View Full Version : Garage or Home service?
dmracing
13-08-07, 02:30 PM
Guys,
My SVS K5 is 2 years old next month. From New I have had it serviced at the Suzuki dealership from where I purchased it. Warranty runs out next month, so if it goes bang, I will be footing the bill.
Because of this im really leaning towards buying the gear and getting my hands oily.
Ive checked and a 22k service will cost me about £200 if I take it to the garage. I was told this is just a minor service which doesnt include Valve check. If it did, it would be about £400.
To be honest I am skint. That doesnt mean I'm going to be pouring crap oil into the bike, it just means I really cant afford to pay some guy £200 to do what I can do. I will get the stuff that is right... on that note, whats best?
One of my mates said that I should think about investing in a K&N/pipercross etc airfilter so I dont have to replace it on servicing. Apparently it will save me money in the long run. However in the back of my mind this sounds like it will mess with the fueling... will it?
What does vibe from my fellow SV owners? If self service the way to go?
I Get a 7.5K service and the 15K service done alternately every year, i.e Yr one 7.5K service, yr 2 15K service, Yr 3 7.5K service etc from a dealer to ensure all the important things get done properly, then in between over winter i will change the oil,oil filter and plugs myself.
TBH i think bike servicing is a big rip off, but i cough up once a year for a decent one to keep the resale value up a bit. Saying that i only do about 4-5K miles a year so i dont see the need to do any more than i am doing.
dmracing
13-08-07, 03:23 PM
Well the reason I am considering servicing it myself is that I do a 100mile round trip everyday. If I keep this bike for another 2 years it will have 70,000miles on it. Im pretty sure that the cost of servicing it wont even out when I come to sell a 4 year old bike with 70k on the clock. The resale idea your aiming for really isnt going to work for me. Although I do like the idea of taking the bike in once a year. That way all the big jobs (Valve check) are left to people who know what they are doing!
I think I will run this bike into the ground... sounds horrible but its what it was purchased for.
So, any one got any recomendations on oil or the filter problem?
philbut
13-08-07, 03:50 PM
IMHO, if the bike is out of warranty and its gonna be a high miler when you sell it anyway, i'd have a go myself. Probably leave the valve clearances to a garage cos they can be a bit fiddly (unless you have plenty of time) but most other things are a piece of p*ss. If you get a workshop manual then you have a detailed schedule of what needs to be done for each service. Just keep the bills for consumables etc as a service record so you can prove the oil etc has been done when you do finally sell it. a decent socket set from Halfords cost £150 and will last for years - how many services would you have paid for in that time.
just make sure you leave yourself plenty of time and remember to buy all the stuff you need before getting stuck in. Good luck!
philbut
13-08-07, 03:53 PM
Filters - purchased a BMC filter (similar to K&N) to use. My bike has a micron system on it and it ran lean. was gonna cost £££ to tune on dyno so i switched back to the stock filter. Mine is a curvy but i suspect you will need to get the fueling sorted on a pointy too. Not worth it just in economic terms, but if you are after more power...
RhythmJunkie
13-08-07, 11:27 PM
If I had my bike serviced by the dealer I bought it from, for 6 years or did 42,000 miles over that time, whichever came sooner, then the servicing would have cost £200 more than the bike. That doesn't include brake pads or tyres or new batteries etc.!
If that isn't a rip off then I don't know what is! :)
Buy some quality tools and a good workshop manual and enjoy getting your hands dirty!
Oh and enjoy saving a fortune too! ;)
Sid Squid
14-08-07, 07:03 AM
So, any one got any recomendations on oil.Yes, oily stuff.
or the filter problem?
What filter problem? There isn't a filter problem.
Sid Squid
14-08-07, 07:04 AM
If I had my bike serviced by the dealer I bought it from, for 6 years or did 42,000 miles over that time, whichever came sooner, then the servicing would have cost £200 more than the bike. That doesn't include brake pads or tyres or new batteries etc.!
If that isn't a rip off then I don't know what is! :)
Why does everyone on here expect mechanics to work for nothing?
Why does everyone on here expect mechanics to work for nothing?
A bit of a generalisation don't you think?
a decent socket set from Halfords cost £150 and will last for years - how many services would you have paid for in that time.
Just tried changing the tax disc on my new bike (yes a very technical thing! I'm a software engineer, if hardware goes wrong I throw it out the window). The Stanley screwdriver I used wasn't shifting the screw, so I put a (little) bit of welly into it and screw head started to bush. Took it to local bike shop where 30 seconds with a £70 screwdriver sorted it. Buy good tools!
If that isn't a rip off then I don't know what is! :)
Buy some quality tools and a good workshop manual and enjoy getting your hands dirty!
Oh and enjoy saving a fortune too! ;)
Why not enroll of a night school course in auto-mechanics? You can use their tools, have an expert to consult, and generally have a good time. My cousin managed to build from scratch a trailer on a course at the local college (yes that is welding it together from lumps of steel). Now if he'd only made it a foot longer so I could put my bike on it.
Just tried changing the tax disc on my new bike (yes a very technical thing! I'm a software engineer, if hardware goes wrong I throw it out the window). The Stanley screwdriver I used wasn't shifting the screw, so I put a (little) bit of welly into it and screw head started to bush. Took it to local bike shop where 30 seconds with a £70 screwdriver sorted it. Buy good tools!
Whenever you get a screw like that you need to use a 'sharp' screwdriver.
