anyone else think the dealerships are really ripin you off

[enduro400rider]

Ok today a got a call from my local honda dealership, this is the 4th time in one year my 400 has been in there. i took it in for a new head gasket they said it would be about 225 i thought that was pretty expensive but my dad woulnt let me do so i had no choice. they call me up today and said my camshaft was bad and it was goin to be and extra 200!!!( hot cams are 100 bucks ) im only 15 i dont have a ton of money. the last time i had it in there for a bearing in the starter they called me up and said it needed alot of top end work so i had to spent about 450 for that. it seems like everytime i take it in there they look for somthin else to make me pay them for even if it really needs done or not. my dad said he trusts that shop and it is the only one around here. when we droped it off last friday one of the machanics was out in the parking lot on a costomers bike riding wheelies and riding it real hard. Now thats what i call quality service runin a customer bike hard behind there back. Last year i took my LT185 in for a new clutch they didnt even touch the bike for a month and a half, that cost me close to 500 bucks!! and it was in there for over two months and they broke a fuel line and didnt fix it didnt tell me and i got it home and it was leaking gas all over the place. I think some of these shops are outragous we spend alot of money in there and they wont even give you a little bit of a deal. these shops need to show some of there customers a little more respect and give them a break. :mad:

stealerships....

[Quad18star]

I knew my dealership was bending me backwards , when I went in for an oil filter for my YFZ and they told me it was $22 . I had no choice but to buy it ... we didnt have aftermarket ones at work yet . When we finally got our filters at work ... they were prices at $3.95 .

oh and that $22 was with me getting the 15% discount that they give me . $3.95 is our regular price at work ... and I get an extra 20% off the reg price .

[TC426EX]

I dont support service departments at dealerships WHATSOEVER. I hate even dealing with the parts department too. I usually just buy oil and race gas from the dealership and thats it. Everything else I order from aftermarket distributors or Service honda and do it myself. Seeing as how the going rate for labor at dealerships is around $60 and hour, it is a big rip if you ask me. There is nothing on these motors that I wont take the time to figure out how to do, that would be worth paying someone that kind of money. I have been working on my own stuff for years now and have taken this motor down to the bare bones, every piece of it off and rebuilt it with many others.

It really helps if you know someone who knows what theyre doing the first time around for the major stuff like splitting the cases and all that, but anything that has to do with the top end is pretty cut and dry stuff that anyone with a brain and a clymers manual can figure out... The 400ex is one of the simplest motors ever to learn on as well. Definitely start doing your own work man, and get your dad involved and make it a father son project and have fun with it...

[MotoX3]

the only thing i buy at dealerships anymore is jets,grips and oil....

[250rAL]

Ask around and find a private mechanic with a good reputation. They'll be cheaper and probably better. Their livelihood depends on doing a good job for a fair price. Dealerships get business just because of the name on the sign out front.

[JR3]

b4 i got sponsored my dealership was fine but could have been better i took a trip there a week ago wow amazing service they fired all the arseholes and lowered all the prices

[TC426EX]

Originally posted by JR3
b4 i got sponsored my dealership was fine but could have been better i took a trip there a week ago wow amazing service they fired all the arseholes and lowered all the prices

Maybe your dealership is getting the hint that they need to have competitive prices and good people who provide good customer service to compete with the mail order companies these days. I would like to support my dealership more, but even when I get an "employee" discount hookup from someone who works there it is still more money than ordering it mailorder for obvious reasons (overhead, labor, etc.) I understand the dealership needs to make its money, but to me, $60 an hour to work on a simple quad engine is RIDICULOUS.

[big_poppa49]

Originally posted by enduro400rider
it seems like everytime i take it in there they look for somthin else to make me pay them for even if it really needs done or not

Yep! Thats what they do alright. Same thing happened to me. Took mine back b/c it had a blown head gasket + the timing chain was making a ticking noise. Took it back to the dealer and they charged around 2-300 I cant remember which but its charged by the hour + parts. So then I took it home, rode it for about 2 weeks and it blown again :mad: , so we took it BACK for the 2nd time and they came to find out it was a factory defect that was causing it so they put a new piston, gasket, and sumthin else in there and didnt charge for the 2nd time but didnt even offer a refund for the 1st time which was the factory defect that caused it then.

