In December 2013 I had a local Surrey Kawasaki dealer give my 2010 GTR its secong annual service and its first MOT and accepted the usual bill of about £650. I rode home some 16 miles and laid the bike up for the winter months. I put great value on the GTR service being carried out by a dealer but continue to do all the spanner work on my Gixxer 750. Fast forward to March 2014 and over several weekends I notch up 700 miles and suddeny notice the left hand cowling, housing the glove box and heated grips control, was slightly damaged. Initially the retaining bolt appeared to have fractured the hole but on opening the glove box there was further evident damage from force. I went to the dealer and asked him to account for the damage, despite the length of time involved, stating their workshop was responsible. I accepted the fact he needed time to confirm the cowling had been removed during service. I telephoned the dealer later that week and it was agreed the item would be replaced. After a month I telephoned again to find the item had not been ordered but would be delivered in a week. Well, the dealer confirmed the cowling had arrived and I asked when it would be convenient to visit the workshop and could I wait during the fitting. The dealer then asked why I expected them to carry out the fitting and I replied because your mechanic/workshop/dealer was accountable. Oh no, says he, the cowling was ordered as a gesture of goodwill and I could fit it myself. The item is about £50 retail but that is not the value in question - my next service is going to be with a dealer on the South Coast and I'll bet I get offered a loan bike for the day.
what we have done in the past is for you to name and shame the dealership and then over the course of the next few weeks as many members on here as possible phone the dealership, saying we are a fellow gtr owner, have heard about their poor service and as they have not looked after you we would never use them ect ect. Imaging being that dealer and getting 20 or so calls over a 2 week period , it would be a concern for them
That really sucks Redrat..
I take my baby to Bournemouth Kawasaki and have done for the past 2 years.. Great dealers and always get a loan bike for the day as long as i put the fuel in..
On a slightly different subject, doesn't it make more sense to have your bike serviced after a Winter layup?
Ummm worrying as I need to find a dealer to service mine (just approaching 10k) - I live in Reading but suppose as I'm in Bournemouth on a Tuesday I could drop it off there. They wouldn't need it for more than a day for a 10k service - thoughts???
Quote from: Andy on May 14, 2014, 04:15:22 PM
On a slightly different subject, doesn't it make more sense to have your bike serviced after a Winter layup?
Personally, I would lay up a bike after a service, then there is fresh rather than dirty oil in the sump and oilways.
Quote from: PCPeteUK on May 14, 2014, 04:56:12 PM
Ummm worrying as I need to find a dealer to service mine (just approaching 10k) - I live in Reading but suppose as I'm in Bournemouth on a Tuesday I could drop it off there. They wouldn't need it for more than a day for a 10k service - thoughts???
Would that be the 7500 mile or 12500 mile service ? :popcorn:
generally, as long as you book it in, 7.5 or 12.5 shouldn't be a problem to do during the day.
Just make sure its booked as Monday their workshop is closed.
Great dealer though, shame I'm 350 miles away..... :-(
Neil
Quote from: Ant on May 14, 2014, 06:03:35 PM
Would that be the 7500 mile or 12500 mile service ? :popcorn:
That'll teach me not read the manual - I guessed it would be same as the car....10k
I won't panic for a few miles yet then :smiley:
I'm curious what you had done for £650 .
My bike has covered only 8k, it's a 2010. I had it serviced at an independant last year, 350 quid including a pair of PR3s. I only had oil change done as it had only done 4k then- oh and that included an mot
I will have a service done this year at 8k ( bike has done that now) but will prob still only have an oil and filter change. intend to check pads myself but I may get clutch and brake fluid done. If I do i doubt it'll be any more than 150 quid.
I have been told the plug are good till at least 15k, but I'm quite a stckler regarding an annual oli and filter change, regardless of mileage
Quote from: Redrat on May 13, 2014, 06:56:19 PM
In December 2013 I had a local Surrey Kawasaki dealer give my 2010 GTR its secong annual service and its first MOT and accepted the usual bill of about £650. I rode home some 16 miles and laid the bike up for the winter months. I put great value on the GTR service being carried out by a dealer but continue to do all the spanner work on my Gixxer 750. Fast forward to March 2014 and over several weekends I notch up 700 miles and suddeny notice the left hand cowling, housing the glove box and heated grips control, was slightly damaged. Initially the retaining bolt appeared to have fractured the hole but on opening the glove box there was further evident damage from force. I went to the dealer and asked him to account for the damage, despite the length of time involved, stating their workshop was responsible. I accepted the fact he needed time to confirm the cowling had been removed during service. I telephoned the dealer later that week and it was agreed the item would be replaced. After a month I telephoned again to find the item had not been ordered but would be delivered in a week. Well, the dealer confirmed the cowling had arrived and I asked when it would be convenient to visit the workshop and could I wait during the fitting. The dealer then asked why I expected them to carry out the fitting and I replied because your mechanic/workshop/dealer was accountable. Oh no, says he, the cowling was ordered as a gesture of goodwill and I could fit it myself. The item is about £50 retail but that is not the value in question - my next service is going to be with a dealer on the South Coast and I'll bet I get offered a loan bike for the day.
