A Perfect dealership experience, until...

Are you in touchie feelie with MeinRider? I know If I ask him about those farm animal follies he is into, he will plead plausible deniability.

:funky:

 

Billy,

Before I respond directly to your post I want to say this: Perhaps I was wrong when I said that you never add anything of substance to a thread. I think that at times your heart is in the right place but your writings, even when well-intentioned, are laced with such sarcasm and condescension that your core message becomes obfuscated and only serves to put people on the defensive.

We are not all blessed with the powers of 20/20 hindsight. Perhaps before I put in my earplugs, slipped on my balaclava, donned my helmet, etc. I should have put the bike on the centerstand, spun the tire and checked to see if the valve stem was of the proper length. Unfortunately, even though I am typically a meticulous person, I (as many people, I suspect) did not have any reason to think it would be an issue.

Now, to answer your questions... Yes, because it was so dead at the shop when I initially called the SM told me he wouldn't charge extra for the tire dismounting ( according to the bill and the stated pricing on the service area wall, he kept his word). As far as tires go, they were the same price as the MotorcycleSuperstore's sale price on the Dunlop Qualifiers; if I had wanted another set of Metzeler Sport Tecs (which they don't stock) I would have purchased them on sale and online at Motorcyclesuperstore.com because the stealer wanted full-retail to order them.

Lastly,
My dual major was Business and Poli Sci so I admit I have only a layperson's knowledge of tort law but I do know that compensation based upon actual damages suffered versus potential damages suffered is a basic tenet. With no actual damage I don't see much in the way of legal action.

 

Nope, up early to, as they say, " catch a worm." NY Times? Great paper. However to assume that I or anyone else read any article in any newspaper either as hard copy or online is not too bright. Even less so is making the assumption that I or anyone else does the NY Times crossword. I know there are crossword solvers that have great respect for said puzzle and I have read the Mr. Clinton makes it look easy. For me Poker is my game. Maybe if you search the archives of the Times puzzle you might even find it used the term sophomoric a time or two. I recall you were having problems with that one of recent.

I do apologize for the responses. I am trying to keep them simple so that you grasp at least most of what is being said. Help me out here. Is it the big words that throw you? I will try harder. A quickie is to do a tiny Google hack, (No, hack is not a bad word and again, I am three moves ahead of you and your tells, like a guy I was playing one day that if he had a pair would scratch his crotch, are well noted.


Type in define and just for shits and giggles to keep somewhat on track and not get you lost again, "sophomoric."

 

It is the early worm that gets eaten by the bird.:hungry:

 

We kin nuke both them sumbitches if we snuck up on em.

 

Ok, bb. Strap one on and have a blast...

 

Any particular size shape or color you prefer? Position? In the dark or with the lights on? Any costumes or maybe a prayer first or a pizza?

Need more info. TIA

 

Never met the man, but I'm sure you're both fine gentlemen.

By the way, I can do the NY Times crossword while drinking a Bud Light, eating a falafel stuffed pita and field stripping my Colt 1911.

Before anyone gets any ideas, no I will not take a picture of me doing those things. I don't perform for free and I'm expensive. Send me a cashiers check for two hundred dollars and I'll consider it.

Sorry to hear that your local shop sucks. I have a shop or two in my area that has a poor rep as well.

 

I agree he does seem to be at least a little schizophrenic.

Now if you could just switch rather than fight and have a Colt 45 instead of a Bud, it would almost qualify as a double entende. Howzat for parallelism?

So for three C's would you do a Powerpoint?

Same most anywhere on bike shops. Had one in Seattle that was the first Honda Dealer in the State. Some new guy got ahold of it and ran in right into the ground. The owners son was the sales manager, the daughter and her SO ran parts and between that and going through wrenches and service managers like shit through a goose, the place just dried up. The story was that a couple of weeks of snow on the streets was the main cause. Four other multi + Honda dealerships just ate em up.

Never could figure out why when somebody comes in to a bike shop or car dealer that the gestalt thinking seems to dictate everyone is a mullet then when the rent check is due and that suppliers have trucks being loaded with stuff that was never paid for, these mooks have 437 excuses why they went tits up.

