| Author | Message | ||
     Ryker77 |
After paying 32.00 to get my X1's rear tire changes at a nearby HD/Buell dealership. I noticed the rim didn't have any weights on it.  So I ask if my wheel didn't require any weights and balanced true. Service writer tells me that the Buell frame doesn't need balanced wheels only if you have spoked rims. Not wanting to argue unless I knew for sure. I paid and left the store. So whats the deal? Mountain Creek Harley-Davidson/Buell Shop 3012 Parquet Road Dalton GA 30720 Phone: 706-370-7433 Fax: 706-277-7433 (Message edited by ryker77 on July 28, 2005) | ||
| Tramp |
the deal is the "service writer" should pursue other employemnt goal and stay out of mc service. the frame geometry has NO bearing on tire and/or rim manufacture. he is either incredibly dull or a liar. stay outta there and get your tires balanced, OK? remember- tire balance isn't just for your tires, rims can be offbalance as well, from the factory. If you ever return there, wear your cover and carry a pugil stick and give 'em a li'l semper-WHY! | ||
| Ryker77 |
Just want a Buell or HD tech to confirm or deny the BS I was fed. Then I'll have my ducks in a row and will let them have it! | ||
| Doughnut |
I have weights on my Marchesinis. | ||
| Ryker77 |
I even informed the liar that the manual states balance wheel. he then went on about oil just more BS. I'm on hold with the service manager. Is there a HD/Buell complaint phone number? | ||
| Whodom |
It is conceivable that you got a near-flawless tire that didn't require any balance weights, but they dang sure should have checked it. | ||
| Ryker77 |
Service "manager" doesn't even know if the rim required balance. But he did check with the "tech" and guess what it balanced true. What are those odds? 32.00 freakin dollars for •••• poor service! way to go stealerships! | ||
| Patrickh |
I do not generally cast aspersions...BUT THAT SEEMS LIKE AN OUTRIGHT OUTRAGEOUS LIE. If anyone at a dealership ever told me that, they would have a very big angry customer on their hands. | ||
| Grndskpr |
It is conceivable that you got a near-flawless tire that didn't require any balance weights, but they dang sure should have checked it. As told to me, by a highly placed tire sales men, tires in this day and age are almost never out of balance, i was told its rare to see a top rated tire out of balance Now the rims, apparently are always out of balace, so no weights would suprise me, sounds like a lazy dealership, as in the weights were removed, and the assembly was not balanced as a unit shame on them R | ||
| Lake_bueller |
Agreed that most tires today are balanced. It's the rim that is out of balance. How many of you have noticed that the new weights are always in the same size and place as the old weights. I change and balance my own tires. Just for kicks, I balanced the rim first last time. Then I mounted the tire and checked for balance. It was dead nuts perfect. The weight I added on the empty rim was all the weight I needed. | ||
| Tramp |
you last 3 posters- first, reread my post- RIMS are commonly out-of-balance, so regardless of tire, they'll likely need a balance each time tires are changed. FURTHER- the point here is that a Harley-davidson/Buell service writer claimed that BUELL FRAMES somehow effct a no-balance situation in your rims/tires (HUHHH?!?!??!) and that only spoked wheels require balance. THAT is the point, me hearties! | ||
| Patrickh |
I don't know why this bothers me so much but I am really disgusted by the actions of the employees of this dealership. Where are they hiring these people from? | ||
| Nguzzi |
Our Buell techs told me that the service writer was wrong. Take the bike back and have them correct their error. | ||
| Patrickh |
If you have ever had an unbalanced wheel on a car you know that a symptom can be a severe vibration that begins at a certian RPM. Lets say the vibration for this particular unbalanced wheel began at 65mph on an uneven surface with an inexperanced rider... Your wheels HAVE to be properly balanced! | ||
| Phat_j |
i am a phd certafied harley/buell mechanic, and i do change ALOT of tires...and almost never have i seen a tire/wheel assy not need any weight.... i have however seen many times where the weight dosent need to be changed from the last tire (meaning rim is out of balance, tire is true)infact i see this about once a week.... take this back to the place and demand that they balance it in front of you... and then confront the liar that told you the frame makes it not need to be balanced....... THIS PISSES ME OFF.. | ||
| Tramp |
