A warning to people about HD and warranty work

[STEVE07]

Nah.....I don't see that happening....Gary is the kind of guy who will work for the dealer, but never succumb to the BS. Watch and see!

I really don't think so either I more wanted to see Gary's reaction to the post

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Yet another example of the outstanding dealers that are not standing behind their work...

Posting on the internet like this may get the attention of some but in a week or two the post drops to the bottom like a rock and is forgotten and dealers continue to do the shoddy work as usual BECAUSE we let them get away with it.

I think I would have parked the bike in the street in front of the dealer with lemons stuck all over it before selling it to the dealer. If the local laws prohibit that, ride it back and forth in front to get the point across with the lemons pasted all over it. (custom paint) .

The old saying that the squeaky wheel gets the oil first applies here.:s

You bet, my daughter had shoddy work done on her car...was ready to write it off, but Coine & I drove to San Jose at the time, picket signs and the car parked, and started from the time they opened till 11:30AM. They tried to have patron pull his big panel truck up in front of their place to block us...so we went to the center divider and an hour later...the owner came out and had her car was put in and the problem fixed 2 days later. This time I had a 2nd mechanic inspect the work and make sure there were new brake parts, spindle and all rotors & drums were new or had machine marks on the swept surfaces, and properly lubed and torqued. :52:

It was a brake problem for crying out loud, they had done a "complete" 4 wheel job, she was in Berkeley, CA, 1st year of college w/ limited time and income. Their "service" found they had only replaced the pads and shoes...absolutely nothing else. Did not turn the rotors/drums or replace, lube or properly torque anything, (no wheel kits or springs hardware, or the wheel bearings), which overheated and burned out on the freeway and had to replace the spindles bearings and bent rim when the works collaped! You think she was p* ...I was livid...I worked as a service writer for many years and would never allow my servicer to treat ANY customer that way. :58:

How many of us rely on the honesty and integrity of our service, imagine our loved ones who have NOTHING ELSE BUT the dealer's word that it is done right to rely on! This is not a decision...it's the LAW...DOLLARS has nothing to do with it! :26:

 

[sharpscuba]

So, you think calling me, or anyone else here, "a fool", and "a piece of work", is ok.
What that tells me is you are probably used to a forum where people disrespect each other blithely with no regard to consequences, since there is little if any control on not only the members parts but the mods as well.
I'll tell you what I can't "suffer", (and if THAT isn't a "metrosexual" term, I don't know what is, but I'm not going to go insult for insult with you, because, A. That's not who I am, and B. That's now how we operate here.)



So, "biker dude" me all you want, I guess,because the likelihood you'll ever have to try to cash the check you're writing is probably pretty slim, and as a member here who has already learned the hard way that inappropriate language won't be tolerated I'm going to let it go at that. On the other hand, I'm in Jersey, and I'm in the book, so feel free to look me up if you're in the neighborhood and want to repeat the insults to my face. Like I said, I'll stop it there so I can remain a member in good standing of a forum that means an awful lot to me.

Here's the reality:

You came on as a new member and attacked another member, and we just don't do that here, whether that member has one post or a thousand, and yes, he is a brother until he proves otherwise.
No one here is saying every dealer is bad, or every tech is bad, and the reality is there ARE bad customers and bad riders and "weekend warriors" out there in the world, for sure, but YOU have no way of knowing if the guy voicing his complaint was right or wrong based on the information he gave, and you can act like a kindergärtner from now until doomsday with the name calling and accusations....all that does is support my position about the agenda you came in with, and how wrong your abusive behavior is.

So, that's why I posted the message I did, and I stand by it. You happen to be that it's a whole different perspective when you're trying to run a business and have to deal with some idiot customers, and I'm the first to agree with that. But you didn't know, and still don't, all the facts here, and attacking people you don't know with information you don't have makes you look small. Plain and simple.

Richards..Sounds to me like you and I are from the same school.I have to say that my heart rate increased while reading this.Now please don't take this the wrong way but as we have gotten older the body has taken a turn to the down side. I for one loved to be the guy who would welcome some check cashing.Heck I would even take a IOU.Looking back it seems pretty dumb and some of the scar's remind me of that to this day.It has been hard for me to realize that I am not that tuff guy that I once was,but then I do feel good knowing that I am not the fool that one could be.
Living in this great country we have the right of freedom of speech.This is whether we like to hear what one is saying or not.Besides how would it look to the neighbor's cashing that check!

