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[2 Dogs]

White bubbles in paint clearly seen in photo. Appears several places on rear fender. Visible out in daylight, but not in dealer showroom. Dealer is balking. Advice?

[mjb765]

If obviously in the paint??? Under the clearcoat?  Then the dealer should just replace the fender if it is clearly a paint defect. If they won't, time to call the MoCo customer service--or maybe a visit to another dealer?

[2 Dogs]

If obviously in the paint??? Under the clearcoat? 

Yep, under the clearcoat. Very slight bumps can be detected by touch, too.

Anyone have a good contact at MoCo? I don't want the runaround on this. Already been put off by the dealer ever since this was brought to their attention months ago. They say they've asked the MoCo rep to look into it, but there's never any update.

[danner55]

2 DOGS,

Here is the MOCO customer service # 414-343-4056. There is no reason they should'nt  replace it. It costs the dealer no money as I've been told the MOCO absorbs the cost of replacing it. I presently have a new front fender on order. It was damaged by wheel weights slinging off.Check out threads on fender replacements.  Keep on their A$$ES. You bought the top of the line  in Harley motorcycles & it should be nothing less. Good LUCK!

[2 Dogs]

2 DOGS,

Here is the MOCO customer service # 414-343-4056. There is no reason they should'nt  replace it. It costs the dealer no money as I've been told the MOCO absorbs the cost of replacing it. I presently have a new front fender on order. It was damaged by wheel weights slinging off.Check out threads on fender replacements.  Keep on their A$$ES. You bought the top of the line  in Harley motorcycles & it should be nothing less. Good LUCK!

Thanks DANNER55!

If nothing else, I can tell everyone who asks (and A LOT of folks do) how much I love the bike but the MoCo lets shoddy paint jobs ship out on their top of the line bikes and refuses to fix them. Believe me... the paint flaws on the rear fender are HIGHLY noticeable in outdoor daylight, and it's PLAINLY OBVIOUS they are paint flaws. VERY bad marketing for the MoCo.

Riding it to a car/bike show tonight. This topic WILL come up, again.

[mark]

Buddy bought two-tone root beer Street Glide.  After several months he noticed on his tank small white "bubbles" showing up under the clear coat.  Brought it to dealer's attention and they ordered a new tank under warranty.  It was almost like air bubbles were trapped under the clear coat and as the paint aged, the bubbles turned white.  His bubbles were not as noticeable as yours. 

[2 Dogs]

Buddy bought two-tone root beer Street Glide.  After several months he noticed on his tank small white "bubbles" showing up under the clear coat.  Brought it to dealer's attention and they ordered a new tank under warranty.  It was almost like air bubbles were trapped under the clear coat and as the paint aged, the bubbles turned white.  His bubbles were not as noticeable as yours. 

That's exactly what is happening with mine. My Fat Bob's under the MoCo's new bike 2 year warranty until Nov. 2012.

The paint flaws on the rear fender are VERY obvious. Not sure why the dealer is balking and the MoCo isn't stepping up. It makes the MoCo look bad when they stonewall you on very noticeable flaws on one of their top of the line bikes. It's not like I'm the only one who can see it.

[grc]

That's exactly what is happening with mine. My Fat Bob's under the MoCo's new bike 2 year warranty until Nov. 2012.

The paint flaws on the rear fender are VERY obvious. Not sure why the dealer is balking and the MoCo isn't stepping up. It makes the MoCo look bad when they stonewall you on very noticeable flaws on one of their top of the line bikes. It's not like I'm the only one who can see it.

I didn't see anything in your earlier posts about you talking to anyone at H-D, so I'm not sure how you know they aren't "stepping up".  It seems you are depending totally on your dealer, and like way too many dealers your's seems to be lacking in customer service.  Go over their head and contact H-D yourself.  Also document every discussion you've had with the dealership about this problem, and make sure everything is documented going forward.  It does not take months to make a simple decision like this one, so I seriously doubt they ever actually contacted their rep.  I know, it's hard to believe that a dealership would lie or jerk you around, but trust me, you wouldn't be the first to be treated that way.


