Hey guys, second post since joining. I picked up a black 2014 Breakout last Thursday and took it out for a decent ride on Friday. When I stopped for gas I couldn't get the gas cap off. After asking several of the other guys I ride with if they could figure it out we determined that the gas cap was cross threaded. Rather than mess with it I rode straight back to the dealership and had one of the techs take a look at it. He confirmed that the cap was in fact cross threaded, causing the edge of the cap to contact the tank. This was the first time I had ever tried to take it off, so it must have been done by one of the techs during assembly. Eventually the tech was able to get the cap off, however, it left a very deep crescent shaped scratch in the tank. He told me it was probably just into the wax since it was white in appearance, but I figured that was BS and got him to admit it was in fact into the paint.

So I asked him if they could just throw some touch-up paint on it since I really just want to ride the thing and not wait for the tank to be repainted (they didn't offer to do this, and I didn't ask). He explained to me that if they just used touch-up paint it was probably "bubble up" due to its proximity to the fuel filler hole. What he told me was that they would probably "tape it up," (not sure what that means) and that I can drop it off anytime this week and they would take care of it.

At this point I'm not sure how to proceed. Obviously I will request something on paper so that if I have any problems down the road it's on them and not me. Anyway, just looking for some advice on what I should do. Currently I still have the bike at home and am waiting for some bad weather before I drop it off (probably in a day or two). Thanks.

 

Had same problem with mine 2014 breakout got it home couldn't get cap off and when they did had scratch from cap. Bunge that was in tank had been soldered in crooked they had to replace complete tank ok now cap has same clearance all around edge. May have had some tanks that weren't assembled correct.

 

same! my stock cap was impossible to get off. they were supposed to order me a new one, but never did. no big deal though cause i've already replaced it. crazy though, i thought i was the only one.

 

Unless you had less than a tankful of miles showing on the odometer and snapped a photo with your phone at the time you discovered the cross-threading, it will be hard to PROVE that it came to you that way. Hopefully, the dealership won't try to dispute that it came to you that way.

The most likely place it happened was during the pre-delivery fueling, where the dealership fills the tank just before delivery to the customer. The cleaning and fueling is usually done by young kids with little experience, and hence the potential for a problem like on yours.

Fortunately, the color is black, which is far easier to repair that the "Hard Candy Chrome Flake" on mine. Mine would require a tank replacement since that paint job cannot be duplicated outside of the HD factory.

Your dealer rep was probably right when he said a "touchup" brush or pen approach would not work in that location, because gas fumes try to lift paint (that's why many home paint jobs fail first right around the gas filler opening). The tank needs to be professionally painted, especially since this is a new bike, and having a cosmetic flaw like that right where you see it every time you ride the bike is simply unacceptable on a zero miles new bike, or ANY bike for that matter.

Get your dealer to promise to have the job done at a pro paint shop, using the correct matching paint and including proper heat curing, sanding, clearcoat, polishing, etc. You bought a new bike and the fact that the dealership damaged it while prepping it for delivery to you is certainly not your fault, and certainly is their fault. They need to make it right.

If they give you grief, tell them you intend to contact Harley-Davidson about it. And if they still don't fix the problem properly, do contact HD.

It's a foolish dealership indeed that would let something like this sour the happiness of a new owner, and suffer the consequent damage to the relationship with the customer, which manifests as verbal warnings to every other potential buyer and biker that the customer mentions the bike to.

My own local HD dealer is scrupulously careful on this kind of stuff. For example, EACH time you bring your bike in for service, the first thing the service writer does is records all existing damage or scratches onto the work order, before the bike is accepted into the shop, and you SIGN the work order.

EDIT: After seeing the 2 posts above mine, psoted while I was posting, I'd say simply print out this thread and take it to your dealer. It basically gives them justification for a warranty claim that HD, not they, pay to resolve. They becomes your friends versus your potential adversaries.

Jim G

 

I actually did some Google research on my phone at the gas station and found that the Breakout caps are notoriously difficult to get off sometimes. Thats why I brought it back to the dealership instead and messing with it.

The cap is still a PITA sometimes, but it sits level now so I don't think its a problem with the way they tank was assembled. My primary concern is damage to the tank from gas getting into the scratch and messing up the paint. Fortunately the scratch is covered by the cap so you can't see it when its screw on.

 

i got lucky. mine didn't scratch. it was just impossible to unscrew. now i'm just using the flush mount and it's perfect.

 

I guess I was just lucky that my gas cap worked perfectly, but I replaced the cap anyway because I wanted a THICKER cap, so that my own FINGERNAILS would not scratch the paint when I was removing that very thin stock cap. (Even the gas cap on this slammed bike is slammed!)

Jim G

 

Yep -First time for me was the same thing, but no scratch. From then on I just do 1 click when tightening back on.

 

Absolutely.

I went through an issue with a dealer last year and ended up getting H-D involved...
Dealers don't like these kinds of black eyes, which is why so many push you to write favorable reviews on those "surveys" that H-D always mails out after bike sales.
It's these kinds of issues (or lack thereof) that can sometimes determine if a particular dealer is on the short-list for next year's CVO's and other hot sellers...

..and this was straight from the mouth of the H-D Regional Manager who handled my case, as he purchased my problem bike back at full MSRP...

 

Just wondering. If I choose to put off he repair, assuming tank needs to repainted, I'd like to ride this summer, not wait for paint to be finished, is there a risk of further damage to the tank from the gas?