PhatJ KNOWS his stuff  The advice about having them balanc eit in front of you is brilliant. This warrants a letter to HD/Buell Dealer services, and a call and letter to the president of the dealership. What dealership IS it??!?!?! I'd like to (politely) call them and ask the service manager a few questions. | ||
| Skyguy |
ONLY $32.00 WOW! What a great deal! Skip Fordyce in Riverside, Quaid in Loma Linda and Quaid in Temecula all charge $93.00 per wheel to change a tire!!! They also tried to charge me $130.00 for a set of front and rear brake pads.... Freaking Theives! It took a little bit of doing but I can get the exact same pads (from Chapperal) for 56.00 front and rear.... Also found a little independent shop in San Bernardino that charges $15.00 per wheel (off the bike) for mount and balence. What is with these Harley shops? So far I hate them all which is sad because I LOVE the bike! | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Unfortunately I think this is a symptom of the "I-guess-any-answer-is-better-than-no-answer syndrome" He obviously had no idea what you were talking about, and this tactic has obviously gotten him out of more than one conversation with an inquiring customer. Why is it so hard for people to admit that they just don't know? You called his bluff...good for you. | ||
| Tramp |
where i come from, we have a concise name for that syndrome. we call it "lying" | ||
| Gusmyster |
Maybe what is going on is the dealership doesn't have the spindles for the Buell rims that fit their snapon (or whatever) balancer. My dealership went though the same thing. The only difference is mine didn't try to blow smoke up my a$$ and were up front with it. g u s | ||
| Pammy |
A tire/wheel assembly should certainly be balanced at the install of a new tire. ALWAYS I have balanced many tire/wheel assemblies and rarely has the balance been the same. If it is only the wheels being out of balance, why do you have to change the wheel weights when installing a new tire? Because it's a combo...between the light spot on the tire and the "heavy" spot on the wheel...usually the valve stem. Sometimes it comes out perfect but usually not. I even have some customers that don't want wheel weights, so we have to turn the tire until the balance is as near perfect as we can get it. Just another little tidbit for thought. The first time you skid the tire a bit from quick acceleration or deceleration, you have disturbed the perfect balance your mechanic should have achieved by balancing your new tire/wheel assembly in the first place. | ||
| Dave |
Ryker777...That was not Earl Smalls was it???? I ask becasue I had a 'similar' experience with Earl Small's Harley Davidson... oh... yeah...and that Buell thing too. Well I think we mess with Buells...We must becasue we have that sign outside still.... DAve (Message edited by dave on July 27, 2005) | ||
| Ryker77 |
No, it was Mountain Creek in Dalton Ga. I'll never use a HD dealership with there "phd techs" lol. they wanted 65.00 to change a tire.. I just took in the rim and was charged 32.00 | ||
| Ryker77 |
This is what I posted on there Customer Testimonials page http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/4062/130007.html?1122553488 This dealership doesn't even know how to change a tire! I took my Buell rear rim into have a new tire changed and balanced. As a former tech I know to check what other techs have done. So when I got my rear wheel back I noticed that there were no balance weights. So I ask the service writer if the wheel was balanced. I was told "buell frames don't need balanced wheels unless they use spoked rims". I then told him that I had just read over my factory service manual and didn't read anything like that. Having owened 2 Buells, I have never seen ANY buells with spoked rims. I understand that a 10.00/hr guy might not be an expert. But he should NOT be giving out tech info. So I call this "dealership" and after getting disconnected once. Then having to give my name in order to talk to the "service manager". I ask the service manager if a Buell doesn't require balanced rims. He doesn't even know! But he then informs me that the "tech" remembers my rim and that it balanced true. Well I have checked with other Buell experts on this web site http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/4062/130007.html?1122553488 and have been told that there is a very slim chance that my wheel balanced true. I would like to bring my wheel back and watch the wheel get balanced. Please let me know so that I can hold off on installing the wheel on my bike. | ||
| Ryker77 |