That is what happened to mine a few weeks after its 7500 service,,,,,which cost £180 BTW. Itvwas replaced under warranty and only caused due to ' over torque ' of the retaining bolts.
Bike will never see a dealer again unless its traded in. All servicing done at home now, next one 24k......
oh and did i mention my new employee is a custom bike builder and ex bike service engineer :whistling:
£650 for a service , never ceases to amaze how much people pay out for jobs that you can do at home , I suppose at down south prices it soon adds up , the quote of more money than sense springs to mind , :biker3:
I had the 7,500 mile service performed at Seastar Superbikes (Kawasaki Dealer) yesterday and, with a final drive oil change as well as £20.00 worth of accessory items that I bought, it came to £384.00.
I also specified (as previously) Motul 300V oil, as it makes selection of first gear much smoother (at least on my bike). This is considerably more expensive than the standard semi - synthetic and probably added a futher £30.00 or so to the price, so the basic service would have cost around £334.00 I assume.
Well I removed the damaged cowling, which was a simple job, and found the fractured bolt hole was brittle and crumbled when flexed - could this have been caused by the heated grips controller? - anyway I followed the 'advice' of the dealer not to overtighten the bolts on the new item - unfortunately I found the edge of the glovebox had been broken and managed to superglue it together - at £200 I don't think the dealer had any more goodwill left in the shop. In response to the queries on service charges I did say that I spannered my Gixxer and therefore appreciate that service charges in the South come at a premium. The 15,000 service was 6 hours at £53 per hour + vat comes to £381. Oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, brake fluid, radiator coolant and engine oil + vat comes to £192. Add in the mot and thats £603. I cannot alter the fact that is the cost of a Kawasaki dealer stamp which should have a value to a prospective purchaser. The previous 7,500 service was 5 hours but included £200 for brake pads and front wheel bearings within the £653. I did challenge the dealer on the need to change iridium plugs at every service, if they are reputed to be good for maybe 30k, and his reply was did I want a Kawasaki service as recommended or not. There have been a number of replies on this thread about service charges - can anyone quote the hourly rate and if they get a stamped Kawasaki K-Care checklist with their invoice.
I had the first two services done at an approved kawasaki dealer and since then have had everything done by a friend who owns a garage, actually I have done them with him there with me checking, I always change my oil and filter every 3k miles "because I can" and have two K&N air filters which get washed and rotated. I did pay Mr K to change my spark plugs and have the receipt but they won't get done again for ages, years I suspect as your right iridium plugs seem to last thousands of miles and was confirmed by the man at the bike show.
I don't reckon having K service stamps in the book is worth the extra expense, I tend to chop my bikes back in and no dealer has ever moaned about my service book having independanst stamps in, actually the dealer who sold me this GTR was in awe of the amount of servicing had been done on my triumph and the new owner also contacted me and was impressed, so stuff £600 + services.
I have also changed disk pads front and rear, lubricated my shaft, changed brake fluid etc, it's not hard.
Alan
Quote from: Redrat on May 15, 2014, 04:30:03 PM
Well I removed the damaged cowling, which was a simple job, and found the fractured bolt hole was brittle and crumbled when flexed - could this have been caused by the heated grips controller? - anyway I followed the 'advice' of the dealer not to overtighten the bolts on the new item - unfortunately I found the edge of the glovebox had been broken and managed to superglue it together - at £200 I don't think the dealer had any more goodwill left in the shop. In response to the queries on service charges I did say that I spannered my Gixxer and therefore appreciate that service charges in the South come at a premium. The 15,000 service was 6 hours at £53 per hour + vat comes to £381. Oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, brake fluid, radiator coolant and engine oil + vat comes to £192. Add in the mot and thats £603. I cannot alter the fact that is the cost of a Kawasaki dealer stamp which should have a value to a prospective purchaser. The previous 7,500 service was 5 hours but included £200 for brake pads and front wheel bearings within the £653. I did challenge the dealer on the need to change iridium plugs at every service, if they are reputed to be good for maybe 30k, and his reply was did I want a Kawasaki service as recommended or not. There have been a number of replies on this thread about service charges - can anyone quote the hourly rate and if they get a stamped Kawasaki K-Care checklist with their invoice.
