Cowboy Honda Service Department Beaumont Texas

[Tinman]

This is not a happy tale nor is it a feel good report. Read and evaluate for yourself...

TRIP ONE
I took my bike in to COWBOY Honda in Beaumont, Texas for a loose exhaust shield and an airbox cover. Well, next day I have an exhaust leak and they scratched my lower exhaust (which I made them replace) and the alternator cover was scratched also from the heat shield (replaced).

TRIP TWO
So I let them pick it up at my house in a trailer the next morning. When I pick it up what do you think I have?? An exhaust leak.

TRIP THREE
Go back the next and wait 8 hours while they try to fix it. Mechanic informs me the studs were cross-threaded and he had to install bolts. Well first off they were too long and were resting on the fins on the cyclinder. Ride about 80 miles. You know what I am hearing? Another pesky leak.

TRIP FOUR
Take it in first thing in the morning. Wait Three more hours. Tech put in shorter bolts. I made them note this was unacceptable as a method of repair. They asked what I wanted them to do... I said fix it RIGHT, I even offered for them to use heli-coils or something to that effect. They agreed they would replace the cylinder. Take it home that night after he put in shorter bolts and it leaked again!!!

TRIP FIVE
Dropped it off last Thursday as they said all the parts were in. Went in yesterday and all parts were NOT in .

This may be over tomorrow. I hope none of you ever has to deal with crap like this. MY PERSONAL ADVICE is STAY AWAY FROM COWBOY Honda SERVICE DEPT. as they obviously don't have a clue.
As far as I am concerned I will NEVER take my bike there for the simplest of repairs. Follow this advice if you cherish your ride.

As an added insult I asked if they intended to compensate me in any way for the down time. The Service Manager HAL acted as though they did me a favor for fixing it at all and even insinuated it was warranty work and they did not provide compensation for any warranty work. I reminded him it was NOT a warranty issue it was an issue with thier service deptartment and a mistake they made. Isn't that a kick in the [expletive removed].

I am posting this not just as an unhappy customer (although I am) but as a conscientious consumer who feels noone should be screwed over because of incompetent personnel.

Another reason I am so upset is this was my break between Summer and Fall classes and we had a trip planned. Needless to say we cancelled it as it was to be on the bike. My wife took vacation from her job and our next chance won't be until the Spring break next year.

Thanks for letting me vent. BTW anyone who lives in the Bmt/Pt Arthur area who wants to get together for tech sessions feel free to call and we can arrange something. PM me for a phone number and best times to get in touch.

Because others think I may be hiding my identity I feel since I am being critical then they (Cowboy) and the reader deserves to know I have nothing to hide. Thus a signature may be in order...

James Savant

[Tourmeister]

:tab Sorry to hear about this. It is frustrating but not uncommon. I am not just talking about motorcycle dealers either. I have noticed in the last ten years or so that it seems more and more, people act like they have gone above and beyond when in fact they have barely managed to perform their jobs in a mediocre fashion. The attitude where they feel like they have done you a favor is quite prevalent. I have a long nightmare story about a home repair contractor service that was pathetic. All they cared about was that they had done the steps, nevermind that it looked like total crap.

:tab There are still a few people and companies out there that really do try hard to provide an honest and competent service, but they are definitely in the minority. The "American work ethic" seems to be a fading memory. Try being someone responsible for hiring people to work for you, it is exceptionally discouraging. Most folks now days act like simply showing up for work entitles them to a paycheck, regardless of the quality of their service. The idea that you should take pride in your work now seems laughable at best to many people. The long term repercussions for our society are scary...

[John Bennett]

> "I took my bike in to COWBOY Honda in Beaumont, Texas for a loose exhaust shield and an airbox cover."

I'm curious. What kind of bike and how many miles?


> "The idea that you should take pride in your work now seems laughable at best to many people."

Too true. I hired a guy to re-roof my house because I felt sorry for him. He was a member of my Mother's church. She asked me to give him my business because his wife had just run out on him.

