Stay w/BMW or?

[mikea]

My 1992 R100R has developed yet another transmission output shaft seal leak and is filling up the final drive. This same problem was supposedly repaired 3 yrs./10000 mi. ago at 33000mi.(removed the units myself and shipped them to a shop).
A couple of weeks ago I made an appointment with a dealer over 5 hrs. away(as close as any). The appointment was made a week ahead of time and confirmed 2 days beforehand. The service manager said they would have the parts and do the repairs the same day.
My cousin and I rode down the afternoon before (cousin on a V-Rod), found the dealership, and got a room. Next morning, we were at the shop at 8 AM (appointment time) only to find that they didn't open until 9. Bad Vibe #1.
At a little after 9 the service mgr. presented me with a fancy computer generated repair order to sign and informed me that the mechanic who was to work on my bike was late because he was having a metal building delivered to his property, Bad Vibe #2.
We hike to a waffle house and had breakfast. I ate grits
On arriving back at the shop, I foung the bike moved but no one was working on it. Bad Vibe #3.
We retired to the showroom, looked at bikes and talked to some very nice people. Then a mechanic showed up to ask what the problem with the bike was (not the mechanic who was supposed to do the work, and with whom I had talked by phone.
Bad Vibe #4.
Another hour or so passed and the mechanic (technician?) returned to tell me that my diagnosis was correct and that I need the output shaft seal and, probably the final drive seal as well. He also told me that he had come to work early that morning, was leaving early, and didn't have time to do the repair. And that's Bad Vibe #5.
The fellow who was apparantly the manager let me test ride a VFR 800, tried to sell me another BMW, and was very nice. They all were very nice and friendly.
The bottom line is that I lost a day and a half leave time, had the expense of the trip, and endured over 5 hrs. of 18 wheeler traffic for nothing. No apology.
Now, BMW's are nice bikes but I'm no longer the believer I once was. Any suggestions for something from the Orient?
BTW, I no longer harrass my friends about Harley dealers shafting them.

[kbasa]

Sounds like you need a better mechanic and shop, not necessarily a new bike.

[username]

im with kbasa on this one - youve got a Krap dealer. did you by chance speak with the owner of the place and tell him/her what happened? that might fix things a bit. owners usually are embarrassed to find out that they did a Krappy job. you are justified to be super pissed, but do everything you can to be really calm about it. (you seem really rational in your note, which is excellent.) another thing to try, which you absolutely shouldnt have to do, is to get ahold of them 2-3 days before, and also the day before, and make sure theyre ready, and remind em, 'hey man, im riding 5 hours of slab and staying in a hotel to get this repair done, we cant be screwing around.'

it's a major drag to have to go 5 hours to the dealer. i wonder, can you be a weasel and sign up for roadside assistance, then ride the bike part way, call for help, and have it towed into the "nearest" dealer? >:-)

it also sounds like these folks might not be the right ones to figure out why youre getting such a low MTBF as well. that's what'd bug me - the worry that there is a chronic issue that isnt being address properly.

[James.A]

I might be stepping on toes, but.... The only person you can truely trust is you. I think that unless a dealership has been in business for a long time, they might not be too interested in servicing anything that they might not have sold originally. There is a shop near me that stopped selling BMW's in 1980 and then resumed in 1994 when the oilheads came out. It was difficult to get parts for airheads the second time around. They have dropped the line again. They sent out a letter to all their BMW customers announcing that they would still work on BMW's but not do warranty work. Essentially, we, the customers, were told that we were on our own. I sold my R1100.
If you are dependent on others for your mechanical service, you must choose a brand with a good dealership within a reasonable distance.
I love my old airheads so much that I have undertaken to maintain a collection of spare parts and teach myself to work on my own bikes. I buy or make or modify tools when I come up needing them.
I have worked on cars and trucks and tractors and all kinds of machinery, so this is a viable option for me. Networking with other riders is essential if you want to take care of your own bike or find an independent mechanic.

[gambrinus]

When I hear stories like this it makes my skin crawl... IF you are riding THAT far to deal with this schmoe, there MUST be a decent dealer within the same range.. I had a dealer that I could WALK to but they were such unbelievable ASSH*LES that I chose to go 20miles away to deal with someone who WANTED my business. I'd be writing a detailed letter to NA, they need to know about the idiot dealers out there.

RW

[YB in IN]

Originally posted by KBasa
Sounds like you need a better mechanic and shop, not necessarily a new bike.

I second that. Your dealer sounds like a real tool. I think that this would be the last time that I took my bike to that shop, and I would write a rather nasty letter to iterate that point to the owners and the service manager.

[PeoriaMac]

Jim Strickland,
I assume you're talking about Grayboy's -- well, of course you are -- and you're correct about what happened.
I still get the work done on my airhead there, because Tim Williams is a darn good mechanic.
It was more than regrettable that Tote lost BMW for a second time, but BMWNA is more interested in stand-alone dealerships...like the one in Savoy Illinois or Iowa City, Iowa.

Mac

[wvcajun]

I am just curious as to which dealer you had trouble with because I live in Chalreston, WV. It would probably be best if you email me on the side to give me the name. I want to know because I am in the same situation and want to avoid that sort of thing if possible.

MG

[James.A]

Mac,
I wasn't trying to kick dirt on Grayboy, I'm darn glad to have them.
Tim is very knowledgable and easy to talk to. He re-sealed my final drive a few years ago, but I carried it in. BMW Motorrad trying to make Tote Gray build them a "new house" results in you or me having to travel several hours to patronize an authorized dealer. I was simply trying to encourage our friend in W.Virginia to consider the alternatives to dealer service. For you and me, it's independent shop(Tim at Grayboy).

[mikea]

I replied to WvCajun, but sent it to Tom McIntyre; called Tom "Tim", and just generally messed up. Sorry guys.
Maybe I complained too much and confused myself.

[mikea]

Thanks to all for your responses. I had thought of writing to BMW Corp., but then I hesitated. There are probably riders who live close to this dealer who get good service and I don't want to start something that might cause problems for them down the road. This dealer does offer loaner bikes; that just wasn't viable for me because of the distance and their insurance.
WvCajun, have you had any good experiences with with mechanics in our neck of the woods?
MikeA

[wvcajun]

Mikea,
I have not had my airhead serviced by a dealer yet since I bought it a year ago. Holt BMW in Athens, OH has a 1.5 month wait just to get a service appt. They seem very nice, down to earth, and service oriented. My $.02.

MG

[lorazepam]

5 hours from WV, I would go to BMW Tristate, and tell the folks in Columbus to pound salt. The service department at Tristate in Cincinnati has great mechanics, and if you have an appointment, they will honor it and get your work done. It is speculation on my part that the dealer was in Columbus, but since you mentioned the VFR, I am assuming that they are the ones you went to.

[wvcajun]

What does "pound salt" mean?

MG

[dlearl476]

Buy a Triumph.

[mikea]

The VFR I tested was a trade-in. I was not in Columbus, although maybe I should have been.
Triumphs definitely flip my switch, but in this area dealers are scarce and seem to come and go a lot.
WVCajun- I have talked with the folks at Holt and also Classic Cycles in Parkersburg. They both are pretty well booked, so I will haul it and leave it this time.
Have a good'un, Mike

[lorazepam]

take salt and a broom stick and use your imagination....

[Bobmws]

Call John Maynard at Classic Cycle in Parkersburg.