I've got an out of town friend(yeah, I actually have a friend) who shows up with a Sporty that has a back brake that at first don't grab, then won't release.....Hmmmmm....It's under extended warranty, so I decide to let the dealer have a go at it.

I follow him to my local dealer as he navigates rush hour traffic using only his front brake....At the dealer we describe the problem and remind them the bike is under extended warranty, so they intake it.

Next morning they call claiming it will cost my friend $338 to replace the rear caliper........................................... ..........

We hitch up my trailer and go load up his scooter....Screw them and their $338 fix....I got a new caliper at home that only cost 140 bucks and can install it in 15 minutes, right?

I tell the Service Writer I'll take the bike home and install my new caliper, and if that don't fix it, they WILL repair it under warranty, AND they will owe me for the new caliper. He says they ain't payin me for nothing, so I tell him he can deal with my lawyer.

We load the scoot on the trailer and start strapping it down.....the Service Manager comes out and wants to know what's going on....I'm hot and pissed so I go off on him and include all the times I've attempted to get my **** fixed under warranty at their dealership, and now when I bring a friend there, they attempt to screw him too....But by God this time, I'll fix it myself and PAY my lawyer to sue them for him-that I've had enuff of their sorry assed crap and the way they treat folks.

He asks to allow them another chance to fix it.......I'm really pissed.......Almost said no.......But I cool off and roll the scoot off the trailer.

They call next morning and say rear master cylinder is bad and will fix under warranty along with new rotor cause old one got warped due to heat deformation when caliper seized.

A week later when parts finally arrive, my friend has his bike back at no cost-I drop off a 5th of Johnny Walker Black to Service Manager and everyone is happy.

My whole reason for posting this is...........WHY THE FARK DO WE have to get to the point the we draw guns just to get simple warranty stuff fixed nowadays?

I suspect my dearership owner is doublebilling.....I believe he bills the customer when possible, then also turns it n to the MOCO for a double payment.....That's just me, and that's the way I think.

I also think the guys who work at his dealership are standup guys who risk his wrath whenever they attempt to treat folks square. I call them all my friends and understand they are under his greedy watch and their jobs hang by a thread.......I just hate that I have to get so damned mad and threaten them over such stuff.......It really makes the whole "Harely Owner" thang go sour quick.....Jesus, I know the Service Manager's wife....She works at the same hospital I do....She's good people and I don't want to cause her n her husband grief with lawyers and such because of the owner's policies....I fully understand what it would cause them if my complaint hurt his job......But when do you draw the line?.....When do you say enuff is enuff and drop the hammer on your friends?

This ain't what owning a Harley is supposed to be about....I should not have to chose between my friends/coworkers and my wallet.

 

The MOCO pays lousy to the dealer and thats the reason of that kind of behavior. At least here in Europe. That is the fact that makes sure nothing is fixed "for sure" (and without lawyer).

Here by the north pole nothing is fixed under warranty, lawyers or not. Instead my bike is full of "features Harley has naturally".

I think it's sad...

 

I've been to the North Pole. I broke thru the North Pole ice and peed my name in the snow when I served on the nuclear submarine USS Flying Fish back in '84....It sucked there....It was really cold and I couldn't see the horizon. I spent many more months under the ice cap afterwards but never surfaced there again.......We were chasing Soviet subs that never knew were were tagging them.....I respect you guys who live "almost there" and always wondered if you had scooters like we down here where the grass waves green most of the year......I spent many a day/night/year laying in my bunk inches away from a frozen death dreaming about sunny skys and the freedom a Harley offers. I was in a prison where Harley tattoos were forbidden. A place where ghosts haunt and memories scream their whispers.... and echo in your head till you clutch at the walls that imprison and protect you.

Hang in there.....Please place me down here in Louisiana on your "Must Visit" list if ever you decide to venture way down South......I will show you that you have sweat glands and teach you what to do when you have "Swamp Crotch" in December, and how to dodge monster skeeters in September.

You own a Harley, therefore you have friends all over this planet.

 

I agree with the original post. Its simply lousy bussiness practice to force us to fight to get warrenty issues resolved. Customer service no longer exists in the Harley World, or at least in a vast majority of it.

Early this spring, my wifes bike had all the bolts holding the rear pully on, break off. I have the extended warrenty on the bike, they refused to pay because I didn't have wheel and tire coverage ( which ONLY covers damage due to road hazzards) Damnit, Harley installed the bolts at my local dealer and never put Loc-tite on the damned things. She never hit any road hazzard, so why wasn't this covered? because they can get away with screwing over thier customers.

a few years ago, I bought an 06 Ultra. or 2 years I complained to the dealer that the CB didn't work properly. Once the 2 year warrenty was out, they decide to fix it and charge me...I had to do the same as you, I threated to sue. I had 8 different work orders with the problem listed, and I know that no judge or jury in the world would allow the Dealer to win on a complaint that had been so well documented. It took me about 3 days of raising Hell, to get them to finally cover what they should have fixed long before.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Harleys, and wouldn't want to ride anything else, but its getting to the point that I may never purchase another one...

 

I don't get you wrong at all....It seems to be an underlying theme today where the MOCO tests our loyalty against our wallets. Where if we complain and inject lawyers, we ain't true Harley loyalists.

I'm sure not every dealer is like mine or yours. I'm faithful that some here swear by their dealer and have great response to thier problems. To those dealers I tip my hat....but to the MOCO who allows thief dealers to exist, I toss my finger.

I swear to all here I will take my wallet to Honda the very next time my local dealer attempts to screw me on a warranty claim. Many of you may say "Goodbye" to me, but wait till it's you they screw and then let's see who is in line at the Honda dealer.

I truely believe many dealers have learned to deny warranty claims where the owner pays, then the dealer claims it against the MOCO and they get doublebilled-doublepayed....This is NOT an uncommon practice and has been going on forever in the domestic car market....My local dealership owner once owned a huge used car dealership where he learned to screw folks. It's apparent he brought his thieving tactics with him.

 

I understand your frustration. For years I lived near that kind of dealer in Jacksonville. It got so bad that I began to dislike *all* Harley dealers. Then, a few years ago, I moved to Daytona & bought a BMW from a good dealer. Within a year that owner got bought out & the new owner began the warranty denial/double billing you described. Once again I became the primary source of maintenance for my motorcycle.

A couple of years ago I came back to Harley, & to my surprise found that there are some pretty good dealers here in central Florida. I've always had good luck with the parts department at Rossmeyers, & Seminole (where I bought my R.G.) has handled a couple of warranty issues with absolutely no hassle.

Bad dealers are not confined to Harley Davidson, & there are some good ones out there. It's a shame you're sufferin' through a bad one. Find another dealer, or independent, that will honor your extended warranty. If your friends at the dealership continue to ride with you, they really are friends. If not, well.............

 

the frustration with the dealers over warranty issues and cost for service are two reasons why I buy used. I get no warranty and fix it myself when it breaks or needs service. If I can't handle the repair, I get it done at an independant shop.

I'm not knocking the guys who buy a new bike. Just indicating my solution.

 

Hd turned my warranty claim on a cracked windshield. My dealers shop manager said he wasnt satisfied with their response to the claim and gave me a new detachable windshield. Just swapped em out. Coziahr HD in Decatur IL has always treated me right. Maybe you should look for a different dealer. They get their money back out of us in clothes and accessories cause the markup on that stuff is outta sight.

 

htc - Ever deal with or know a fellow Fin that goes by the name of 'Pekka' who lives in the Atlanta area? T

 

Nope, sorry. I think in Finland have to be about one million males with that name. Quite common and definitely a finnish name though ;-)