Yeah, the problem with that though it that the code it was throwing basically says it's a relay... so it should be the first thing they tried. I'll find out tomorrow (later today) if there was a legitimate reason for that much labor. I hope there is, haha.

 

They don't call them "stealers" for nothing! get out your vasoline

 

I'm not sayin it was legit,just that's what they're gonna say,took em 2 1/2 hrs to check what the code said it was,lol

 

You didn't happen to tell them that you had already tried the relay when you took it in did you?, not defending them but sometimes that throws a tech off because he thinks that's been checked already.

 

Unless you want to tow it again, they know they got you buy the short and curlys, hence the 2.5 hours labor. The HD by me is like 90 bucks an hour, so it could be worse.

 

Okay, so here is the deal. I went there to talk to them and pick her up today. I talked to the guy that always handles these things for me there and he couldn't find a reason for the excess labor. You know what his solution was? Guess. He just removed the erroneous labor costs and said, "You spend good money here."

That (and the time they gave me a ride to school 30min away) is why I love Cowboy Harley. Grated, they could have screwed me over if I didn't know any better but I knew better and was nice about it. Goes to show how great they are and how much farther being nice will get you.

So for anyone having this problem in the future (and knows how to use search):

Bike:
2007 Harley XL100c
Problem:
Everything working, not injecting fuel, tries to start but won't fire.
Engine Codes:
P0261, P0263, and P1003
Solution:
Check your relays (three pronged black boxes near all the fuses behind the battery panel). Don't switch them... that didn't work. Get new ones.

 

Here's the thing with most dealerships. They run "flat rate" on their labor. That means that the manufacturer's service book says it will take a certain amount of time to do the job, usually including a specific time allotted for diagnosis. Then that's what they charge you. The same works for most mechanics that work for flat rate. The service book says that it takes 2 hours, the service department charges for two hours, but if it takes the mechanic one hour, he still gets paid for two. I have seen "flat rate" work to the benefit of the shop and mechanic, but I have also seen the reverse. I have seen a job that was "flat rated" at 2 hours, take the poor tech 3 hours to diagnose and fix. At that point both he and the shop lose, but the customer wins.

The positive here is that the service manager dropped the "excess" labor charges. That's customer service.

 

[QUOTE=AjaBra;6672484]Sorry for the double post. Here is the deal:

Turns out it was a relay after all. Cowboy wants to charge me [SIZE=6]$190 [SIZE=2]now. That is two and a half hours of labor plus the price of the relay... I don't understand how it takes two and a half hours to change a relay. It was throwing a code saying it was a bad relay... you start by changing the relay... it works... done. 30min tops. I really hope they spent two and a half hours testing every single wire in my bike and doing a complete electrical diagnostic. Even the service guy I was talking to was wondering why it took that long. With the tow, that brings my total up to $265 for this whole ordeal. I am going up there tomorrow to get my bike and hopefully I can talk them down a bit. Two and a half hours... good lord...

Well I'm no expert but it seems to me the only way to be able to charge you for 2 1/2 hrs labor is to take ...........about 2 1/2 hrs to fix your bike. Simple. Yea I know I'm a smart ***.