 

[wildspirit97]

Here's a song for you 2 :breakdance:cheers

Double click the arrow.


YouTube - Toby Keith - As Good As I Once Was

 

[wildspirit97]

I don't know I'll see if I can figure it out.

hey Wild...I'm getting a "embedding disabled by request" message....how do I get rid of that so it will play, or what song is it so I can go look it up?

I don't know how to fix it.......
"I aint as good as I once was" Toby Kieth

 

[scootertrash]

To Davidzapr........
Read your post, bummer, but....
First thing you did wrong was bumping up a 883.
Would have been easier to just trade it up to the 1200.
Second, a 4 day FACTORY turnaround for that?
Homie don't think so!..........
It takes 3 weeks for the factory rebuild, providing you have a topnotch dealership that regulary do engine exchanges. Probally had a bore from a machine shop done, and broom by for you, so they got you in, out, and done with.
Sounds to me that you had a serious guide seal valve problem from the get go after that!
Harley designed the 2007s to run real lean at idle, fuel air mix about 14.7:1, that caused extreme heating and oil issues.
Motor 'pings' when warmed up and ridden.
High heat causing long term damage to the motor.
Oil temps from 275 to 300 degrees, which should be around 230 degrees.
Bottem line, do you know beyond a doubt, that the dealership did a "Factory" 1200 bump up?
Take all your records, and seek legal advice, you still can.
Also David, don't give up on bikin', if you want to own american, then build your own harley, after hearing this story, I know you must be quite familiar with a wrench by now.

 

[Nancy Henson]

Hi everyone. This post is probably the only one I will make here, please feel free to e-mail me at the address I provided during registration. I did read the FAQ's so I think I am in compliance with your forum's rules before I post, but I do apologize if the post ruffles any feathers, or has to be edited, etc. I had to sell my one year old 2007 883 sportster because HD refused to fix it to the point that it ran reasonably correctly, and to their own internal memo's of oil usage: the bike used one quart of oil per 622mi of riding, and smoked so much after sitting for 2-3 days that my local cops said either fix it or they would ticket me. This applies to the HD factory conversion to 1200 spec with the HD factory conversion kit. This was SUPPOSED to keep the bike under warranty, and it did, but HD could/would not fix it. I was worried about the valves getting so much carbon on them that they would burn up from not closing completely. Here is my letter to HD after I had to sell the bike:

To: Harley Davidson Customer Service From: David xxxxx
3700 W. Juneau Avenue PMB xxx
Milwaukee, WI 53208 Deming, NM 88030
414-343-4056 575-xxx-xxxx