Taking the advice of someone off here, I forget who, I bought an impact screwdriver set. It's got me out of trouble a few times.
Get the surface gripping sockets too. The 18 pointers take the cheesy corners off nuts/bolts.
Home or garage servicing? It depends on you. If you feel competent, have got the tools, time, and inclination, then go ahead and do it yourself. Simple services are dead easy to do, and if you're not concerned about FSH then do it yourself. On a personal note I would have a go at anything because I really enjoy doing it. (did the art mistress say that?)
Getting a bit creaky myself, I'm looking for a bike lift..
ps for £70, what was the screwdriver made of?
RhythmJunkie
14-08-07, 11:38 AM
Why does everyone on here expect mechanics to work for nothing?
...but the mechanics don't get £200 an hour Sid, they get a measly wage and the dealer with their plush carpets and posh halogen lighting units take the rest!
I wouldn't mind paying a good mechanic to do the job but the small garages are getting greedy too. They have wised up to the big boys strategy and also charge £200 but you don't get plush carpet and halogen lights....oh and the coffee is even worse!!! ;)
Learn, do a course if you have to, you will save money in the long term, well, in the short term actually. £200 spent on a colledge mechanics course and you are trained....wallop! The price of training and tools is around 3 years worth of servicing....after that you are saving a small fortune! :)
The only problem I have nowadays is arthritis so I'm between a rock and a hard place as far as self servicing goes..but..my eldest is now training and working as a welder and is already learning heavy vehicle mechanics as part of his training. He's going to come in handy! :) Might buy him a good socket set for xmas as a sweetner hehehehe!
Sorry just clicked 'refresh' and saw AndyW's post. Yes mate...its money well spent! :)
Just tried changing the tax disc on my new bike (yes a very technical thing! I'm a software engineer, if hardware goes wrong I throw it out the window). The Stanley screwdriver I used wasn't shifting the screw, so I put a (little) bit of welly into it and screw head started to bush. Took it to local bike shop where 30 seconds with a £70 screwdriver sorted it. Buy good tools!
:D:D:D:D I'm not alone then. I tried changing the tax disc on my bike a couple of weeks ago and it just wasn't happening. I seemed to have every size allen key but the one I needed. So I just rode to Leeds to a very friendly bike shop and the guys there did it for me:p:p:p:p.
My bike is booked in for its 15000 mile service at my local dealership and they quoted me £200. I've resigned myself to shelling out £200 to them, but to be honest I'd rather pay this amount to a smaller garage or a self employed mechanic. I find the local dealership very aloof and patronising and I just don't get positive vibes from them. The only positive about them is that they are at my doorstep, so it saves me the hassle of getting the bike to them, getting back home and then getting back to pick the bike up!!
As for servicing the bike myself, I personally think childbirth is easier.:p
SoulKiss
14-08-07, 12:34 PM
As for servicing the bike myself, I personally think childbirth is easier.:p
Yeah, but 20 years is a bit long to wait to get your bike serviced.............
Well you have to meet Mr Right, decide that he is Mr Right, decide that you want to have kids with him, feed and cloth the kid, send them to school, get them through exams, then get them a mechanics apprenticeship, then keep them sober enough to work on your bike.
Might be best sticking with your local garage.
However, isnt Spannerman not THAT far from you?
Fits your description of the kind of business you would like to support AND he will show you how to look after your bike - and show you that its not a sbad as childbirth :P
Yeah, but 20 years is a bit long to wait to get your bike serviced.............
Well you have to meet Mr Right, decide that he is Mr Right, decide that you want to have kids with him, feed and cloth the kid, send them to school, get them through exams, then get them a mechanics apprenticeship, then keep them sober enough to work on your bike.
Might be best sticking with your local garage.
However, isnt Spannerman not THAT far from you?
Fits your description of the kind of business you would like to support AND he will show you how to look after your bike - and show you that its not a sbad as childbirth :P
Well, I s'pose when you put it like that
.........Nah, childbirth's still easier me thinks.:D
Who or what is Spannerman?
...but the mechanics don't get £200 an hour Sid, they get a measly wage and the dealer with their plush carpets and posh halogen lighting units take the rest!:)
Bike shops have to pay rent, electricity, all staff (not just the bloke holding the spanners) and a variety of other bills. As with any business overheads must be soaked up by the consumer. I do all work on the bike myself, have done for years, but bike shops may not be making the massive profits some people assume.
I'd always suggest people should try (with appropriate supervison / help) to work on their bikes themselves, it gives you a better understaning of what's going on and means you're happier fixing things. That said if you haven't got a clue, and no one can help out, you can do some dammage if you're cack handed enough.
SoulKiss
14-08-07, 01:18 PM
Well, I s'pose when you put it like that
.........Nah, childbirth's still easier me thinks.:D
Who or what is Spannerman?
Do a search :)
He's a member of the .org AND an independant mechanic.
Reason for saying do a search is that you will see lots of glowing reports, and from his replies that he is a "good guy"
David
I do my own spannering, it's not that hard. I have the Haynes and the OE workshop manual. As for these philistines who talk of keeping service history, what's the point, you're not going to sell your beloved SV are you? Are you?
Do a search :)
Oh no............the dreaded response.:)
Will do. Thanks.
I do my own spannering, it's not that hard. I have the Haynes and the OE workshop manual. As for these philistines who talk of keeping service history, what's the point, you're not going to sell your beloved SV are you? Are you?
Not me. I'll be taking mine to my grave:p
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