Finding a good mechanic

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tex1230 · #1 Unread post by **tex1230** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 9:07 am

I posted this in the maintenance forum, but this one seems to get more attention:

After several not so positive experiences at the dealer, I am coming up on the first service for my bonneville.

I'm hesitant to give them more of my money and was wondering if anyone can suggest a good (honest!) mechanic in Fairfield County, CT or close by who works on Triumph bikes.

I don't mind paying if I know what it's going to cost but when I asked the dealer how much the first service would cost their answer was "around $200"... that seems pretty vague...I am not mechanically inclined at all but I'd assume that all scheduled service would be standardized...I mean, how can you not set a price if you're doing a by-the-book service after 500 miles?

nyrblue35 · #2 Unread post by **nyrblue35** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 9:23 am

are you absolutely positive you cant do it yourself? its even easier than changing the oil in your car. at least if you did it yourself you would save quite a bit of money and have peace of mind. most 600 services are mostly an oil change and tightening some bolts down in most cases.

as for the price. maybe he couldnt give you a direct quote because certain bikes need more things checked/replaced? also maybe oil filters are priced different for bikes. again, this is just a guess. i brought my bike to the dealer one time to check the fuel injection and he shafted me. told me he took it for a good test ride. i saw the odometer was the same as when i dropped it off

tex1230 · #3 Unread post by **tex1230** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 9:30 am

I could do the oil change myself but I think there are other things they do - and I have no tools and little spare time to figure it out. I don't mind paying as I said - I just am leery of "around $200" - that leaves a lot of room for them to tack on extra stuff that I may or may not need.

Bachstrad37 · Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:16 am

tex1230 wrote:I could do the oil change myself but I think there are other things they do - and I have no tools and little spare time to figure it out. I don't mind paying as I said - I just am leery of "around $200" - that leaves a lot of room for them to tack on extra stuff that I may or may not need.

Yep, no tools and lack of know-how = shafting the customer.

I spent a little bit on tools knowing in the long run, it will save me big bucks. Motorcycle maintenance is eaaaaassssy. Maintenance items are exposed unlike a car, so you spend very little time getting at things. $200 can go a long way at your local Sears. Simple wrenches and a socket set can be used for your car, house, etc.

$200 is definitely high for what they actually do (oil change and tightening of various bolts), but not high in terms of industry standard. The dealer make more money on these types of services than they do on sales of the motorcycle.

Learn to do it yourself if fairness is a concern. You'll at least care more about the job being done diligently than any dealer will admit.

DieMonkeys · Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:37 am

Bachstrad37 wrote:
tex1230 wrote:I could do the oil change myself but I think there are other things they do - and I have no tools and little spare time to figure it out. I don't mind paying as I said - I just am leery of "around $200" - that leaves a lot of room for them to tack on extra stuff that I may or may not need.
Yep, no tools and lack of know-how = shafting the customer.

I spent a little bit on tools knowing in the long run, it will save me big bucks. Motorcycle maintenance is eaaaaassssy. Maintenance items are exposed unlike a car, so you spend very little time getting at things. $200 can go a long way at your local Sears. Simple wrenches and a socket set can be used for your car, house, etc.

$200 is definitely high for what they actually do (oil change and tightening of various bolts), but not high in terms of industry standard. The dealer make more money on these types of services than they do on sales of the motorcycle.

Learn to do it yourself if fairness is a concern. You'll at least care more about the job being done diligently than any dealer will admit.

+1

Also you'll gain a sense of self-accomplishment you won't get by paying some guy 6 times as much as it would take for you to do it.

DirtyD86 · #6 Unread post by **DirtyD86** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:22 pm

everyone should change their own oil, everyone. its such an insanely simple process that it amazes me people are willing to pay someone else to do it. the first time you do it (assuming you dont know much about the mechanics of bikes) it might be a little intimidating but once you are through, you'll wonder why the hell you hadnt done it yourself sooner.

ofblong · #7 Unread post by **ofblong** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 2:03 pm

DirtyD86 wrote:everyone should change their own oil, everyone. its such an insanely simple process that it amazes me people are willing to pay someone else to do it. the first time you do it (assuming you dont know much about the mechanics of bikes) it might be a little intimidating but once you are through, you'll wonder why the hell you hadnt done it yourself sooner.

because some people buy vehicles with a warranty. I do all my own oil changes but with my mini van I have the stealer do it. why do you ask? well because then I and the dealer have documentation saying I did the oil change so when warranty issue comes up I can prove that I have been doing the correct maintenance. Without that proof they can deny you warranty because they can say "You didnt do an oil change between these miles and these miles". I am sorry but $20 for someone else to do my oil change once every 3 months is better than $4500 for a new motor if something happens to go wrong with it or for a new condensor for my air conditioner which is $1300.

*edit this is just an example under what I go through and not necessarily the solution to this problem posted above. $200 for an oil change is quite excessive and would cause me to do it myself as well just keep all reciepts. Also since it is a honda I would suggest you go to their website and join their Honda Owner link. Add your bike to it and whenever you do a maintenance procedure add it to the owner link. Just another way to prove you did it besides with reciepts.

Nalian · #8 Unread post by **Nalian** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 2:16 pm

In addition to the above - some of us got lifetime oil changes tossed in with our bike purchase. I'm not gonna complain about not having to pay! That being said, I know how to do it myself if I needed to.

spinner · #9 Unread post by **spinner** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 2:28 pm

I live in an apartment, no garage. I just bought a few basic tools at K-mart and I was set. Easiest thing to do.

tex1230 · #10 Unread post by **tex1230** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 3:25 pm

ok so I understand that an oil change is relatively easy, but what else is done on the first service? This is why I'm still looking for a decent mechanic.