To whom it may concern,
I am writing this letter in reference to 2007 883 Sportster VIN: 1HD4CN2137K423311 which is in your database for problems related to a factory conversion to 1200 spec. I want to tell your company about the complete lack of concern for the problem that this bike has had since it's conversion in late March. As your records show, I brought this bike into Barnett HD in Las Cruces New Mexico in late March of 2008 for a factory 883 to 1200 conversion using the HD complete conversion kit(the bike already had SE SP mufflers on it). The bike was done in around 4 days and I picked it up a week later. Upon first starting it at the dealership, it poured smoke, and I thought it was just the lube from assembly, so I went on my way for a trip to Roswell NM a few hours away. After being on the road for an hour or so, I saw lots of oil coming from the rear head onto the outside of the rear pipe and the oil tank. As I was near Roswell, I went into the HD dealer there. They thought it was a pinched rocker cover gasket, and I paid them to replace it, as I thought this was just a little problem. I went to my hotel in Roswell, and the bike was not operated for 2 days. When I started it 2 days later, it poured smoke(white, choking smoke), and the rear rocker cover again was leaking a lot of oil, so I rode it to the HD dealer where the work was done(Las Cruces) and even thought it was a Sunday, they replaced the rear rocker cover gasket, test rode it, and saw it leaking again. This started the hell with this conversion. That bike stayed at that dealer for 2 months, got a new set of chrome rocker covers(which DID fix the rocker cover leak for good) and a new rear head which was supposed to fix the smoke issue. It did not, after sitting for 3 days it again poured smoke when started, and the dealer picked up the bike to fix it, and it came back a week later. I was instructed to ride it and let it break in, and then see if the problem had gone away. At this time I started a log(copies included) to make sure what was going on with the oil issue. The first check of how much oil it used(as an 883 it NEVER used any oil), showed 767mi per quart, and as this was just a prelim measurement I decided to change the oil for new HD regular(not Syn3) oil, new filter, ride the bike after changing to get all the bubbles out, then put the oil level at the middle of the oil dip stick(I put a hash mark on it) so that it was not over full and blowing oil out the breathers. I ALWAYS measured the oil in my driveway after the bike was fully warm, ALWAYS put in a little oil, rode a few miles, etc. until it was back at the hash mark again...very consistent measuring, and I used a graduated beaker to measure the oil going in. The bike NEVER leaked oil, and I constantly checked for any leaks. Also, after sitting for a few days, it still smoked a lot, and had bursts of smoke at around 3500rpm. All this after the bike was gone for over 2 months, was in the shop 3 times including the initial conversion, and I had called your company to see what could be done. I next contacted Barnett HD in Las Cruces NM on 8-22-2008, and said I was going to drop it off on 9-27-2008 for a month while I was on vacation for them to finally fix the smoke issue and fix the bike to factory spec(less than 1 quart of oil usage per 1,000mi riding). I also had them re-gear the primary drive to 1200 spec(it already had a 30 tooth countershaft sprocket). When I called the dealer on 10-24-2008 at 0910hrs I was told the almost incredible news: 1. The bike was ready, 2. there was no problem, and 3. I was to ride it and have THEM add oil to show there was nothing wrong with it(they did not believe me as to the oil issue, even though they had my mileage book, nice people). I arrived at 0900hrs 10-25-2008 to pick-up and ride the bike home(I live 55mi away), started it in their parking lot outside the service bay, and it poured white smoke. So I shut it off, went inside, brought out the service manager for that day, and started it again to 'prove' to him that it does indeed pour smoke. His comment?? 'That's obviously where the oil is going, from the front cylinder'. The bike had sat for a few weeks before I started it. I left the bike, called your company to discuss what was going on here(total time the bike had been gone in the last 71/2 months: 3 months 21/2 weeks!). I was called back by YOUR people, who said that the dealer had it well in hand. I was called by the dealer on 11-14-2008 and told that they had 'torn down the rear cylinder, and re-aligned the oil control ring'. He also stated that in riding it around 50mi total, a few miles every day, it did not smoke and that the smoke I saw was the enrichment from the FI when the bike was cold. Well...as I observed and told your company(I called you guys again on 11-14-2008 to say that the bike really needed to go back to the factory to be looked at, or SOMEWHERE to be fixed, a really nice lady said that I could take it somewhere, but that YOU would not be helping me...really nice for a bike under warranty), riding it everyday does not produce much smoke...letting it SIT for a few days produces lots. The oil control ring being the problem is pure rubbish! If the bike is smoking after sitting for 3 days or so, and smoking a lot, then the oil HAS to be dripping down into the chamber – I.E. from leaking seals, or guides, or somewhere ABOVE the chamber....last I looked, oil cannot travel UP against gravity through this oil control ring, flood the chamber, and produce smoke. I picked the bike up as it was now up to 'factory' spec per Las Cruces HD, rode it to Barnett El Paso HD, and sold it to the dealer there(owned by the same company) for the rousing sum of $4000. The bike smoked when revved around 3500rpm as it always had, and when the sales manager rode the bike around to the service bay, he goosed it in the lower gears, and guess what? A BIG puff of white smoke from this 'in spec' bike. This bike spend FOUR months out of the eight since it's conversion in YOUR dealers service bay. You did NOTHING to help with this, they did NOTHING to fix it, and I assume if you answer this letter you will blame the whole thing on me. By the way, I did check the New Mexico lemon laws, and because the bike was 'Modified'(the 1200 conversion) I had no remedy under the law. Allowed your company to weasel out of fixing the issue. Nice. Well this is what I am going to do: I am sending this letter via FedEx so you can't say you never got it, I will wait 2 weeks for a letter from you(good luck with that...unless it's a 'you should of...etc. letter), then I am going to post this letter everywhere on the internet that I can, blogs, etc. My friend all ride, three of them are getting new bikes this Christmas, NONE of them are buying HD because of this. And since I am out of a bike, I am not riding anymore, and I hope to tell everyone who will listen about this. So it looks like we both lose. And I wanted to spend my money with an AMERICAN company. Sincerely,

David J. Crist

Like I said, this is not a good story. HD did call me the day the letter arrived to them, and left a message. I called them back the next day and the lady I talked to said the same thing that had been said from the beginning: They would not do anything, they were not obligated to do anything. I told her to write down in her computer to not call me again. This company will not help with any warranty work, period. And two of the dealerships mentioned(note: Roswell-champion-did try, but I live almost 300 miles away from them) did not want to help either. I could not in all consience sell the bike privately, so when the dealer said it met 'in spec', they got it. In spec means not working properly to them. And I did ask HD in Wisconsisn to have the bike shipped back to them to be looked at, or to replace the kit that was not working properly, or to have one of their people come down to look at the bike...all were turned down. That is my story, YMMV, but be aware that HD will NOT help you even with warranty work.

