Honda warranty scam !!!!! Beware

i just made an interesting discovery regarding my 2010 VFR1200 warranty...i purchased the bike on 9/30/11 with 5 miles on the odometer and the 4 year extended warranty coverage....i noticed on my warranty ID card that the expiration date was 2/14/16...when i asked the dealer about the 7 1/2 month discrepancy, they said it must be a mistake and suggested that i call Honda and request a new id card...Honda informs me that the bike was sold as a DEMO model and that the warranty started on the day that they began their demo program (2/14/11 ) regardless of the fact that the bike was never involved in any demo activity...this means that if i had not purchased the service contract, that i would have been out of coverage after just 4 1/2 months !!!!!!!! THIS IS A RIP OFF !!! THEY THREW EVERY UNIT UNDER THIS BLANKET DEMO PROGRAM AND STARTED WARRANTY CLOCK RUNNING !!!! 3/4 OF MY ORIGINAL WARRANTY RAN OUT WITHOUT THE BIKE EVER HAVING A BATTERY INSTALLED IN IT....WATCH BEFORE YOU BUY A 2010 VFR1200F .... the dealer was good enough to offer to pro rate the amount of warranty that i lost and issue me a credit, which i will apply to mounting and balancing of my new tires...THANK YOU POMPTON SPORT CENTER, POMPTON PLAINS NJ.. I'M SORRY THAT THEY HAD TO MAKE UP FOR HONDA'S CHICANERY... i'm going to the better biz bureau and DOT about this

 

It happens on automobiles also, when the dealer puts a vehicle in "Demo" status the warranty clock starts running on that date. Not when someone actually buys it and drives it off the lot.

 

that's fair if the vehicle has been used for demo purposes and the buyer is informed

 

It can probably be considered a sneaky move by Honda, even if it does happen more often than "we" know.

Usually when I write a letter complaining of someone's service or product, I have to incorporate into that letter what it is I am looking to accomplish. Am I just venting? Am I looking to hurt their business or product? Am I looking for my money back? A replacement product? You get the idea.

While I wouldn't be happy if I was in your shoes, it seems that Pompton Honda stepped up and did the right thing by pro rating money back to you. I guess the option would have been to give you the full warranty, but you can't complain about what they offered (in my opinion, at least).

Good to know - I'm not that far from Pompton.

Hope you get the satisfaction you're looking for.

 

Yeah. I guess not enough can be said about reading the fine print. But really, can you blame Honda? I think it is fair for Honda to start the warranty soon as the bike starts its motoring life whether it is for a demo purpose or being sold to the first time buyer. I know 5 miles is not one hell of a lot of miles on a bike but how many miles would be expected to be put on by the shop when they do the assembly and road test. I ask because I don't know. Mine was in the crate when I bought it and the salesman drive it to my home so this clearly was not an issue for me.

But even though the delaership helped you out here, I think they knew the clock was running on the warranty and they had an opportunity to share this with you. They did not until you questioned them on it, and to their credit, they came up with a compromise you were pleased with. Good for that, but bad that they did not reveal this in the first place.

 

Well look at the bright side at there aren't any problems so far, Triumph starts the warranty on demos when the bike is sold. Hondas are pretty good bikes I wouldn't be to upset the dealer is making a decent offer and you have a great bike.

 

Then it sounds to me like the rule is "if I am buying this new vehicle, then it better have zero miles on it".

Jose

 

This kind of thing happens at my dealership and it is always a lack of communication in the sales department as to what is being done with the machine.

 

As awesome and correct as that would be, whenever I PDI new vehicles (4 wheels) we are required to put mileage on them to test everything out and make sure it's good to go for the customer. As far as the OP's situation, luckily he dealt with a good and honest dealer that made things as right as possible, still some BS on Honda for them shennaganins tho.............

 

the Bike was NEVER used as a demo..it was sitting on the showroom floor with no battery installed during the time in question..i really do believe that the dealer was unaware of the fact of the warranty clock running, because they chose not to offer demo rides on the bike...they were NOT listed on Honda's website as a participating dealer......Pompton did contact Honda, who refused to make ANY concession..Pompton is not at liberty to honor the full term because Honda will not cover parts after 2/14/2016 ...and there was no fine print to read because my contract with Pompton was for a new motorcycle with zero miles, which is what i got

 

and i was there and watched the service mgr drive off on the pre delivery test ride and return 5- 10 minutes later....no potential buyers rode this bike

 

It's over and in the past forget about it, enjoy your ride you can't change what happened in the long run it isn't going to matter so ride on, start saving up for the next set of tires.

 

Your dealer got busted with thier corporate knickers at thier knees. The BS factor is when your friendly dealer/stealer had "you" deal with Honda instead of them doing it for you. The pro rating of that short a time on a four year extended warrantee ain't that much money just to shut you up. I'd be checking those tire prices somewhere else for some smart comparision shopping. The quicky way is to get a breakdown of the actual price you will be expected to pay for a set of tires at your dealer and what the price would be on one of the onliners. Then ask about hourly labor rates and how long it would be to mount a set of tires. The opition here is bringing in your wheels or having them do dismount the wheels and then change the rubber. Ask if they have the proper equipment for doing all this. If the do this same flakey bit again. Go elsewhere and in the interim read the nannoprint on what is left of your extended warrantee, not what some dude at a dealership tells you.

It's your money and you have a right to know all the WWWWW&H's on any deal. That is unless you dig your knickers at your knees and them in the driver's position..I don't think you do.

 

Hopefully they gave you the $1,000 demo incentive also...

 

Tabernak. Joined in October and this is you first post. Must be that damned cold front from Canada blowing down on you in S Dakota.

 

Looks like we have another dude that doesn't accept as gospel anything some motorcycle salesman says. Canadian salesmen are of course excluded since they always tell the truth. That's what they say anyway.

 

"tabernak" - I like that! I just had to go to urban dictionary and learn some Canadian! It does get dang cold here and what's really crazy is that I joined in oct of 2008 and just finally made a comment...

 

I probably got the spelling wrong on that. It is not urban language. It is actually a French curse word. Refers to the tabernacal in a church. Usually it is phrased such as "calisse de tabarnak". I guess it is akind to shouting goddam or christ sake.

Many years ago I lived in Brandon Manitoba. Every so often I would grab the old man's field glasses and look south. Guess what I saw:

 

thats just the good old USA telling the Canadians to " kiss our asses.... and get a passport if you wanna come visit.....bitches...."

thats what I heard anyway, but I have never met a Canadian I didn't like they are all so polite. I had to beg one to make me feel at home and yell something at me... she did and then promptly apologized for it....

 

Where the bike was parked and what it was used for is not Hondas business. The manufacture relies on the dealer to "register" the unit status. Your beef is with the dealer not the manufacture. You should never have been instructed to call the manufacture...and the dealer should have owned the issue and dealt with it on the spot....and not made you jump through hoops to get looked after.
Just my two cents. Honda wont start the warranty clock...the dealers do... period.