REFUSING TO SERVICE 10-YEAR-OLD BIKES

[Walris]

My biggest local dealer, Broward Motorsports in Florida, refuses to service ANY 10-year-old bike - even if you purchased it from them.
Froward sells Suzuki, Honda, BMW, Ducati, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Indian, and those 3-wheel brands. I've purchased - and still own - one of each of these brands from them (and others). But I have bought seven motorcycles from Broward in the last eight years - before I was aware of this policy, which they don't post or announce.
This is their official policy. While they're entitled to run their business as they want, I believe consumers should avoid them - AND the brands the sell- like the plague.
They refused to service my pristine BMW K1200GT (2007) that cost $23,900 new. And a Honda VFR.
So my question:
Why do OEMs allow them to do this?
What does this mean for a $32,000 2020 Goldwing? Or a $27,000 BMW K1600 GT? Or my $13,000 Hayabusa? Or my 2011 CBR 1000RR? My 2014 Monster?
Obviously, the OEMs (and Broward Motor Sports) think consumers are fools.
This DOES NOT happen with Harley-Davidson, which is proud of their heritage. Sport bike dudes may scoff at H-D, but they understand customer loyalty.
I've contacted all the OEMs for response.
Is my point valid - or am I crazier than usual.

 

[Bumblebee]

I'd say that is just the dealership, maybe they have so much business they can afford to turn people away...most other dealerships would be looking for work these days I figure..

 

[rubbersidedown]

@Walris it is a huge PI$$ OFF but unfortunately par for the course these days. My bro gets tons of work as dealerships want an' assembly line process. Get them in...plug them in...get a diagnosis,order in-stock parts (a big reason they turn older bikes away) and out the door. They want to do oil changes and tires. If it requires heavy thinking or parts fab,forget it.
There is a shop around here that draws the line at 5 years.
For you and your collection I would suggest a meeting with the top dog,in the shop or even the owner. Make it clear that your bikes are not old rusty pieces of shi7 and ask about being taken care of personally. No joy...then fug 'em...go elsewhere. You will have zero problem finding a guy who does quality work out of his private shop.
Heck...you fly me down there and all maintain your fleet for free.
You only one you have that's a bit of a drag to work on and it's the 'Wing. All that plastic. Yuk.
The only issue EVER in my mind for repairing anything is parts availability. If a shop is decently outfitted they will have the necessary speciality tools required for the brands they have sold/serviced over the years. IE: different pullers/diagnostics/etc.
A lot of techs turn down side jobs,and I don't blame them...they put in a 40 hour week,last thing they wanna do is work on the weekend,but some do. Plus they have access to those special tools I mentioned...

Maybe give one of them a try. They usually charge a lot less than dealer rates too.
Rubb.

 

[HayaWakened]

Pretty common policy here in SoCal. A place south of me called Langston had that policy in 2016 when I brought my 06 Ninja 500 in for shifting fork replace. Curious because they said no at first until they realized what a jackpot (for them) that would be in labor hours (split the casing) and decided they'd do the job. My bike was "on the bubble", they said.

 

[ZeePopo]

My biggest local dealer, Broward Motorsports in Florida, refuses to service ANY 10-year-old bike - even if you purchased it from them.
Froward sells Suzuki, Honda, BMW, Ducati, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Indian, and those 3-wheel brands. I've purchased - and still own - one of each of these brands from them (and others). But I have bought seven motorcycles from Broward in the last eight years - before I was aware of this policy, which they don't post or announce.
This is their official policy. While they're entitled to run their business as they want, I believe consumers should avoid them - AND the brands the sell- like the plague.
They refused to service my pristine BMW K1200GT (2007) that cost $23,900 new. And a Honda VFR.
So my question:
Why do OEMs allow them to do this?
What does this mean for a $32,000 2020 Goldwing? Or a $27,000 BMW K1600 GT? Or my $13,000 Hayabusa? Or my 2011 CBR 1000RR? My 2014 Monster?
Obviously, the OEMs (and Broward Motor Sports) think consumers are fools.
This DOES NOT happen with Harley-Davidson, which is proud of their heritage. Sport bike dudes may scoff at H-D, but they understand customer loyalty.
I've contacted all the OEMs for response.
Is my point valid - or am I crazier than usual.

@Walris Contact your Local Rep for the manufacturers of your various bikes. I'm sure they would not be pleased to hear a Authorized reseller of their products refuses to service them after X number of years. Make these asses change their policies, Manufacturers will make sure they do. Twitter is also a great way to get attention to customer service issues. Make sure to @ the manufacturer like say Suzuki Noth America and the Shop itself. You will have a response in 24 hours. Twitter is the fastest way to get things done nowadays. Then again there is something to be said for having a real person at the manufacturer to keep as a point of contact. Call it in to the manufacturer and if you don't get the response you want Twitter their ass.

