7.5K service price £350+VAT+parts!!!!

[Rusty]

Thanks Martin .... it had to be simple didn't it ? !!! No laughing Mr Wolf  ;D ;D

[mecki]

This is what the OFT has to say about servicing cars.

Would that apply to motobikes also?

Not necessarily. By the sound of it this is a voluntary agreement of the car manufacturers.
Maybe someone should ask Kawasaki customer service and see what they have to say.

[Rusty]

I shall ask them Mr Mecki when I go up to the NEC bike show on Monday .... sorry ... have I mentioned I am going to the bike show ............  ;D ;D

[fred24]

I may be mistaken but hasn't somebody on here already asked Kawasaki about this

[mattye]

A very interesting point has been brought up in a previous reply regarding electronics. If the electronics on your bike went into meltdown would changing the oil by a competent mechanic (main dealer or not) make any difference to a warranty claim?

On the service schedule apart from checking the lights there are no other electrical servicable items.

Just a thought that with the amount of electronics on modern bikes are we more likely to have electronic problems.

[advancedpcs]

I've just bought the 12MY GTR (arrived at the dealer today!) and part of the deal was for the all the services (5?), upto and including the 16K one, for £700! It did come out around £1150 but they gave me a discount for buying all 5 up front and becuase I'll be having a K&N air filter and Iridium plugs, I basically said "I'll give you £700 and you guys use it as you will for all the services, just don't touch the air filter and plugs. Stamp my book and make sure the bike is safe". They will obviously change oil etc but becuase they're not stripping the bike down to get to the plugs etc, they're happy and my pocket is too; especially as I have the 4 years warranty!

They were happy with that. So am I.

Maybe see if your dealers will 'do a deal' on services up front... My dealer? Drayton Croft in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

[mecki]

A very interesting point has been brought up in a previous reply regarding electronics. If the electronics on your bike went into meltdown would changing the oil by a competent mechanic (main dealer or not) make any difference to a warranty claim?

Probably not.
There is always the consumer guarantee that manufacturers have to honour.
So with electronic failure it would be hard to argue that not having the bike serviced could have contributed instead a material fault.

[keith]

just to say meckie that the information i received about work being carried out by competent mechanics and the use of genuine parts,  came from a kawasaki franchise

[wainyone]

how much just to change the plugs - I can do everythingelse my self (oil, filters etc)

[Lonewolf]

Off the top of my head you could be looking at two to three hours labour as ridiculous as that sounds at possibly £60 + per hour. In reality your bike will not need the plugs doing for 50k + mileage so I wouldn't worry about it.

[mecki]

just to say meckie that the information i received about work being carried out by competent mechanics and the use of genuine parts,  came from a kawasaki franchise

So what?
What if Kawasaki UK don't agree with what a salesman in one of their authorized dealerships said?
As I said before, they want to sell you a bike and will tell you whatever you want to hear to do so.
And if your engine blows up and Kawasaki UK refuses to repair it under warranty what do you do then?
Sue your "competent mechanic" or the guy at your Kawasaki franchise?
The Warranty Terms and Conditions state explicitly that if servicing is not carried out by an authorized Kawasaki dealer at the specified intervals the warranty MAY not apply.
'May not apply' is open to THEIR discretion not that of a salesman or even the owner of a dealership.
It could mean that if the paint comes off or the ECU packs in it doesn't matter if the bike was serviced or not and by whom but if the engine seizes this can be a totally different story.
Well, your dealer may pay for it if Kawasaki won't, but I seriously doubt that they'll do that for a disloyal customer like you. :o

OTOH the terms and conditions don't say anything about repairs having to be done by an authorized dealer only that genuine or approved parts need to be used.

[keith]

mecki i am not going to get involved in a mail war with you this info was given to me from the mechanic at a dealers were i got my zzr's serviced,i dont think the warranty issue would apply if you were using a back street mechanic .so just let it rest now i think people have heard your opinion.i am only telling you what i have been told.by a kawasaki mechanic.

[coman37]

Hi all,

  been watching ths thread with great interest as i have recently bought 2009 GTR which the seller had just taken out extended warranty. Although 2 1/2 yrs old their is only 4600 miles on it, technically to keep the warranty i need to get the "big" service done as states so many miles or time. I also have (greedy lucky sod) a 2009 ZZR bought from new at Colchester Kawasaki, used for 2 x 4000miles Euro tours (Catalunya GP, Misano WSB, Route Napoleon, B500,etc) I had the 600 mile service done but have done the rest of the servicing myself(such as it is ? Oil +filter change, general check over, as others have said gets me familiar with my bike and I know its done and done properly) As there is no extended warranty to keep to and bikes sell on their condition not their supposed service record as buyers also do not trust that many of the dealers have done the services diligently.

  I was in Colchester Kawasaki buying white plastic fairing washers for the ZZR and got chatting to the Boss Ian and mentioned my concerns to him. He sympathised with my dilemma and called Rob the service guy over to see what they could do and at what price.

  They have suggested  oil,brake fluid, oil filter and general check over. They can do this for about £170+ vat that will preserve my warranty. I thought that a very fair offer and do appreciate Ian's willingness to help out, but I have the dilemma do I continue having servicing done at the dealer which may total £1500 over the life of the warranty, or take the gamble that any repairs that KHI refuse to honour come to less than that amount. I do also accept that some find it inconvenient to take their bikes in for servicing but contrary to that I also know that lots of you also have big fun on the dealers demo bikes while yours is being serviced.

   What is the general opinion, pay the dealer or "gamble" on KHI's top of the range understressed engineering masterpiece?

regards Coman

[Lonewolf]

Totaly personal choice and there isnt a right or wrong answer. For some its easier and far more practical to take the bike to a dealer and let them do their stuff and for others its the DIY direction. I personally am more than happy to give things a try and learn about what makes the bike tick.

[Kwikasfuki]

There's just too many variables involved. This is the kind of stuff the bureaucrats in the EU love. Whittle it down to three options:

1. Kawasaki do the servicing and getting a warranty claim rejected is unlikely (although has known to happen)

2. Get it serviced by an independent with a stamp in he book. Kawasaki may refuse the warranty claim, but I believe there would be legal avenue to pursue a claim e.g. anti-competitive practices, service carried out to manufacturer specification by a competent mechanic etc

3. Do it yourself. This is probably the most contentious and most difficult to deal with. As Martin points out in the extreme example above, proving your servicing had nothing to do with the failure will be hard.

This is the type of issue I'd expect MCN to run with, but I wouldn't hold my breath. It's a grey area and you take your chances.

However, if a dealer is willing to do a basic service and stamp the book accordingly, I can't see how Kawasaki would know you are doing the other servicing yourself. I don't believe it's held on their system.