Thanks for the heads up , must be on sale or my Autozone is rapeing us , both Castrol and Valvoline 4-stroke oil was regularly priced at $3.99 / qt. last week when I picked up oil for my diesel and the Wifes Nissan . Odd thing is I'm still paying the same price for my diesel oil that I was when regular oil was under $2.00 a qt . , $12.99/ gal for Valvoline Blue .

Guess I'd better just keep looking for filters - ON SALE ! Last I saw my HD Dealer actually had K&Ns for cheaper than online , including EBAY .

 

syn-3 is a blend of synthetics. it is 100% synthetic. as far as the other thing, well, you can give your money to a guy that doesn't like us, or you can give your money to a bunch of guys that are supposed to like us, but have actively done things to damage us.....

 

Fellas,

You are going to flame me for this, but here goes-in most cases, Dealers (of whatever brand) try and have the best Tech's they can find (and Train)-they send them to Schools, buy all the special Tools required for most Models, have all the Parts/Service Manuals, keep a stocked Parts Inventory, and have new Models (as well as Used) on the Floor-granted, they get some stocking Terms (Flooring) from whichever Company, but that doesn't last very long and then they are either due, or the Dealer pays interest-then, most Manufacturer's require a nice Facility, so he has to pay for that (and I won't even get into Employee Benefits and the like). Lots of expense.

The Business in which I work owns a lot of different types of Businesses, however in it's portfolio they have some GM Dealerships-the current thinking in a lot of Dealers is in the Car Industry to increase your Labor rate a Dollar per MONTH! I was shocked when I heard this, but it is becoming more and more difficult to find qulaity Technicians-I recently went to a Meeting where the Instructor said that they expect Technicians to be making $125.00-$150.00 Dollars an Hour take Home pay in the next 10 Years due to shortages in the Industries (Auto, Truck, Equipment, other). If that is the case, Labor rates are set to go to $250.00 an Hour or more-mind boggling.

In my Case, my Sturgis is out getting new Tires right now (Avons), and a complete Service for Spring, Mirrors and a check over-it's at an Indy, only because the closest Dealer doesn't work on older HD's-the thing is, my Indy gets his difficult Techinical Info from the Dealer (he also does their modified Bikes for them), as well as most Parts-I realize that it costs to keep up a Harley franchise, and whenever I can, even though the Dealer won't work on my Bike, I support them because I want him to be there-

The return on Sales is not what you think it is-I have a question for you-for every Dollar you spend at a Dealer, how many Pennies of your Dollar do you think he puts in his pocket (after Expenses-I'm talking Net/Net here)?

 

I know that dealer. I live 5 minutes away from him. His daddy gave him the dealership and he couldn't care less about customers. In 2006,I tried to order a new bike...he would only take a certified check as a deposit on a bike that was 6 weeks out. I called the dealer in Memphis..no problems. Since then I bought 2 new touring bikes in Memphis. Bumpus Rocks

 

the guy DOES like us...didn't you see him shaking hands with our president!

I have syn-3 in all 3 holes, but getting ready to service again and do 1000 svc on wife's heritage. will be going amsoil (like in all my other toys/vehicles) or mobil-1.

 

Did ya take this with ya?

 

the price was 1 reason i started doing my own oil changes the other reason was
the 1st time i changed my oil i was running syn 3 there was metal shavings on the
magnetic drain plugs on the motor and the tranny since i change to amsoil i have
no more metal shavings anywhere i am a harley guy but that cheap syn3 blend is
junk i found out its made by citgo the cheapest oil around-ride safe

 

come on, get with the times....they have the new stuff out now (his and hers)

 

Here is another point of view. Maybe if you think of the big picture, the cost isn't that bad.

The oil and filter could be more than that! If the oil is syn then you pay about $10 a quart. For a touring bike (6 quarts) that is $60 for the oil. Add the filter at about $9 and taxes, the remaining charge (about $50) wasn't that bad.

What is time worth? Changing the oil in all 3 holes takes more than 15 minutes. Are you not supposed to pay for the time it takes to get the bike on the rack and the time he takes it out for a test ride to check for leaks? Who is supposed to pay for that extra time above the actual draining of the oil and refilling it? The guy I use also takes some time to look things over for me. They also usually clean the bike in the wash bay too at no addition charge.

Yeah it is cheaper to do it yourself, but you don't have overhead costs. Who is supposed to pay for the support staff like the service writers and the office staff? How about the utilities, insurance, etc. And how much is your time worth? Isn't he supposed to make a profit? If you don't like paying that much then you need to change it yourself, but if you have someone else do it, don't complain and realize that there are more costs than for the time of just draining and filling the oil.

 

I'm not taking the dealer's side, but they do fill a role that we need sometimes. Some of us, either due to lack of time or ability or physical disability, have to take our bikes in sometimes. At least it's good to have someone who knows how to make the repair available, even at an albeit hefty price. Heck, this ain't a cheap hobby no matter how you look at it.