 

[hayabuser]

I worked at two dealerships with similar policies and the thinking behind it is this: A 10+ year old bike can be a massive can of worms once opened.

A decade is a long time, long enough for ham-fisted previous owners to bodge all sorts of bogus repairs... long enough for multiple crash events and hidden damage... long enough for fasteners to corrode and seize... long enough for all sorts of evils to develop. It's basically a policy to cover themselves. I saw many instances of riders bringing bikes back crying "It didn't do that before you worked on it!" even though the problem was completely unrelated to the work accomplished. I also saw old parts break while trying to get to the repair... brittle fairing panels... corroded waterpumps... seized sparkplugs that have never been out of the engine since it left the factory...

When it came to dirt bikes, the cut off was 5 years for the same reasons I stated above.

Now if the dealership knows and trusts you, or knows your bike well, or knows that you care for your rides like your first born, then exceptions are made. A good relationship with your local dealer is an important one and can grease the wheels (both figuratively and literally) for getting your older bike through the service door.

 

[Sandow]

I worked at two dealerships with similar policies and the thinking behind it is this: A 10+ year old bike can be a massive can of worms once opened.

A decade is a long time, long enough for ham-fisted previous owners to bodge all sorts of bogus repairs... long enough for multiple crash events and hidden damage... long enough for fasteners to corrode and seize... long enough for all sorts of evils to develop. It's basically a policy to cover themselves. I saw many instances of riders bringing bikes back crying "It didn't do that before you worked on it!" even though the problem was completely unrelated to the work accomplished. I also saw old parts break while trying to get to the repair... brittle fairing panels... corroded waterpumps... seized sparkplugs that have never been out of the engine since it left the factory...

When it came to dirt bikes, the cut off was 5 years for the same reasons I stated above.

Now if the dealership knows and trusts you, or knows your bike well, or knows that you care for your rides like your first born, then exceptions are made. A good relationship with your local dealer is an important one and can grease the wheels (both figuratively and literally) for getting your older bike through the service door.

But would it not make sense to determine WHAT can be done "safely" on a 10+ year old bike?! Like a list with do's and dont's?! Instead of refusing it in general....

 

[rd99]

But would it not make sense to determine WHAT can be done "safely" on a 10+ year old bike?! Like a list with do's and dont's?! Instead of refusing it in general....

They are making a killing changing oil,tires and bolting on parts,,,,$$$$$$$$$$$.

 

[hayabuser]

But would it not make sense to determine WHAT can be done "safely" on a 10+ year old bike?! Like a list with do's and dont's?! Instead of refusing it in general....

Going on a case-by-case basis might sound like a reasonable way to go about it but the reality is that no dealership has time for that. Plus that opens you up to the "fairness" argument.... "You worked on my buddy's bike but not on mine?!" Why bother with that stress when a blanket rule eliminates all eventualities? As I stated before, if your dealer knows you and knows how you care for your machines, it won't likely be an issue for you. You'll get preferential service and a better trade-in value automatically.

And if you resort to social media shaming, you'll never get anything from them again.

There are always exceptions though... service departments can and do relax their rules during lean times. Some will take on big jobs (like the aforementioned engine rebuild) during the off-seasons if they feel that the risk is low, and the customer has his/her head screwed on right.

There's also the topic of mechanics working on "book time".... newer machines throw up fewer "while you're in theres" so jobs can be done quickly and efficiently. One broken stud can blow a tech's day, adding hours to a job for which they won't get paid. Why bother taking the chance if you don't have to?

 

[hayabuser]

They are making a killing changing oil,tires and bolting on parts,,,,$$$$$$$$$$$.

There is some truth in your statement but at the end of the day, it all comes down to avoiding liability for unseen problems. As I said above, why bother taking the chance if you don't have to?

 

[Sandow]

Going on a case-by-case basis might sound like a reasonable way to go about it but the reality is that no dealership has time for that. Plus that opens you up to the "fairness" argument.... "You worked on my buddy's bike but not on mine?!" Why bother with that stress when a blanket rule eliminates all eventualities? As I stated before, if your dealer knows you and knows how you care for your machines, it won't likely be an issue for you. You'll get preferential service and a better trade-in value automatically.

And if you resort to social media shaming, you'll never get anything from them again.

There are always exceptions though... service departments can and do relax their rules during lean times. Some will take on big jobs (like the aforementioned engine rebuild) during the off-seasons if they feel that the risk is low, and the customer has his/her head screwed on right.

There's also the topic of mechanics working on "book time".... newer machines throw up fewer "while you're in theres" so jobs can be done quickly and efficiently. One broken stud can blow a tech's day, adding hours to a job for which they won't get paid. Why bother taking the chance if you don't have to?

That makes total sense. Thank you for explaining! I prefer to hire a technician privately anyways if I have a bigger issue going which I cant fix myself. I'd rather give him the hourly fee instead of paying 130 dollars to the shop :-)

 

[Bumblebee]

Probably a way of forcing people to buy new products-especially those who are not knowledgeable or have the space to wrench for themselves...