 

I worked in a Honda shop while in school that was family owned. While some of them were okay they did waste a lot of time and money keeping questionable family members employed. One of the perks and downfalls of many a family business.

The shops I find most interesting are those small accesory type bike shops that you can tell after about five minutes in the store exist as fronts for laundering money or dealing. Some of them will even offer to work on your bike. Yikes

Fortunately there are some good shops out there. There is even a small three man shop here specializing in sportbikes that enjoys a good rep.

The neglect shown with Maineriders bike is both inexcusable and dangerous. Sometimes shops will have the most inexperienced mechs do the tire busting but really, someone should have caught that. Most folks would do as he did, give it a quick look and take off, trusting that a shop could get something that simple right. I don't know whether it merits a full blown lawyer mess, but it certainly would if someone were seriously hurt.

 

That sounds like a smart business plan to me. :biggrin:

Learn to work on your own stuff or takes your whippin's. Don't be an e-sniveler, there are better ways to approach these issues and crying to a bunch of e-sympathizers isn't gonna change what happened, nor will it fix the issue. Just look at the Lazer thread and see how that all worked out.

PS: if you can't work on your own bike and those are the only two shops in your area, i'd think for a minute about slamming them on the internet. :wink:

 

Giving other riders a heads-up on a possible service issue that could affect them at some point down the road hardly qualifies as "sniveling" in my book.

You must of skipped some of the posts; I do perform all of my own work, with the exception of mounting/balancing. For me, that once per season expense doesn't justify the up front costs (roughly $600 / 7.5 year payback period)associated with buying a quality bead breaker/ balancing set-up; also, my garage is just about at its capacity now.

Granted, doing it myself would ensure that it is done correctly but I thought I was safe in having such a rudimentary procedure done at a shop and with good reason; this is the first time this issue has come up.

 

I am skeptical that this was your original intent, if this was true, the post could have read a little more like this:

"Hey guys, just got new tires mounted at the dealership and they put too long of a valve stem in the rear rim, this caused the valve to rub against things it probably shouldn't have, so the next time you get your ties mounted, make sure they use the right valve stem. This will save you from having to bring the tire back to get fixed correctly. Just a heads up."

I have seen this same thing repeated many, many, times on many forums, including this one. I just don't believe it serves any good purpose, nor does it resolve your problem. Nobody is going to remember this thread 4 months from now, however, you have managed to now limit yourself to one solitary service provider. The ramifcations of this action will last far longer than this thread. Good luck with finding the space for your new tire tools.

 

The Honda stealership referred to was fully sanctioned by the owner. His entire issue of gits was questionable. Same deal with a BMW dealer here a few years back. He was doing great until his wife who had a great job decided to work at the dealership and put the kid to work too. The business lasted maybe two years more. Both HD and BMW have been doing the review thing for years. My call is that if any business is ripping any customer for any reason they are deserving of the results that follow.

Wanna buy one of my new Tshirts that sez, "Shit Can Happen To You Too" ?

The pitch here is that you will be the first guy on the block to have a talking Tshirt.

That's one type I seem to have missed somehow. Maybe I can find one in Maine or just talk to the owner who lives in Florida who sounds as if he might have a sideline arbitrage thing going for hot Cruzieros.

Fine legal point on the negligence subject with of course many types of specified conditions. These date to Roman Law.. Jumping to the conclusion that it was implied that some recompense in the form of green was at issue is yet another gaffe by me maine mon.. Not too swift as they say.

This outfit needs at best and worst some cage rattling and this stiff from Maine still thinks he is getting a good deal. WhooHooo! LOL..

An assumption or three here. There is or was a lift employed. The bike was on the lift. The lift is not to be used by customers and the bike is on loaded and off loaded by the tech. The lift is not on the main floor but in a work area. Assumptions made from past history of the dealers deals and other vehicle business.