Jerry

[2 Dogs]

I didn't see anything in your earlier posts about you talking to anyone at H-D, so I'm not sure how you know they aren't "stepping up".  It seems you are depending totally on your dealer, and like way too many dealers your's seems to be lacking in customer service.  Go over their head and contact H-D yourself.  Also document every discussion you've had with the dealership about this problem, and make sure everything is documented going forward.  It does not take months to make a simple decision like this one, so I seriously doubt they ever actually contacted their rep.  I know, it's hard to believe that a dealership would lie or jerk you around, but trust me, you wouldn't be the first to be treated that way.


Jerry

Good point, Jerry. I haven't actually talked to H-D myself, just assumed the dealer was on the level.

Seems going over the dealer's head is necessary in this case, but it's the only dealer with a halfway decent service dept around here. What's the best way to go over their heads without pissing them off? I'd hate to have to take my bike elsewhere. BTDT with other bikes, wasn't happy with the results. I'm not the only one who feels that way; the other dealers have poor reviews.

[danner55]

2 DOGS

What has your dealer actually said? Did The dealer talk to the MOCO rep & give you his response? I would give him time to answer these questions before calling customer service. Is this your hometown dealer that you deal with everyday?

[grc]

I think waiting for the dealer to give him an answer for several months is more than sufficient.  The longer you let stuff like this go, the easier you make it for the dealer and the MoCo to justify screwing you over.  

I wouldn't worry at all about making the dealer unhappy.  If they gave a chit about you, they wouldn't have blown you off for months.  Talk to the actual dealer, not the hired flunkies.  If that doesn't result in immediate action, then call the Moco and cut out the middle man.  Or, if you really don't want to rock the boat, just cut that lovely dealership a fat check for a new fender and fix it yourself.  That's probably what they want anyway.

btw, MSRP on the fender is $951.  Labor is not included.


Jerry

[2 Dogs]

I think waiting for the dealer to give him an answer for several months is more than sufficient.  The longer you let stuff like this go, the easier you make it for the dealer and the MoCo to justify screwing you over.  

I wouldn't worry at all about making the dealer unhappy.  If they gave a chit about you, they wouldn't have blown you off for months.  Talk to the actual dealer, not the hired flunkies.  If that doesn't result in immediate action, then call the Moco and cut out the middle man.  Or, if you really don't want to rock the boat, just cut that lovely dealership a fat check for a new fender and fix it yourself.  That's probably what they want anyway.

btw, MSRP on the fender is $951.  Labor is not included.


Jerry

I already paid top dollar for a CVO bike. Why should I have to pay $1,000 plus labor to replace glaring factory paint flaws?

And yes, people noticed the fender paint flaws at the car/bike show. I just relate the unsatisfactory experience I've had with the H-D dealer on this.

Seems pretty clear to me... they either want this sub-par product out there, or they don't. As of now, they seem to be perfectly fine with everyone knowing about their sub-par top of the line bikes.

[Midnight Rider]

If you're concerned about pissing the local dealer off, do this:  Go to the dealer and talk to someone at least at the GM level, if not the owner.  Calmly tell them what has happened, and that you feel you have given them more than enough time to respond to your problem.  Calmly suggest that your next course of action is to contact the MoCo yourself with the problem, that your intention is not to go over their head, but you have no other option at this point.  It is understandable that some painted parts are faulty for various reasons, but with the bike still under warranty, it is absolutely appropriate for the fender to be replaced at no cost out of pocket.

A blemish like yours is obviously a defective process...if some external thing caused it, there would be other places on the paint as well.

[Dan_Lockwood]

2 Dogs, I'm going to put in my 2¢ at this point.

From what you've said about the 2-year warranty being good till 11-2012, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you purchased in November of 2010.

