for me today. I have been very busy recently and have been needing to change the oil on the 6R. I just moved to the Bay Area about a year ago and found a Yamaha dealer in San Jose thats not very far from home. So I call them up this morning and I'm in luck, or so I think, they can fit me in for an oil change. I jump on the bike and head down, now mind you its only a 10 minute trip and the weather is nice so I don't gear up, against my better judgement. I pull up to the dealer and park right in front and head to the service counter which is in the back room with no line of site to the front of the store. I hand over my key and he sends one of his guys out to get my bike. 3 minutes later he rolls the bike in the shop door and yells out "you got a hole in your radiator" I'm thinking what the hell, I just rode it here and didn't see, hear, or feel anything hit the bike. So now its in the shop waiting for a new radiator and I'm out almost $800.00. Having no other way back home except the bus, I start thinking on that long bus ride home, what if the guy at the dealer punctured the radiator??? I have no way of knowing for sure how the hole got there, but it makes me wonder...
Do you trust mechanics at the dealer?
- Thread starter oyamyers
- Start date
Wouldnt a bike be JUST like a car and be leaking coolant then also? I would think unless something hit you good, you would have seen coolant in your parking spot.
I think I would have asked to see it, "because everything was fine on the way over".
I have had issues like that with some car service places near me, but my bike shop so far has really earned my trust. I would love to do my own stuff, but I just dont have enough faith in myself as a gear head. I am more of a techie.
I think I would have asked to see it, "because everything was fine on the way over".
I have had issues like that with some car service places near me, but my bike shop so far has really earned my trust. I would love to do my own stuff, but I just dont have enough faith in myself as a gear head. I am more of a techie.
You never really know who you can trust to be honest. I think that's why a lot of people like to do their own maintenance. However, I think it would be pretty ballsy of that technician to bust your radiator and then try to sell you the work, especially if you were at the dealership waiting. Dealers get a pretty bad rap because of stuff like this.
I know first hand because I'm a service manager at a local car dealer and we get accused of stuff/negligence all the time. Sometimes people really have a legitimate complaint and sometimes they don't. I have a big responsibility to employ honest and upstanding people that will take care of our customers and not take advantage of them. I would like to think that all auto/motorcycle dealerships operated this way, but I know better. That being said, I have had to fire people in the past for being dishonest to a customer and for trying to sell something that didn't need to be sold. As a service manager, when you find somebody like that you get rid of them, immediately. Nevertheless, those types of people are out there.
The good news is that people like that usually don't last long in a dealership environment. The owners have a lot riding on their reputation and don't play around with that kind of stuff.
In your situation, you should probably talk to the service manager in a polite and professional manner and tell him what happened and how you feel about it. You may also want to ask around to some local riders that have experience with this shop and see what the shop's reputation is. This might help you find out if they are telling you the truth.
You must also consider the fact the technician may have been just doing his job and inspecting you bike for damage/maintenance needs and found the hole in the radiator.
Search around to see if you can find the radiator cheaper and maybe think about installing it yourself. You could save some money that way. Of course the service manager in me says "let the dealer fix it", lol.
Either way, good luck.
I know first hand because I'm a service manager at a local car dealer and we get accused of stuff/negligence all the time. Sometimes people really have a legitimate complaint and sometimes they don't. I have a big responsibility to employ honest and upstanding people that will take care of our customers and not take advantage of them. I would like to think that all auto/motorcycle dealerships operated this way, but I know better. That being said, I have had to fire people in the past for being dishonest to a customer and for trying to sell something that didn't need to be sold. As a service manager, when you find somebody like that you get rid of them, immediately. Nevertheless, those types of people are out there.
The good news is that people like that usually don't last long in a dealership environment. The owners have a lot riding on their reputation and don't play around with that kind of stuff.
In your situation, you should probably talk to the service manager in a polite and professional manner and tell him what happened and how you feel about it. You may also want to ask around to some local riders that have experience with this shop and see what the shop's reputation is. This might help you find out if they are telling you the truth.
You must also consider the fact the technician may have been just doing his job and inspecting you bike for damage/maintenance needs and found the hole in the radiator.
Search around to see if you can find the radiator cheaper and maybe think about installing it yourself. You could save some money that way. Of course the service manager in me says "let the dealer fix it", lol.
Either way, good luck.
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There was a pool of coolant on the ground at the dealer when he moved my bike, it was not there when I pulled in. I did see the coolant leaking out when he told me I had a hole so I know it had a hole. I just have a hard time believing that it happened on my way there because if that coolant got on my rear tire, I would have gone down, without gear on.
Welcome to the Bay Area. Have you seen BARF yet? Great place to go to meet people, get tips, advice, abused, and reviews
No. .
Motorcycle dealership mechanics I don't trust. I had a very bad experience the one and only time I took my bike into the dealership I bought the bike from.(Car dealerships I trust more. Most of my good friends are auto techs) I do most of my own work. But there are a few things I don't trust my self with or have the tools to do myself. I have a friend who's a mechanic and owns his own shop. (Full Throttle Powersorts in Santee) I'd trust pretty much any work that needs to be done to him.
The OEM one for my Triumph from the dealer is only $545.00 and Triumph is like Ducati...very expensive.
How often does a radiator get a leak when not destroyed in an accident.
I've never heard of one getting a leak from a rock.
That's almost impossible in my mind. You would have heard the nasty hiss if it was leaking after you shut down the engine and or seen the spraying coolant and steam. It almost sounds like someone punctured it after you walked inside the office.
Where was the hole in the radiator?
Was there a rock dent or some normal impact or just a puncture like the tip of a knife hit it? I'm very suspicious....I carry a pocketknife and it would be really easy to pop a radiator and also easy to seal the hole and repair it. I've done complete radiator rebuilds and recores in my garage...I have a NASA soldering cert so I can do this work.
How often does a radiator get a leak when not destroyed in an accident.
I've never heard of one getting a leak from a rock.
That's almost impossible in my mind. You would have heard the nasty hiss if it was leaking after you shut down the engine and or seen the spraying coolant and steam. It almost sounds like someone punctured it after you walked inside the office.
Where was the hole in the radiator?
Was there a rock dent or some normal impact or just a puncture like the tip of a knife hit it? I'm very suspicious....I carry a pocketknife and it would be really easy to pop a radiator and also easy to seal the hole and repair it. I've done complete radiator rebuilds and recores in my garage...I have a NASA soldering cert so I can do this work.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I have decided that I'm going back to the dealer today and inspect the radiator a little more. I also will check the gas station a block away where I pulled in and checked my map because I had never been to this dealer before. I'll check for any sign of the coolant. I know, I should have checked yesterday, I think I was just shocked that this happened. As for the cost, the radiator runs $484.65. Then labor, coolant, and the oil change that I needed done brings the total to $783. The service guy did tell me that he could get me a 15% discount. I will update this post after I inspect the radiator.
I keep all used parts..keeps them honest
Would this be something worth looking into as a valuable piece of protection for the bike?
TwistedThrottle.com : R&G radiator cooler guard for Yamaha FZ6R '09-'10 - RG.RAD0096BK
TwistedThrottle.com : R&G radiator cooler guard for Yamaha FZ6R '09-'10 - RG.RAD0096BK
It actually happens quite often, hence the reason why these types of products exist. \/\/\/\/ I see it happen to a/c condensers on cars also.
Next time you're stuck there, check out Roy's Station - it's a few blocks away from SJ Yamaha, in JapanTown. Great place to hang out if you have nothing else going on (like you're waiting for them to finish your bike