Why I hate Dealerships

[gleno]

This just makes me want to punch the service managers lights out (a few times).:ranting:

The local Yamaha Stealer sold my wife a learner legal 250cc Yamaha Zeal (1998 I think) with less than 40k on the clock.

The bike is supposed to be sold in a fit and proper state.

She only rides weekends and the bike has done a couple of thousand kilometers.

Two weeks ago, the bike received it's first service since she purchased. The service cost her approx $340. No parts were replaced, Justs lube, oil and adjustments which included inspect and adjust the drive chain.

I just took these pictures (attached) to show you the drive sprocket on her bike and the last picture shows what a sprocket looks like when it's worn to the point of needing replacement. The drive sprocket on the Zeal doesn't have any teeth left :surprise:

Q: How long do you think it took for the drive sprocket to get into that condition :ummm: A: It's an original sprocket (40,000ks)
Q: Do you think it should have been replaced prior to sale :ummm: A: Well Duh.
Q: Do you think it should have been replaced at the recent service :ummm: A: Doh!
Q: Do you think ANY attempt to check and inspect this bike has EVER been made by this dealership :ummm: A: No Frigin' way!
Come, Monday morning I'm going to tear this guy a new asshole.

This is why I will not let the bastards touch my V-max. :real mad:

 

[82ndCowboy]

Well... At least none of the teeth are hooked!

sorry Gleno... I always try to look at the shiny side of things!

 

[m-cman]

It seems dealers are the same everywhere.....

 

[Hercules]

They[the dealer] should be liable for anything like that if the bike is under warranty if its not they wont cover it,if it is under warranty they will try to say its your fault.

 

[odieoh24]

once you've given them a rash of shit it seems they work a little bit harder to accomadate you the next time. shortly after i purchased my 97 with 3000 miles on it i took it in for a complete service. had them go thru everything and i paid a pretty penny for the work. on the way home as i shifted into 2nd i felt what seemed to be a fuel issue. the bike felt like it lost power for a 1/2 sec then accelerated normally. i turned around and brought it right back. 2 days later they said they had checked both the electrical and fuel systems and everything was normal. i picked it up and it did the same thing-turned back around, canceled payment on the check and told them to fix it!! then and only then would i pay the additional bill and nothing more until the problem was properly diagnosed. they ended up flying in a tech from ny who told them to check the transmission. sure enough, it was second and fifth gear. i bought a complete new transmission and only paid for the reassembly of the motor and the parts. since then, whenever i bring them the bike i get first class service. i just had all the new parts installed in 8 hours without an appointment! they've been doing all the work on all my bikes for the past 5 years without any other issues. you just gotta find someone you can trust and just deal with them-i have the same tech service the bike every time. and i live 3 miles from the shop and stop in unexpectadly often just to check on things. i wish i had the time and knowledge to do the work myself but like the fact that if i drop it off it'll be done fast and right so theres not alot of downtime. hope thing work out for you

later odieoh24

 

[COP RUNNER]

" ALL DEALERS SUCK " :th_biggun:

 

[82ndCowboy]

I think all dealers treat ya the same unless you establish a good relationship with some of the staff. I try to establish a good relationship with the service manager and the tech that works on my bike and the guys in the parts department. Once you become a regular customer they treat you better. You just gotta put forth an effort to communicate with them in a rational manner. Then once you get on a first name basis with the staff they will Usually treat you better and do good work.
At least that's how it has always been for me with any business I deal with.

 

[clintard]

 

[RJ RJ RJ]

why do we call the guys who work on our bikes, "techs" now a days and not mechanics??? could it be that they ARNT MECHANICS ANYMORE?????

 

[Lordofwyr]

To me, a mechanic owned his first bike at 14, loves engines, lives engines, can listen to the bike and tell you what the problem is by the sound or feel, will personally ride the bike to feel the issue for himself and will not let his work be judged less than perfect.

Techs are guys in white lab coats that cannot make a decision or fix a problem unless their computer can diagnose it, probably haven't ever completely torn an engine down before, and get paid $50.00 an hour to screw up your bike.... look for a shop with a mechanic every time and you will go away happy in general!

unk:

 

[QuarterHorse]

To me, a mechanic owned his first bike at 14, loves engines, lives engines, can listen to the bike and tell you what the problem is by the sound or feel, will personally ride the bike to feel the issue for himself and will not let his work be judged less than perfect.

Techs are guys in white lab coats that cannot make a decision or fix a problem unless their computer can diagnose it, probably haven't ever completely torn an engine down before, and get paid $50.00 an hour to screw up your bike.... look for a shop with a mechanic every time and you will go away happy in general!

unk:

Working in an automotive service shop for most of my working career, mechanics are people that should work on their own stuff, or as we call them "parts hangers". Techs are guys that diag and solve problems. Sometimes stealerships hire "mechanics" rather than techs.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

To me the "tech" is the guy who can diagnose and fix more than the simple mechanical things that most of us could/can handle if we had the right tools and time.

