| Author | Message | ||
     Daveinm |
Sorry Billy, I know you work there, but it's the truth. This is the worst dealership I've ever had to deal with. I cannot stress enough..DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH POMPANO HARLEY. I'll also say don't do business with Ft. Lauderdale Harley either. They are owned by the same people and the service quality carries over. After being charged $135 to change a fuse on my bike last week, they are trying to royally screw my brother. We also have another friend, LazyMe21, who has had nothing but bad service from this dealer. My brother dropped his bike off a couple of weeks ago. There was a very bad knocking in the engine. After more than two weeks of waiting, they finally told us that the problem is that the piston ring broke and it's somewhere in the engine. They are also saying that they are not going to warranty this because he has a D&D, a K&N installed, and had both the headers and D&D jet hot coated. They said that's what has caused the problem because it created more airflow and made the bike run hot. What a load of crap! They want him to either pick the bike up as it is (torn apart) or pay $1100 just to put the engine back in. Absolutely ridiculous! We would really appreciate it if anyone out there that can help us with this post back or private message me. This whole situation is total crap. I bought my bike from a dealer with a K&N already installed on it, and I bought my D&D from DaveS, a dealer (as we all know). We're going to do what we can to work this out with the warranty company, but if they don't help I think we'll end up pursuing legal action. Hope someone can help!!! | ||
| Buell666 |
why dont you try calling buell customer service. they always help people out. too bad your dealer sucks though. good luck. | ||
| Isham |
Some people are just retarded. When I picked up my bike at Powersports Orlando I had to wait awhile by that time it was pretty late and the sales men came out to move the bikes behind the fence. It was like a freaking free for all. This one guy in particular was pealing out braking hard and skidding. I thought to myself this bastard better not have done that to my bike. I just wanted to get the hell outa there when I saw how they treated all those bikes. (Message edited by isham on November 19, 2005) | ||
| Aldaytona |
Stopped into HD of Pompano earlier this year to get a TPS reset, found out they fired the service manager the day before (who was going to personally do the job) and saw 2 morons (employees who thought they were techs) jacking a tube frame bike up by the muffler, and when I mentioned this to the new but certainly not improved service manager one of the morons must have overheard the conversation shouts out to me "who do you think you are, Erik *#%@* Buell?" On the way out I replied that although I wasn't Erik, I did know how to read a *#%@* service manual. Good luck, you're gonna need it. | ||
| Fullpower |
nice quote from dealership service personel. i think i would write that one down, sign it and mail it to Mr. Buell, he should know about that one."shouts out to me "who do you think you are, Erik *#%@* Buell?" that is GREAT stuff. | ||
| Nutsosane |
I bought my lightning from that shop last year. Paid the $204 for the 1000 mile service to find 20 miles were put on my bike while it was there. I try to not remember that everyday! I no longer live in Florida and I would guess the next best shop is in Gainesville. Sorry brother.NUTS | ||
| Hkwan |
The burden of proof is on the dealership. If they can prove the mod causes the problem then they can void your warranty, otherwise, they cannot. Seems like you have to get a lawyer on this. | ||
| Blake |
I hate to say this but if the failure can be attributed to excessive heat, the dealer may be right. Folks, you cannot simply throw on freer flowing muffler and intake and expect the dealer to warranty the bike no questions asked. Please read the warranty statement in your owner's manual. It is pretty darn clear. We all enhance the performance of our motorcycles at our own risk. That's the bottom line. Sure sounds like the service personnel need to be taught some manners and also their job. That is another issue entirely. | ||
| Buellin_ri |
Get a lawyer.  | ||
| Darkducati |
While I don't doubt this is a horrible dealer from the comments stated above, they may be right. Adding more air without adding more fuel by changing the ECM or ECM tuning will cause a lean mixture if the ECM doesn't correct the mixture. A lean mixture can cause detonation, which can burn a piston or break a piston ring. However the burden of proof is on them and proving that without a doubt the mods cause the problem is next to impossible. Go to www.sema.org to find all applicable laws regarding aftermarket parts and Buell's warranty responsibility regarding such items. Call Buell and get a service rep involved. Complain enough(nicely, no one does anything for an someone who is being an a-hole)and Buell will take care of it for you. Buell is getting tons of great press right now and they realize the need to convince people these are reliable bikes. And get your bike out of that dealership immediately. If they do approve the warranty work it sounds like they are the last place you want doing it. | ||
