Who can I trust.......

[Nekkid]

....when it comes to servicing?
I've tried a few different places now, and it seems that most mechanics are incompetent. I had one who fitted a scottioler totally wrong, one who ripped out the brake seals when he was trying to fix a problem he'd created in the first place, one who left a whole load of bits loose and I've just had it serviced again, by a different place, and not only was there no slack AT ALL in the chain, when I wasn't even on the bike, but it's running like a dog.
So who the hell can I trust??
I'd like to suggest we have a section on the board with one thread per garage and people post a review, good or bad, each time they use that place. What do you think?
As for the chain, it's making a really bad noise now (I have loosened it), but only in one spot. The bike lurches in a regular patern, which I guess is the extra effort it needs to make to get the bad part of the chain round the sprocket. Could it have been damaged by overtightening?
Also, there was a patch of oil on the ground about the size of a 50p piece under the front sprocket area, could this be a leaky bearing caused by overtightening.
I really don't want to take it back to the same muppet, but I really don't want to pay to get it fixed. What should I do? :cry: :cry: :cry:
Bl00dy fed up with it.
Ta

[SVeeedy Gonzales]

I found Magnum Motorcycles in Gillingham to be good, and Bat motorcycles at Biggin Hill pretty helpful even when I had a blown engine.

Think there'll always be a problem with grease monkeys/fitters masquerading as "mechanics" and if you can try and do as much as possible through the head guy there and not through one of their minions, then all the better.

[BillyC]

My thoughts on places to in the area

Tonbridge - Sturdey's Motorcycles - NO!
Tonbridge - FastLane - YES, if you can get it booked in

Heathfield - Groombridges - NO!

Crawley - P&H Motorcycles - NO!

Hastings - Gedges Motorcycles - YES!

Bookham - Steve Jordan's Motorcycles - YES, if you can get it booked in

[Nekkid]

Billy, where is FastLane?
I already know about Sturdeys! Bl00dy unfriendly they are!

[Iansv]

Trust no-one :-$ 8-[



you didn't see me riiiight..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/fastshow/characters/images/jesse2.jpg

[Banus]

Get yourself a new haines manual from e bay - most routine servicing is so basic with just a little thought - ie oil and filter - pad replacement - adj chain. After all quality seems to be so good these days , most servicing is just check and adjust if necessary.
I was once quated £570 for a Freelander service. It was still in warranty and for that all I got was an oil change and filter - taking the P*ss or what. But they did say they'd put a smear of grease on my door hinges and check the condition of my wiper blades for that !!!!!!!Do it yourself and at least you know its been done properly ! - none of its really difficult and you've always got the forum to assist.
Good luck...

[Nekkid]

Get yourself a new haines manual from e bay - most routine servicing is so basic with just a little thought - ie oil and filter - pad replacement - adj chain. After all quality seems to be so good these days , most servicing is just check and adjust if necessary.
I was once quated £570 for a Freelander service. It was still in warranty and for that all I got was an oil change and filter - taking the P*ss or what. But they did say they'd put a smear of grease on my door hinges and check the condition of my wiper blades for that !!!!!!!Do it yourself and at least you know its been done properly ! - none of its really difficult and you've always got the forum to assist.
Good luck...

I know, I know, but I just never have time to do it. Believe me I'd like to, it would be a pleasure.

[Nekkid]

Trust no-one :-$ 8-[



you didn't see me riiiight..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/fastshow/characters/images/jesse2.jpg

Ahem, I don't want to seem pedantic, or sad, but that's Jessie you've got there. Jessie of 'this week I have been mostly...' fame.
I've just spent ages trying to find the guy who said 'you aint seen me, roight?' but can't! Who is he??

[Ceri JC]

I'm increasingly of the opinion of 'DIP - DIY' (Do it properly - Do it yourself) as all the (admittedly simple) jobs I've done have been done carefully and 'right first time' whereas with garages, I may as well book a second appointment to fix the problems they'll introduce in the first one. The only thing holding me back is how to learn some of the more complex things to begin with. Servicing manuals seem to assume a certain level of knowledge and I'd like someone on hand if I need help/clarity on something (No home internet, so posting here isn't always possible).

Does anyone have any experience of/comments on mail order/online distance-learning courses in bike maintenance? Even if it's £500, it'll easily pay for itself through my biking life, if they're any good.

