Dealership Nightmare

[1stiski]

I have to agree that there are people who have no idea why their mechanical wonder isn't working, yet , possess knowledge of why (internet knowledge I call it). YET, they are the same people that rant and rave when the mechanic performs diagnostic's and figures out what really is wrong with their mechanical wonder, and it costs them money. Some people are just a PIA and either way, the mechanic is on the shit list. I feel for the mechanic that has to deal with an expert , that tells them what needs to be done, yet never worked on or repaired a single mechanical item in their life. Those folks are a true nightmare to deal with. On that note, I feel for the owner of a machine, who does perform services and understands how, why and the inner workings of their rig, yet because of either time or lack of special tools, allows that beloved machine to be put in the hands of a mechanic that either doesn't care / possess common sense / OR truly hates their job. Respect of the customer can pay dividends IF some common grounds are set and honored. Listening is an active process, and some folks just don't take the time to hear one out.
There are so many sides to this story of Mechanics / Dealers vs Owners out there. Some are justified , I'm sure, and some probably arn't.
Learn what you can about the rig you own, buy the tech manual, read it., and work with the mechanic, not against them. Humans can be odd animals when prevoked.

[Ramv]

Interesting thread. Go Now, I like your thoughts and tips, where is your shop?

If anyone else is reading, any recommendations on a good shop in the greater Denver area? Prefer south, but am open minded. I have used TFOG in Golden for my Superhawk, but mainly just tires, sprockets, brakes, fork springs and fork seals. I like them, but not sure if they are familiar with the KTM twins, and they are still a pretty long trek.

Just planning ahead, as I mentioned, only the Ducati will be going to the local KTM/Ducati/Aprillia/Honda/Kawasaki shop.

[sstewart]

Buy your own lift,tools,and a repair manual. You will be more comfortable with your own work. People don't give a damn about our toys,except us.

[One Less Harley]

Damn, at 80-100 per hour I deserve to be a demanding customer, if I'm paying that much per hour I had better get damned good service!!! Still a shame when I can do a better job on most basic maintenance than the dealer....

[bikepharmer]

Originally Posted by SteveO

I found out "as I was buying my 2012 KTM 500 EXC", that my local stealership would avoid any work they felt they didn't have to do. Basically they would not go out of their way to help the customer at all. After seeing them balk at any type of work, I "know" I purchased this bike at the wrong dealership "Santa Fe Motorsports". Unfortunately, at the time, they had the only one in the state....

I do my own wrenching or I'll drive the 50-60 miles to a much better dealership in ABQ to get the work done right, WITH good customer service and mechanics that know what they are doing....

I am generally not a fan of work performed on anything here in the Duke City, but do you have a recommendation for decent mechanics? PM me if you'd prefer to keep it on the DL.

[Hodgo]

Now I own an 950SE and if the rear jug hydrolocks cause the taps were left on then the floats are leaking and they should be fixed.

If the stock pump doesn't work on the standard tank then its rooted. Get a new one.

Why remove a safari tank and replace it with a standard tanks. I certainly wouldn't do it.

As far as I can tell the only thing that should have been done by the mechanic is check the valve clearances.

You probably should have mentioned that you use a stainless oil filter. They are not that common and a lot of old school don't like them so just bin em.

Testing the fuel pump is easy. Put suction pipe in water and connect it to a battery. It will either work or it wont. If the armature is all pitted out and stuffed. Replace the armature or replace the pump.

[GoNOW]

I am not going to disclose where I work as this is not the vender forum and I don't want to be seen as advertising.

I cringe every time someone on a KLR or DR says they often go riding on long trips by themselves, but they only have the factory tool kit and the bike is not setup at all for adventure riding. After a quick discussion, they know little about wrenching too.

My philosophy that is if you are doing adventure riding, do your own work, and any tools you need, should be with you. Aka, use the tools you keep on the bike at all time. Well, there are exceptions to the rule, like a drill, but you get the idea. If you don't have the tools, and skills, to change a tube, replace a spark plug, and remove the carbs, then you really should not be doing adventure riding alone. And I really don't want to be riding with you because I will be fixing your bike all the time.

80-100 hour shop labor may seem like a lot, but not really. Very, very little of that goes into my pocket, and a good chunk of that go for tools and supplies. Keeping the shop open with all the other expenses is also hard. Nobody is making a lot of money where I work and almost everyone (me included) work second jobs.

