OK peoples.

I don't normally take my scoot to the dealership for repairs - so I am looking for feedback on this situation.


A few weeks ago,a buddy of mine calls me and says that his 2K6 Road King (approx 10K miles) is getting a severe wobble at about 60+ mph. I tell him that the first thing hge needs to do is check the steering head bearings. If they are properly seated/torqued...then he needs to look at the rear-end of the bike.
He asks to pay me to check it all out, and I declinded because of the stuff I have going on with work...and because I really didn't feel like getting into chasing a 'wobble'. I tell him again. check the torque on the steering-head...and just a as a precaution, check the rear axle for torque/allignment.


Well, after a few weeks, the problem gets MUCH worse..and he takes it by the dealership. At this point he is getting a severe wobble at about 40 mph. He calls me up wanting an opinion after getting the diagnosis from the service guys. Steering bearings are okay, but they 'think' there may be an issue with loose spokes...and the front tire is showing signs of 'cupping' and should be replaced. I was like "ok, 10K miles on a tires is about normal, but I have never seen any bike get a 'dangerous' wobblle because of 'cupping' - If a belt in the tire severed, yes, but not just from what they/you are explaining. Also, I let him know that spokes gotta be WAY loose - and they could check that with a very simple test that should have been done prior to them calling with a diagnosis. I then go on to tell him that they need to be looking at the BACK bike.

Anyway - he decides to go ahead with the front tire replacement, and ends-up hearing that the front spokes are all good. BUT, low and behold, they call him to let him know that the rear rim is bent. $430 bucks for a replacement - plus labor for the swap, plus tire mounting. That is on top of the charge they are already hitting him with for the front tire that they 'say' had to be replaced.


- Now, I am not a mechanic, and I have read the posts here on the Forum about the subject, so I felt well prepared for the troubleshooting. My question is this... Why would a dealership NOT know troubleshooting procedure better than an idiot like me? With the history of 'wobble' issues on the Touring models...every mechanic that turns a wrech on these things should know that 90% of the problems are due to something being wrong in the rear of the bike.

I'm not trying to 'slam' a dealership or a mechanic - but hearing stories like this make me wonder how many of you have valid ponits when it comes to dealer complaints.

Thoughts?

 

I have zero faith that a dealer can do a job without either screwing up the job and/or damaging my bike in the process. And don't forget the part where they need your bike for close to a week to do the simplest maint because they don't care enough about your time to actually bother trying to keep to a schedule. Too much work for them.

I don't have the patience to have to spend an hour checking out my bike for damage when I pick it up and then if I miss something, it's on me.

 

You get the feeling that they are all just in it for the $$. Fact is, they are and the more things they find (or convince you they found) the more goes into the pocket. Point being, your friend should have listened to you and saved a few bucks.

 

know someone who had Heritage and it got a bad wobble when they checked it had loose spokes on the back,they fixed it no problem

 

Well, if the front tire had 10K & was worn would it had been better if the dealer said nothing about it? And as for the rear rim being bent you would think the rider would have had an in-cling after the jolt he got from hitting a pothole or something. Better safe then sorry & the bike is ready for another 10K. Just my opinion.

 

It's a shame but nothing surprises me with these stories anymore. Everything on my bike was done by me except for the 1 and 5K services, the handlebar swap, and the pipe install. A dealer will NEVER change my oil again and charge me $200+ for a "scheduled service". I had convinced myself that I was staying in good graces with my warranty by letting the dealer service my bike - not anymore. At my 5K service, I had a 50% off labor coupon so I got them to change my bars at the same time because I didn't want to deal with the internal wiring (talk about chasing a wobble, I didn't want to have to go chasing pinched wires or bad grounds). In the process, the managed to scratch my swingarm with some sort of rotating tool (I'm assuming an air wrench) that should have been nowhere near my swingarm while changing handlebars. Of course they denied it but offered to repair it because the wanted to keep my happy. Sure, call me a liar and then tell me you want to keep me happy in the same breath - that works. They also managed to take a nice sized chunk out of my front brake lever which told me they were probably just tossing parts around instead of taking care of things. Another dealer changed my pipes. I bought them at 25% off and they offered me a good install price so I let them do it. They didn't damage the bike but, unexplainably left the stock lower exhaust bracket on the engine and never even asked me if I wanted it removed or left there. Well, of course it requires a special tool in order to access and remove it and the pipes have to be taken back off to get at it.

That did it for me as far as dealers. Unless it's a warranty repair where I have no choice, all future work will be done by me or my indy - period.

 

My post was notquestioning the tire wearon the front. Nor was it attempting to make a judgement onmy buddies ability to recognize a potential issue.

People pay a premium price for 'skilled labor'. Whether is befor household fixes, mechanical expertise or whatever else someone has decidedis a marketable craft.My post is pointing to the lack of troubleshooting skills, knowledge and (argueably) customer service.

As I pointed out in my original post, I do my own work...so I don't suffer the same problems thatsome others do. I was using this raiseanother question.Should the premium labor cost come with a certain level of expertise?

Should the dealership have pointed out wear of the front tire. YES, Absolutely. Shoud the dealership make the recomendation PRIOR to findig the true 'root cause' of the problem that the bike brought in to be serviced for?I, personally, think that answer is NO.

If I were to take my pick-up into a dealership for transmission work... I do not expect them to call me to tell me that they need to change theoil & flush the radiatiorbefore they can troubleshoot the tranny. While this may be an'apple to oranges' argument - they are both still fruit...so I think it kinda works.

 

He could have told them not to replace the front tire if it wasn't the problem, owners choice. My guess is once they got it into the shop on a lift they were able to tell it was the rear wheel & fixed it. Cased closed. I find that the dealer did the right thing by pointing out the front tire wear. If I brought my bike in for a oil change & the servce tech noticed my drive belt was really loose should he wait until the oil change is done & I'm picking up the bike to tell me? Then I'd have to bring it in again? I can always say don't fix it I'll do it myself. My take.

 

Dude, That is the point of this whole post.

He was not 'informed' of the wear...he was told that the 'cupping' of the front tire, or possibly loose spokes on the front wheel could be causing the 'wobble'. After he agreed to have the front tire replaced...THEN.. they call him back and tell him that the rear wheel is boofed & needs replaced.

I'm not arguing the 'heads-up' type of preventative maintenance as an opportunity to provide good customer service and a safe ride.

I'm saying that at $80.00 an hour for labor...these guys should not be 'guessing' at a solution. In your scenario - you are absolutely correct and I agree with your opinion... But I'm looking for thoughts on THIS scenario...where the timeline and troubleshooting process seems to be questionable.

 

Not only should premium labor costs come with a certain level of 'expected' expertise, they should also be accompanied by an equal degree of expectation of service(s) renderedby the consumer; i.e. paying customer. One shouldn't have to be paying someone to 'learn as they go'. Not on my dime, anyhow. Just my take.