Long story short... They attempted to roof over a basketball-size rotten hole. They attempted to install the flashing on TOP of the shingles and caulk it to the shingles. I only caught this because I roofed houses in college and took the time to climb up there and walk around every day before work.

I now have a huge leak around my chimney. I'll fix it myself because I don't want those methamphetamine addled scum-bags touching my house again.

The only solution I see is to do as much as work as possible yourself, and educate yourself about any repair before hiring it out.

I'm currently investing time learning about OBD-II (http://www.obdii.com), the car computer data format. It's actually pretty cool. I already saved a friend $80 by diagnosing his "check engine" light as a loose gas cap.

[pinecone]

While having the right tools for the right job is important, your tools will only take you so far. Experienced (insert tradesman of choice here) are worth their weight in gold. Especially if the job is really complicated. I have seen many cases in both the auto and bike shops of the DIYer mucking up things and making a simple repair even more complicated and costly.

[kurt]

I think most of the problem now days is the flat-rate method of billing labor hours. There is no incentive to do a good job, only to finish fast.

[pinecone]

I think most of the problem now days is the flat-rate method of billing labor hours. There is no incentive to do a good job, only to finish fast.

I somewhat agree with that. I have seen folks that cut corners to beat the flat rate. I have an incentive to do a good job because my conscience won't let me do otherwise. That and repeat business. :chug:

[John Bennett]

> "I have seen many cases in both the auto and bike shops of the DIYer mucking up things and making a simple repair even more complicated and costly."

I have seen FAR more cases of DIY'ers saving themselves a ton of money by learning to fix their own stuff.

No tradesman will repair someone's stuff with the same loving care and attention to detail as the owner will.

That is true even for tradesmen with angelic dispositions and saint-like morals like yours Jeffie Foo Foo.

I estimate at 100:1 the ratio of money I have saved DIY'ing over the years versus the amount of my I spent because I screwed something up (yes it does happen).

Regardless of what computer techs, plumbers, doctors, and priests would have us believe, there is no Black Magic which only god-men may access.

[kurt]

My Bandit burned oil and had the defective pistons replaced. Afterwards it leaked oil. Three trips to the dealer didn't cure the problem. After the last trip the mechanic/shop manager became irate and said, "This is costing me money to fix".

I want to take this chance to thank him. I bought a service manual, figured out he had improperly reassembled the motor and fixed it myself. I've never been back to a shop again for any bike.

With all due respect to Jeffie, who seems to really care and got a job at a premiere dealership, most mechanics at most dealerships suck. Woods scratched the poo out of my frame on the 600 mile service and lost a grommet spacer for the tank. They just put it back together and never said anything. Later when I brought it to their attention, they refused to do anything about it. All for the $300+ they charged. I now do them myself for about $30 and know they are done right.

Have I ever trusted a mechanic? Yes. Johnny Cheese when he was at D&L. He became so fed up with dealerships he started his own shop. He recently lost it in a divorce but hopes to be back soon. I hope so.

[pinecone]

> "I have seen many cases in both the auto and bike shops of the DIYer mucking up things and making a simple repair even more complicated and costly."

I have seen FAR more cases of DIY'ers saving themselves a ton of money by learning to fix their own stuff.

No tradesman will repair someone's stuff with the same loving care and attention to detail as the owner will.

That is true even for tradesmen with angelic dispositions and saint-like morals like yours Jeffie Foo Foo.

I estimate at 100:1 the ratio of money I have saved DIY'ing over the years versus the amount of my I spent because I screwed something up (yes it does happen).

Regardless of what computer techs, plumbers, doctors, and priests would have us believe, there is no Black Magic which only god-men may access.

Saint FooFoo :rofl I can see it now. Say 11 Hail FooFoos to absolve yourself of your mechanical sins. :twisted:

That's why I stressed EXPERIENCED tradesmen. Some folks neither have the time, desire, or aptitude to work on their own stuff. Those are the folks I can help. Heck, I was (and still am ) a DYIer. I just happen to get paid doing it also. If you can tackle it, go for it.;-)

On things I can't fix (law, doctoring, some home repairs), I get help.

