Use Dealer or do it yourself?
#1
04-29-2018 | 10:46 AM
Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 3,169
Likes: 1,455
From: Charleston, SC
Use Dealer or do it yourself?
First, let me say upfront that I have a good dealer with a lot of the techs that have been there for years. And I trust their work. And they take care of me well.
But some of the stories i Read about here with dealers doing shoddy work are sad to see. That should NEVER be the case at ANY Harley dealership. I may need some work done when on the road and I certainly wouldn't want it done by some of these dealers.
Do you guys that do your own work do it because you like to, or because you want to make sure it's done right? Personally, I would ride a bike that I worked on. LOL! Besides, if I worked on it, it probably wouldn't be ride-able anyway.
When you see this shoddy work by a dealer, do you ever report it to Mother Harley? They need to know about this kind of stuff.
If I wasn't lucky enough to have the dealer I have, I'd probably be riding some other brand of bike.
But some of the stories i Read about here with dealers doing shoddy work are sad to see. That should NEVER be the case at ANY Harley dealership. I may need some work done when on the road and I certainly wouldn't want it done by some of these dealers.
Do you guys that do your own work do it because you like to, or because you want to make sure it's done right? Personally, I would ride a bike that I worked on. LOL! Besides, if I worked on it, it probably wouldn't be ride-able anyway.
When you see this shoddy work by a dealer, do you ever report it to Mother Harley? They need to know about this kind of stuff.
If I wasn't lucky enough to have the dealer I have, I'd probably be riding some other brand of bike.
#2
04-29-2018 | 11:03 AM
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 26,757
Likes: 3,260
From: Vermont
I do my own work for frugality reasons, the pride of accomplishment, the experience of learning, and I know my bike and it’s add-ons better than anyone. That said, dealer techs are victims of corporate practice. They are beholden to job time standards. If I want to take 3 hours to do an oil change, I can and will. Dealer techs cannot.
Last edited by dawg; 04-29-2018 at 11:06 AM.
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#4
04-29-2018 | 11:20 AM
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 32
From: Alberta, Canada
Personally like working on anything as much as I can myself. I like the satisfaction of fixing something, I like the challenge of problem solving (my version of sudoku, but not boring as hell), and I like saving money since shop rates are retardedly high. I've done a couple frame up projects in last 5 yrs, muscle car and 70 lowrider truck. My 07 Ultra is my first Harley, and it's already been torn down to just a frame with engine/trans in it. Those would have came out too but I want to ride this summer. Lots of appearance upgrades, but I did cams as well, O9-up swing arm swap, and in a week about to take a crack at painting it. Previous projects I stayed away from paint. I did take up powdercoating and changed all of my chrome to black, very happy with that as well. I'm happy I've done all this work, cause now if I have a problem on the road I know exactly how it all goes together and what I might need to do to limp home or fix on the road. My wife likes it because she always knows where to find me,,,in the garage 
#7
04-29-2018 | 11:38 AM
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,979
Likes: 1,165
From: No where near you, OH
I'm on the same page as Dawg. I work in a body shop and am the lead tech. There's a set amount of time you have to do a specific job. If an insurance company gives me 3 hours to repair a quarter panel my job is to meet the time or beat it. If I spend 6 hours on that job my employer loses his *** and it reflects badly on me. A Harley dealership isn't any different. A tech spends the allotted time to do a specific job and it's over. I could rough out a dent or dents so it requires very little bodywork but I don't have the time to do that in a production shop. When I worked on my bike I dragged *** big time because I enjoy it. Much different scenario
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#9
04-29-2018 | 12:01 PM
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 5,691
Likes: 1,649
From: Olean, NY
Dawg pretty much nailed it for me also. I don’t want to pay the huge labor rate and have to drop the bike off for 2 days when it’s really only a few hour job. I try to do as much as possible so that I can learn as much as possible. (I also read a lot of threads on the forum that have nothing to do with me because ya never know what symptom might pop up down the line!)
I also like to know exactly what was done to my bike and more importantly, how it was done. I’ve seen a lot of instances where a dealer tech goes about something the wrong way, or cuts corners. (Like when I put new bars on my purchased used Night Train and saw how the dealer had already soldered extensions into the factory harness, my lord what a cob job that was to discover).
I also like to know exactly what was done to my bike and more importantly, how it was done. I’ve seen a lot of instances where a dealer tech goes about something the wrong way, or cuts corners. (Like when I put new bars on my purchased used Night Train and saw how the dealer had already soldered extensions into the factory harness, my lord what a cob job that was to discover).