Sorry for the long post but I have a bit of a problem that has me kind of bummed out. I have used the same indy since 1990. The guy is pretty old and slow but he really knows his stuff. He's been working on Harleys since the 1950s. There have been a couple of times I have been in a jam on the side of the road and called him up and he either talks me through it on the phone or he drops everything and comes out with a trailer to pick me up. When I drop my bike off he always offers me a beer. Hell there have been lots of times that he and I have just sat around the shop after hours and drank and told stories. Sometimes we meet up at a local watering hole and shoot the **** over a few brewskis. And he doesn't do this with many other people, as a matter of fact he's kind of an ******* to a lot of people. One of those grumpy old man types that, until he gets to know you, he barely says a word to you.
My problem stems from a recent job he did for me. I had the bike in his shop (he did the job on real short notice) and when I picked the bike up there was a big oily handprint on the top of the saddlebag so I bitched to him and he went over and cleaned it off. When I got the bike home I noticed two tiny paint nicks on my fender. They were so tiny in fact I thought they were bugs, so I leaned over to scrape them off with my fingernail and that's when the sun hit my fender at just the right angle and there was a dent about the size of an apple seed. So there are 2 very tiny paint chips/nicks and a small dent on my fender. I have had this bike for almost 2 years, and I have washed it by hand and performed my own maintenance (I only use the indy when it's something above my skill set). So I think I would have seen that dent before, especially considering I had just washed and waxed the bike 4 days prior to taking it to him.

So here's my dilemma- do I straight out ask him if he dented my fender or do I just live with it since I have no real proof that he did it? On one hand, its a tiny dent but I know its there and every time I walk past it I look at it and it drives me nuts. On the other hand I know this guy very well, he's the kind that will get pissed off if he didn't do it and I make the accusation that he did. He would probably still work on my scoot but there would be no more after hour beers and roadside help. I don't want to risk not having him to go to in a pinch. What do you guys say?

 

Sounds like the great service and after-hours friendship are worth more than a couple of tiny dents. Leave it be.

 

Friendship before bikes. **** happens!

 

Your bike is 9 years old. Get over it. Sounds like a decent Indy, which is not that easy to find. Move on, it's part of life. I bet you have a few dents and dings yourself. Go for a ride.

 

My bike got a dent in the middle of the front fender about 20 years ago when it was hit by a rock that fell off a truck going the other way. I was always going to fix it but I never did. I keep it as a reminder that there are more important things in life.

When I was younger, I’d have been more upset. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that nobody’s perfect, especially myself. I’d have cleaned up the handprint an touched up the chip myself.

 

Sounds like this guy does a lot for you and you bitched him out over a hand print ?

 

Sucks about the fender but as you said, there is no proof how it happened so I would let it slide. Sounds like you have a good relationship with the Indy so I wouldn't make waves in this case. He might not know he did it or it could have happened on your way home. Chips happen..

Couple years ago I got a ding/chip on my front fender. I put a drop of touch up paint on it but it still bugged the **** out of me. I finally broke down bought a new fender, had it painted, then installed it. 3 weeks later a pebble jumped up and dinged/chipped the new fender in almost the same spot. It's had a drop of touch-up paint on it ever since, I'm not pulling it back off.

 

A friend of mine owns an Indy and he's noticed an increase in customers bitching about nicks etc. I suggested he has a walk through list when a bike is dropped off or picked up by trailer. Go through it with the customer and mark down any dents, scratches and marks. Have the customer sign it at drop off and pick up. Problem solved.

 

Just touch it up and move on if its bothering that much like you said he’s getting old plus you know now what your getting when he works on your bike. Good mechanics are hard to find ???

 

^^^this^^^...let it go.