[Tourmeister]

:tab My experiences have been similar to TxMedic's. I have even requested a procedure to be done and got a blank look from the Service manager. Then when I showed it to him in the manual, he was genuinely surprised. This was the throttle body synching for the FI engines on the VFR. It was also FOUR YEARS after the systems had been introduced on the VFR. It is not an obscure procedure, but one that is called out for in the regular maintenance schedule. The shop technician had not seen it either... :brainsnap I should have known better than to leave the bike there at that point, but noooo....

:tab They proceded to break many of the little plastic trim clips that hold the bodywork in place and then deny it vehemently. They did offer to sell me new ones at a scant $5 a piece :angryfir: Then, despite my explicit orders NOT to use the expensive top of the line oil, they did it anyway... and charged me TWICE for it!!! Then they charged me TWICE for installing a front tire that I never asked them to install in the first place :scratch By the time it was all over, I had the original $1200 bill down to around $600 where it should have been. They refused to replace the broken clips. The bike was covered in grease and grime. I've never been back.

:tab It is this kind of general crappy attitude and incompetence that drove me to look for small independent shops. Fortunately, I found Patrick at Motorcycles Unlimited. He is not perfect, but he is honest and competent. I will tolerate a lot when people own up to their mistakes and try to make things right. Many of the dealerships I have dealt with in the last few years have adopted a take it or leave it kind of attitude and this is why I will usually go out of my way to take my business elsewhere or do the work myself.

:tab It is not that there are no good dealerships or techs out there. It is just that I have had so many bad experiences that it is hard to give the benefit of the doubt when the end result can be so bad for me if they suck. I have a theory though. In politics, you often see the idealist go in thinking they will change things because they are on a mission and they won't be like all the other politicians. Once they get in office, they realize that this is a hopeless cause because you simply cannot exist in that environment as an idealist. Remaining in the environment necessitates a change. Perhaps the same is true of many mechanics? Perhaps it is the very nature of the demands of a dealership shop that eventually wears down a tech to the point where they give up and go with the flow?

:tab One last point about all this mess. As a customer, you have to be reasonable. I have been witness to far too many incidents in shops where a customer tries to take advantage of the shop. So I can understand how many shops get a jaded attitude when customers come to them complaining of damage to their bikes done by the shop. There are shops that do damage the bikes and there are customers that try to blame stuff on the shop when such blame is not justified. Short of a lengthy inspection when a bike is dropped off, I don't know what to do to help resolve this kind of issue.

:tab With the home repair contractor that I mentioned earlier, I bent over backwards at great expense in time and money to work with the contractor to get things done right. They could not get even simple instructions right and then tried to whine and weasel their way out of fixing their blatant mistakes. They accused me of being unreasonable and over demanding. So.... I had my insurance adjuster and the owner of the contractor company come out for a look themselves. The owner actually admitted to being embarrased by the poor service of his employees and agreed to a settlement. He did not make things right per se, but simply bought me off so he could move on. I didn't see much point in letting his guys try to make it right... for the FIFTH time!! :roll:

No tradesman will repair someone's stuff with the same loving care and attention to detail as the owner will.

:tab I disagree with this absolute statement. There are good people out there, they just seem hard to find. When you do find them, they are usually booked up for a LONG time, hehe.

[Tinman]

:tab One last point about all this mess. As a customer, you have to be reasonable. I have been witness to far too many incidents in shops where a customer tries to take advantage of the shop. So I can understand how many shops get a jaded attitude when customers come to them complaining of damage to their bikes done by the shop.

I was not being unreasonable. I did not ask for anything. I did ask if they had any intention of compensating me for the inconvenience of not being able to take my vacation, and the rest of the time in the shop. They could offer a free scheduled maintenance or something. The shop next door "Cowboy Harley Davidson" is one of the dealers that rents bikes, maybe a discounted or even free loaner would have been acceptable. Instead they acted as though I had no reason to be disgruntled by thier mistakes. This whole thing has been a comedy of errors and I for one am not enjoying it.