You said you brought this up to them months ago.  Based on that I would say that you didn't notice this for more than a few months before asking the dealer for help in getting a new fender.  I'm not saying that it's not going to be covered by the MOCO, but most manufacturers try to take care of paint issue as soon as possible to the delivery date.  Anything longer can just complicate the issues as possible environment issues versus factory issues.  Again, I'm not trying to say this was not there from the get go, it's just harder to deal with after some time has gone by.

I'm wondering why you didn't notice this the first time you did your cleaning detail on the bike?

I had some "smoke" in the paint on my tank when I bought a new '08 SERK Annie.  I tried my Dupont #7 polish with a mild buff and it didn't come off so I brought it to the dealer's attention by phone right away and then a couple weeks later in person.  They had the bike for the 1,000 service and when I got it back the smoke was taken care of.  They got a little more aggressive on the rubbing compound than I did and it work out great for me.  I doubt from your description that this is a surface clearcoat issue so rubbing and or wet sanding will not work, replacement is the only fix.

As far as going over the dealership's head, if handled correctly they may be in favor of you doing that.  In my case with my newer '09 SERG seat gap issue, the dealer had done everything by the book and it was still not fixed.  I asked them what I should do if they are at their limit of action, he told me to call the MOCO and get a case file number and see what they will do for me. 

Maybe the MOCO rep told the dealer no on your paint, so that's really all they can do.  Now they could be your advocate and aggressively persue the MOCO on your behalf, but that doesn't happen very often.  I would not feel like you are going behind their back at all.  I would, like others have suggested, go to the GM of the dealership or owner and let them know that their service department has apparently tried to get this resolved, but cannot go any further.  You feel now that it's time for you to report the obvious paint defect to the MOCO and start a customer case with them.  He should not feel threatened that you're going to complain about them, but that you're trying to let the MOCO know that you are going to persue this further.  My seat issue ended up as a tier 2 level and I got some action when I reopened the case.

Good luck with your paint issues and let us know how it turns out.

[2 Dogs]

2 Dogs, I'm going to put in my 2¢ at this point.

From what you've said about the 2-year warranty being good till 11-2012, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you purchased in November of 2010.

You said you brought this up to them months ago.  Based on that I would say that you didn't notice this for more than a few months before asking the dealer for help in getting a new fender.  I'm not saying that it's not going to be covered by the MOCO, but most manufacturers try to take care of paint issue as soon as possible to the delivery date.  Anything longer can just complicate the issues as possible environment issues versus factory issues.  Again, I'm not trying to say this was not there from the get go, it's just harder to deal with after some time has gone by.

I'm wondering why you didn't notice this the first time you did your cleaning detail on the bike?

I live in Chicago and bought the bike in late November of 2010. The bike wasn't even out in daylight until spring of 2011 which is when I saw the bubbles in the fender paint and told the dealer about it.

As far as going over the dealership's head, if handled correctly they may be in favor of you doing that.  In my case with my newer '09 SERG seat gap issue, the dealer had done everything by the book and it was still not fixed.  I asked them what I should do if they are at their limit of action, he told me to call the MOCO and get a case file number and see what they will do for me. 

Maybe the MOCO rep told the dealer no on your paint, so that's really all they can do.  Now they could be your advocate and aggressively persue the MOCO on your behalf, but that doesn't happen very often.  I would not feel like you are going behind their back at all.  I would, like others have suggested, go to the GM of the dealership or owner and let them know that their service department has apparently tried to get this resolved, but cannot go any further.  You feel now that it's time for you to report the obvious paint defect to the MOCO and start a customer case with them.  He should not feel threatened that you're going to complain about them, but that you're trying to let the MOCO know that you are going to persue this further.  My seat issue ended up as a tier 2 level and I got some action when I reopened the case.

Good luck with your paint issues and let us know how it turns out.

I'll pursue it. We'll see what happens. If the MoCo won't make it right, everyone who asks about the bubbles (and A LOT of folks do - they're GLARINGLY obvious, as you can see in the photo) will hear about how H-D will not stand by their top of the line bikes. That's all I can do.