wondering how many members have brought a part into there local dealer that they bought somewhere else and the dealer had a problem with it. seems like every time i did it there was some problem. could it be its there way of saying you should have bought it here

 

Could be. An analogy would be taking your own beef to McDonald's and asking them to cook it for you.

 

I don't think that's a very good analogy. Your McD's comparison would be more along the line of going into the HD Service department and asking to use their equipment and tools to do your own work. Putting on parts and doing maint/repairs is what a service dept. does. They're just looking for a way to make extra money. Heck, today I removed my own rear wheel and took it and a new tire to Triumph to be mounted and balanced. They were very friendly and it was only 20Euro. The HD Dealer charged me over 100 Euro to mount my front tire. I think triumph has my loyalty while I'm in Belgium.

 

It's nothing like that at all. By your reasoning I couldn't buy a Kuyrakyn part and pay my HD dealers mechanic $80/hr to put it on? With all the parts avaialble out there the dealer can not be expected to carry every one of them. With all the implied threats of warranty voiding for every little thing you do to the bike I preferr to have the dealership do certain things.

On the other hand I don't expect the dealership to stand behind a part I bought somewhere else. It would be nice if any HD Dealership stood by every HD part regardless of where it was purchased

 

I agree, it is like taking a bottle of your wine to a restaurant and asking them to pour it.

I don't know, I install all the parts I buy elsewhere, and most of the ones I buy at the dealer. If I wanted the dealer to install a part that they didn't sell, I would talk to them before I bought the parts. Maybe they would sell you the part and match the on-line price.
I can understand them not wanting the potential hassle. If the part you brought in doesn't fit or work (for any reason) it costs them time. They also don't have a flat rate book for labor on aftermarket parts.

 

I wanted some handlebar spacers for my Kawasaki. I had seen them online and went to the local dealer. Told them what I wanted and asked them to get me some and install them. They said that they could not find what I wanted, and ASKED me to order them myself and bring them in for them to install.

 

I just tell them I got it as a gift. That way I don't have to listen to them complain about sourcing elsewhere. And I can usually get the part quicker than they can. That being said, I usually do all my own work. And the mechanic that I do occasionally use thinks my Dad is a great guy for buying me crap for my bike.

 

Unfortunately the Dealer or Independent can't avoid the warranty/liability. Even written disclaimers on the Repair Order will not get the shop off the hook. If they install the part, no matter what or where the source, they are responsible for it and anything else that may be involved in the job. Should the part fail; any damages (real and often imagined) that are associated with that failure will be included. I've been called as an expert witness in a number of cases like this over the years . . . and it's the same result every time. The way the law looks at it, the shop is the expert, and the consumer is not. If the shop couldn't stand behind the part, they should never have installed it.

 

I took my new Heartland 21" wheel to the dealer and did buy the tire there. They mounted and balanced the tire for free.

 

That is genius! I am not that inventive.