BTW, would you trust a tech to replace your jug even though they couldn't replace a heatshield? In this case that is exactly all I could do. See as I stated this was thier error not warranty work. So if I took it elsewhere I would have had to pay or thier mistake. What to do?

Also, the bike was bought last September, now has 14,000 miles and I brought it in for the 600 mile service and then again for the heatshield and airbox. Heatshield and airbox were placed on order. I never returned for service and recently went for the heatshield as I thought they may have forgotten (which they had even though it was logged in the maintenance record). I'm not breaking it then bringing it in blaming them. THEY DID SCRATCH THE LOWER EXHAUST on the side somehow and they DID crossthread the studs then strip them out. I have never messed with the exhaust.

[Tourmeister]

I was not being unreasonable. I did not ask for anything.

Tinman, I was not speaking of you specifically and this particular instance. That was general rambling about the whole shop dilemma we all face. Sorry for the confusion ;-)

[Tinman]

No problem Tour.. I went to pick it up as they said it would be ready. Well... Service writer says" exhaust is fixed sounds good".
I say "Ok is it ready"
Service writer says "Well it has a little oil leak and you can pick it up in the morning or we will trailer it out".

Did I miss my mark on the fact that they would screw it up again? NO!!!

I will keep you all posted till this story is complete.

I called Honda warranty to see if they were being charged for this they won't know till it is completed. I told them I'd call back to check on it. I am not going to let the dealer file a claim and get paid for thier mistake ( at least not without being heard in the matter. I am asking for the area Reps number or a point of contact once this is all done. At least they will know how I feel.

[Tourmeister]

I would like to hear some theories as to why the negative attitudes of dealers and their employees is seemingly so widespread.

Is it that these people take an endless supply of customers for granted, so keeping a few happy is not worth their time and effort?

Is it that these people have just burned out from years of dealing with crazy customers?

Are the shops really just cheap ***'s that are out to make a quick buck at the customer's expense?

Is is simply a case of general incompetence?

What do you think?

[Tinman]

I'd say yes to all of the above. :lol:

[pinecone]

I would like to hear some theories as to why the negative attitudes of dealers and their employees is seemingly so widespread.

Is it that these people take an endless supply of customers for granted, so keeping a few happy is not worth their time and effort?

Is it that these people have just burned out from years of dealing with crazy customers?

Are the shops really just cheap ***'s that are out to make a quick buck at the customer's expense?

Is is simply a case of general incompetence?

What do you think?

In some cases of negative attitude, it can traced back to politics in a dealership. Things like low pay for doing lots of work or somebody not getting promoted or working with "idiots".

Some shops are happy to staff their places with warm bodies. Some aren't.

In some cases, dealership personnel can get frustrated with trying to satisfy very demanding customers. They are only human and subject to the same emotions as everybody else. But there is one fact that remains true: THE DEALERSHIP NEEDS CUSTOMERS IN ORDER TO SURVIVE.

[Tourmeister]

THE DEALERSHIP NEEDS CUSTOMERS IN ORDER TO SURVIVE.

:tab Which is why the negative attitudes are so hard to understand? I would think the point you make is blatantly obvious but it seems lost on many dealerships. While I don't expect them to cave in to every unreasonable whim of a customer, I do expect them to be professional, polite, honest and genuinely concerned about helping the customer. All of those things are what seem to be most lacking based on the stories I hear so often and my own experiences.

[pinecone]

THE DEALERSHIP NEEDS CUSTOMERS IN ORDER TO SURVIVE.

:tab Which is why the negative attitudes are so hard to understand? I would think the point you make is blatantly obvious but it seems lost on many dealerships. While I don't expect them to cave in to every unreasonable whim of a customer, I do expect them to be professional, polite, honest and genuinely concerned about helping the customer. All of those things are what seem to be most lacking based on the stories I hear so often and my own experiences.