Complex electrical problems, severe tuning issues, things that are highly technical beyond the simple clutch, brake, bearing, job etc.


I guess it's just a word that had arisen becuase there are so may "mechanics" out there that can't address everything that comes up or if they try they fail. It's the reason I won't let anyone touch anything I own, I don't trust any of them since more often than not they get it wrong the first time and want to vharge for every attempt at diagnosing the problem much less than fixing it.

I can't rebuild a transmission for my truck but I can guarantee you I'd buy an exchange and install it myself before I pay someone to charge me twice as much to rebuild it and fuck it up once before getting it right...at least then I'm only taking a chance on the exchnage on not the install as well...

 

[Frosty72]

I think all dealers treat ya the same unless you establish a good relationship with some of the staff. I try to establish a good relationship with the service manager and the tech that works on my bike and the guys in the parts department. Once you become a regular customer they treat you better. You just gotta put forth an effort to communicate with them in a rational manner. Then once you get on a first name basis with the staff they will Usually treat you better and do good work.
At least that's how it has always been for me with any business I deal with.

I gotta disagree with you cowboy, you shouldn't have to get to know somebody who you are paying that much money to do a simple job. $340! for an oil change and inspection! AND THEY MISS SHIT! I don't want to pay them to do anything, but someday when I have to, I should be able to take out a loan, pay the bastards and get the job done right the first time.

That's a fun lookin' bike Gleno, looks kinda like my wifes old sv650. You better get some money back from those slack jawed assholes!!

 

[richwrench]

I guess I'm Old School - back in the day it was honorable to be a Tradesman - I was proud when I was able to proclaim myself a Mechanic . Then somewhere in the 90's this buzzword "technician" came about & then suddenly everybody had to call themselves a "tech" to get any respect. Hell, even the teenage girl in the mall who paints my wife's toenails is a "technician". Piss on that - I'm PROUD to be a Mechanic - I don't need a fancy title to fix cars, trucks, bikes or whatever. I've already forgotten more that a lot of these young pimple faced "techs" will ever learn. But to get back on track, yes dealers are horrible - IMHO it's because of the flat-rate system. If you can "turn & burn" a job faster that enybody else & sell easy money repairs whether they're needed or not you get big rewards - if you're honest & only sell the minimum you'll starve. The greatest day of my life was when I left a stealer & got hired into a fleet. Now I don't look at a job & think " how will I make my money " - I look at a job & think "how can I fix this properly with a minimal amount of money". I'm one of the lucky people in the world who loves going to work every day because I truly love my job. I swing a wrench for a living & love every minute of it ! < rant over - flame away > unk:

 

[lankeeyankee]

Yeah well ya have in this order.
Mechanic, Tech, Technician, Engineer

My job title here at the Fed is Currency Automation Engineer II

In all actuality I am a network systems electro mechanical mechanic.

But hell I dont care what they call me as long as the check is in the bank every other Friday.

 

[kevman]

Gleno when you bought the bike it would have to have a roadworthy certificate or a safety certificate to get registered,Now in Qld all parts that are covered in the roadworthy have to last 5000 kilometrers ie:tyres,brakes.steering and drive components.I do know that chain and sprockets are part of the safety inspection and is a main issu:ummm:e if judging by the amount of for sale ads featuring [new chain and sprockets fitted] is anything to go by.Also I had a xs 360 which had a front sprocket on a par with that one and when I took off the chain would slip and make 1 hell of a racket .The bike shop would have to take the bike for a test ride and I have seen their idea of a test ride :flat chat,monoing ,redline ,sideways round a corner and surely they should have noticed the bike doing 60000 revs and not going anywhere?:ummm:I haven't taken my bike to a stealer since they dinted the tank to show me the clipons I had fitted were loose and would hit the tank.Mind you they had previously fitted a narrower triple tree and had fitted washers to space the calipers out so that the suspension would work:bang head:

 

[gleno]

Hey Kevman. My brother picked up his Suzuki from the stealers after they had done some front end work.

They hadn't tightened the bolts on triple tree clamps and the fork tubes slipped at 90 kps. The bike crashed. He flew through the air and was stopped by a guide post . Broke a collar bone.

The stories are never ending.

New South Wales laws are different to Queensland. I think you guys need a roadworthy whenever the vehicle is sold, whether it is registered or not?

In NSW if it's registered and you sell, the rego just transfers to the new owner without the need to do a new roadworthiness until the next time rego is up for renewal.