Another time I went to have new bearings put in the back and they called and said "we cant get the axle bolt off, so were going to have to cut it off" so they cut it off, said a new bolt would cost $15!!! So we done that and a few days later they called and said that the axle carrier was grited to peices that the bearings messed it up. So they put on a Lonestar billet axle carrier (forgot how much, but ALOT!) then the bearings and seals costed around $50. Then you dont even want to know how much labor was...:rolleyes:

[markeg192]

The shops around here are the same(Dealership or otherwise). Anymore I just order the parts where I can get them at the best price and do all my own work.

[SRH]

on parts tho most dealerships go through parts unlimite which has way higher prices to start with and there dealer cost is pretty much what rocky mountain sells stuff for list...

dealerships will rip you off every chance they get, if they say your cams bad say ok ill come down and take a look and if it is bad then 200 is about right hotcams is 134 with a core exchange, if your cams bad you have nothing to exchange and it will be more...,if it ran when you brought it in tell them this is all you want done and just bring it back after thats been done, if they tell you something else is wrong check it out for yourself

my dealership is actually really good. they charged me $2 for an oil filter and when it was closed and i had to go to a different honda shop they charged me $12:huh . Plus when i go to my dealership i get 15% discounts pn everything there. and the service is very good

[2stroketwin]

Just think of all the tools you could have bought for what they charged you in labor. Go out and buy a mechanic in a book called Clymer. I never give money to dealerships unless I have to, I'll support a local independent first.

[QuadJunkies]

Originally posted by MotoX3
the only thing i buy at dealerships anymore is jets,grips and oil.... WORD!!! I also feel the Ext. Warrentys(well thats a Manufactuer problem too!) are out to rip US off too!!! There should be some kind of law on these Bozos who sell stuff and have no education on WTF there sellin!!:grr:

[DEAL]

Most of the dealerships around here are great .. I buy majority of my parts through them.

[airheadedduner]

Originally posted by TC426EX
but to me, $60 an hour to work on a simple quad engine is RIDICULOUS.
So you are saying that a yfz's dual overhead cam 5 valve head is simple? Or that the TRX's unicam is simple?

Work at one and you would understand why. $60 an hour is cheap, thats what we charge. And at that the service department I work at does not even make money, we loose money. I think we might have broke even a couple of times this year, and that is with 2 techs and me doing the overflow stuff and not being paid flat rate. The only reason most shops have a service department is because they have to. The techs are just trying to make a living. If you went to MMI and spent the time and money to be certified I am sure you would want decent pay too. And techs make decent pay AT BEST. And think about that. $225 to change a head gasket is not bad. You got to understand that the factories send us a manual that says how long it should take to do something. So times that by how much they charge an hour and it makes sense. I am sure honda gives about 2 hours to change a head gasket, maybe more. Then add chem charge, parts and ect. At $60/hr the shop I work at would charge only a little less. 1. Always ask them to show you the work order so you can see where the time was spent. 2. Always ask for your bad parts and question everything. There are a lot of dealerships out there trying to rip people off but in the last 5 years that has changed. With mail order parts being so widespread now only good dealerships with a good customer base are gonna servive. A lot of customers complain to me but there is a lot that goes on that people just don't understand.

A lot of parts departments pay there parts guys wage+commision bassed on a percentage of the total profit of parts sold. A lot of parts guys try to rip people off that way. I have seen another dealership around here sell a guy a lighting coil for a yz250(it don't take one) and marked it up $75 over retail. We don't do that here but another thing people need to understand is we have to buy the stuff we sell, we don't get it for free.

BTW, before you say anything about getting ripped off on warenty's, you should see how bad we get ripped off on them:ermm:

[hot450girl]

They definitly are stealerships. First off, when I called aout buying my YFZ, the guy I talked to told me 6500 out the door pricing. I thought that sounded right so I gave him my information and they dropped off my 450 no questions asked. When the paper work came I signed it and ran because I was too involved in the moment. Well after riding I looked at the paper work and I signed it when it said $8200, not $6500. Let me tell you guys this was a stock 450, no gear included no anything. I was really upset and I called and fought with the dealership but it was my fault since I didn't read the fine print. I have accepted that. BUT something went wrong a couple of months ago where I needed the gearing changed or something I don't really remeber, and since it was under warrenty I could get the parts for free but the dealer chargers $150 just to work on it. Needless I say I told them to shove it and I was done dealing with their stupidity! :mad: I can get the parts and fix it myself like I have been doing. $150 to fix a bad oil tank, forget that! I fixed it just fine by myself!