Yep. All I can do is have a positive attitude and do the best job I can. It ain't easy. Some jobs are tough. Some customers too picky. But it is my professional responsibilty to provide the best service I can 100% of the time. I know if I don't somebody else will.

[TwistedFate]

Some things that burn in the crawl of dealership employee's is when people want something for free, like a helmet or a discount because they just bought a bike, free service, free, free, free for me!! Its under warranty!!! How many discounts do you get at, say Foley's, Dillards or Kroger? How about at the Harley shops? What discounts do they give? The margins are so small on bikes and accessories (excluding H-D), is 10% really worth asking for? Did the shop employee not do a good enough job to where you feel you need something free? How about some free advice?? That's worth more than 10% off! I'd like some discounted legal service. How about that?? Anyone?? Consider this, most dealership employee's are on a commission structure, they work in a dealership because they LOVE motorcycles, not for the money!! They have families, kids, braces and college. Me personally, I want people to make a living, keep the lights on and pay their bills. If I'm getting good service, I don't need a DISCOUNT. Bottom line, if you can't afford, quit pretending. How about a discount where you work? Can I have one?

[M2]

GSRider

You are getting a discount from me...the one of free speech. I have spent the last 24 years of my life defending it, so enjoy!

Don't try to kid me about motorcycle dealerships being in the business for the love of the sport, most are in it for the love of money. Either way, they shouldn't treat their customers like crap, as people vote with their wallet and in the end they will be biting themselves in the hind regions. That is why shops like CycleGear win out, they treat their customers well and in the end it turns out to be in their own best interest. By the way, CycleGear gives me a 10% discount for being in the military...I didn't ask for it, the first time I was in their San Antonio store the salesperson (Josh) asked me if I was in the service and when I replied I was, he said that they were happy to give me the discount. Guess what, that gesture resulted in my going back and spending more money on leathers, a helmet, boots and gloves. So, a win-win situation for all.

I am sick of dealerships crying about the Internet hurting their business, when I read stories like Jeffries. It isn't the Internet but the lousy way they treat customers that is killing them. Why should I pay more and be treated like ****, just so I can maneuver my way around ten annoying salesmen just to get to the service department, where most of the time I have some hamfisted moron ending up screwing something up on my bike? I am all for making a living, most of us have to; but I work hard to earn money and when I have to hand it over to someone else, I expect them to work equally as hard to earn it as I did!

Cheers! M2

[Tinman]

Went in to pick it up again today. Well that dang heatshield is rattling like crazy. I left it again. It really is pathetic. Sounds like I am dragging a tin can.
Do I expect something for free??? You bet at this point. I have paid my monthly note of $256.00 for a motorcycle I can't ride and have missed around 14 days so far. That equals half a month's payment plus the insurance and the inconvenience of missing our vacaction. Not to mention the 8 hours I spent waiting in the lounge. So call it a shut me up. Don't think if I get crappy service I won't tell the next guy. That's a large portion of everyone's business... word of mouth. SO what should it be worth?
Not only did he not do a good enough job he broke more than he fixed in the first 3 visits. So far the billing looks like over $1200.00 that they have had to eat. Does it sound like he did a good job to you? If he had I would have to pay that bill, not the dealer. There goes more of his margin. Argue with someone who got good service and asked for a freebie. I think I deserve something. Oh and as I stated in the beginning this was a warranty item from the get go.

[Chirpy]

It's time to drop a dime and call American Honda and talk to the Factory Rep that covers Cowboy Honda in Beaumont. Quit talking to the dealer at all, and leave your bike there. Once it's there 30 days for a safety or resale related issue you can start looking into lemon law hearings, so it's actually to your advantage to have it spending time in the shop.

M2, thank you for your service. I appreciate the "discount" and try to use it wisely.

One of the best parts of Trackleather was seeing big bad *** enlisted men tear up when you handed them half their money back and said "Thank you for keeping my daughter safe". Some literally just didn't know what to say. Those are good memories.