David

Hi everyone. This post is probably the only one I will make here, please feel free to e-mail me at the address I provided during registration. I did read the FAQ's so I think I am in compliance with your forum's rules before I post, but I do apologize if the post ruffles any feathers, or has to be edited, etc. I had to sell my one year old 2007 883 sportster because HD refused to fix it to the point that it ran reasonably correctly, and to their own internal memo's of oil usage: the bike used one quart of oil per 622mi of riding, and smoked so much after sitting for 2-3 days that my local cops said either fix it or they would ticket me. This applies to the HD factory conversion to 1200 spec with the HD factory conversion kit. This was SUPPOSED to keep the bike under warranty, and it did, but HD could/would not fix it. I was worried about the valves getting so much carbon on them that they would burn up from not closing completely. Here is my letter to HD after I had to sell the bike:

To: Harley Davidson Customer Service From: David xxxxx
3700 W. Juneau Avenue PMB xxx
Milwaukee, WI 53208 Deming, NM 88030
414-343-4056 575-xxx-xxxx



To whom it may concern,
I am writing this letter in reference to 2007 883 Sportster VIN: 1HD4CN2137K423311 which is in your database for problems related to a factory conversion to 1200 spec. I want to tell your company about the complete lack of concern for the problem that this bike has had since it's conversion in late March. As your records show, I brought this bike into Barnett HD in Las Cruces New Mexico in late March of 2008 for a factory 883 to 1200 conversion using the HD complete conversion kit(the bike already had SE SP mufflers on it). The bike was done in around 4 days and I picked it up a week later. Upon first starting it at the dealership, it poured smoke, and I thought it was just the lube from assembly, so I went on my way for a trip to Roswell NM a few hours away. After being on the road for an hour or so, I saw lots of oil coming from the rear head onto the outside of the rear pipe and the oil tank. As I was near Roswell, I went into the HD dealer there. They thought it was a pinched rocker cover gasket, and I paid them to replace it, as I thought this was just a little problem. I went to my hotel in Roswell, and the bike was not operated for 2 days. When I started it 2 days later, it poured smoke(white, choking smoke), and the rear rocker cover again was leaking a lot of oil, so I rode it to the HD dealer where the work was done(Las Cruces) and even thought it was a Sunday, they replaced the rear rocker cover gasket, test rode it, and saw it leaking again. This started the hell with this conversion. That bike stayed at that dealer for 2 months, got a new set of chrome rocker covers(which DID fix the rocker cover leak for good) and a new rear head which was supposed to fix the smoke issue. It did not, after sitting for 3 days it again poured smoke when started, and the dealer picked up the bike to fix it, and it came back a week later. I was instructed to ride it and let it break in, and then see if the problem had gone away. At this time I started a log(copies included) to make sure what was going on with the oil issue. The first check of how much oil it used(as an 883 it NEVER used any oil), showed 767mi per quart, and as this was just a prelim measurement I decided to change the oil for new HD regular(not Syn3) oil, new filter, ride the bike after changing to get all the bubbles out, then put the oil level at the middle of the oil dip stick(I put a hash mark on it) so that it was not over full and blowing oil out the breathers. I ALWAYS measured the oil in my driveway after the bike was fully warm, ALWAYS put in a little oil, rode a few miles, etc. until it was back at the hash mark again...very consistent measuring, and I used a graduated beaker to measure the oil going in. The bike NEVER leaked oil, and I constantly checked for any leaks. Also, after sitting for a few days, it still smoked a lot, and had bursts of smoke at around 3500rpm. All this after the bike was gone for over 2 months, was in the shop 3 times including the initial conversion, and I had called your company to see what could be done. I next contacted Barnett HD in Las Cruces NM on 8-22-2008, and said I was going to drop it off on 9-27-2008 for a month while I was on vacation for them to finally fix the smoke issue and fix the bike to factory spec(less than 1 quart of oil usage per 1,000mi riding). I also had them re-gear the primary drive to 1200 spec(it already had a 30 tooth countershaft sprocket). When I called the dealer on 10-24-2008 at 0910hrs I was told the almost incredible news: 1. The bike was ready, 2. there was no problem, and 3. I was to ride it and have THEM add oil to show there was nothing wrong with it(they did not believe me as to the oil issue, even though they had my mileage book, nice people). I arrived at 0900hrs 10-25-2008 to pick-up and ride the bike home(I live 55mi away), started it in their parking lot outside the service bay, and it poured white smoke. So I shut it off, went inside, brought out the service manager for that day, and started it again to 'prove' to him that it does indeed pour smoke. His comment?? 