[86350x]

Next time drive up to baycity to purchase your machine.I bought my 426 below retail. Yfz's were 6400 otd, no b.s.

[QuadJunkies]

Originally posted by airheadedduner
BTW, before you say anything about getting ripped off on warenty's, you should see how bad we get ripped off on them:ermm: I have EVERY right to feel ripped off... I never said for a minute that the general public doesnt do that to manufactuers, but I bought my warrenty to protect my investment, when a warrenty CLEARLY states what it will cover and the maunfactuer weasles out of it... then Thats FRAUD IMO.. IOm not the first and Im sure I wont be the last, but I have learned to NEVER buy another one ...

[airheadedduner]

Originally posted by QuadJunkies
I have EVERY right to feel ripped off... I never said for a minute that the general public doesnt do that to manufactuers, but I bought my warrenty to protect my investment, when a warrenty CLEARLY states what it will cover and the maunfactuer weasles out of it... then Thats FRAUD IMO.. IOm not the first and Im sure I wont be the last, but I have learned to NEVER buy another one ...
Did you just deal with the dealership or did you call the factory customer service? I am not saying people don't get ripped off. We need facts and whole stories, not just statements.

[QuadJunkies]

Originally posted by airheadedduner
Did you just deal with the dealership or did you call the factory customer service? I am not saying people don't get ripped off. We need facts and whole stories, not just statements. I actually DID post about my incident and Yes... I did call them direct avter getting no where with my local dealer, although I have to say the dealer REALLY went all out to try and help us, it was the manufactuer we were talkin in riddles too ;) Factory just passes the buck on to the peeps who take care of the warrenty end, either way we got no where.... :rolleyes:

I had my facts laid out on a table, LITERALLY.... it was CLEARLY a defective issue they would not pay ONE RED CENT... I am now in the middle of trying to get my Ext Warretny refunded and my dealership is trying to help us . The dealer wont even sell the Warrentys anymore after he seen what we went threw and how we(and the delar) were treated

[airheadedduner]

What a mess:eek: What manufactuer was that with? If yamaha gets the slightest idea that you arn't throwing strait dice, you get a call.

Who do you mean when you say,"the people that take care of the warrenty end?" Was it a third party company and not a factoy warrenty?

[QuadJunkies]

Originally posted by airheadedduner
What a mess:eek: What manufactuer was that with? If yamaha gets the slightest idea that you arn't throwing strait dice, you get a call.

Who do you mean when you say,"the people that take care of the warrenty end?" Was it a third party company and not a factoy warrenty? some times third party takes care of the warrenties(the Ex,t Warrentys after the 6 month warrenty is up) I have wrote letters, I have spent as many as three hours on the phone with the factory... :grr: I did have one victory with the factory, but thats another story ;)
I personally have had nothing but GOOD with my Honda warrenty thank goodness!! :p But have have freinds who have had nighmares with theres and its Yami, Polaris ect...

[airheadedduner]

I guess we do things different here because I am lost in what you are saying:confused:

[yoshz400rider]

i know this sounds stupid but one easy way to cut the cost is before you take it in do the easy stuff take the plastics off then when they are done u can put them back on urself may sound dumb but at mine I was charged an hour and 10 minutees for takin the plastic off and puttin it back on so i saved myself 80 bucks second time

[QuadJunkies]

Originally posted by airheadedduner
I guess we do things different here because I am lost in what you are saying:confused: Polairs doesnt take care of there customers direct, they will ALWAYS refer you to the "polaris star" program. That is who insures(Or warrentys) most if not all Polaris stuff. If you have an issue and cant get no where with your dealer I have tried to contact Polaris direct, then they in return refer you BACK to your dealer who coulndt help:huh then they will refer you to the Polaris Star program....It like going in circles Polaris passes the buck on to someone else when in fact THEY are the ones who hired the Polaris program to take care of the claims.....:mad:
get this...... When we have the writst pin warrentied,the guy was a total ***, and he told my delaer that if I didint have the stock tires on the quad, they wouldnt warrenty the motor:confused: OR the wrist pin??? he said those were oversized tires....













They were 18 inch turf tamers:o LOL.. shows how much they know........ :rolleyes:
glad to hear you guys take care of your customers in Ore :) ;)