I can imagine other vehicles will be falling into this trap shortly.

 

[busafan08]

I am not sure if this happens in Australia yet But it probably will

 

[RacingJake]

My Dealership Sell's HD's, Honda's and Suzuki and I've spent Ten's of Thousands there. They know I race a GS bike too and they always call me when another GS needs work. Kids now days need a computer to tell them what to do, I'd like to see them clean, reassemble and sync a set of carb's LOL.

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

Most HD dealers are the same, old is apparently (too) old for them to bother with. If a dealer refused service on a bike I bought from them, despite its age, I’d really voice my complaint as far as I could. The dealer I use near me is a multi brand outfit and they’ve never refused to service my bikes, even my 14 year old Busa that I bought new somewhere else. Imagine what I went through having a 79 and an 82 six carb, 24 valve six cylinder CBX. Most shops, dealers especially, figured my bikes were either garage queens or basket cases and were shocked to learn I actually rode them frequently. Needing an 18” rear tire on tour a couple times really made me and the shops look deep for a suitable road going 18” tire in stock that wasn‘t a knobby. Except for running the valves and syncing the carbs I learned to do everything else. Any mechanic that would do the work either owned one or used to.

 

[jellyrug]

I worked at two dealerships with similar policies and the thinking behind it is this: A 10+ year old bike can be a massive can of worms once opened.

A decade is a long time, long enough for ham-fisted previous owners to bodge all sorts of bogus repairs... long enough for multiple crash events and hidden damage... long enough for fasteners to corrode and seize... long enough for all sorts of evils to develop. It's basically a policy to cover themselves. I saw many instances of riders bringing bikes back crying "It didn't do that before you worked on it!" even though the problem was completely unrelated to the work accomplished. I also saw old parts break while trying to get to the repair... brittle fairing panels... corroded waterpumps... seized sparkplugs that have never been out of the engine since it left the factory...

When it came to dirt bikes, the cut off was 5 years for the same reasons I stated above.

Now if the dealership knows and trusts you, or knows your bike well, or knows that you care for your rides like your first born, then exceptions are made. A good relationship with your local dealer is an important one and can grease the wheels (both figuratively and literally) for getting your older bike through the service door.

I guess a dealership has the right to service customers as they wish, but have a bit of a problem understanding the reasoning behind it.

Cars and bikes are both automotive, the former requiring more skill than the latter. A Mercedes dealership will service any model, despite the age. And if you wish to restore a pre-world war 2 model, they have a center in CA specifically geared to deal with that.

It is a matter of diagnosing the scope of work, giving the customer an estimate and getting or not getting a work order.

My guess is the problem being availability of skill sets to do competent work.

 

[BlueBacon]

I have a few moto shops near me and only two don't have the 10 year cut off, but they are more of a "custom work only".
One of the cut-off places said no to my 2003, but then took it in when I added tires to the order with getting the fork seals done.

 

[hayabuser]

I guess a dealership has the right to service customers as they wish, but have a bit of a problem understanding the reasoning behind it.

Cars and bikes are both automotive, the former requiring more skill than the latter. A Mercedes dealership will service any model, despite the age. And if you wish to restore a pre-world war 2 model, they have a center in CA specifically geared to deal with that.

It is a matter of diagnosing the scope of work, giving the customer an estimate and getting or not getting a work order.

My guess is the problem being availability of skill sets to do competent work.

You don't need to guess, I've told you from experience exactly why the cut off exists in some shops.

 

[Odin]

Walris, Broward Motorsports has been doing that for years. They really don't care, they won't even put a tire on an older bike unless you take the tire/rim off the bike yourself.

 

[Walris]

This issue isn't finding someone to service my bikes. There are plenty of shops who don't have a franchise to work on my rides - or my racing shop will do it because I'm a good customer.
I have what Broward wants - a large disposable income and a taste for the toys they sell.
I will NEVER buy another product from them and as one of the guys on this thread suggested, I'm going directly to the OEMs. They lose, not me. My money spends any where.
I run a bunch of national consumer mags and had my own PR agency. I know the game.
All these dealerships - and their OEMs - need to be called out by consumers. It's a matter of principal.
Can you imagine Porsche telling me they won't work on my $128K 2011 911 C4S when it turns 11 years old in two years. Or RAM not working on my $78,000 2013 truck in 2024?
Do you think I'd EVER purchase one of their vehicles again?
Why should consumers buy the products of dealers and OEMs who don't stand behind them on a long-term basis?
The more fuss we raise, particularly with motorcycle OEMs in a nosediving market, the more we can pressure dealers to do the right thing.
BTW, guys, you may think I'm spoiled, but I regularly work 14-15 hour days and, yes, seven days a week - except when racing.