'That's obviously where the oil is going, from the front cylinder'. The bike had sat for a few weeks before I started it. I left the bike, called your company to discuss what was going on here(total time the bike had been gone in the last 71/2 months: 3 months 21/2 weeks!). I was called back by YOUR people, who said that the dealer had it well in hand. I was called by the dealer on 11-14-2008 and told that they had 'torn down the rear cylinder, and re-aligned the oil control ring'. He also stated that in riding it around 50mi total, a few miles every day, it did not smoke and that the smoke I saw was the enrichment from the FI when the bike was cold. Well...as I observed and told your company(I called you guys again on 11-14-2008 to say that the bike really needed to go back to the factory to be looked at, or SOMEWHERE to be fixed, a really nice lady said that I could take it somewhere, but that YOU would not be helping me...really nice for a bike under warranty), riding it everyday does not produce much smoke...letting it SIT for a few days produces lots. The oil control ring being the problem is pure rubbish! If the bike is smoking after sitting for 3 days or so, and smoking a lot, then the oil HAS to be dripping down into the chamber – I.E. from leaking seals, or guides, or somewhere ABOVE the chamber....last I looked, oil cannot travel UP against gravity through this oil control ring, flood the chamber, and produce smoke. I picked the bike up as it was now up to 'factory' spec per Las Cruces HD, rode it to Barnett El Paso HD, and sold it to the dealer there(owned by the same company) for the rousing sum of $4000. The bike smoked when revved around 3500rpm as it always had, and when the sales manager rode the bike around to the service bay, he goosed it in the lower gears, and guess what? A BIG puff of white smoke from this 'in spec' bike. This bike spend FOUR months out of the eight since it's conversion in YOUR dealers service bay. You did NOTHING to help with this, they did NOTHING to fix it, and I assume if you answer this letter you will blame the whole thing on me. By the way, I did check the New Mexico lemon laws, and because the bike was 'Modified'(the 1200 conversion) I had no remedy under the law. Allowed your company to weasel out of fixing the issue. Nice. Well this is what I am going to do: I am sending this letter via FedEx so you can't say you never got it, I will wait 2 weeks for a letter from you(good luck with that...unless it's a 'you should of...etc. letter), then I am going to post this letter everywhere on the internet that I can, blogs, etc. My friend all ride, three of them are getting new bikes this Christmas, NONE of them are buying HD because of this. And since I am out of a bike, I am not riding anymore, and I hope to tell everyone who will listen about this. So it looks like we both lose. And I wanted to spend my money with an AMERICAN company. Sincerely,

David J. Crist

Like I said, this is not a good story. HD did call me the day the letter arrived to them, and left a message. I called them back the next day and the lady I talked to said the same thing that had been said from the beginning: They would not do anything, they were not obligated to do anything. I told her to write down in her computer to not call me again. This company will not help with any warranty work, period. And two of the dealerships mentioned(note: Roswell-champion-did try, but I live almost 300 miles away from them) did not want to help either. I could not in all consience sell the bike privately, so when the dealer said it met 'in spec', they got it. In spec means not working properly to them. And I did ask HD in Wisconsisn to have the bike shipped back to them to be looked at, or to replace the kit that was not working properly, or to have one of their people come down to look at the bike...all were turned down. That is my story, YMMV, but be aware that HD will NOT help you even with warranty work.

