Strange Happenings Returning From Sturgis!

[harley@16]

One thing that frustrates me about the dealer is that the techs are on the clock so much that they won't let you go back and talk to the guy workin on your bike. I understand that they don't want the dumbies like me wastin' the techs time but there are things they can let you know about that the service writers won't tell ya, or don't have time to tell ya. Sometimes i'm a little too curious too. That's a pretty major thing to miss tho, removing a part and not tellin you.

 

[B-1B_Guy]

Intentional or unintentional, it's unacceptable. I'd elevate this up the chain of command all the way to the owner. It just might prevent it from happening to someone else in the future.

 

[wildspirit97]

Normally I don't criticize H-D dealers because I think they do a great job overall.
But this story needs to be told.

On the way down to Sturgis 2 weeks ago, my 2004 EG Classic developed an occasional miss. While in Sturgis touring around the situation got steadily worse. Black Hills H-D in Rapid City had a 2 day backlog of service before they could look at it, so I was left with no choice but to try and limp home.

We got to Billings Montana and went to Beartooth H-D to see what they could do, as by then it was really getting bad. They figured that it might well be bad wiring to one of the injectors, due to continued vibration. (Vibration? On a Harley? What?)

Thankfully they got us back on the road within 3 hours, and the bike seemed to be running just fine. But I noticed that it did not seem to have the same punch when passing as before. I figured maybe it was just me.
Once back home I had to take the seat off to refit the heated vest wiring. That's when I noticed that my Dobeck TFI module had simply VANISHED!!!

The work order simply stated that the injector wiring was repaired. It made no mention of parts being removed. I was sorely upset, as this is downright misleading, if not a blatant lie.
Several phone calls later, I finally got confirmation yesterday that yes, the tech did remove the TFI, and yes, they would put it in the mail to me. Fine!

What upsets me about this is that I don't feel that this dealer (nor any dealer) has any right to remove parts from any bike without the owner's knowledge and consent. I don't care if it's an H-D part or aftermarket: It's my bike and and my money, and I will decide what parts and accessories are going to be on it, and what ones are not.

I feel that at the very least when I payed the bill they should have given the TFI back to me in a bag and said "Oh by the way, we had to remove this." Not only did they not do this, but they made no mention whatsoever of the removal of the TFI, either in writing or verbally. For a fancy appearing dealership, this is shoddy business practice.

Rod

Every story has 2 sides. There seems to be a little bit missing from this one. I'm not doubting any ones word, calling anybody a liar, or trying to offend anyone, but I wonder.......
When they got you back on the road, were you told what they found to be the problem? Did you ask? Did you just pay the bill without reading what you charged for?
I also wonder, How were you treated when you contacted them? How fast did they take care of it? Were you offered an acceptable explanation of why this happened?
Mistakes happen. Every person on this planet has made them. It's not the how bad, or unacceptable the mistake itself is, but how good and acceptable the resolution is that is really important.

 

[wildspirit97]

Find one like mine, and you'd be a lot happier.

I'll jump in here, and say....the options here are limited.:31: there are 2 dealerships within 100 miles. The same guy that owns the local dealership here owns the one 150 miles south west of here. 120 miles straight south...guess what, the same guy owns that dealership too.:s

 

[wildspirit97]

I don't want to get to far off subject, so I'll just say I drove 300 miles to buy my bike:s

 

[Rod Stewart]

Thanks for all the replies so far.
I agree with all those that feel that yes, mistakes happen, and its good they are sending my TFI by mail.
The strange thing to me is why it was not brought to my attention that it was removed in the first place?
I should mention that while the service advisor was making up my bill, I glanced at the handwritten sheet done by the tech. It was only 3 or 4 lines, but there was no mention of removing the TFI that I could see. I would have picked up on that immediately! The advisor of course would have no way of knowing that unless the tech put it in his notes.

A factor here is that you are totally at the dealer's mercy when you are a long way from home with a problem. You don't usually have the tools or equipment needed to diagnose or do anything on your own.

