General Harley Davidson Chat Forum to discuss general Harley Davidson issues, topics, and experiences.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

From 3 hours to 3 days??

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Mar 16, 2012 | 01:58 PM
  #1  
Coloradohunter's Avatar
Coloradohunter
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 358
Likes: 1
Default From 3 hours to 3 days??

Took my bike in for it's 1,000 mile break in service yesterday. I had an appointment so they were expecting me. The service manager asked if I was going to wait for it or if I was dropping it off.

I said I was dropping it off and he told me with the nice weather, they were pretty swamped but he would be able to keep his "3 day service guarantee" and it should be ready by lunchtime Saturday.

What would he have done if I said I was gonna wait for it?
 
Old Mar 16, 2012 | 02:07 PM
  #2  
Captain Smooth's Avatar
Captain Smooth
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,391
Likes: 4
From: Upstate NY
Default

He would of had you wait three hours for it would be my guess.
 
Old Mar 16, 2012 | 02:08 PM
  #3  
cromagnon's Avatar
cromagnon
Grand HDF Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,067
Likes: 60
From: Chesterfield, VA
Default

You had an appointment to drop it off for 3 day "inspection" service? That's screwed up. You should wait until they can guarantee they will do it that day. Are you afraid you will void your warranty or something?
 
Old Mar 16, 2012 | 02:28 PM
  #4  
Skid Lid's Avatar
Skid Lid
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 995
Likes: 2
From: Canada
Default

Nice guys finish last, you should have said I'll be back in 3 hours to pick it up, have it ready. You weren't assertive as to the time frame so boom it goes to the bottom of the list. My warranty has long since worn out and lord knows I didn't even want to take it into them when it was on warranty. I'll do the wrenching myself thanks.
 
Old Mar 16, 2012 | 02:30 PM
  #5  
TwiZted Biker's Avatar
TwiZted Biker
Club Member
15 Year Member
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 10
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,106
Likes: 51,387
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Default

You have had 3 hrs to cruise through the rest of the place buying useless **** then they would have told to come back in 3 days anyway .
 
Old Mar 16, 2012 | 02:40 PM
  #6  
skratch's Avatar
skratch
Seasoned HDF Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,616
Likes: 4,440
From: anacoco, la
Default

Originally Posted by Coloradohunter
Took my bike in for it's 1,000 mile break in service yesterday. I had an appointment so they were expecting me. The service manager asked if I was going to wait for it or if I was dropping it off.

I said I was dropping it off and he told me with the nice weather, they were pretty swamped but he would be able to keep his "3 day service guarantee" and it should be ready by lunchtime Saturday.

What would he have done if I said I was gonna wait for it?
regardless of if they were swamped or not, you had an appointment. they should have honored that. things happen, we get that. but a non-appointment service should not take priority over an appointment, unless it was in the case of someone who broke down on the road, etc. but i'm sure their service bays were not full of broken down bikes. if they were, some folks really need to learn how to winterize properly

just out of curiosity, where did the '3 hours' come from?
 
Old Mar 16, 2012 | 03:16 PM
  #7  
Coloradohunter's Avatar
Coloradohunter
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 358
Likes: 1
Default

1K, 5K & 10K on my last bike all took about 3 hours so that's where I got the figure from.

I'm pretty much a mechanical retard. Not only do I not have any desire to wrench on my own equipment, but when I do, it usually doesn't turn out well. That just is what it is.


The "Nice guys finish last' commit has some truth to it but I've had nothing but great service from this particular dealer in the past so I have a hard time blowing my top over this one.

Then there's the old customer service trick of under promise, over deliver where they say it's gonna take 3 days and then they call in 3 hours saying it's done.

That hasn't happened yet.
 
Old Mar 16, 2012 | 03:48 PM
  #8  
cromagnon's Avatar
cromagnon
Grand HDF Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,067
Likes: 60
From: Chesterfield, VA
Default

I took mine in for the 10K service and you know what? Nobody touches my bike unless something breaks really bad. They left screws out, charged me for parts they didn't even replace .... other than that ... it's never been in the shop other than for tires in 70K miles. These things really are pretty easy to troubleshoot and fix. I've had to do some repairs/upgrades but nothing anyone should not be able to handle. They so reliable these days ... those inspections that they charge you for are really uneeded, just change your fluids and filters and keep the receipts.
 
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Mar 16, 2012 | 03:55 PM
  #9  
Harley_Dude's Avatar
Harley_Dude
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 5,716
Likes: 103
From:
Default

3 days to change oil?
 
Old Mar 16, 2012 | 03:58 PM
  #10  
big cahuna's Avatar
big cahuna
Grand HDF Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,921
Likes: 264
From: Deep in the heart of New Jersey
Default

Harley oil drains really slow.,,,
 



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:51 PM.

story-0
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-1
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-3
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-4
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-5
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-6
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE
story-9
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

Slideshow: Graeme Billington's left-hand-drive Shovelhead is as much about problem-solving as it is about classic Harley form.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2025-12-30 11:27:08


VIEW MORE