Unreasonable dealer charges.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

IMO with dealers, the mechanics "in back" don't see the customers, don't have to wave them off with "see you next month mate" ... this encourages sloppy work.

Not all are like that though

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Eh

Funnily enough, we took a 04 plate V-Strom 1000 in px at our DEALERship the other week. I took it the 30 odd miles to Northampton to register a new bike because we're not set up to do this at the shop yet. I rode it quite quickly there and back and was pleasantly surprised at how smooth it ran and how powerful it appeared for the type of bike it is. When I got back it was pulled into the workshop for a basic check over and a service before being put up for sale. It too had just been main dealer serviced and the plugs on it were screwed in hand tight only, the crush washers were like new and totally undamaged.

We put new plugs in it anyway for peace of mind and then I took it for another ride, it didn't run any different to be perfectly honest.

Dutch dealers are rubbish, charge a fortune, and damage bits of my bike. The only reason the K6 goes there is for resale value at the end of this year, but even then I may have lost out financially

Edit: And due to the monopoly this rip off chain has there's barely another garage in the whole of the country that is a Suzuki main dealer

i've had a dealer quote me for full caliper rebuilds for a seized caliper. The mounting bolts were seized in so how did they check it and not try to free up as part of a srvice. Oh and had a seized front wheel spindle on a 2 year old SV. Rear wasnt in much better state either. But my bike has FDSH.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Tim in Belgium

Dutch dealers are rubbish, charge a fortune, and damage bits of my bike. The only reason the K6 goes there is for resale value at the end of this year, but even then I may have lost out financially

Edit: And due to the monopoly this rip off chain has there's barely another garage in the whole of the country that is a Suzuki main dealer

Seriously how much does a dealers service history add to a bikes value?

Originally Posted by thefallenangel

i've had a dealer quote me for full caliper rebuilds for a seized caliper. The mounting bolts were seized in so how did they check it and not try to free up as part of a srvice. Oh and had a seized front wheel spindle on a 2 year old SV. Rear wasnt in much better state either. But my bike has FDSH.

My ex-girlfriend put her Bandit 650 in to C J Ball in Hales, Suffolk for a full service and told the guy she was doing a trackday on it a few days later. When she appeared at mine the night before we set off I checked the bike over myself, after riding it and thinking the brakes weren't up to much, and found the front brake calipers seized solid on the pins. I stripped and rebuilt them after an hour of cleaning the salt corrosion off (she lived right on the North Norfolk coast) and they were much better after being bled as well. When I called the dealership to complain they were adamant the mechanic had done exactly what I'd just done, and they'd charged her an extra hour's labour too. I did question why their brilliant mechanic hadn't bled the brakes because before I got hold of it the lever was coming back to the bar, even with the calipers seized. I was told that Bandit's with ABS always had a soft lever. He couldn't explain why it had a good solid lever feel after I'd bled them the proper way, as per the manual. I explained taht she was doing a trackday and they should really have been more vigilant and the reply was "A young girl on a Bandit 650 isn't going to be going that quick that she'll need race brakes now, is she?" - Patronising bast4rds, she is one of the fastest riders I know, despite her choices of bikes.

She never got her bike serviced there again, in fact she traded it for a Triumph Daytona 600 a little while later and got great service from Lings. When she bought her SV650 after the Daytona, I taught her how to service it herself, and that bike did a huge number of miles in her hands with no problems.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Seriously how much does a dealers service history add to a bikes value?

Probably not that much, hence why I reckon i've lost out double...

Plugs are done up finger tight then just seated down on the washer max 20nm. Often people do them up far too tight. Hence the number of home mechanic threads I've snapped off my plugs!

Any decent tech would see if a caliper needs a strip or clean without it comming off, a binding front brake is first clue!

My tech comes and speaks to me hands me the keys and service reception who have as much knowledge run through it all too. I've been to more crap non franchised dealers than I have main ones. Trouble is everyone wants it fir nothing so some charge minimum and do minimum as some riders think paying decent money is ripping them off! Swings and roundabouts..want it cheap get it cheap!

Btw my brother is a suzuki and yamaha master tech and spanner for a bsb team so I've learnt my skills but still trust only the experts. Sadly my brother works away so can't do my bike hence my local dealer which is excellent gets my road and race bikes to look after

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Seriously how much does a dealers service history add to a bikes value?

It matters to the vast majority of buyers. Whilst it may not make much of a difference to you or I, the average non-mechanically-minded buyers want to see the official stamps in the book, and that means a bike without FDSH is worth a lot less to the dealer as it may get stuck on the showroom floor. That means the seller can normally expect less in px when he comes to trade it in.

Generally - once a bike is over 2 years old it really makes no odds who services it, as long as there are stamps in the book to show it was done by someone competent.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Wizzbangwill

Plugs are done up finger tight then just seated down on the washer max 20nm. Often people do them up far too tight. Hence the number of home mechanic threads I've snapped off my plugs!

Read back of sparkplug box

You do it finger tight, then specified amount more to crush the crush washer. No torque setting at all on vast majority of plugs.