"Course the ones who said "Cool, now we got beer money!" are also good memories :chug:

[Tourmeister]

Dean,

:tab What you are talking about is the customers that I was referring to about being unreasonable. I have seen people that think ANY repair should be a warranty regardless of the cause. It is quite understandable for a Service manager to get tired of this. How the Service manager deals with these people will go a long way towards keeping people happy. Obviously, there are those customers that simply will not be happy unless they get what they want, no matter how unreasonable the demands. A free $500 helmet because someone bought a bike is crazy. As you mention, the dealership can't stay in business giving stuff away for free. No argument there ;-) I am all for supporting my local dealership with my $$ when possible. That is part of what it takes to keep a dealership in business so they are there when we need them.

:tab I have been putting off posting the following story in an effort to wait and see how it would be resolved. Now seems as good a time as any to share it though.

:tab Shortly after buying my R1150GS, while it only had about 15K miles on it, WELL within the warranty period. The exhaust clamps were letting the pipe flop around. I repeatedly took the bike to Gulf Coast asking them to fix it. First they said they had fixed it. I picked up the bike and it was immediately obvious they had done nothing. Their standard response was, "leave it here for a few weeks and we'll see what we can do." The fact that I had to repeatedly drive several hours each way to get there and back meant nothing to them. Then, after a few more visits for the same issue, they started feeding me a line of crap about how BMW no longer makes the parts they needed and so they could not fix the bike. This for an 02 model bike that at the time was still being sold!! I was flabbergasted that they would try to feed me such nonsense. When I called them on it, they would not back down off that story and basically told me to get lost. During all of this, I never got sarcastic with them, never tried to get something for free, tried to do everything I could think of to work with them to get it fixed, all to no avail.

:tab A few months went by before I could get down to the next closest BMW dealer, Wild West out in Katy, almost 2-1/2 hours each way. When I brought the bike in and explained what had transpired, the Service rep there almost died laughing. The bike was still under the original warranty. He covered the repair under warranty with no questions asked, had the parts within a week, and I was good to go... or so I thought.

:tab Harldy two months went by and the exhaust was already flopping around again. The bike had never been down on the exhaust so it was not the result of impact damage. About this time your shop opened up. I had been eagerly waiting for this because you are only about 40 minutes each way and all the story was how this dealerhsip was being opened specifically because of the lame service people were getting at Gulf Coast.

:tab So I brought the bike down, explained the situation to Joe and at first, he said your shop would not cover it because the bike was now out of the original warranty. He mentioned that I should take the bike back to the place in Katy if I wanted it fixed. I asked him if their repair should have had a warranty independent of the bike's original warranty and he said yes. I asked if a dealer's repair warranty only applied if the bike was always brought back to the dealership where the work was done and he said no. To me, this means ANY BMW dealership should cover the repair under warranty. If I move across the country and a week later a repair fails, then the nearest dealership should take care of the problem.

:tab After this discussion, he finally agreed to at least look at it and then agreed that he would fix it and it would be under warranty. The parts would be here in a few days. No mention was made of me having to pay for the repair work. I left and then brought the bike back the following Monday and left it for an entire week before getting a call that the parts had not come in and that he did not know when they would come in. So I spent an evening going back to the dealer to get the bike.

:tab In the meantime, I had the Colorado trip coming up. Joe said go on the trip and we'd get the bike fixed up after I got back. You've seen the pics of the bike and know what happened. Joe calls right after we get back and says the parts are finally in, about four weeks after the first visit. Then he informs me that I will have to pay for the labor, two hours according to the book. I was not told this up front and I still don't understand why I should be required to pay for the labor on a warranty repair :shrug: To date, I have not gotten an answer to this other than "because". When I asked if I could have the parts to install myself, with the obvious and stated understanding that the shop would not warranty my work, he said no.