| Cochise |
It's always easy for a dealer to attribute a problem to the customer and since they saw a D&D on there, they said it was your fault. Hell, my good dealership in Joplin tried to say my old bike was the cause of the problem I had with my bike from DAY 1, after my fourth trip to the dealership. The noise they heard could have been because of the front nut on the Primary. I thought my motor was about to grenade and the nut was the ONLY problem. FIRST TALK TO THE DISTRICT SERVICE REP, if he can't fix it, THEN get an attorney. | ||
| Typeone |
hmm, so its torn down far enough that they found a portion of the ring or no ring at all? curious because my evil knock turned out to be a loose crank nut. problem solved once tight (new torque spec too). i agree with the above posts though, if they can prove the busted ring is from heat due to your mods, which could certainly be the case... i'd just pick it up in pieces and start a rebuild. | ||
| Xbolt12 |
Check the Magnus Moss Act. My understanding is that unless they can prove aftermarket parts caused the failure, they cannot legally deny your warranty. BTW, if a exhaust and aircleaner would blown a ring on an xb, I think we would know about it on this board..... | ||
| Xbolt12 |
BTW, The pinging I experienced with my Jardine and K&N later turned out to be caused by a hole in the CA fuel vent line on the way to the throttle-body. My guess is that if it truly got too hot, it probably had an intake leak.... | ||
| Beachbuell |
Hey Dave, Gimme a little bit of time and I'll see what I can do here at the dealership for you man. When we riding again ??? | ||
| Daveinm |
You'd be the man if you figured something out. Try not to have to take legal action with this. I think DaveS in Appleton is trying to help us out also. I'm down to ride this week. I'm busy tonight though. How 'bout we hit up the West Palm Bonefish on Wed. night??? | ||
| Daveinm |
You guys are going to love this!!! I love the internet and BadWeb! Freedom of speech at it's finest. Blake, please let me know where I can make a donation to BadWeb. I want to show my support of such a great site...as if hundreds of posts don't already prove it  My brother just received a call from Bill Sidman, the Service Director Pompano Harley and Ft. Lauderdale Harley. Apparently they read this thread and weren't too happy with me. They told my brother that he has to pick up his bike. They won't service it now. They said they will put it back together and he has to come pay for it and pick it up. Could there be a better example of quality service at a Harley/Buell dealership??? Kind of funny since we were told that dealership policy is that the bike has to be safe to ride before leaving the shop. Also, how are we to know that it was necessary for them to rip the engine apart. How are we to know they didn't sabotage the engine? | ||
| Buell666 |
they are in their slow season, and they are doing anything to make a few dollars. i would take legal action, and call buell customer support. im in the automotive industry, so i know how the slow seasons go, but i would never take it this far. they just seem like a really shady dealer. f them. | ||
| Buell_892 |
My H-D dealer loves me.. I feel sorry for you. We just had a great customer day where we got tons of free food and other goodies. Then we had cake for one of the employees b-day. Great people up here in Indiana!! | ||
| Daveinm |
Buell666 - We're in South Florida, so I don't think this time of year is the slow season. Everyone is out on bikes this time of year. I am already talking to a lawyer though. Buell_892 - I wish they were like that too. I guess it's too much to ask to have a good local dealer. I bought my bike from Treasure Coast Harley. Great dealership! One of those dealers that actually cares about their customers. They do cook-outs all the time. It's just too bad they're 90 miles away. Harley of Palm Beach is about 30 mins North of us. I haven't had them service our bikes yet, however I have had a pleasant experience any time I have done business with them. | ||
| Typeone |
Also, how are we to know that it was necessary for them to rip the engine apart. How are we to know they didn't sabotage the engine? i'm still curious how they know it was a busted ring (?) do you know how far they torn into the engine? are the pistons out of the cylinders and was the ring in fact busted or just a guess as they were poking around then quit? | ||
| Daveinm |
