If I didn't love my fatboy...
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 822
Likes: 0
If I didn't love my fatboy...
I would be done with Harley davidson thanks to their service department.
I call the local stealer and ask for service to inquire about a possible bulletin regarding the float sticking in 03-04 and the guy right away jumps to say it won't be covered because I modified (bars) and had It off thus the connections might be wrong.
There's one plug dude. Really? How lazy are these people that call themselves mechanics? Always looking for a way not to do something
NEVER EVER had this issue with jap dealers, EVER. now he says he's gotta call me back, see how many weeks this takes.
I call the local stealer and ask for service to inquire about a possible bulletin regarding the float sticking in 03-04 and the guy right away jumps to say it won't be covered because I modified (bars) and had It off thus the connections might be wrong.
There's one plug dude. Really? How lazy are these people that call themselves mechanics? Always looking for a way not to do something
NEVER EVER had this issue with jap dealers, EVER. now he says he's gotta call me back, see how many weeks this takes.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 19,978
Likes: 6,074
From: Florida
That's the problem Harley KNOWS people who own their bikes love them WAY more than people who own rice,so they can stick it to ya & you won't desert the ship. When sales of rice cruisers outnumber Harleys, you'll see a different tune being played. Just like going out with a hot babe--she KNOWS she's hot, so she can treat guys like crap & they'll keep coming back for more. Until her looks go. Then it's a different tune.
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 822
Likes: 0
You guys are all right. I needed to vent to people who, I hoped, would understand. That's why I did the apes myself Because I don't make enough a year to give the stealer 2k for f*cking handlebars!
Looks like I'll be learning about the fuel system next!
Looks like I'll be learning about the fuel system next!
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: Northern NJ
Don't jump ship yet. Metric dealers are worse, at least in my experience.
I go to a Honda dealer with CASH IN HAND (forget warranty) and immediately told to go f*** myself because I want something that's more complicated then an oil change. Was told it would take 6 hours minimum to replace steering bearings @ $95/hr.
Went home and did it myself in 3 hours, without any special tools that were "absolutely required". This is not the first time or place where this happened. Screw them all, but in the end I thank them for teaching me how to do all my own repair and maintenance.
I go to a Honda dealer with CASH IN HAND (forget warranty) and immediately told to go f*** myself because I want something that's more complicated then an oil change. Was told it would take 6 hours minimum to replace steering bearings @ $95/hr.
Went home and did it myself in 3 hours, without any special tools that were "absolutely required". This is not the first time or place where this happened. Screw them all, but in the end I thank them for teaching me how to do all my own repair and maintenance.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,036
Likes: 8
From: Temecula, CA
"PROVE IT"
Fricken ***** of a mechanic if you ask me. TELLING you it WON'T be covered because the connections MIGHT be wrong? Well guess what there Gomer (the mechanic, not you...), if it's NOT wrong it IS covered! HATE azzhole dealers like that! I feel your pain. That bike should have been taken into the shop, examined, and then...before doing any work on it if there is a problem...you should be notified if the connection caused the issue...which I'm going to guess is pretty impossible ANYWAY.
In the end, they need to PROVE that the modification you did caused the problem. The burden of proof is on them. Just comes down to how much effort do you want to put into holding their feet to the fire?
My bike is still under warranty and I already have 12K on the clock after 6 months. I dread if something goes wrong but I'll be DAMNED if I'm paying this kind of money for a bike just to have the dealer try to wiggle out of the warranty.
Last edited by Robotech; Jun 8, 2011 at 03:47 PM.
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Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 179
Likes: 1
I have been on both sides of the counter at a dealership. It is hard to hold it in when the customer is out right trying to steal from you, get his parts for free, do the warranty themselves, bring electronics back to find them greasy and they claim it was never out of the box, etc. I have seen dealers go out of their way to screw a customer, over charge, not change wheel and neck bearings but charge for them, etc. Just approach the service manager for your work. Make sure any problems are written down. You pay them to fix it and not to find it. Having to bring the bike back for a problem is normal human failure. Any more and you need to see the dealer himself and calmly talk to him about the problem. Yelling and shouting only puts people on the defensive and you have lost your case.
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 401
Likes: 0
From: Hershey, Pennsylvania
The funny thing is, if you ever have to call the actual company customer service, not the local dealer but Harley Davidson, they are pretty darn cool and helpful.
The local dealer is mixed bag of loose nuts. It's always some story or some excuse when it comes to getting work done. In truth, they are no better and no worse than anyone else; metric, automotive, big box store, it's all the same type of working stiffs trying to make it through the day with as little hassle as possible.
The real problem is expectation. Unlike the aforementioned metric, automotive, and big box stores Harley customers tend to be from the same socio-economic background as the parts counter guys...except they have a hell of a lot more money on average, spent tens of thousands on a luxury item, and are willing to continually invest thousands more on said luxury item with the expectation that the guys behind the counter respect the depths of their wallet and their brand loyalty. They don't...at least not so much as they want to get to quitting time without a bunch of pain in the *** issues from a deep pocket biker and a penny pinching management staff.
The local dealer is mixed bag of loose nuts. It's always some story or some excuse when it comes to getting work done. In truth, they are no better and no worse than anyone else; metric, automotive, big box store, it's all the same type of working stiffs trying to make it through the day with as little hassle as possible.
The real problem is expectation. Unlike the aforementioned metric, automotive, and big box stores Harley customers tend to be from the same socio-economic background as the parts counter guys...except they have a hell of a lot more money on average, spent tens of thousands on a luxury item, and are willing to continually invest thousands more on said luxury item with the expectation that the guys behind the counter respect the depths of their wallet and their brand loyalty. They don't...at least not so much as they want to get to quitting time without a bunch of pain in the *** issues from a deep pocket biker and a penny pinching management staff.