:tab Rather than argue with him, I told Joe that the exhaust issue would have to be put on hold because I needed the repair estimate on the bike. When I dropped off the bike, I specifically stated that I did not want anything included that was not a direct result of my accident. The pipe did not receive any damage from the roll over on the left side because the Jesse bags took the impact. Inspection of the pipe clearly showed that the movement was exactly as it was before the accident. Nonetheless, when I got the repair estimate, the pipe and associated parts were included in the estimate. When I asked Joe about this, he simply said that since the bike had been wrecked, he could no longer cover the pipe under warranty. It did not matter that there was no additional damage. According to him, the wreck voided any outstanding warranty issues, period! :brainsnap

:tab Here is what he explained. If he were to do a warranty repair on the exhaust, then turn around and do a repair estimate on the same bike so soon, BMW would probably think something was up and deny the warranty claim, leaving him stuck paying for the cost of the repair. He stated that this was simply not something he was willing to risk. Therefore, either the insurance company paid for it as part of the wreck repair, or I paid for it out of pocket. I told him that I did not think it right to try to push this off onto the insurance company when the damage was not related to the wreck. His response was one of indifference and a repeat of his previous stance that the exhaust would not be covered under warranty as he had originally agreed. Seeing that further discussion was pointless, I politely asked him for the phone number to call to take the issue up the ladder, he gave it to me, I thanked him and left.

:tab What I don't understand is what if the parts had come in on time? He would have done the warranty repair as originally agreed. I would have gone on the trip, wrecked the bike, and he STILL would have a repair estimate in the system on the same bike right after doing the warranty work. Would BMW come back and deny the warranty repair after the fact!? I doubt it. So why should it matter now?

:tab Now this part will really kill you. My front tire had a valve stem cap that has the part on it for removing the valve stem core. My rear cap was one of those fancy BMW roundel caps that the previous owner had put on. After leaving the shop I had to stop at the Chevron just up the feeder to plug a flat rear tire. I noticed BOTH caps were gone!! The shop is already closed so I can't go back. I know for a fact they were on there when the bike was dropped off because I had just checked the tires and made sure they were on there before riding down because of the known puncture.

:tab While I was down for the club meeting a few days later, I asked Jeffie if he could take a look in the shop. My thinking was that perhaps the guys that clean and check the bikes before pickup might have taken them off when they checked the tire pressures and just forgot to put them back on. He could not find them. (Thanks for looking though Jeff). Now I realize this may seem trivial to the dealership, but it is a perfect example of what people have been griping about. Now I have to take the time to visit the autopart store and spend a few bucks to get a new core remover/cap. If I want to replace the BMW cap, Lord knows what that might cost :lol:

:tab So I call the number that Joe gave me, talk with some guy that acts as if he could care less, and then tells me he'll get back to me at the beginning of the next week (which is now this week). I have not heard back from him. Joe calls and says he will now warranty the parts replacement but that I still have to pay the $130 for labor.

:tab So here I am, a YEAR after starting all this mess and my exhaust is still fubarred. I have spent a LOT of time and money trying to get it taken care of, and to top it off, I am expected to pay for two hours of labor to replace four exhaust clamps which I could do in about twenty minutes.

:tab Now I am not unsympathetic with Joe's feelings in this matter. He has inherited the mess of two other dealers and I have no doubt that he does not enjoy this. No, it is not Joe's fault that I had to waste so much time and money jacking around with the other dealers. Joe never got ugly with me, talked down to me, or engaged in any other rude behavior. This is VERY MUCH appreciated. However, as a BMW customer, not just as a dealership customer, I think it reasonable that I have the expectation that ANY BMW dealership should do what is necessary to make it right. The idea that I should have to always go back to the same shop is ridiculous.

:tab So maybe I have no freaking clue what is involved in running a dealership. I suspect few customers do, or care. All I know is my exhaust is messed up, it was and continues to be a warranty item, which the shop had even agreed to, but I still have to pay for the repair? I am not trying to get something for nothing. I just want it fixed. I don't want extra crap to appease me and make me happy. I just want the original agreement honored, which did not include me paying the labor.

