Got back from MotoGP last night. We had a blast! It was pretty cool. The race was great. We were sitting in the shade by the corkscrew for most of the race. The place went nuts every time Hayden went past. Sucked for Rossi....
Last week i got my brand new Triumph Daytona 675 bike back from Hattar after getting some oil gasket components and the throttle cable replaced. All good, no problems, until.... We were riding into the races on Saturday. We had to stop at the
top of a big hill above ticketing for a bit. Everyone is shutting down bikes as it is 100+ degrees. Go to start mine... won't turn over and a liquid is dripping... Try again, same reaction. Put it in neutral and we get to the bottom of the hill. The liquid? Gasoline! We wait at the
ticket line and someone calls for a tow. Luckily, someone had an allen wrench so I could lift the tank. The main fuel line had become
disconnected!!! Fortunately you slide it on and it clicks into place, all done. We did that and the bike fired up.  The dealership had to disconnect the main fuel line to replace the throttle cable.  Therefore, it seems to me that they did a sloppy job of reconnecting the line when they were done!  While I don't think the chance is high, that fuel could have caught on fire, torched my bike and me!!!!
I spoke to the triumph tech at the races and he said i should be all set. I will be checking it this week though. All I know now is that I have had my bike in to Hattar twice for service work. First time it came back with a pinched vacuum hose to the gas tank (no air intake to the gas tank as the fuel empties out...). Now this.
I am never giving them any more business. The woman I spoke to at theTriumph tent said i was not the first person that day to comment on their shitty service... I was so lucky that it was so minor...

Option #5:  DIY

I'm constantly amazed just how fast and loose most automobile and bike dealer mechanics work.  It's no wonder they can't get anything right.  Rushing causes human error, and human error is the #1 cause of maintenance faults. 

At least it was something simple, and you were able to enjoy the race...   

The work they were doing was all warranty covered.  They had to get the parts and do the labor if I didn't want to pay for parts, etc...  I am about to pick up a bike as a project to learn to do as much as i can on.  Thanks and yeah, I was lucky....

option #1    remind them that this machine is only on two wheels , 1 if your having fun........ but not like a car where if shomthing fuc#s up your not in complete dangerfo wiping out  fuel on rear tire kinda slippery


my2 cents

First I would probably sue. No offense to anyone but my lawyer would be on the phone with them within minutes.

Then after that I'd go to a different mechanic, after purchasing a full page ad in the paper or billboard on that side of town (with the money I would inevitably win from them) publicizing their f%$k up.

Ahh, that's true, it would have been warranty work...  This was to fix the oil leak you showed us the the GS meet, right?  Out of curiosity, what gaskets did they replace?

I would try to find a small out of the way dealer, if there is such a thing out there.    They tend to be a little more interested in customer service, and their mechanics tend to be less stressed out.

Along these lines, I was suprised when I visited some dealers in the bay area.  I was suprised by how rushed everyone was.  At one particular dealer in San Jose the sales force was so busy running around that most prospects had to wait upwards of 30 minutes to talk to a salesman.  Prospects would simply walk in the door and start sitting on bikes.  Most had probably never touched a bike before in their lives, it showed in their lack of balance.  Never was a salesman hovering around to prevent a drop or answer questions, they were busy financing 600's for highschoolers with no experience.  Wheeled off in the corner of one showroom was a brand new CBR600RR missing the left mirror, clutch lever, and half the bottom fairing.  Down in the shop things were the same.  Bikes stacked 10 deep and mechanics running around like scalded dogs.  Not to say this is a California problem, there are dealers in IL like that too.  It just seems as though there are more dealers with the "rush mentality" in CA.

What a contrast to my "local" (40 miles) Suzuki dealer!  The owner is the salesman and his son the mechanic.  Their showroom is small at 20'x20', but well stocked with one of each current suzuki model.  The last time I was there he made a $70 sale, but we sat around nursing a soda for the better part of an hour swapping GS stories.  Needless to say, I feel as though my business is important to him.  Not something I can say for most large dealers.

Enjoy the bike, I'm still drooling...  

Warranties seem almost worthless to me. More of a headache it seems.

I have a mechanic who used to race motorcycles, and then when he got a little bit older was on a pit crew for like 15 years or so.

He's freaking awesome.

