A warning to people about HD and warranty work

[NEWHD74FAN]

Bring back AMF. At least they had a reason for being screwed up! :bigsmiley20:

And the money infusion, bad ideas & good that helped HD buy itself back...thanks RichardS & BigLew for those who don't remember them "dark days"...could easily have been "lights out" for MOCO...but it seems they have a very short memory. :newsmile071:

 

[Retrop]

About the bad warranty from Harley dealers. As a newer member, I have been religiously reading a great many posts here.
It does seem like there are a good many of the Harley dealers who are more interested in making a sale than they are keeping a customer by doing the right thing. Is this because times have been real good for dealers the last few years and many have gotten complacent in their duties? Are they just being greedy? I don't know the answer but I am concerned because I too am a new buyer. I haven't had to take mine in for service as I prefer to do my own, but am concerned about encountering some of the problems described on this forum. So, what is the deal? Are the bad dealers just greedy or do Harleys have a lot of inherant problems with them?

 

[glider]

So, what is the deal? Are the bad dealers just greedy or do Harleys have a lot of inherant problems with them?

The way I see it is the dealers hire people that are in training or fresh out of school and don't pay them well and the owners of the bikes get the brunt of this as poor service.
Most dealers do not pay mechanics well because they have overhead and want to make a fat bottom line. They generally have a few mechanics that are capable of most repairs and some lower scale mechanics that do the add ons and oil changes. If a mechanic is good at what he does, generally the dealers don't want to pay for that and they end up leaving and either going into their own repair business of trying another dealer.
I feel the problem starts when the parts washing kid starts to do the repairs on our bikes and messes something up or does a poor quality repair.
Everyone has to start somewhere, just NOT on mine and especially not at $105 an hour

 

[bwalsh22]

Been following this and just had to add a few more cents to the pot. Overall, the dealers are the dealers, some bad some good, as has been said we usually only hear about the bad ones here. It is a shame though that MOCO won't step up to the plate when a bad dealer is reported to them.

Now for a good dealer. Mine Schoch's Harley up near the Poconos has been fantastic. I got my bike used, did not buy it from them, never even set foot in their service department till my newly purchased used bike broke down. Now they had my bike several weeks, but fixed my problem, did a thorough check on my bike and worked with Harley to get it covered under warranty. It still cost me some, but overall I was pleased. Now after being a member of this forum I take care of my own services unless I feel it is beyond me, but I would recommend this dealer to anyone. They even followed up, asked for other improvements and such.

 

[mpgulyas]

i agree with you glider, i feel bad for that guy. it all started with barrnett h-d. i had a bike on my lift all winter , got the4 bike covered under good will from the factory. that was all dealer fault

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I make it a habit to stop at any HD dealership I see when traveling. They all seem to be about the same like say the GAP at the local mall. My local dealership is no different. Their rep is a mixed bag of praise and horror and in between. Anyone that is/was in retail knows that the profit is on the walls not on the floor. The happy sales person is the one that sell a bike with ALL the added bells and whistles.

What I don't like is a lack of leadership there. Employees bad mouth and gripe in front of the customers. This is a sign of poor leadership and management. It tells me there is really not much training going on and if there are problems they are not being addressed by those in charge.

 

[Black shadow]

I have agree with Richards on this one. As a matter of fact that sounds like excuse #309-6, page 53, sub section II, in the Hd dealers (Why It's Not My Fault Hand Book)! Don'tcha think or Don'tcha?

 

[KingHeritage]

When you have work done to your new bike BEFORE DELIVERY it is covered under factory warranty.If you have the same work done 1 day after you have received your bike the work is not covered.What kind of policy is that?It makes no sense.

 

[KingHeritage]

An 883 to 1200 conversion is an HD upgrade not just any old aftermarket accessory.

 

[ngjandm]

this all is an interesting question, as one of the things that crossed my mind was an 883->1200 conversion. can't say for sure, but from my dealings with the dealer here in GA, i almost believe that they would cover it, if they did the work. that's just a guess from my dealing with them thus far especially if they want you to purchase your next new bike from them.