Discussion
Dealers... They're some thieving gits aren't they. One quoted me £50+fitting for a mirror. I got the exact same on ebay for less than £20, brand new, an OEM Honda part. 2 minutes with a screwdriver and I've probably saved £70 or £80. Don't mind dealers for services, or complicated diagnostic work/repair, but they're taking the piss the rest of the time.
Anyone else got a good source for bits or an independent mechanic?
cheers
Joolz
Anyone else got a good source for bits or an independent mechanic?
cheers
Joolz
They are in the UK.....here's a snippet from my blog you might find infuriating 
"Wow, the garages in the UK could learn a thing or two from these Bavarians about customer satisfaction.
When i take my bike to Jack Lilleys (The UK's No.1 Triumph dealer), for example, they charge 40ukp/hour exclusive of VAT for labour.
The fix for the petrol leak on the Suzuki took 14 hours ... total labour cost incl VAT -- 85 Euros...that's 4.20 ukp per hour inclusive of VAT for labour (parts were 35 Euros).....
So if you have break down , do it over here " (In Munich)
"Wow, the garages in the UK could learn a thing or two from these Bavarians about customer satisfaction.
When i take my bike to Jack Lilleys (The UK's No.1 Triumph dealer), for example, they charge 40ukp/hour exclusive of VAT for labour.
The fix for the petrol leak on the Suzuki took 14 hours ... total labour cost incl VAT -- 85 Euros...that's 4.20 ukp per hour inclusive of VAT for labour (parts were 35 Euros).....
So if you have break down , do it over here
" (In Munich)julianb said:
he started muttering about invalidating warranties etc...
That's just plain bullying (and bad business) . You shoulda muttered to him about trading standards, fit for purpose, mentioning his attitude online etc,,etc. Cheeky bugger (especially if you bought the bike there)
Def. time for you to find a new dealer......
Even a service from a dealer can be a bit suspect.
Had an engine service a while back, a few days later I had some battery problems, investigated and found loose battery lead. I have subsequently done my own filter/oil/plugs and found a small leak from the filter, and a plug that needed no effort at all to undo.
I think I'll be doing them myslf from now on, for peace of minds sake.
For parts - definitely shop around!
Had an engine service a while back, a few days later I had some battery problems, investigated and found loose battery lead. I have subsequently done my own filter/oil/plugs and found a small leak from the filter, and a plug that needed no effort at all to undo.
I think I'll be doing them myslf from now on, for peace of minds sake.
For parts - definitely shop around!
I did a C & G bike maintenance course a few months back, after starting doing a few bits on my bike. Cost £190 for 30 evenings instruction - total bargain and a really good laugh to boot. The upshot is I only now visit my dealer for parts and the labour saved has paid for the course and then some. I'm far from an expert obviously, but believe me it's far from rocket science.
The only downside for me is fitting in the time to do some of the longer jobs/waiting for parts to arrive. Fortunately there is a solution for this problem - a second bike
(I have a very understanding and frankly top Mrs.)
Steve.
The only downside for me is fitting in the time to do some of the longer jobs/waiting for parts to arrive. Fortunately there is a solution for this problem - a second bike
(I have a very understanding and frankly top Mrs.) Steve.
julianb said:
When the dealer asked me why I had cancelled the order for the mirror and generator cover, he started muttering about invalidating warranties etc...
RIP OFF BRITAIN!
RIP OFF BRITAIN!
Why ask a dealer to order something in for you if then decide you dont want it ? Dealers cannot send parts back without taking a hit on a handling charge themselves.
They are not parts libraries.
If you order a part, then you should own it.
sporelife said:
Steve_T said:
I did a C & G bike maintenance course a few months back, after starting doing a few bits on my bike.
How far did they go into it all? Do they cover timing, valve clearances, carb balancing?
Yes ableit in single cylinder form (apart from the carb balancing obviously). The second stage to the course is multi-cylinder engines which I should be starting in Sept. of this year. As it was put to me if you can do the work on a single cylinder engine, you can do it on a multi cylinder engine. If you're a compulsive tinkerer, as I am, it's well worth doing.
Unfortunately Mr. Billy Liar thinks that adult learning is not very important, so funding for adult learning has been withdrawn at the college and the course will probably cost me double this year. Not a problem for me fortunately, but I may not see some of the lads who did the last one.
Steve.
Furyous said:
julianb said:
When the dealer asked me why I had cancelled the order for the mirror and generator cover, he started muttering about invalidating warranties etc...
RIP OFF BRITAIN!
RIP OFF BRITAIN!
Why ask a dealer to order something in for you if then decide you dont want it ? Dealers cannot send parts back without taking a hit on a handling charge themselves.
They are not parts libraries.
If you order a part, then you should own it.
!!!!!!!!!
Well, maybe if they weren't so blatantly profiteering on spare parts, I wouldn't have had to cancel the order. It's not a good start after spending £7K on a bike with them, only two weeks ago.
julianb said:
!!!!!!!!!
Well, maybe if they weren't so blatantly profiteering on spare parts, I wouldn't have had to cancel the order. It's not a good start after spending £7K on a bike with them, only two weeks ago.
Really ? Lets assume the parts YOU ordered came to £70 inc vat.Take the vat out and then the dealers margin, a normal franchised dealer margin is 30 %.On that basis, the dealer has made about £17.50 out his sale to you.Hardly enough to order a new Tvr with is it ?
