Is this a common dealer tech practice?
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,584
Likes: 520
From: VA
Is this a common dealer tech practice?
Got my bike back from a rear tire change. I later found the belt was too loose. So I adjusted it. When I went to loosen the axel it felt loose. I have a pretty good feel for that kind of thing. The tech had marked the top of the nut with a sharpie. I assume so he could just tighten it back to there. I'm far from a professional mechanic but I always use a torque wrench. What he did seems logical on one hand but not too sure how accurate that can be. Any thoughts
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,584
Likes: 520
From: VA
Thanks. The Softails don't have the cam but I'm guessing the rest applies.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,584
Likes: 520
From: VA
No mark on the axel. Just the nut
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,584
Likes: 520
From: VA
Yeah. I don't know. I'm no pro but I've done a fair amount of my own wrenching. I was sort of curious if this was an acceptable practice. I've always had and used torque wrenches so I had never thought about. One thing for sure. That mark on the nut wasn't there before
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Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 214
Likes: 80
From: Florida
Last tire change I had at Harley, they balanced the wheel with the factory weights still on it. I complained, waited another hour or so, to get the bike back with no weights and all the gooey stuff left on the rim. So yeah, I'm not surprised your belt was loose. Seems good help is hard to come by these days. My belt was also left loose and I just tightened it when I got home.
Last edited by motorend; Nov 17, 2021 at 11:41 AM.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,976
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From: SF Bay Area
It's not just Harley dealers, auto techs, tire techs, etc. I had new tires mounted and installed on my Grand Cherokee SRT. 475 hp AWD SUV with the front passenger wheel a little more than hand tight. Tech probably got distracted. Came home to check all 4 wheels with torque wrench. 3 Wheels WAY over torqued and the front passenger wheel not torqued at all.
Be safe and diligent out there . . .
Be safe and diligent out there . . .
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 32,934
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From: Carlsbad, CA
Dealers use the lowest tech on the totem pole for oil changes & tire changes. But, still charge full rate. In our area, it’s $135/hr. Any
one that thinks you can mark a nut to have it retightened properly needs to be smacked in the head with a torque wrench.
one that thinks you can mark a nut to have it retightened properly needs to be smacked in the head with a torque wrench.