[slidewayes]

As A motorcyclist for the last 40 years have never taken a bike to a shop if it / I brake it I fix it . to me that is 1/2 the fun of this sport And I sure don't use the tools out of the fanny pack to work on them at home

[MookieBlaylock]

Originally Posted by Hodgo

As far as I can tell the only thing that should have been done by the mechanic is check the valve clearances..

pretty much, that list absurdly long. Dealers are for things owners cant or wont do, like in my case valves. Fuel pump is a wear item that at $115 from powersportswarehouse would almost cost less than wasting a shops time testing it. Messed up float most times fixed with carb cleaning. If op really cant do anything on the list then it would make more sense to prioritize it so the shop can concentrate on real issues

[One Less Harley]

Originally Posted by GoNOW

80-100 hour shop labor may seem like a lot, but not really. Very, very little of that goes into my pocket, and a good chunk of that go for tools and supplies. Keeping the shop open with all the other expenses is also hard. Nobody is making a lot of money where I work and almost everyone (me included) work second jobs.

Yeah the shops are getting more than the mechanic, I realize that, but it still cost 80-100/ hour to have the bike serviced. I assume the mechanic might get $20/ hour which isn't a lot now days. Just doesn't seem right for the dealer to add that much for their shop/ tools, etc.

[logman]

Douf,

The OP posted a previous thread where he'd hydrolocked the bike himself and was concerned that some serious/terminal damage to the motor had occurred. It sounds as though much of the inspection list was a back door attempt at getting a diagnosis without actually telling the dealer what was going on. Might be completely unrelated, but he's currently looking for a 690

Yes, I left the fuel on overnight. After some very kind people on the forums advice, I was assured no real damage had occurred. I rocked the bike back and cleared the lock. Done. Red text is to make sure dealer does not have to go through the trouble I had. I explained to them that it was running rough at idle, starting on one cylinder, and kindly asked them to diagnose. This was done verbally.

690 is completely unrelated. I owned a 640-E in the past (you could probably find it on the forums if you troll deeper) and loved it, but sold it due to it being in Arizona. Didn't want to ship it.

Troll on.

Hodgo,

pretty much, that list absurdly long. Dealers are for things owners cant or wont do, like in my case valves. Fuel pump is a wear item that at $115 from powersportswarehouse would almost cost less than wasting a shops time testing it. Messed up float most times fixed with carb cleaning. If op really cant do anything on the list then it would make more sense to prioritize it so the shop can concentrate on real issues

Safari tank is a beast. If I feel I need the safari again I will re-install it myself. Why is it important for you to comment on this? I am going to try my stock tank and see how it feels for myself, thank you.

Absurdly long? your opinion. It has already been discussed, but the floor manager summarized it for the mechanics and still managed to mess it up a bit. Who cares as long as they fix what was wronged. Must have been communication error.

Dealers asked me if I had the stock pump and asked me to bring it in as they wanted to test it. I complied. They tested on the bike. It was bad. I authorized purchase of new one.

Currently I am swamped with work, but try and find the time to do the maintenance myself.

Thanks for all the input on the list dudes, I think I'm good.

[logman]

Thanks for the info, that sounds horrible! Mine locked up on cranking, I don't think there is enough momentum from the starter to damage a CR could be wrong though. Others have had the issue with the 950 hydrolocking, haven't had it blow up like that to my knowledge. On a single however, I can imagine it may be different. Did you get hurt? That sounds like the worst possible place for that to happen

[GoNOW]

Originally Posted by One Less Harley

Yeah the shops are getting more than the mechanic, I realize that, but it still cost 80-100/ hour to have the bike serviced. I assume the mechanic might get $20/ hour which isn't a lot now days. Just doesn't seem right for the dealer to add that much for their shop/ tools, etc.

It depends on the location and if the shop is doing flag or hourly, but if the shop is charging 80-100 an hour, then the top payrate in the shop is likely $20 an hour. Any only 1-2 techs will be making that depending on the size of the shop. The guys that rebuilds engines from scratch can make that kind of money, everyone else is not much over minimum wage.

Insurance is sky high right now and consumes a huge chunk of that 80-100.

Most machanics pay for their own tools and owe the SnapOn man 10-20k.

[MookieBlaylock]

Originally Posted by logman

input on the list dudes, I think I'm good.

not to be a dick but both my 950 and especially 690 would run like crap or have stranded me if i had to rely 100% on the dealer, which in my case is the best in the western US but they still dont care as much as the person riding it

[logman]

I would never 100% rely on them. I've done the water pump rebuild, clutch slave replacement, etc.. I just didn't have the time to do all of this and it was more cost effective for me to have them do it (would have had to turn down a big project that paid more than the bill will cost).

The previous owner of the SE gave me a shop manual all printed out and in a binder, also have shop manual on my phone. Also have many of the tools that don't come in the kit... just didn't have time Now I feel like I let me poor SE down...