The other concern I have is that even with self servicing, at some point there'll be a job you can't do and it would be worrying entrusting something major like engine work to a garage, if they can manage to balls up simple things like re-torquing bolts and setting tyre pressures.
Do they keep one decent mechanic who does the hard work like engine rebuilds and stick the work experience lad on servicing, etc?

That said, Peter Hammonds in Cirencester have been good so far and seem to take a lot of care in their work (even if you pay a bit more for it).

[Iansv]

Trust no-one :-$ 8-[



you didn't see me riiiight..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/fastshow/characters/images/jesse2.jpg

Ahem, I don't want to seem pedantic, or sad, but that's Jessie you've got there. Jessie of 'this week I have been mostly...' fame.
I've just spent ages trying to find the guy who said 'you aint seen me, roight?' but can't! Who is he??

Yeah I know, I couldn't get one of the other bloke, so went for jessie.... Checked fast show site and nothing.....

Don't go to the dealer that Coombest got his Trumpet from, I'm presuming thats on the list already tho

[goof]

Does anyone have any experience of/comments on mail order/online distance-learning courses in bike maintenance? Even if it's £500, it'll easily pay for itself through my biking life, if they're any good.


I don't think that's necessary tbh - even a complete mechanical novice (like me) can pull the bike apart and put it back together (mostly!) and you'll do even better with aid of a Haynes manual.

The only more complex stuff will be engine internals but you probably wouldn't be able to do that yourself anyway (you'd need specialist equipment for splitting crank etc) so you'd need to stick it in a garage - I even dropped the engine out of my old bike when this needed doing and at that point I knew absolutely Sweet F.A.

Anything else, I'm sure you can handle, given enough spare time :thumbsup:

[streetos]

I know, I know, but I just never have time to do it. Believe me I'd like to, it would be a pleasure.
If you've got the time to take the bike to a dealer and fart about waiting for them to finish it off/find the keys/find the bike/get the spares/find "Rodders"/do the paperwork etc, and then spend more time taking it back to argue about why they turned your bike into a death trap, :rant: you've got the time to DIY. The routine stuff is a piece of wee wee on an SV. (Apart from plugs.) Just get a Haynes and get your paws dirty.

[Longshotmojo]

Heathfield - Groombridges - NO!
Is there something I should know? :shock: I've just booked my bike in with them.

[mattSV]

You aint seen this, roight.............



http://freespace.virgin.net/mike.spezzano/seenme2.gif

[04SV650S]

I try not to take my bike to the shop for anything... Try to do it yourself if you feel confident enough, or makes freinds with a mechanically inclined person. however if you do have to take it to a shop and you know what needs to be done make sure you explicity tell them what to do and nothing else ... some of them will try to scam you or try to fix a problem that's not even a problem. If they will let you I would be standing over their shoulders the entire time they are working on your bike ...

Good luck

[Nekkid]

You aint seen this, roight.............



http://freespace.virgin.net/mike.spezzano/seenme2.gif

That's the one!!

[BillyC]

Heathfield - Groombridges - NO!
Is there something I should know? :shock: I've just booked my bike in with them.

Well... here is a selection of incidents that would deter me from using their services:

1) Putting Chutz's gear shifter on upside-down: 5 gears down, 1 Up; not encouring when you pull away in second gear, and then change "up" into first! Yes, the rear wheel locked!

2) Putting Chutz's rear wheel on wonky! A separate occasion to point 1, he just thought his riding was poor... then found out a week later the rear wheel was out by 5mm. Put him off his riding for a month!

3) Forgetting to balance my wheels despite having paid for it. Communication between the workshop and the upstairs management is a bit poor.

4) When Tim (Coombest) bought his Tripple from them, they didn't replace the chain and sprockets which was an agreed part of the deal.

5) Again with the Triumph, they obviously paid no attention to the PDI and gave him a faulty and dangerous bike.

6) After the bike being returned 4 times they still hadn't fixed it.

7) The bike then goes to a Triumph Dealer, who report that 4 out of 5 warranty recalls had not been carried out on the Tripple - despite Groombridge's saying that it was all done.

8) One of the recalls was a new chain!


I've heard other stories too, but these are just the experiences of people I know on this forum.

[Longshotmojo]

Hmmm, can't say I've had much agro from them so far but maybe I'll be taking a trip to J.S Gedge in future :?