Harley dealer told me they couldnt do it, after I made the appointment to have it done. They took it to a machine shop, who said they couldn't touch it for 3 days. I told them I would take it to my local shop. When they brought it back, the dealer said they had bad news, they had cracked the head. I said I thought they owe me a head, the manager said that wouldn't happen. The head is off an 01 flh and I took it to the dealer to have the old valve guide pressed out, and the new one put in. Little pissed to say the least

 

And , when I asked a new head, they told me 800 bucks, and six weeks to get it. I don't think I should have to pay for it. I took in a good head, got back a cracked head. Doesn't seem right to me

 

Sorry to hear you have a broken head---

For understanding-- did you take it your local machine shop who cracked the head or did the dealer take it out to your recommended place?

You wrote "when they brought it back"-- who are "they"?

My take on this is if the dealer broke the head or their shop broke the head-- they owe you one.

If you took the head out or told the dealer to take it there and 'your' shop broke it, your out of luck-- nothing to do with the dealer in this case.

 

Unless it works very differently in a motorcycle dealership vs a car dealership...

customer brings in a vehicle. During the course of servicing the vehicle I, being the "certified mechanic" break something on the thing, I'm responsible. With the exception of parts that have naturally worn out and would have broke had anyone removed them.

Heads don't up and crack on a whim. Now, if they can prove neglect or something and that the service being performed broke the head due to you're head being junk, they might win. BUT they'd be idiots to fight it. Drag a shop manager and a mechanic into small claims court over a part that they probably pick up direct from the company for a few hundred bucks? Ain't worth the time, effort, or hassle. Bitch, threaten small claims suit, they'll fix it. Then never take it there again.

 

Your writing is not clear.

What work was done to the head?

Who did the work?

When was the crack discovered?

Who discovered the crack?

You said the dealer said "they" cracked the head: means the dealer cracked the head or "they" means that when they got the head back from your guy the head was cracked?

Sometimes a crack will not be seen until parts have been removed and head has been clean.

Point is when you brought it to your own guy to machine the head the dealer if he did nothing to the head should not have to pay up.

Second point can you prove the head got damaged from removing the seat?

Weld a head?

If an antique and a replacement part can't be found then weld it. But you have to have a guy that knows his stuff.

You don't weld a cast iron head with a steel rod. You need a cast iron rod. The whole head, because it's cast metal, has to be preheated and keep hot so there is no local heating to cause uneven expansion and contraction of the during the welding so the repair will area will not be over stressed and crack after the part is put back into service.

 

The Harley dealer took it to a machine shop they use. I waited at the dealership. The service manager came back to the Harley dealership and told me it would be 3 days. I told the device manager to get it back, and I would take it myself to my local shop the next day. When the Harley service manager went and picked it up from the machine shop they use, he told me that they tried to get the old guide out and cracked the head. The shop agreed to fix the crack they caused, admitted their error, and now I wait some more, and wonder if I can trust it

 

To me it sounds like the dealer and the machine shop need to figure out who is going to replace your head. No, I would not accept a welded head, and as a person who owns a welding shop, I can tell you welding cast iron is iffy at best.

 

I have had several aluminum heads welded and never had a problem. I did use people who knew what they were doing. These were not Harley heads, they were big block Chevy. Hope this helps.

 

If the guy doing the welding knows how to weld aluminum...no problem.

~Joe

 

Cast Iron??