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[Firechief2]

Took my '08 Ultra SE in for it's 1000 mile service recently and was presented with a bill for $469 -------for an oil change
The girl at the service desk advised me of ALL the other things that had been done as per the check list. She also mentioned that the throttle cables had been adjusted------oh oh ----now I know what I am dealing with. I kindly  point out to her that she doesn't know her a** from a hole in the ground!!  To top it off, when I got home and parked the bike, I noticed a small puddle of oil forming on the ground under the front of the engine -- turns out that the "chin" piece was not cleaned out after they did the oil change ---sloppy, sloppy.
Looks like I will be doing my own service work in the future !!

[Chief]

Took my '08 Ultra SE in for it's 1000 mile service recently and was presented with a bill for $469 -------for an oil change
The girl at the service desk advised me of ALL the other things that had been done as per the check list. She also mentioned that the throttle cables had been adjusted------oh oh ----now I know what I am dealing with. I kindly  point out to her that she doesn't know her a** from a hole in the ground!!  To top it off, when I got home and parked the bike, I noticed a small puddle of oil forming on the ground under the front of the engine -- turns out that the "chin" piece was not cleaned out after they did the oil change ---sloppy, sloppy.
Looks like I will be doing my own service work in the future !!

That $469 was the price of education. Education ain't cheap, but you'll save tons more when you do all your own maintenance. Welcome to the club.

[Janine]

I take mine in next Saturday. I scheduled it for first thing that morning as they are having a big 105th party then. They normally don't do service when they have a shin-dig, but since I'm bringing it in before anything really starts, they OKed it. Listed at $339. Hopefully, I won't have any problems.

[REGGAB]

Took my '08 Ultra SE in for it's 1000 mile service recently and was presented with a bill for $469 -------for an oil change
The girl at the service desk advised me of ALL the other things that had been done as per the check list. She also mentioned that the throttle cables had been adjusted------oh oh ----now I know what I am dealing with. I kindly  point out to her that she doesn't know her a** from a hole in the ground!!  To top it off, when I got home and parked the bike, I noticed a small puddle of oil forming on the ground under the front of the engine -- turns out that the "chin" piece was not cleaned out after they did the oil change ---sloppy, sloppy.
Looks like I will be doing my own service work in the future !!

At some point or another, I think we've all learned this lesson.  It cost me better than $200 at the time.  It stings, but that sting makes you get a service manual and start reading.  There's plenty of good stuff here to help you as well.

Oh.......since the stealership did it for you, they likely used SYN 3.  Again, there are MUCH better lubricants available, and they've all been discussed here.  We're here for you man!   

[Firechief2]

Thanks guys - yes I do have the service manual. I wanted the first service done at the dealership so that they couldn't come back on me saying I missed something. As has been pointed out, education comes with a price 

[MJZ]

If your dealership is like so many others, now that they've done it, you better do it again yourself. You probably just paid for the most expensive chitty wash job you'll ever pay for. Look at the bright side, at least they probably didn't screw anything up since they probably didn't really do the work.
Remember the only really good HD service departments are the ones you haven't been to.

[Steve_G]

Took my '08 Ultra SE in for it's 1000 mile service recently and was presented with a bill for $469 -------for an oil change
The girl at the service desk advised me of ALL the other things that had been done as per the check list. She also mentioned that the throttle cables had been adjusted------oh oh ----now I know what I am dealing with. I kindly  point out to her that she doesn't know her a** from a hole in the ground!!  To top it off, when I got home and parked the bike, I noticed a small puddle of oil forming on the ground under the front of the engine -- turns out that the "chin" piece was not cleaned out after they did the oil change ---sloppy, sloppy.
Looks like I will be doing my own service work in the future !!

I think I'd be talking to the general manager about your bill.  That's just frickin' nutz.  How in the world can they justify that much money for the 1K service?

[BIGDOG]

500 bucks just don't go as far as it used to.

