Wow....

[rodeo#11]

Alright so i gotta vent for a sec guys....needing to know if you guys think this sounds right. So the mechanic i take my quad to calls today, he said he put a new solenoid in, new spark plug, new front pads(tusk) on both calipers, a wire replaced, and cleaned the filter....he is charging me 400$ for what could of took me a day to do but he has had the quad over a month....is this sounding right or am i losing my mind...cause to me it sounds wayyyyyyyy over priced.

these are my figures..

-spark plug- $3 tops
-clean filter- maybe $10 at best
-pads- 15$ a set
-he told me he even paid 30$ for the solenoid.

at best i would of figured 200$ for the lot

[matt14c]

Might be about right considering they are probably charging you $70+ an hour for labor. That is why if you want to continue participating in this sport its pretty crucial to buy a manual and learn how to do things yourself. Between this site and a good Honda manual you could pretty much fix anything.

[mcgrath]

Originally posted by matt14c
Might be about right considering they are probably charging you $70+ an hour for labor. That is why if you want to continue participating in this sport its pretty crucial to buy a manual and learn how to do things yourself. Between this site and a good Honda manual you could pretty much fix anything.

X2

All the dealers around here charge $89-$93 per hour. Youch! Its pretty bad when they only pay their techs $15-$19 per hour. What you need is a manual and a little trial and error.

[rodeo#11]

lol yea i bought the quad used so i got shafted on the manual and ive been working on my quad for years now and now it inside and out EXCEPT for the wiring lol not my strong point

[mcgrath]

Yeah right on. Get a multimeter and learn how to use it. They are extreemely handy. Checking wiring takes time and patience.

[rodeo#11]

yea my dad's a certified electrician but he is scared to go near my quad or help me cause he dont wanna mess anything up but shucks least i can get him to help me figure those things out. lol

[buster024]

Get a Clymer manual....they are fantastic. The manual that comes with the bike is really just an owners manual, and not a service manual anyway.

[zack221]

search for 400ex service manual on here and there is a thread where you can download the whole service manual

[rigger]

With all the hours that I have spent over the years with all of my bikes and atv's in the past would probly be in the 2 or 3 million range.

I work for a boat dealership and we charge $95 an hour, that adds up fast if I spend all day on someones boat. I no longer own a boat but if I had one and had to pay someone to do everything to it, or my atv's, I could not afford them as hobbies.

You really need to learn how to fix them your self. Ask questions and read about everything you can. It will teach you a lot.

And you can have a lot of fun doing it.

[rodeo#11]

yea, i mean know everything BUT wiring...It scares me lol im afraid to mess up

[matt14c]

Originally posted by rodeo#11
yea, i mean know everything BUT wiring...It scares me lol im afraid to mess up

Yea wiring can be a bit tricky but like I said if it doesnt mention it in the manual ask on here. Chances are someone on here has had the problem.

If it was wiring you could have bought a whole new wiring harness I think for $400! But hey you live and you learn.

[rodeo#11]

that ya do i could of saved that money for a new front end lol

[danzigg]

This site will teach you everything you need to know . I bought a basket case 2000 400ex last dec and never owned a quad before .
Worked on a few 2 strokes in the past. after got it running in jan "thanks to this site" we own 4 of them now my wife and my 2 teenage sons all have ther own.
I have aqired them all off of craigs list and they all were in verry bad shape . bad motors shot carrier bearings ect...... if i did not spend the time on this site and almost wore my clymers out..lol
the 4 of us would not be riding 400ex's
this site is the bible when it comes to a 400ex.
the cost to fix and mantain them would not fit in the family budget
if i had to pay some one to to the work.
we have and all of the the only bad thing i hate about the 400ex is those 8mm case bolts lol....

2 2000
1 2001
1 99 2 red 2 yellow.

[Bill Martin]

The price wasn't bad but they should not have kept it that long.