We have an amazing mechanic we deal with, trust completely, but he can't do the warranty stuff for free.  I forget exactly what evactly they replaced.  They have scrubbed out the gas tank, replaced the throttle and replaced parts of the oil pan due to an oil leak.  All of these were manufacturers defects that come along with having the first year of a brand new model.  All of those have gone well.  But each time it has come back with a separate issue that they created.  Triumph may also get a call depending on how the chat goes tomorrow with hattar.  BTW, I don't recommend that ANYONE goes there....

I almost voted and realized that a phone call to the shop manager, or owner, with a concerned warning that if they are not more careful they are going to lose more business.

Dealing with a dealer like that I wouldn't call I would go in there and in person complain to the owner / manager.  After that I would take my buisness somewhere else and tell everyone I know that was thinking about getting a Triumph not to go there.

Quote from: blue05twin on July 24, 2006, 06:47:22 PM
Dealing with a dealer like that I wouldn't call I would go in there and in person complain to the owner / manager.  After that I would take my buisness somewhere else and tell everyone I know that was thinking about getting a Triumph not to go there.

+1 And I'd probably follow up with a letter for good measure, cc's to the manufacturer.

And then, I'd post my experience on every moto site I visit that's remotely close to the dealership. I do the same thing when I appreciate the good work a place does: I spread the word (and hope they don't become too popular  ).

I hope you get everything ironed out, jbeaber.

Gee, all this because of a loose fuel line?  I don't know what kind of service you expect at a typical motorcycle dealership--where pay is low and turnover high and where techs really have to push out the work to make a living wage.  I've certainly had my disagreements with the shop personel in the past, but I sure don't envy their job.  Not a bit.  And, since there's not a dealership on every corner (where I'm from), these days I just try to cut them some slack and get along.  Aw, that's my compassionate side showing --you don't see much of that.  

I think jbeaber has had a bad experience each time he's gone to this particular dealership(?), and I think his patience has worn a bit thin (I know mine certainly would have). 

Minor stuff I can understand.  Dealer messing something up once I can even understand that.  But a dealer messing up multiple time I don't understand.  Haveing fuel dripping out of a loose fuel hose onto a hot engine is not minor that could very easily turn into some major burns or worse.

So, the manager of the service department is a co-owner.  also, his name is listed as being involved with every part of the service on my bike, both the tank scrub that led to the pinched air intake tube and the throttle cable which led to the fuel line falling off.  It is going to be an interesting conversation.  I want him to know what happened.  I want him to know I am pissed off about it and will never trust their dealership again.  I want him to know that my fiancee was considering a 675 but would never buy it from them.  Also, a good friend is interested in the new Ducati 695 and had been considering buying from them until all of this developed.  My story is on the D675 forum and will likely be going on to Barf (Bay Area Riders Forum) today after the phone call.  I was fortunate that this was a minor incident, but there was a potential for it to literally blow up in my face.  I don't expect anything from them.  i just want them to know that they did and hope that they can correct it in the future so no one else is put at risk.  I will also likely detail this experience to Triumph. 

Just chatted with the manager/co-owner/dude who repaired my bike.  Conversation went exactly as I expected.  He apologized.  Asked if there was any defect in the cable, which there was not.  He said they will work to prevent similar issues i nthe future, including checking 675 fuel lines which can evidently be a bit tricksy.  He asked me to contact him when i was next looking for bike service to see if he could do anything to 'win me back'.  I did not go to them for my first service.  i have another reliable mechanic I went to for that.  Hopefully Hattar will pay more attention in the future but he did fully understand that i will not be a customer of his again.....

Sounds good Jbear - glad you got it sorted out! Customer service is SO rare these days, I utilize three different dealers around here for different things, the one I bought my GS from for my b'fs honda parts, the one across the street (local mechanic) for oil my servicing (who I buy all my "fun" stuff and tires, etc. thru - he also races Kawis, and the one I bought my bike at gets my "apparel and shoe" business as well as my cheaper accessories, frame sliders, crews, etc. I use them because they get things super fast, but I would only have warranty work done there, I would prefer to give all other "maintenance" over to my racer mechanic who makes his living with his hands - just him, not a bunch of people on commission - it works! Everyone makes money, and I'm happy, which is the main concern

"Call and expect nothing." 

Yup.

-Turd.