Do you trust your Honda dealer?

I'll try and keep this brief but apologies if I go on a bit.
My bike was serviced at dealer A a year ago. I didn't notice till a few months later (following winter) that the crash bobbin (direct fixing type replaces original engine bolt) was floating on the bolt ( about 20mm pIay) and assumed that they had simply failed to tighten up properly but when I tried to tighten it up it wouldn't budge. Wouldn't loosen either. It had been cross threaded and then left in place.
I returned to the dealer ( after the winter and plus almost no miles) and they denied doing anything wrong and wanted £250 or so to sort it out. That wasn't happening so took it to dealer B and they sorted me out for around £35 so all good.
After washing I noticed that I would get water or fuel running from the fuel filler on hard breaking. Checked it out and noticed that the overflow must've been blocked cause it wasn't draining. Upon looking further the pipes maybe been pinched during service causing the blockage but hard to tell cause the pipes been disconnected I think. Lower half in place but open ended at top.
Right then ill prop up the tank and take a look see.
Unfortunately of the two front fixings which hold the tank cover on, one has been rounded off completely so can't be removed and the other has been replaced with a countersunk self tapping screw.
I'm afraid to look much further as I don't know what else ill find.
Oh and there were seven fairing fixings which have either fallen out or were not replaced at service. Most of these are the small push button type but a couple are fully threaded screws on the underside of the belly pan so more than likely just not refitted.
I'm so hacked off now as I don't know what else they did or didn't do.
This is a Honda main dealer ( cars and bikes) by the way.
Surely it's not too much to expect them to be able to refit a fairing without cocking it up?

 

Dare i ask but is the dealer named after a bird?

 

And this is why you should check all fairings/ Fastning after a wash .

 

Got to say that the guy I did know and trust, salesman wise, has left long ago sadly and gone to a Kawasaki dealer.
The only person I trust there now is the chief mechanic, who sadly can only do what he is told to by the men above.
However he will always be completely open, honest (if on the QT) and is a damn good mechanic.

The other Honda place I have dalt with had a "head salesman and manager of the branch" who couldn't tell the difference between a 600rr standard exhaust and a Daytona 675 standard exhaust.
Despite the fact it was also in a box that said CBR600RR on it.
Salesman there was quite good though, and ssh, but I think we actually won on the deals over the two bikes we purchased.

 

Well you're not the only one.Mine was 4k service I got drenched going to pick it up, knackered phone due to water ingress.When I arrived they hadn 't even started it, gave me another bike (my choice) to get back home.They delivered it a week later I wasn't there to sign for it.Both bottom fairing tags were broken.I gaffa taped it together rode it for 10 minutes and felt the tank wasn't right.The two allen bolts holding the tank cover were fully wound out. I was fuming so thought f*ck em.Told the boss some 9 mths later when I bumped into him and he later supposedly sacked the mechanic whom he wasn't happy about for some time.The point is if his work is shite it makes the whole company shite.I do it myself regardless of the warranty.I know it is done right, plus I use fully synthetic instead of semi what they use.

 

I sort of know how you feel but garages are like banks, much of a muchness! I don't have faith in anyone but myself, but I'm not as engineer and I don't have a dealers stamp

 

Sorry to hear about your predicament but happens all too often these days. Almost every forum has a few posts on how a dealer or garage screwed up. Almost every thread tends to end with sod the dealers, get a service manual and do it yourself that way you know what's all been done.

 

The senior dude at Hunts in Manchester is a good un and anyone who spanners Michael Dunlops machine is ok for me .

 

I actually use a local independent Suzuki and Ducati dealer as their Ducati trained mechanics are really thorough and although its not the cheapest service the bike always feels better for the visit.

I haven't visited a Honda dealer since Chiswick Honda fitted the wrong baffle to my RR7 exhaust causing it to explode and melt the tail and all they offered were parts at 10% discount but full rate labour.... I told them to F&&k off

 

only three people have got to work on any bike I own
and thats me,my dad and a friend that runs a dyno shop and race team.
cant trust my local dealer because they used to sell only suzuki's and used
to bad mouth my honda's and duke.now they sell hondas they say honda is
the best bike out there :s

 

Theres nothing I disagree with here and to be honest the first person I blame is myself. I should have checked it etc but where does it end? I could have, and should have spotted the fairing bolts, the crash bung was a definite red flag but to see that they had been so cack handed with a simple thing like bolts (they call them special in the manual?) and then to fire in some screw that would have been more suitable for some joinery work is beyond a joke. You spend a fortune on a service and to be honest, if they had just told me about it at the time and ordered the replacement bolts, I would have sorted it myself, no problem.
I don't mind spending the cash if a job gets done right.
Ive booked it in for a 32k service and want to get the valve clearances checked and the new dealer is talking £432 for the service. As I say i don't mind paying but my confidence has taken a knock tbh.

 

I have seen some shocking examples over the years - cars/bikes/building; you name it, bad examples are easy to find.

No other person will have the same attention to detail as the owner, so if at all possible & the skillset/time is there, you are better of doing your own imo.

I have taught myself to look after my bikes; made mistakes along the way but now have a good understanding of what needs to be done; dont imagine I will use a dealer in the future (touch wood).

 

Lo and behold, the wife puts her new 600RR in for it's first service and gets charged £160 from a dealer.
Bloody rip off consider the little they do on the first service.
And considering we have just spent £22k on new Honda bikes, you would think they would return to free first services.
Absolutely raging. Can't see mine going to a dealership for it's first service now.

 

Chiswick Honda are a joke, used once, never again.

 

Hi Mate,

That is good. Recently bought a 2012 blade from Norton Way Honda in Letchworth (part of the same group at Chiswick) & it hasn't yet done enough miles for its first service. So have been pondering where to take her. I must admit from a sales point of view I really can't knock the guys at Norton Way they really went out of their way to get me a demo bike from Chiswick. Whereas St.Neots wouldn't let me test drive a used blade they recently had in stock, which I really can't understand. However, I have heard only praise about the service guys at St.Neots, so maybe tempted about servicing my blade there. I have heard they do a good job & check the bikes thoroughly as well.

 

In my case, I do.

Had excellent service since I have bought the bike secondhand from them. First dealer I have found for years that has delivered good service.

I normally do all my own servicing, but the work has been good and completed correctly and their rates are very good compared to dealers in Central london, so they have my business at present.

 

I only trust me on my Blade. They will not go into the detail I do and take as much care. It takes me as long as it takes not some schedule set by the service manager.
The only reason why I go back to the dealer is if its covered under warranty and even then I'm very wary.

My local dealer changed my headstock bearing and wheel bearings under warranty. (At the same time had a full ABS bleed).Took them 3 days to get it all done as the ABS ECU wasn't play ball!.
When I got my bike back the brakes were more spongy and my brake light didn't work. On investigation the wires were disconnected at the lever sensor. Then I put 2 and 2 together, how did they do a bleed if the brake switch was disconnected as ABS bleeds require depressing a combo of levers and pedals to get it into the various stages of bleeding.

needless to say I wont be going back

 

I live in Stafford and have used the local dealer "Chells"
John + Cyril in Sales, Jim in parts and Julian in the workshop.
Small dealer = good service in my opinion
Perhaps I am just lucky living near a good dealer like I do