1000 mile check up
- Thread starter spike_flhtcu
- Start date
Please tell me you're just having a bad day and aren't really pulling your expertise from this site.
We all have too much invested in our rides to simply assume everything is A-OK when it comes home from any kind of maintenance, dealership OR independent shop. All the tales on this forum bear this philosophy out. I do the same with my cars and anything being done around the house. I honestly do not mean it to be a personal insult to the person performing the work.
I've learned a couple of really important things from you in the short time I've been a member here so if you do decide to leave, you will be missed.
Re: 1000 mile check up / Dealer Bashing
I'm fairly new to this group and have learned alot. I'm in business not the motorcycle buisness (jewelry and gifts). There is alot of complaining about dealers and ther techs. Dealerships have alot invested, most techs I know have over $20k in tools plus there eduction. They have to make money to stay in business. I used to ride hondas, now I'm on my 2nd Harley and cosidering one for the wife. My dealership goes above and beyond the call in freindlieness and customer service. Most techs have been there over 10 years. If your not getting good service and treatment. Find another dealer. There are some excellent dealerships with some of the best wrenchs in the world working in them. I do a few little things myself. My thought for the day: In many situations your life depends on your ride working properly, do you want to argue over $50.00 when you need it to perform? IMO
I'm fairly new to this group and have learned alot. I'm in business not the motorcycle buisness (jewelry and gifts). There is alot of complaining about dealers and ther techs. Dealerships have alot invested, most techs I know have over $20k in tools plus there eduction. They have to make money to stay in business. I used to ride hondas, now I'm on my 2nd Harley and cosidering one for the wife. My dealership goes above and beyond the call in freindlieness and customer service. Most techs have been there over 10 years. If your not getting good service and treatment. Find another dealer. There are some excellent dealerships with some of the best wrenchs in the world working in them. I do a few little things myself. My thought for the day: In many situations your life depends on your ride working properly, do you want to argue over $50.00 when you need it to perform? IMO
lowrider13
Active Member
Cost me $240.00 here in ny. Levels were ok.But I was washing my bike and touched my plug wire and my plug turned a bit. I haven"t taken my plugs out ,so it had to be the dealer.so check everything I guess. Or do it yourself.
Re: 1000 mile check up / Dealer Bashing
Valid points but if you can find an independent mechanic whom you trust 100%, charges less than the dealership, and is closer to you then I don't see why you wouldn't use him.
It's human nature to join a forum and post about your bad experiences primarily. There are LOTS of good/great dealers and techs but you just don't read about them as much. People need to vent about their bad experiences and simply feel good about their good ones, and pretty much keep them to themselves.
Valid points but if you can find an independent mechanic whom you trust 100%, charges less than the dealership, and is closer to you then I don't see why you wouldn't use him.
It's human nature to join a forum and post about your bad experiences primarily. There are LOTS of good/great dealers and techs but you just don't read about them as much. People need to vent about their bad experiences and simply feel good about their good ones, and pretty much keep them to themselves.
If you check in this forum below...
General Harley Davidson Topic - Harley Davidson Community
You'll see that there are almost twice as many GOOD dealer posts as there are BAD ones.
Unfortunately, I have never found a dealer that I could speak well of when I use them for warranty work on any bike I have bought new, and there's been a few :54:
They usually try to hand me a line and the outcome is that I then have explain the situation and the proper approach to it after they yank my chain enough and end up speaking to the owner in most cases to get the job done right.
I can't say that the problem that the bike went in for was handled properly and in pretty much all cases the bike came out with some sort of damage to it whether from the mechanic that worked on it or some carelessness of someone else there, but in all cases it was made right again after some discussion with the owner.
I would be the first one to compliment a dealer for a fine job done by competent mechanic but to date I haven't found one. Maybe it's because I'm a hard person to schmooze when it comes to the truth or maybe that I expect that for $110 an hour that the job should be done perfectly with no comebacks could have something to do with it also. :eam
General Harley Davidson Topic - Harley Davidson Community
You'll see that there are almost twice as many GOOD dealer posts as there are BAD ones.
Unfortunately, I have never found a dealer that I could speak well of when I use them for warranty work on any bike I have bought new, and there's been a few :54:
They usually try to hand me a line and the outcome is that I then have explain the situation and the proper approach to it after they yank my chain enough and end up speaking to the owner in most cases to get the job done right.
I can't say that the problem that the bike went in for was handled properly and in pretty much all cases the bike came out with some sort of damage to it whether from the mechanic that worked on it or some carelessness of someone else there, but in all cases it was made right again after some discussion with the owner.
I would be the first one to compliment a dealer for a fine job done by competent mechanic but to date I haven't found one. Maybe it's because I'm a hard person to schmooze when it comes to the truth or maybe that I expect that for $110 an hour that the job should be done perfectly with no comebacks could have something to do with it also. :eam
As usual, Glider also has valid points. I'll add to my earlier post - it's also human nature that a dealer tech is not going to handle your bike with the loving care that you would. He may love Harley's but he sees dozens of them every week and it is bound to become mostly " a job" to him. Certainly when he goes home and works on his own bike, he slows down and takes extra care. I believe an independent mehanic whom you have established a good, personal relationship with probably falls somewhere in between these two extremes.
Hey Fisher, I hope you are still around. (Been away for a while), but I have to say, I haven't had any bad dealer experiences per say with my bike, but I also haven't had any real problems with my bike either, (knock on wood). I would venture to guess that you guys go through training & certifications for your job, since I work on cable & we have to. But I will admit this, I work with about 12 guys and I would say more than half of them do the bare minimums at the least. I hate going behind them (i.e. working their areas when they are off) because not only do I usually get stuck with the customer that has been having problems forever, but I also have to find the original problem and then go fix & remove all the band aids the slacker has put up. Then to beat that, I usually have to make up some story to tell the customer because I'm not allowed to say, 'sorry, the guy who maintains this area is an idiot and on top of that, doesn't have a clue, and even if he did, he's too lazy to fix the problem'. So, I will say, you have my respect for knowing your business & having some pride in your work. Please stick with us. :s
db_fan1
Member
Okay, I got my bike back about a week ago from its 1000 miles service and it cost $160 (syn.) which was actually lower than they quated at $175! Bet that doesn't happen very often. Anyway, everything seems in order but I had a few questions or concerns. It is listed that they were supposed to wash and dry the bike and that wasn't done...no biggie really as long as everything else was done that they are supposed to do. See what I am getting at? On my reciept it only lists the oil and filter and labor charges and nothing else to tell me what they checked or replaced or tightened and the results of any of that either. I would have thought that there would be a pretty detailed receipt telling me everything. Might be a bad example but say if you get your oil changed at Wal-Mart even their receipt is detailed, telling everything they checked and filled if needed and so on. Am I just crazy or should I have gotten more info about the service? I did ask if everything checked out ok and of course they said it was all good, and that was it. Thanks!
No reason you shouldn't have gotten a check list with what was done and found as well as the oils that were done. You paid for it.
It makes a person wonder when nothing was listed and the bike wash was listed and not done.
I use the myrtle beach check list on anything I do just so I don't forget anything.
Service Check List Recalls - Harley Davidson Community
It makes a person wonder when nothing was listed and the bike wash was listed and not done.
I use the myrtle beach check list on anything I do just so I don't forget anything.
Service Check List Recalls - Harley Davidson Community