Don't even know for sure. I would assume they took the pistons out. How else would they know the piston ring broke? How else would they know it's lost "somewhere" in the engine? I'm curious though...how are they going to put it back together by tomorrow if the pistons are out. Wouldn't that be more than a few hour job??? It took them more than three weeks to get this far, now they're going to put it back together by tomorrow. It's Funny...I don't understand how that works out. | ||
| Hkwan |
Daveinm, I am wondering why you wouldn't go down to take a look at the bike since it is only 30 miles away? At the very least you can answer some of your own questions. Also, have you ever contacted customer service at Buell? | ||
| Fullpower |
well, at least POMPANO HD is famous. try to get their name in the body of your posts also. gets real good exposure to the various search engines. I really think you should repeat that employee quote as often as possible, and i do hope the gentleman who's name appears on your motorcycle becomes aware of the issue. good luck. dean | ||
| Cochise |
Going out on a limb here, they probably already did the job, now they WANT their money for doing it, yet another reason to go and check it out. | ||
| Daveinm |
My brother just told me he had seen the bike. He said the airbox was off and that you could see into the cylinder. I didn't see it myself, so I don't know if the engine was torn down further. Can you even tell if the piston ring is broken without taking it out? Fullpower: I'm not too worried about that. I know a lot about search engine optimization. If I really wanted to spread this around the internet, I'd post to some other good forums and start a google adsense campaign. People would definitely find out that way. Wouldn't cost me anything either. As far as getting the word out locally, I could make up a lot of shirts and give them away. I do own a shirt printing company. The fact is that they couldn't have handled this two ways after seeing this post... 1. Fixed the bike under warranty or 2. Got upset about the post and refuse to fix it They could have done what a great dealership would have done after seeing how upset a customer was and fixed the bike, allowing us to then post back about what a great dealership they are and how they went above and beyond to take care of us. They decided to go with the second option and completely confirm everything I have posted about them. Can they really be that surprised to see that I wrote a post like this??? | ||
| Bake |
At least our "local" dealership pretends to like us  | ||
| Aldaytona |
I saw a XB9 engine that had been ridden real hard by a customer who had his Buell in for service and wanted to test ride the XB9S, bike had very few miles on it and quit running during the test ride, customer called me and we had to tow it back to the shop. Removal of the air box cover and air filter revealed piston ring fragments in the intake below the velocity stack. Four bolts and unsnap some plastic (about 2 minutes labor). Sounds to me that's why the bike can be "assembled" so soon after discovering broken rings, Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Not implying that is the cause of this incident, just the cause of the diagnosis. If this is the case a minimum shop charge, usually 1/2 hour should apply if they "determine" the repair isn't covered under warranty. By the way, BMC replaced that engine under warranty, we were told to not take the motor apart, just take it out and install a new one. | ||
| Liquorwhere |
Hello all, I am very distressed at these posts. I work for Harley-Davidson and Buell is my favorite bike I sell. My dealership is Port Charlotte HD/Buell and while I can do nothing to help you in this matter, I will be forwarding this post to my service manager and sales manager so hopefully the District Manager sees it. One note though, a dealership can void PARTS of you warranty for modifications, ie, changing your ECM to a power commander could result in a VOIDED warranty related to the parts that unit controls. Most of the time a service manager has the call on that, but here is some food for thought. Buell can deny the warranty payment and if the dealership decided that it was in keeping with good policy not to back charge the customer, then the dealership would absorb the cost. This is entirely up to the dealership to do. I hope you do find someone to help you. | ||
| Buellshyter |
I recently had my XB fitted with an Easy-Pull clutch at my local HD and consequently, struck up a conversation with the service manager, a three time Buell owner. My bike has the race kit installed and I told him about it pinging in hot weather and how I heard it is detrimental to the motor. He told me straight up not to worry about it, unless if happens continuously, and if the motor did need work that Buell was excellent about warranty work. He went on to say that if I rode the bike hard and the motor blew Buell would cover it. Sounds to me like you might want to check with another dealer or call Buell directly. |
