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Midnightrider
Posted on Sunday, July 02, 2006 - 03:40 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I was going on a week-long vacation and the timing was right for the 5K service on my Uly. Like I've posted in the past, there are 3 dealers within 1 hour and after dealing with all 3, the place I bought it seems to be the lesser evil. Mind you, this is the place where with an APPOINTMENT they TRY to get it back to you in 3 days, or you can drop it off and they TRY to get it back in 7 days. No appointment, but the 7 days was acceptable.
It rained all week so I came back a day early. Called the dealer and got word that they hadn't started the work yet (this was near the end of business day 6). They MIGHT get it in the next day, but if they couldn't get it done it would be after Wednesday due to Holiday down time. I reminded them I was quoted a 2-3 hour estimate and please explain how that could be started but not finished in one day? While the service guy was fumbling for an answer, I said "Never mind - screw it - I'll do it myself. I'll be there in 20 minutes, please have the bike ready" The guy very politely told me "Very well, Sir".

Got my riding gear together and my ride notified - 2 minutes maybe. The service department called back and admitted they had made a mistake, the 5K service was complete, but the leaking clutch cable I had pointed out was not remedied as the cable was on order. Following a badwebbers advice some time ago I had tightly wrapped the leak source (where the cable enters the fitting that attaches to the housing) with electrical tape and it had remained bone dry and intact for weeks. I was assured the present cable was still in place and the bike was ridable until the cable came in. Cool. I thanked him for the call and told him I was on my way.

Got to the place, paid the bill ( although you have to leave the service area and pay the bill at the parts counter). Before I left the parts area the poor service guy came up to me and said there was a small problem - there was "no oil in the bike" as that had only done half the oil change.
Then the kicker - "Can you leave the bike?" This is all at 3:30 on Friday before a holiday weekend. "Are you freaking (sort of) kidding me? "You told me it was ready - how long does it take to add the oil? My ride is gone - add the oil!"
Well, apparently it takes over 45 minutes to add 3+ quarts of oil because thats how long I waited 'til they brought it around!

One interesting note - while I waited outside the owner came out, climbed on his Uly and headed home!

Took of for a nice 90 minute ride and enjoyed the heck out of it. Then I noticed that they had very nicely removed my electrical tape patch and I had a teaspoons-worth of fluid all over. Reworked the "patch" and its nice and dry again.

On the positive side, the "Estimate" was only $11 less than the actual bill which in my recent automotive service and repair experience here in Maryland is a minor miracle - so kudos to them for that at least.
I've looked over the 10K service and I'll tackle that myself - but I might farm out the fork oil change since I've heard the seals can be a bear.

Anyway - thought y'all might get a kick out of this story.
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Kdan
Posted on Sunday, July 02, 2006 - 04:16 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Do it yourself, you can't blame them for following their schedule when you showed up for your bike a day early. Theres a process to these things, hence the confusion.
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Tramp
Posted on Sunday, July 02, 2006 - 07:52 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

never pay until you've inspected the scoot.
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Rafartist
Posted on Sunday, July 02, 2006 - 10:33 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

What do those guys do all day. They must be standing around with their thumbs up their asses. It really seems that every Buell dealer here in the upper north east sucks. 45 minutes to put oil in? My guess is they were back there trying to dig it out from behind all those Harley's and trying to clean up the mess they made of it. Seems funny how every Harley rider I seem to pass on the street and come to at stop lights gives me the thumbs up but the damn dealership just cant see the light?
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Tramp
Posted on Sunday, July 02, 2006 - 11:49 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

man- it's worse down by you, rafartist...this i know from ugly experience.
if you're willing to ride 2 and a half hours north, you could have Kosco do your service work. they're good.
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Zxzer04
Posted on Sunday, July 02, 2006 - 02:58 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Fact is, Buell riders do most of their own work and most of the Dealers profit is tied up in Chrome...Therefore Buell's get shuffled to back of the line..They want you to pay an outrageous rate, and take days to deliver. How about every Buell owner return that service to them, with each of our perspective jobs. Maybe a 5 day wait on healthcare, 9 days to get your groceries, 4 days on fast food, oh and we have to screw those up almost every time(healthcare and fast food already have that covered). HMMM....

A Dealer registry sounds good...
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Brucelee
Posted on Monday, July 03, 2006 - 10:45 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

"Buell riders do most of their own work "

No offense but how could you possibly know this?
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Freeflyer
Posted on Monday, July 03, 2006 - 11:19 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Yes in my experience they lie, when you ask a question they make no effort to get an answer its like they have a bunch of stock answers that they just spew out and make up as they go along, at least that was my expierence at suburban motors hd of wisconsin. On friday at noon they said they had a bad part # for my m2 front isolator and they called hd corporate and were waitin for an answer. monday at noon I call again they say yeah were still waiting for an answer. very proactive arnt they? So I say give me the bad part # and Ill make some callls since they wont. I call the dealer next town over they give me the right part #, so I call back suburban with the right # and they say oh ok well we'll look into it. I call back a half hour later and ask so whats up do you have the part or what, And he replys thats not the right part either neither of the 2 parts are right, but they talked to buell tech line and they will send the right part over. Tuesday noon "were still waiting on part" tuesday at 5 service guy tells me "yeah were still waiting for a call back from corporate hd cause they dont know what part # to use", I then say thats funny because the last guy says the parts on its way "oh hold on a minute sir" comes back on the phone "yeah the part just came in I didnt see it" then when I look at my reciept on pick up Guess what part # was on there, the one I gave them that they had in stock
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Zxzer04
Posted on Monday, July 03, 2006 - 04:09 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

"Buell riders do most of their own work "

No offense but how could you possibly know this?


Mainly Because out of the 35 or more Buell riders I know, about 95% do most of their own stuff. Now that said I would guess more than 60% of all Buell owners do the same. By reading all the complaints on this site and the extremely long wait times at the HD dealers...I would have to guess here but I bet you would find the same numbers for Buell riders on this website. If the numbers don't add up for you do a poll and prove me wrong...}
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