What people have to appreciate is not everyone is capable of picking up a spanner and using it.....fact ! So dealers must exist, and will charge the allocated time allowed for the job regardless of the actual time taken....because they can, as its not deemed unreasonable.
Its a responsible job and they take they chances by cutting any corners, if they do. But a good mechanic will do it well within that time. And as Debs will tell you, she has a good relationship with her dealer, trust and confidence between the customer and dealer means a lot.
I'm amazed that you had front wheel bearings at 7500 and would have challenged that decision to change them without seeing them first and asking ' WTF......at 7500 ? ' but if they were caput i would have said ' warranty ? '.
One thing that i can't find on the service schedule is linkage check. Very important area and exposed to the elements, so I will be checking this next and report my findings........as the FJR is done yearly but Kwa may have this sorted......
I have the service book stamped and the signed service checklist for all of my service work. The labour rate at Seastar is, I understand £60.00 per hour, discounted to £50.00 per hour if the bike was purchased from them. When I sold my BMW (some 18 months ago) the labour rate at the local dealers was an eye - watering £95.00 per hour! What it is now I cannot guess.
With the classics I do almost all of my own work, as I have carburettor balancers, strobe light, wheel balancer etc. However with the "new" bikes that I have owned, I generally prefer dealer servicing, as I believe that it keeps them "onside" if you do have a problem and that the stamps in the book have value in themselves. In addition, as I travel frequently in Europe, I believe that my recovery policy states that proof of scheduled maintenance may be required (not unreasonable in my view) and there can be no arguments with a dealer stamp in the book and supporting invoice.
Quote from: Ant on May 15, 2014, 06:51:00 PM
What people have to appreciate is not everyone is capable of picking up a spanner and using it.....fact ! So dealers must exist, and will charge the allocated time allowed for the job regardless of the actual time taken....because they can, as its not deemed unreasonable.
Its a responsible job and they take they chances by cutting any corners, if they do. But a good mechanic will do it well within that time. And as Debs will tell you, she has a good relationship with her dealer, trust and confidence between the customer and dealer means a lot.
:agree:
From my personal view, I would say its not hard to pick up a spanner and start tinkering. In the old days there used be the Haynes manual to follow, so I can understand why people were reluctant to do their own maintainance. In this day and age, there's so much multimedia available on how to do tasks step by step, its quite easy to pick up DIY. The normal stuff is well in reach for most of us, and the complicated stuff can be left to the dealer.
However, I appreciate it not all can do this and sometimes its best to find a good dealer and stick with them or a mechanic. Building up that relationship is the critical piece and its probably best to go with recommendations. Everyone slips up now and then but its the dealers that go out of their way to remedy the situation without any fuss being created are the ones that get my repeat business.
I must say thank you to all the replies and varied comments which have made this thread quite interesting - I am fortunate to be able to afford 2 bikes, spanner the old Gixxer and dealer service the GTR. My criticism was not so much the service expense but the loss of faithand confidence in that particular dealership, be it the mechanic or the principal. I still 'list check' the GTR for the intermediate service and will now probably do the major service and have a dealer sort out technical issues. My local family independent do not have the technical equipment and probably do not want to have to read all the specification details from a manual. The wheel bearings went early because the bike was jet washed prior to collection - I know this because a pannier was half full of water and the radiator fins were totally bent and had to be replaced by the dealer at a later date. On a lighter note my brother-in-law had his pride and joy, a Ducati 749, mot'd recently and specifically said not to road test it in the wet but they did and it took him five hours to clean it - well, that's another valued customer lost.
I didn't think a road test was a definitive part of an MOT..... too subjective....
I think they just wanted to ride a 748!
:-)
Road test is at the tester's discretion
So I wonder how many bike mechanics have insurance to test ride a Desmodici.... ;-)
Any reputable business will have insurance in place for suitably licensed and authorised employees to ride/drive any vehicle in connection with their business
Coman