A tire/wheel assembly should certainly be balanced at the install of a new tire. ALWAYS I have balanced many tire/wheel assemblies and rarely has the balance been the same }i am a phd certafied harley/buell mechanic, and i do change ALOT of tires...and almost never have i seen a tire/wheel assy not need any weight.... i have however seen many times where the weight dosent need to be changed from the last tire (meaning rim is out of balance, tire is true)infact i see this about once a week.... take this back to the place and demand that they balance it in front of you... and then confront the liar that told you the frame makes it not need to be balanced....... THIS PISSES ME OFF.. The rear rim when I took it in had a place were weight used to be. So at one time the rear rim did have sticky weights on it. Which is another way I knew it would need balance.} | ||
| Pammy |
"A tire/wheel assembly should certainly be balanced at the install of a new tire. ALWAYS" When you quote me you must realize that balancing a wheel can mean taking weights off. Typically you don't take the (old)weights off until you put the wheel(with new tire installed) on the stand to balance. I was not trying to undermine the shop in question(they seem to need no help in that regard), I was merely pointing out procedure and let folks know that it is the wheel/tire combo that needs to be balanced or checked for balance EVERY SINGLE TIME. You can't just balance one OR the other. It's a combo platter. As far as the cost. Most, if not all shops go by time on the pricing. We are a quality shop that hires only skilled techs. The price for that type of labor here is still $65 per hour. I would kindly request that the wheel be checked again if the tech wouldn't mind. I am sure he won't mind as long as he isn't being verbally assaulted. The demand for him to do his work "in front of you" should not be necessary. I hope everything works out for you. | ||
| Tramp |
(edited for clarity and focus, group!)I disagree. the customer was lied to by the service manager. the shop, at large, has lost credibilty, by no fault of the customer. the customer (you know, the guy who's PAYING) should not feel compelled to ask "if the tech wouldn't mind". The customer has every right and, really, duty, (to avoid allowing other customers to be so abused) to demand to observe the process, and to ask what the dealership will do to rectify this egregious lapse in ethics. - it sounds like their shop has become accustomed to customers having to kneel and ask "if it's ok"... In my shop, (as opposed to the shop in the original post), this doesn't happen. We are all honest to a near-fault. (Message edited by tramp on July 28, 2005) | ||
| Pammy |
"I disagree. the customer was lied to by the service manager." I do not disagree with that statement, which is why I posted at all. Forewarned is always forearmed. The 'paying' customer didn't talk to the tech (going by his own words). He talked to someone at the counter who was definitely not doing his/her job properly. Are you POSITIVE the wheel was not balanced? Why were the old weights removed? "No offense, but it sounds like your own shop has become accustomed to customers having to kneel and ask "if it's ok"... " I have honestly tried, but cannot read the above statement without taking major offense. Being polite is a talent which I practice on a daily basis. Most people are polite right back. Common courtesy is what we call it around here. If you want to venture back to my shop where my techs work on other 'paying' customers bikes and motors, "if it's o.k." would get you a heII of a lot closer to what you desire than "I demand". Asking in a kneeling position is not required(although it would be a nice touch). | ||
| Ray_maines |
I really don't have anything to add to the advice offered thus far, but I'd like to say that I always remove the old weights before I take a wheel in to have a new tire mounted and balanced. New weights on the wheel mean the tech actually balanced the tire and I don't want him to just keep adding new weights on top of the old ones, even if the end result is a properly balanced wheel / tire. | ||
| Pammy |
But the original poster did not. I am going to stop posting now, because I can see that my comments are being misconstrued. I do not, however, want to leave anyone with the impression that we are anything less than gracious to anyone(not just 'paying' customers). Because that is most certainly not the case. Being called Queen of the Universe by some of my customers started out as an inside joke and to this day, I take it to heart no more than it's original meaning. So still stinging from Tramps post(I'm so sensitive), I now remove myself from this discussion. Sorry to have offended... (Message edited by pammy on July 28, 2005) |
