How many of you guys take your harley in for factory servicing or do you do it yourself? Does it help resale value if you have your harley serviced just by the factory? Thanks for your help!

 

I'll keep servicing mine at the dealer's until the warranty expires, then I'll take over the care and feeding required.

Thumper26

 

I've had the "stealer" do my 500 mile check and my 1000 mile service. Truthfully, that is the last time they will do my normal service. I trust myself more than I trust them. They have truly left a bad taste in my mouth. No more!

!!! RIDE SAFE !!!

Keith in Pa.
05 1200 custom "Lava"

 

I guess it just depends on your Dealer. I have two very good dealers withing driving distance of me. One (the furthest away) has an expert dyno tech so I go there for all my performance work. My local dealer likes me and I help him out on occasion (security work at dealer events) so I get a discount on parts and labor. They treat me real good. They do my tire and oil changes and minor work. I install all my own goodies. On my older bikes I did most of the work but find now in my OLDER AGE that I just don't have the time to do it anymore. I can get a tire installed while I'm drinking coffee with the dealer and ride on from there. A lot of people don't have this advantage because of dealer problems. I guess I'm just lucky!

[sm=biker2.gif]

 

I trust my dealer as we are in a rural area and they are close and convenient. They have been in business for 35 years and have built their reputation on service. I want to ride not wrench.

 

Does it have any effect on your warranty or resale value? I like doing my own work on my vehicles

 

I do all my own service, and will only take it to the dealer for something big, or warranty work. I trust myself more than the dealer (although I've never had anything done there, so I have no reason not to trust them) and I can work it into my schedule better if I just do it myself.

 

My scheduled service is pre-paid through 10000 miles (with free details any time I want also), but I do all my own work for everything else. Even with the dealer doing the scheduled service, I check behind the techs for my own peace of mind (and glad I did, or else I would have lost a timing cover one time!!). As for my doing all the other work, a good reason is the ridiculous dealer rates. I got a quote to install some bolt-on bags that I bought from a friend, and they said 3 hours! At $75/hr, it was gonna be $225. Uh, thanks but no. I got the instructions faxed to me from the MoCo (for free) and did it myself. It took me about 2 hours (more involved than at first glance because you need to remove the shocks, move and rewire the turn signals, blah, blah), but I saved a bunch. Get yourself a service manual and parts catalog and you'll be all set.

Good luck!

 

I do all of my own wrenching and have for the past 30 something years. I know my NT inside and out. Besides.... why would I want to pay a 'stealer' 72 bucks an hour for something i'm capable of doing myself? Get a manual. Learn your ride! When your out in the middle of nowhere and heaven forbid, you have a breakdown, you'd be better off if you know what to do.

 

For warranty issues, just keep good maintenance records (date, mileage, work done) and all the receipts (like for oil and filters) and you'll be fine. The MoCo encourages all work to be done by the dealer (for obvious $$$ reasons) but also recognizes (as mentioned in the service manual) work done by a competent owner with the proper tools. For resale, personally I would value a bike higher if I knew someone who knew what he was doin' did all the work and took obvious care and pride in the bike.

Good luck!