David

I realize this is an OLD post however I'm am dealing with the same issue. I'm literaly sick at tmy stomach. I love my bike (my second Harley purchase) and have put a lot of love and care into it. I recently discovered it is having valve issues and took it to Harley for a warranty repair. It's been there two weeks an each time I have called they asked for something different to verify the first oil chage at 1000 miles. We choose to do the oil change with a Harley certified machanic who owns a small shop to help support his small business. We puchsed the fluids and filter then took them to him. We only needed to purchase 3 of the 4 required quarts for the oil chage because the mechanic alraedy had one in stock. He did not mention this on his reciept because he did not charge us. Harley is now refusing to do the warranty work becuase there is no proof of purchase of the 4th quart even though the mechanic is willing to put it in writting and or talk to whom ever needs to hear it. ***, between me and my fiance we have spent a TON of money with harley in bikes, cloths updated parts and to be treated with such disrespect. Do they no stand behind their product....I LOVE my bike but may have to sell it over this and if I do I will not go back to Harley.....CAN ANYONE HELP?

 

[joel]

Nancy I hope something good has happened on your bike problem.
On a side note reading this thread brought back memories of the old days when those who responded to this thread where still hanging around.

 

[TheOriginalEasyrider]

Sorry to hear about your problem Nancy but if it's any comfort you are not alone. Many dealerships are experts at finding excuses to not do warranty work and it sounds like the dealership you are having problems with is one of them.

I am not an lawyer so you'll need to consult one if you want to pursue this but it's well established that warranty claims cannot be denied because of lack of proof that service interval work was not done. The only exception would be if the problem was CLEARLY caused by a failure to properly maintain the parts effected by the service work failure they are alleging. That is to say that if their claim (which would sound very shaky to anyone mediating a small claims suit) was that the problem you are complaining about was or could have been caused by the oil bag being a quart low, then you could have a problem. If your problem has nothing to do with engine oil being a quart low then this claim is a red herring and they know it. It's a bully tactic they use to try to make you go away.

It's dirt cheap and easy to file a civil suit in small claims court. If you have a notorized affidavit signed by the fellow who did the work, then their issue is moot. That document would be de facto evidence that the required service was performed. It's VERY helpful if you can get their objection to doing the warranty work IN WRITING before you play that card though. If it ain't in writing it doesn't exist.

You'd also be well served to file a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Not that the BBB will do anything but the dealership is not going to like something like that on the public record as it will definitely adversely effect their sales. Someone at the dealership (probably the GM) will be asked by the BBB if they want to respond to the complaint. This could well get the gears turning in your favor.

I've been dealing with these blockheads for 6 decades so I have a lot of experience navigating the waters. If it's something serious and expensive to fix, I've filed a formal complaint with the MoCo. Depending on how egregious the Dealership's conduct is, you could get swift action. At the very least, you need to be working with the dealership GM or owner and not some drone or manager. Showing up with a tape recorder when you have those conversations can get you a lot of traction. Take copious notes of everything they say. It will help you later and it will make them much more cautious about lying or making any preposterous claims.

I've mostly had good success pushing back when I know I am in the right. And I am not bashful about talking to the top people at the MoCo or Dealership to get what I want. And if they are blowing me off, I make that fact known in the public square. Review sites, forums, social media. Negative reports will definitely get someone's attention. It's usually easier for them to cooperate and do the right thing than it is to stonewall you. The dealership does get reimbursed for the warranty work. Of course they don't get as much as they would having that same tech doing non-warranty work but that's the fact of life when you run a dealership.

I don't know zip about you and I have no dog in the fight so I am assuming that everything is as you say it is. If your warranty claim turns out to be on shaky ground and it involves a pricey repair bill, put on your steel britches because you could be in for a fight. Not all warranty claims are legit on their face.

I didn't wade through the OPs complaint letter so I don't know what the specifics are but rule #1 is to keep the complaint brief and clear. Facts only. None of this "he said, she said" or bloviation with opinions and assumptions nonsense. A paragraph on the problem and problem background and another paragraph on what has been done (or not been done) and that's plenty. If you feel the need to rant, do it as an annotated addendum to the letter but again, stick to provable facts. Example: don't go on and on about the verbal dispute about the missing quart of oil. Simply state the fact. You have a signed affidavit from a certified Harley technician (or whoever) that the required x,000 interval service had been performed as required by HD on x/x/xx. Nuff said.

Dealing with these characters can be a real pain but if you are sure you're on solid ground stick up for yourself and use all the tools available to fight back. Most of these sleazes will cave once the stove gets noticeably hot. It's no skin off the service manager's butt to give you what you want other than perhaps cutting into his monthly bonus. Unless we're talking a serious price tag (their cost) to fix your problem, the GM isn't going to plant a flag on this hill.

I hope this helps.