Except that he hasnt now, he has got to increase his stockholding or take a hit on returning it.
I assume that you work for nothing then ?
All parts prices are set by the individual franchises, they are not dealers own prices.
Oh, and BTW, its not the dealers fault YOU dropped it either.
I order nearly all my honda parts from david silver. They are substantially cheaper than my local dealer. I get tyres done by Ride in Tyres in Reading who are also substantially cheaper than my local dealer. Everyone in the UK likes earning loads of money regardless of whether or not they are worth it and will continue to do so unless you take your business elsewhere... simple economics.
If I was ordering parts from a local dealer then I'd get a quote first and then either accept it or not before they ordered it from their suppliers. To decide it's too expensive after it's been delivered to the dealer is your perogative but the wrong way to do things imo.
Mark
If I was ordering parts from a local dealer then I'd get a quote first and then either accept it or not before they ordered it from their suppliers. To decide it's too expensive after it's been delivered to the dealer is your perogative but the wrong way to do things imo.
Mark
Furyous said:
julianb said:
!!!!!!!!!
Well, maybe if they weren't so blatantly profiteering on spare parts, I wouldn't have had to cancel the order. It's not a good start after spending £7K on a bike with them, only two weeks ago.
Really ? Lets assume the parts YOU ordered came to £70 inc vat.Take the vat out and then the dealers margin, a normal franchised dealer margin is 30 %.On that basis, the dealer has made about £17.50 out his sale to you.Hardly enough to order a new Tvr with is it ?
Except that he hasnt now, he has got to increase his stockholding or take a hit on returning it.
I assume that you work for nothing then ?
All parts prices are set by the individual franchises, they are not dealers own prices.
Oh, and BTW, its not the dealers fault YOU dropped it either.
In response,
1. I didn't order the parts, the dealer did. Because he didn't have them in stock. We're talking about a wing mirror that fits about 4 model years of bike. I don't think it unreasonable to expect a main dealer to hold such items. It's not just the cost of the part though is it. I'd likely get charged a minimum 1/2 hour labour, for a two minute job as well. :-)
2. If the dealer has a penchant for British Sports Cars, so what. I don't whinge at my clients because I can't afford a new MV F4 every year. :-)
3. I'm sure that there will be somebody along very shortly who's just as bad as me at keeping a bike upright, that he can sell the bits to.
4. No I don't work for nothing. I'm an I.T. consultant and earn a fortune thank you.
5. Did I ever say I blamed the dealer for being a numpty and dropping my pride an joy on the floor?
Look, this is supposed to be a bit of fun, and yes, I am pulling your chain. Chill out. Go ride your bike!
dern said:
If I was ordering parts from a local dealer then I'd get a quote first and then either accept it or not before they ordered it from their suppliers. To decide it's too expensive after it's been delivered to the dealer is your perogative but the wrong way to do things imo.
Mark
Precisely.Thank you.
Im off to start a thread on IT consultants blatantly profiteering............
The answer is to find one good dealer and then stick with them. I bought a new Kawasaki ZX-10 from Frasers of Gloucester in 1990 and they looked after me. I've since bought six more new bikes from them and never used anybody else for parts and servicing, unless completely forced to. To this day they give me great service and prices considerably more competitive than any other dealer I've come across.
Yep, I quite agree with Dern. Very bad form to pull the rug out from under the dealer. I canned the order about an hour after phoning the dealer initially. I just got caught out when booking the bike in for it's first service - he offered to get the bits in after a discussion about the damage, and I unwittingly went along with it in the heat of the moment, without asking for a quote (newbie biker and all that). His actual words were, "I'll do you a good price!" - the actual figures only came out later after my curiosity got the better of me, and I checked out some comparative prices. David Silver looks like he'll be getting some of my business!
I'm not a bad lad. I just don't like getting the high hard one!
kind regards
Julian
I'm not a bad lad. I just don't like getting the high hard one!
kind regards
Julian
Edited by julianb on Wednesday 19th July 16:54
julianb said:
David Silver looks like he'll be getting some of my business!
The only thing to check with them is if they have the stuff you want in stock or if they are ordering it form honda. If they have it in stock it'll take them about 2-3 days to get it to you whereas if it has to come from honda to them and then to you you're looking at more than a week so plan ahead. From what I can see they stock the stuff they list on the site but can get any part you like. I ordered some brake pads, oil filters, spark plugs, head gasket, head race bearings, wheel bearings and some downpipe sealing rings from them and they're all proper honda stuff. Good luck,
Mark
The trouble with doing your own servicing is, during the warranty period in particular, you don't get the dealer stamps.
I suppose if you keep receipts for the service items purchased and some written record of what you've done you should be covered by warranty as mostly it seems that the manufacturer states the machine should be "...serviced in accordance with their requirements..." so this doesn't mean by a dealer necessarily.
I suppose if you keep receipts for the service items purchased and some written record of what you've done you should be covered by warranty as mostly it seems that the manufacturer states the machine should be "...serviced in accordance with their requirements..." so this doesn't mean by a dealer necessarily.
Yep, feel the same. So I don't mind the dealer doing the book stuff, to keep things nicely stamped and up to date. I'm talking about when something dumb happens, like scraping mirrors or dropping the bike off it's stand. I wouldn't attempt anything that required tools or skills that I don't have.
cheers
J.
cheers
J.
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