Ok...I stopped using the Stealership for work on my 2004 softail few yrs ago and have either done work myself or used an Indy shop. I am friends with a parts guy at my local HD and I let him talk me in to giving them a shot again.

The reason I quit the local HD was everytime,it seemed, bike went in for something they are calling me 3-4 times with more **** they find wrong thus increasing cost. Now I give them another chance and the same ol ****.

What should have been new bars and windshield harware, has now added leaking fuel lines inside and out(not leaking when went in btw), run brake module with bent pins.. they want to replace, broken wires under speedo... so far now at $1600 bucks!

Have others found that this happens at their dealers? Are they just being thorough? or is it a known HD practice in order to make more money?

 

I dunno - if it were me, I'd make a trip to the service department and just have them show me what they've found. I would appreciate a tech bringing any potential safety items to my attention if he runs across 'em.


Think about how much trust you have in your scoot. I'd much rather it not be a false sense of security.


Now as far as the labor rates the HD shops are charging these days ($120+/hr here in Dallas), I think that's highway robbery - but as long as people continue to pay it, it's the "going" rate.

 

I see you're in Plano, me to. Where is it $120 an hour? I need to go there lol. The dealer I use is HD of Dallas in Allen and they want $145 an hour. Ridiculous they can charge that much

 

Yeah it's funny how bike "techs" think their job is so difficult...

But yes, the more **** the try and upsell to you, the more money the stealership and the "tech" makes. It's the name of their game. I'd question the validity of their "upsells"....

P.S. Stealerships train their employees to upsell anything and everything to squeeze as much money out of the customer as possible. Been that way since the beginning.

 

I said $120+


Simply nuts. Bought my bike in Allen. I go there when I need a part that I've got an immediate need for. That's it. Last time I used their service department was to get a rear strut bolt loose. I went through 3 torx bits (including a MAC bit - no cheap tools here) trying to get it loose and finally took it to the "pros." Yep, they got it loose. It took the guy 1.5 hours to get that one bolt out - They did give me a "deal" and only charged me 1.0 hours labor.
The kicker? They are the ones that did some bolt-ons for the previous owner of the bike and it was one of their own techs that obviously doesn't know the difference between blue and red loc-tite.

 

They're going to bring to your attention everything they find, just like a car dealer. You're under no obligation to have them fix it all. I think it's good they do this. Go there and evaluate what needs to be done now by them, and maybe what you could do on your own.

The flip side of course is that they don't report every little thing, then a customer complains that the bike was just in for service and why didn't they tell him about a potential problem.

+1 on labor rates being real high. Heck, my marine mechanic is "only" at $100/hr.

 

Some dealers are obviously better than others. I have never had a issue like that at a dealer. I would definitely want to see the parts they said are defective.

 

I guess you have to get a feel for whether or not the work is being honestly represented. If it is, then the dealer did his job and provided you with a valuable service. If not, he committed fraud. I, being typically naive in these matters, would think the former is more likely.

I think that's one of the benefits of going to a Harley Davidson service center. They see a high volume of bikes. Some things probably pop up more than others and they know to look for those things that might get overlooked by a guy doing his own work.

Although I will say those rates are insane. We pay $85/hr up here I think.

I did a lot of my own work. Any accessories or changes, bars, forks, whatever, I did myself because the cost to have the dealer do it exceeds the cost of the already expensive part sometimes. And I think they usually charge "book" hours. The horror stories of what it costs to have handle bars swapped was enough to prompt me to do it on my own. And it turned out to be very easy.

 

Yup, that's my take on it. I have my bike serviced at my local Dealership and every now & then they'll bring something to my attention that wasn't on my punch list when I dropped it off. Sometimes it's something important and sometimes its not. I certainly don't feel like they're trying to up-sell anything and I don't ever feel like they ripped me off. After seeing some of the other hourly rates, I feel pretty lucky. Mine only charges $90 or $95/hr.

BTW: it always gets me when someone patronizes a Dealership and then comes on here, rips on them, and calls them a stealership. It's kinda like saying the woman you live with is a total bitch. I mean, YOU picked her and still live with her. So, either boot her *** out or STFU about it. Otherwise, IMO, it just makes you look like a moron when you rag about it.

 

I must have a great dealer, Doc's HD in St. Louis, MO. They never try to upsell me anything. In fact, if I'm asking them about different accessories they tell me about cheaper options. Makes me glad I went there.