:tab I don't know. I guess that makes me completely unreasonable :shrug: I do know that I am quite likely to sell this bike and never buy another BMW. It has NOTHING to do with being able to afford the BMW. It has EVERYTHING to do with this prolonged experience, the entire mess start to finish. I have tried to be patient and have not pushed for anything other than what was orignally agreed to. I guess some people might think pay the $130, be done with it, and what's the big deal? If that is your attitude, feel free to send me the $130, I'll be done with it and it won't be a big deal ;-)

:tab If I am missing something about how warranty repairs are supposed to be handled, someone please educate me!!

[TwistedFate]

Scott,

I have sent your post to Joe for resolution. Hang tight and I'll see what WE can do. This is getting a little ridiculous as everyone here wants you and all patron's to be completely satisfied. I'll be in touch. Thanks for the info.

[Tourmeister]

Dean,

:tab I appreciate the help. As I said, if I have missed something about the normal procedure for handling warranties, please explain it. I don't have an axe to grind, nor am I mad. I am just frustrated. Joe called this morning and hopefully I will be able to get down there sometime Saturday to speak with him again. Thanks.

[Cagiva 549]

I didn't realize we had Jomamma on TWT . Scott , HardyBaker took the muffler off his GS and put an 8 inch pipe in place of it . You can hear a nice growl when sitting still but I could not hear it on the road . and no mufflers to rattle . SEYA

[Tourmeister]

:tab I have removed the post by ProDurtRacer and all subsequent related posts as they didn't contribute to the thread topic at hand and were a little too personally agressive. If anyone has an issue with this, please PM me and DO NOT start it up here again.

:tab ProDurtRacer, that kind of flaming post will not be tolerated. If you disagree with someone, fine. State your position, but do it without all the extraneous nonsense and personal slights.

:tab David, I have often though about doing the same thing with my exhaust. I no longer have stock rear turn signals because the exhaust melted the left one completely. When I ran the bike without the silencer, it was about the same as with it. I imagine the cat does most of the effective silencing. I would still want an extension though to keep the outlet high enough to stay out of low water crossings ;-)

:tab Regarding my exhaust warranty issue. I will keep everyone updated about how it turns out. I will be visiting the dealership again tomorrow for a chat with the Service manager. Hopefully, we can reach an agreement that makes everyone happy.

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab So I met with Mark, the owner, Joe and Brian, the Service and General managers respectively. It was explained that there is a 90 day warranty on labor and one year on parts. However, what I did not understand, and was not explained before now, is that the labor warranty is not from BMW but by the individual dealer and they don't honor each other's labor warranties. This means the customer has to always go back to the same dealer if they are still within the 90 day window. Wish I had known that before because when I first went to the BMW North Houston, I was still in the 90 days and could have gone back to Wild West. Now what I will try to do is use my extended warranty to cover the labor as there is no deductible. In the end, the labor issue boiled down to assumptions by both of us, me that it was via BMW and Joe in thinking I knew it was by the individual dealerhsips. They also agreed to replace the valve stem caps. As I mentioned before, these guys were all polite about it and I greatly appreciate their taking the time to sit down with me face to face to get it sorted out. That means a lot to me.

[Tinman]

Glad it worked out for you TOUR. I think mine may have been resolved thanks to about 6 websites over 1000 views and my own persistence. I took it in today and they replaced the entire exhaust system. Put about 100 miles on so far and the rattle is gone. Hopefully for good as I do not especially like to make a scene. I would rather do my business and be done with the matter. Thanks for your support and opinions. I still would keep my reservations on going back though. ;-)

[John Bennett]

Glad to hear both you guys got your problems resolved.

As service consumers, the only power we have is the ability to gather testimonials and give our own after the fact.

I'm old enough to remember the days before the internet when it took YEARS before enough negative reviews got communicated by word-of-mouth that a bad business suffered (as they should).

Conversely, it also took YEARS to learn who the good and honest people were.