600 mile service

[svenrico]

Wondering what is the likely cost of the 600 mile service at a suzuki dealer.
Guessing it will come not long after I have started riding the bike (and paid for it !) later this week.

[Bike27]

According to the invoice for my 2018 SV (which I bought at 1600 miles) the first service cost £34.77. It looks like only oil, oil filter and crush washer were charged for as there is no labour charge listed. However last year when I was considering buying a brand new SV from a different dealer I was told the 600 mile service would be £165, so clearly they would be charging for labour. I thought £165 was cheap, as I had incorrectly assumed that both cam covers would have to be removed for a valve clearance check, but it turns out it is just an oil and filter change. As such it's hard to see how any dealer could justify charging more than a couple of hundred quid, but I've no idea about dealer servicing costs in general as I've always tended to DIY on my bikes over the years.

[Seeker]

I seem to remember paying about £160 (4 years ago) - my Z900RS just had its 600 mile service and it was £175. The next SV service will (may) be more expensive - if Suzuki have resolved whether they should or should not replace the plugs (4 x £12), my dealer did (and apologised, they even called Suzuki GB to confirm the necessity).

On a slightly related note, when I collected my SV in 2016 all the linkages/springs had been greased but neither my short lived MT09SP or my Zed has any grease on the springs, cable ends etc. Three different dealers.

Showing my age - I remember when 600 mile services were free.

[Craig380]

Originally Posted by Seeker

if Suzuki have resolved whether they should or should not replace the plugs (4 x £12), my dealer did (and apologised, they even called Suzuki GB to confirm the necessity).

On a slightly related note, when I collected my SV in 2016 all the linkages/springs had been greased but neither my short lived MT09SP or my Zed has any grease on the springs, cable ends etc. Three different dealers..

I replaced the plugs on mine at 15K miles - the electrodes were a little worn but they were still usable and could easily have done another 5K miles. The gap had gone from 0.8mm at 7K miles to 0.9mm. Or put another way, the new plugs made no difference to starting or running behaviour, the bike was the same after as before.

And on pre-delivery prep, I've had two used bikes from Single Tracker Suzuki in Crewe, and on both they changed brake fluid and greased the suspension linkage as part of their 'refresh service' which they included in the sale price.
I thought that was very thorough.

[SV650rules]

What is a 600 mile service ? Also what is a dealer service ? Never use them - keep good quality oil in bike and change every 3K / 12 months - good to go....... Have had cars where it was promised the sky would fall in if you didn't have the valve clearances checked every 25,000 miles ( at over £300 ) - well 150,000 miles later still running sweet without being near a main stealer.. ( people on the forum said they had actually put their car into dealer to have the work done and had marked bolts that would have to be removed to access the valves - and guess what, the bolts had not been moved ).

Mate used to work in a garage ( when they had grease nipples on stuff ) his boss caught him with a grease gun one day and asked him why he needed it - it says to grease these bits every 12 months' - his boss said 'don't bother with that stuff, just wipe the grease nipple and a smear of grease on it'.....

From experience service book stamps are not worth the paper they are stamped on. I have bought 2 and 3 year old cars from main dealers with 'full dealer service history' and the air filters ( cabin and engine ) had never been replaced since new( they made a coal mine seem clean ) and even had rusty oil filters....

[svenrico]

I think the 600 mile service is change of oil and filter and just check things over and adjust as necessary. I will ask at dealer but I was sort of hoping charge would just be for parts, but like Seeker I may be showing my age, the last time I bought a brand new bike was in 1976.
As far as stamped service book goes, I always like to see the service history when buying a bike, otherwise how do you know how competent the previous owner was if they did their own servicing ? You have some assurance with a record of servicing by a reputable dealer.

[SV650rules]

Well it goes like this - dealer gets a bike in for partX with no service history, gets the stamp out and 'gives ' it a service history.... from the standard of most dealer servicing it is really just an oil change ( and if you are lucky they replace the filter). IMHO a keen biker will look after their bike much better than a dealer. At least mine does not get oil from a 45 gallon drum in the corner of the workshop and the same oil used for everything, I know exactly what oil has been used...

[svenrico]

Originally Posted by SV650rules

Well it goes like this - dealer gets a bike in for partX with no service history, gets the stamp out and 'gives ' it a service history.... from the standard of most dealer servicing it is really just an oil change ( and if you are lucky they replace the filter). IMHO a keen biker will look after their bike much better than a dealer. At least mine does not get oil from a 45 gallon drum in the corner of the workshop and the same oil used for everything, I know exactly what oil has been used...

I don't know what dealers you have had experience with but I do have a bit more faith than that in the dealers I have used. As far as servicing goes, I used to use a well respected local motorcycle mechanic who had his own business but unfortunately he retired. My Honda dealer always gave good service and I trust my local suzuki dealer will do the same. The cost of servicing is another matter !!!

[Bike27]

I share SV650Rules cynicism around dealer services, however I personally think it is worth getting at least the first one done at a dealer on a new bike for the purposes of keeping the bike in warranty (which is the only reason I bothered to ask when I was considering a new purchase).

[Seeker]

I bought my bike from B&B Suzuki, Lincoln and still use them for service. I got a good deal, they loan me a bike when the service is overnight, they tell me service costs upfront, they handled a warranty claim promptly....I trust them.