Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!

Let,s not forget that the dealer doing the service is entitled to charge for the oil at full retail price. He is selling oil after all. Some people seem to think that they have been stiffed when they see oil charged at the shelf rate on their bill.

As mentioned elsewhere, I do all of my own servicing and maintenance as a matter of necessity. I also enjoy it. The part that I didn't mention previously is that my bikes do go in for an annual roadworthy (MOT to you lot) where I pay an owner operator that I know and trust for a couple of hours at full shop rate to go over everything properly. The roadworthy is a distraction and an excuse. Usually I come away with a small list of things done and a couple of things to keep an eye on. Just having a pair of trusted eyes go over the thing properly, even if nothing is changed, once a year is gold.

Cheers

The above post is spot on.

Ive got two bikes in my own Suzuki dealership that have been in back street garages (in fact they are both private garages on peoples drives!) that have had some horrendously shoddy work done to them. These private people are charging £35 per hour!!. I charge £57.50 an hour but have 52K in rent a year to pay, fully trained techs and all the proper equipement AND insurance!.

If you are thinking along the lines of suggesting all proper dealers are stealers, then id look at some of the non franchised places out there. Ok maybe 10% of dealers in the UK dont do a proper job, id say that percentage is lower than what comes out of a backstreet done properly.

One place local to me had a break in an five customers bikes stolen. He wasnt insured!

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by SV650Racer

The above post is spot on.

Ive got two bikes in my own Suzuki dealership that have been in back street garages (in fact they are both private garages on peoples drives!) that have had some horrendously shoddy work done to them. These private people are charging £35 per hour!!. I charge £57.50 an hour but have 52K in rent a year to pay, fully trained techs and all the proper equipement AND insurance!.

If you are thinking along the lines of suggesting all proper dealers are stealers, then id look at some of the non franchised places out there. Ok maybe 10% of dealers in the UK dont do a proper job, id say that percentage is lower than what comes out of a backstreet done properly.

One place local to me had a break in an five customers bikes stolen. He wasnt insured!

£57 an hour?! My local shop charges £20, the more upmarket one is £30. They must pay about £10k a year for the premises and the upmarket one own the building. Does it work out in your favour paying larger overheads?

Originally Posted by Dave20046

£57 an hour?! My local shop charges £20, the more upmarket one is £30. They must pay about £10k a year for the premises and the upmarket one own the building. Does it work out in your favour paying larger overheads?

I wish i only paid £10k a year!. It doesnt work in our favour no not really but sadly being in one of the most costly areas to live in Surrey a main road fronted shop doesnt come cheap. . When we found this shop the only other options due to planning restrictions were industrial estate units which in all honesty were about £40k a year to rent...but with no passing trade.

I did a review about six months ago on local labour rates and on average for the type of service we offer we were slightly below average. Get inside the M25 and it goes upto an average of £60 - £65 for an equivilant service.

If our workshop isnt full each week we actually loose money! Call it a labour of love rather than earning a living

Sometimes i wish i lived back up north where things are cheaper

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by SV650Racer

I wish i only paid £10k a year!. It doesnt work in our favour no not really but sadly being in one of the most costly areas to live in Surrey a main road fronted shop doesnt come cheap. . When we found this shop the only other options due to planning restrictions were industrial estate units which in all honesty were about £40k a year to rent...but with no passing trade.

I did a review about six months ago on local labour rates and on average for the type of service we offer we were slightly below average. Get inside the M25 and it goes upto an average of £60 - £65 for an equivilant service.

If our workshop isnt full each week we actually loose money! Call it a labour of love rather than earning a living

Sometimes i wish i lived back up north where things are cheaper

It must be purely down to that, then again it's all relevant generally speaking all your commuters and midlife crisis's down there will be earning a higher wage so have more disposable income than oop here. We don't actually have many main dealers in sheffield (showroom type thing). The only one I've ever seen is in rotherham a town over (where the chuckle brothers are from lol). Both the ones I quoted technically are dealers, the cheaper one's a benelli dealer but it's not the same as the massive shiny showrooms you get.

We dont even have a massive showroom..its not small but not glitzed up.

I quite like it that way though..it does what its here to do. Has good heating though and a good hot choccy machine..!!!

Mind you we do have a dyno, Ohlins suspension service area and specialise in tuning SV650's alongside alot of other race work so we are slightly different to most places round here.

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by SV650Racer

We dont even have a massive showroom..its not small but not glitzed up.

I quite like it that way though..it does what its here to do. Has good heating though and a good hot choccy machine..!!!

Mind you we do have a dyno, Ohlins suspension service area and specialise in tuning SV650's alongside alot of other race work so we are slightly different to most places round here.

Yeah that sounds how it should be.

This worries me about letting other people service my bike. Either I, or my dad, does my bike - theres only been one time that I havn't been present to give my dad assistance when servicing my bike, but because I trust him completly (and I trust also he wont do a bad job and want an even bigger problem to fix) i didn't mind

however, for other people tending to my bike, I would be nervous, and probably get my dad to check it over afterwards (if it was something major) or at check it myself (if it was something minor that I can do).

I have two places I would take my bike to in london:

Steve Jordan's (cos they know how to make SV's go fast, so they must have an idea of how to make sure they dont fall apart!) and Essential Rubber, because I had a good chat with one of the guys there and he knows his apples when it comes to bikes.

I'll still be watching though....

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by alpinestarhero

however, for other people tending to my bike, I would be nervous,

I appreciate that, bit it harks back to what I was saying, if you talk to the staff and specifically the mechanic's you build up a rapport with them and then you can work out if they actually are doing what they say they are or are just f*cking about.