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[kiro]

So it went to the shop with no saddlebags or tour paks installed, dismountable electronics removed and whatever else might be easily taken out of harm's way.

That is a smart policy Twolanerider. You never know how much room, how many bikes the dealership may have kicking around at any given time, and who may be doing the moving. I stored both bikes at my local dealer over winter to take advantage of the heated space and removed the tour-pak and bags off the CVO before doing so. Our bikes may be like a family member to us, but to a shop it's just another scoot in the way...

[mslcpa]

Although there is a dealer within 7-8 miles from my home, I ride forty miles to a dealer in Frederick, MD for service. Bought my FLHXSE from an out-of-state dealer. Had first service done at the local dealer near my home. Needed a new rear tire before a trip but they could not schedule me soon enough. Took the bike to the dealer in Frederick. Left it and went to lunch. They called when bike was finished. When I returned they took me into the shop to show me that when changing the rear tire, the bead breaker jumped and put a gouge on the outside of the rim. Offered to either not charge me for the tire or replace the wheel on their nickel. Took the new wheel.

Point is that they could have simply put the saddle bag back on and I probably wouldn't have noticed until removing the bags for cleaning. At that point I would probably have chalked up to road damage. Instead the dealer owned up to their mistake, made it right, and as a result, gained a long term customer and a source for referrals.

 Nice to find a trustworthy service department!

[FLTRI]

...Not to take up for a dealership but one of the local dealers have been bit so many time of supposed dealer damage the service writers now grab the owner, and a camera every time a bike pulls into the service area. Mileage and any damage that can be found has a picture taken. And they look the bikes over pretty well.

When I ran a dealer we had the same issue of customers coming to p/u their bikes and claiming dents and scratches had occurred while being in the dealer's custody.
My wrenches always told me they didn't do it.
So, i started having my service writer, with a sketch of the motorcycle, go around the bike with the owner/rider and had the him/her sign off on the noted dents, scratches, etc.
Well, you know what? The amount of "claimed" damage went to less than $100 per year. My average repair for "claimed" damage prior to customers signing off on imperfections was $200+ per month.

The challenge was when owners brought their bikes in for a service after a long road trip and was filthy, which covered imperfections. For those folks they signed off that we could not inspect their bikes for existing damage prior to entering the service center and was not responsible for hidden damage.

EVERYTHING about the service experience got better for both the dealer and the customer after invoking these procedures.

JME,
Bob
PS- I'm with the fellow who stated he'd be more worried if the dealer didn't test ride their work.

[kalikali]

I actually took pictures before I dropped it off and took a pic of the mileage in front of the techs (but not detailed enough pics) after it came back with 30 miles last time. Also the tech did walk through the bike with me as they always had when I dropped it off.   I just didnt inspect it properly when I picked it up.   Its not the first time I have picked up my toys from a dealer with damage on it, I have a few high end cars and same the story from curbed rims, to scratches in the paint. Very rarely will a dealer come out and say, hey we did minor damage to your vehicle, we will pay the thousands to fix it.   The only person I blame for all this is myself, you would think I would eventually learn from all these experiences ..     

[Road Dad]

Never had an issue but I never drop the bike off. Service takes a couple of hours so I wait for it. Why would I leave it at the dealership?  Sure as hell don't leave my car at the dealer for a few days of service.

[RonandJanet]

Sorry to hear you had problems.  My dealer is an excellent dealer.  They always do a walk around of the bike before the accept it and we indicate if there are any issues or problems. They also mark down the mileage check the tires, lights etc.  I will usually wait on the bike but at times I have left and come back (usually the same day) and when I pick the bike up we walk around her again and make sure everything is OK.   I don't bring donuts or anything like that but I do talk with them and basically just  chit chat.  This dealer (Hellbender) has always done well by me.

[fastfreddy]

so i know they cant take the 30 miles off, but have they offered to repair the bike  . this kinda stuff can happen any where and i dont even think about looking for problems till after its been to the shop... ya i have a couple of minor scratches here and there a rock chip or two and know idea of when or where they got there... thats what happens when you ride m 

[kalikali]

Once bike leaves the dealership, bets are off. I just wanted to rant a bit as it has happened a few times and wanted to give a heads up to  my fellow CVO owners.  I am over it but want other to be aware.

[FLTRCVO]

Once bike leaves the dealership, bets are off. I just wanted to rant a bit as it has happened a few times and wanted to give a heads up to  my fellow CVO owners.  I am over it but want other to be aware.

Not actually, you can turn the Dealership into the Mothership, Harley Davidson. You should detail the entire situation in a well worded letter and send it Certified Mail to the President and CEO of H.D.. The Dealerships count on a Shield rating issued by Harley Davidson due to praises and or complaints. A Dealership that treats customers the way they did you will generally be the norm, thus trigger similar complaints. Now should this Dealer receive more than a fair share of complaints, their Shield rating is downgraded and his new motorcycle allotment can also be adjusted downward.

Don't bother calling Harley Davidson Customer Relations, that my friend is time you will never get back.

[muddypaws]

John at customer relations is great. He helped me after talking to Anna who is a real pain in the butt .

[FLTRCVO]

It appears, my numerous Customer Relations experiences via telephone would have been misleading thankfully muddypaws has been successful and has a contact to assist in your endeavor.

[porthole]

Don't know that my dealer ever went joy riding, but they did damage the bike - twice.

1st time the mech dropped the ignition switch on the tank. Owner was right up front with and ordered a tank, but it look about 8 months to get.
2nd time when the bike was in the shop for 3 weeks they scratched the heck out of the front fender, and denied it. Although they did repair it (wet sand and polish), and still denied doing it.

[grc]

The only foolproof way I know of to avoid these issues is to never let the dealership touch your bike after the sale.  For many of us that wouldn't be a problem, because we wrench on our own stuff whenever possible, but considering the ever worsening quality levels over the past dozen years it gets harder and harder to avoid the dealership due to warranty work.  There have been times over the years with my Harley's as well as my cars when I just took care of relatively inexpensive warranty repairs myself and ate the cost.  Now that the severity and cost of many repairs has escalated, that isn't a viable answer for most people.

Don't forget folks, while you may have to let a dealership do factory warranty work, you do not have to use a dealership for ESP work.  Find a good independent shop if your local dealer is less than stellar.

JMHO - Jerry

[porthole]

Agree Jerry, but both of mine were under basic warranty repairs. The ignition switch drop was for an 'at delivery issue' and the fender was when an exhaust valve dropped.

[RonandJanet]

The only foolproof way I know of to avoid these issues is to never let the dealership touch your bike after the sale.  For many of us that wouldn't be a problem, because we wrench on our own stuff whenever possible, but considering the ever worsening quality levels over the past dozen years it gets harder and harder to avoid the dealership due to warranty work.  There have been times over the years with my Harley's as well as my cars when I just took care of relatively inexpensive warranty repairs myself and ate the cost.  Now that the severity and cost of many repairs has escalated, that isn't a viable answer for most people.

Don't forget folks, while you may have to let a dealership do factory warranty work, you do not have to use a dealership for ESP work.  Find a good independent shop if your local dealer is less than stellar.

JMHO - Jerry

Very True!