I should mention here that Beartooth H-D is a very class operation. The building is quite new, large, well lit and layed out well. There are loads of accessories and clothes for sale, as well as a very comfortable waiting area equipped with leather couches and widescreen TV. The people are very friendly and seem to be knowledgable. The fact that they had us back on the road again in 3 hours is amazing!

One guy I was chatting with as we were getting ready to leave had been there 2 days waiting for a new drive belt. It seems they had none in stock!

This whole experience will ultimately be filed under the category of "this too shall pass". I just don't feel that anyone should be cocky enough to arbitrarily remove anything from someone's bike (be it and H-D part or otherwise) without advising the customer FIRST. If I had not needed to remove the seat I might not have found out about it for a very long time. As I said to the advisor on the phone, that TFI cost me 300 bucks when installed (with bigbore kit and cams) as well as quite a few dyno runs to dial it in.

He did tell me that they have seen several cases where Power Commander units have failed and caused problems. The tech may have assumed that the Dobeck had failed the same way. I can't be certain at present whether that is the case.

Rod

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

RodS -- you have every right to be upset. By law, most states require All old parts be given to the user or at least reviewed upon completion of the Work Order, as evidence that the work was done...UNLESS the part is core/warranty return. They are NOT allowed to "take off" parts and are bonded in the event of theft. Unless it was specifically the cause of the problem, it should have been left alone or if part of "diagnostic isolation" have been re-installed if NOT the problem.

Plain and simple, if it was the cause of the problem, it was correct to be removed BUT given to you in a bag. IF NOT it should have been installed as it was...Who is paying for the service to put it back on, would be my question if it was not THE PROBLEM.

 

[crow]

I guess what would upset me is the fact that the fuel management system was removed causing the bike to run LEAN for the mods that have been done. I sure would not have wanted to ride any long distances with my fuel management removed un known to me...

 

[Retrop]

My take on this would be a little different than some. While this does not rise to the level of a "hang em all and let God sort it out" offense, it was a poor showing for the mechanic involved, the service writer if one was used and the service mgr. They all share in botching this up. While it may have been that the TFI could have failed, somebody at that service shop failed to follow through initially. It looks to me like there was more than one person who dropped the ball. Anytime you take something off someones bike, you darn well have an obligation to tell them. But, I also have a problem with the fact that the bike owner would take a bike in because it was limping along, get it running again, pay the bill and leave without asking what was wrong in the first place. So, if there were several people at fault in the service department for not informing the owner what was wrong and giving him the bad part they took off, then the owner has to at least assume part of the problem was him not asking anyone "What did you do"? I know, I know, many people are uncomfortable asking anyone who works on their vehicle to explain what they did. But for me, if I pay for anything, I have a right to question what they did to earn their money. If they are unwilling to acknowledge what they did, then the situation is going to start to go downhill fast. At the end of the day, everyone involved probably wished this incident hadn't happened and could see how to avoid it happening again. The easiest way to prevent this sort of thing happening is for everyone to communicate. I would bet $10.00 that the mechanic who was servicing this bike was young and inexperienced. That profile does not generally communicate well. I have taken my bike in for warranty work, had it completed and when the young mechanic rode it out of the service area for me to pick up and not say a word to me. If I say "Howd it go" I am usually met with a blank stare as in "I don't work for you, so I don't need to tell you anything". Unfortunately some of the younger ones have not learned yet that they are part of a dealership that sells bikes and services them. Customers are entitled to at least "decent" treatment throughout the time they spend at the dealership. If not, they tend to go somewhere else the next time they spend their money. Money tends to go where it is most appreciated. The best dealers figure this out early in life, some never do.
All is well now so let's ride.

 

[Rewind]

Rod......I agree that you should be upset. The Svc. mgr had the obligation to TELL you what was wrong and what was done to your bike even if you didn't ask. I think you're very luky they owned up to their mistake and are mailing you back the part.