It is doubtful that anyone but the tech or SM handled the bike once it was in the work area. Off loading the bike and wheeling the bike off the lift would require the wheel to rotate several times and at walking speeds a valvestem smacking a cast iron (??) caliper perch would be noticable to any one who could walk and chew gum at the same time including the more stylishly dressed of our bretheren in the mysterious East..

 

epic opcorn:

 

Karmal Korn?

 

Reply : Dealer Trouble

Ultimately "You" are responsible, responsible for your life & safety in this issue.


You are responsible for the things with in your common sense & intelligence of what is being paid for, for what is needed to use the machine, to look over for quality & value paid.

With in your scope of basic rider knowledge, and your responsibility to only drive / ride a machine that has been pre-ride / checked out by "You" , specially after a repair or exchange of parts has been to see if the repair or part meets or exceeds basic industry & safety standards and your standards for quality, a job well done, Your due diligence is the final arbiter.

This is not a dis on You, not at all, I have been a 1 M/C shop / dealer owner with a full service 5 day a week M/C mechanic on duty.

My #1 concern is my customers safety, 2nd is the value , the value my customers would receive if I did this or sold that to & for his bike, was/ is it worth what my customer want's in my more experienced opinion.

I never acted as a "sales man" I was more like a friend who has knowledge & something that has value and will enhance my customers ( many become friends ) to enhance their motorcycle experience.

Legally & morally if I or my mechanic does a "bad" shody repair or replacement of a part, critical to safety or not critical "I" accept 99% respectability / liability, "but" this is the real world and "You" are the guy who is going to go down onto the pavement and so You are ultimately responsible because all my insurance companies $ pay off for your damages and visits to the hospital or to You widowed wife's house don't do a dam bit of good.

If I buy a bad repair or replacement that has a critical application ( tires ) You are dam sure I am gonna check the wrenches work, as a owner and as a customer of another shop.

People are human, my old mechanic was a intuitive genius with used bikes, crashed bikes and sport bikes, one time I noticed he put a new tire on an R1 with the arrow pointing the wrong way, he never knew that I check over all repairs for the "simple" things, lug nut's "check" , arrow "check" , air pressure "check" ,axle nut cotter pin "check" etc....

This 1 single time I noticed the arrow on a pro-am Willows track bike my customer / friend owns , my mechanic was going through a divorce he was just not "sharp" and I always back up my guy with my own eyes to make sure nothing gets out the shop doors "bad".

I also expect my buddy / customer owner of the R1 to "look over" the work because it "His Ass" on the line.

Peace

 

I agree with you about checking out your bike before you ride (regaurdless if work has been done to it or not), but dont you think that the shop should have eaten the bill to fix the problem after the fact... They actualy charged him for the difference in cost of the valve stems after it being their mistake in the first place not to mention the cost of his comuting back to the shop multiple times. I would think that an "im sorry for the inconvience please bring the wheel back to our establishment and we will correct the problem" would have been in order. Not a chance in hell would I have charged one of my customers an additional fee in such an incident. Would you seriously loose a customer over $15 in a situation like this... That is just bad buisness in my eyes.

 

I do agree with you on this to a point. I know you said you weren't "dissing" Maine but there is a level of expertise that is expected when you are paying to do a job/work. (ie. Do I need to check the gas to be sure that the gas hauler didnt put desil in the 96% octane? If I take my bike/truck for an oil change do I need to check the oil after the change? If I like spicy hot cheetos and I am allergic to peanuts, and have been eating them for years do I need to check that they didn't deepfry them in peanut oil this time???? ect. ect.) If I had to check everything that someone else did I would never get anything done. Just my 2 pennies (or 18$ Canadian)

 

Its even funnier if you block on of the people posting..

And yes Billy I blocked you all your BS is just that, BS I'm not going to PM you so you can Post what I say in public. The truth is I Don't give a shit about you. Crawl back to the inner depths of your parents garage and unplug your computer. It will make you feel better....

I'm not on meds and yes I see a therapist. its for somethings that you, a smarmy piece of feces, would have been curled up in a ball sucking his finger and crying your little eyes out..

I think this one is getting close to being closed anyway