[grc]

If your dealership is like so many others, now that they've done it, you better do it again yourself. You probably just paid for the most expensive chitty wash job you'll ever pay for. Look at the bright side, at least they probably didn't screw anything up since they probably didn't really do the work.
Remember the only really good HD service departments are the ones you haven't been to.

Sad, but probably true up to a point.  They most likely changed the oil and filter, as evidenced by the seepage from under the oil filter.  Highly unlikely they did the rest of the checklist, however.  If they had, they would still have the bike while the "tech" tried to find the throttle cables so he could lube and adjust them.

Firechief, I think this is one part of the ownership experience that we all can relate to.  I remember letting the dealer do the 500 mile service on my first Harley, and then having my foot slip off the shifter and foot peg on the way home due to the oil blowing out of the primary inspection cover.  Since the bike had been sitting at the dealership for a week waiting for this "service", I just called to let them know what assholes they were and then fixed it myself.  It became obvious while going back through the checklist that they hadn't done squat other than change the fluids, based on the dry cables and loose fasteners I found.  The Harley experience consists of paying too much up front for the bike, paying too much again for the first service, paying the "Harley Tax" to make your new bike run decently, paying a ton for an extended service agreement since you can't trust the reliability of the product, paying top dollar for accessories, etc.  The main theme here is "pay".  

Do yourself a favor in the future and either do the maintenance yourself or find a good independent you can trust.

Jerry

[cowboy7123]

Took my '08 Ultra SE in for it's 1000 mile service recently and was presented with a bill for $469 -------for an oil change
The girl at the service desk advised me of ALL the other things that had been done as per the check list. She also mentioned that the throttle cables had been adjusted------oh oh ----now I know what I am dealing with. I kindly  point out to her that she doesn't know her a** from a hole in the ground!!  To top it off, when I got home and parked the bike, I noticed a small puddle of oil forming on the ground under the front of the engine -- turns out that the "chin" piece was not cleaned out after they did the oil change ---sloppy, sloppy.
Looks like I will be doing my own service work in the future !!

Throttle cable should have been under warranty

[Chief]

Throttle cable should have been under warranty

The joke is that the 08's don't have throttle cables, it's all Fly By Wire.

[Serkcus]

Shhh Chief, now the dealers will find out ! 

[sadunbar]

The joke is that the 08's don't have throttle cables, it's all Fly By Wire.

Oh, sure...you've been reading one of those internet sites, haven't you...  They also claim on those sites that head gaskets fail on the 110's....   

[hd-dude]

Oh, sure...you've been reading one of those internet sites, haven't you...  They also claim on those sites that head gaskets fail on the 110's....   

 

[Sean M Cary]

Took my '08 Ultra SE in for it's 1000 mile service recently and was presented with a bill for $469 -------for an oil change
The girl at the service desk advised me of ALL the other things that had been done as per the check list. She also mentioned that the throttle cables had been adjusted------oh oh ----now I know what I am dealing with. I kindly  point out to her that she doesn't know her a** from a hole in the ground!!  To top it off, when I got home and parked the bike, I noticed a small puddle of oil forming on the ground under the front of the engine -- turns out that the "chin" piece was not cleaned out after they did the oil change ---sloppy, sloppy.
Looks like I will be doing my own service work in the future !!

Back in "the day" I was a mechanic...well a college student who turned from shade tree to mechanic to pay for expenses at college.  The stuff I used to see the other mechanics do to customers rides made me ill...hammering on lug nuts, duct tape on hoses -  "LET IT RIDE, get it out the door" was key to making the boss happy/rich.  I NEVER would do the same and left more then one shop with my tools in my girlfriends hatchback since I wouldn't. 

I cannot imagine an HD dealership being ANY different...which is why I do all my own work, on anything I ride/drive or push!  I am NOT saying that all mechs are that way, there were others like myself who would rather cut the profit and get the customer what they were paying for, but we stood out... 
I have to hope that dealers are able to hire the folks that care.

Trust but verify.

Sean