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[Cat Eye]

"Nine out of Ten HD mechanic agreed that nine HD mechanic will be wrong."

[phato1]

Why would harley care, you keep buying these things. The only way for good product and service is to not buy until they get better.

you're correct that the the only way to get good service is to avoid those dealers that don't provide it. I don't blame the MOCO for poor service since each dealership is independently owned and operated by a franchisee. It's sometimes sad to see the amount of turnover that occurs with the employees at some dealerships which I attribute to mostly pay issues with those dealers.
Think of it this way I pay the dealer $100 an hour to work on my bike -- does it seem right that the person actually doing the work is sometimes only getting 20%(or less) of that?? And before you throw me under a bus I do realize that these places have overhead, insurance, taxes ect.....But the guy changing oil at the quickie lube down the road gets paid $12 an hour- shouldn't a mechanic who has to get and keep up his certifications get paid a little more than that??  And to be fair Harley shops aren't the only places guilty of this.....      Just my opinion of course

I do hold the MOCO accountable for improving the quality and durability of the products as initially delivered to me -- As many have said on these boards before, when was the last time you changed the lifters in you car/truck - it certainly wasn't at 10k mile intervals. If the torque converter (aka compensator sprocket) needed changing every 30k miles most of us wouldn't own that particular vehicle brand a second time....

My problem is I absolutely love my Harley's and the motor company knows it...Like others here I fix them, or pay to have them fixed, complain about the repairs, then go out and buy another...

[Doniwin]

Learned something new! I will keep the key out of the lock. Fob only, nothing else! Don't work get dealers or mechanics help. I know enough to get myself in too deep every time. That's when I break out the wallet.

[FLHTCUSE7]

Turnover is not normally based on pay issues, then the employee would not have taken the job in the first case.

When someone leave they normally leave management / leadership.

It's an entry level job, people move on for bigger and better opportunities as well.

[Jswerve]

It's an entry level job, people move on for bigger and better opportunities as well.

There you have it.

[phato1]

The shops that treat an actual technicians position as entry level are probably the ones with difficulty getting and keeping quality techs.. just sayin'..

[grc]

The shops that treat an actual technicians position as entry level are probably the ones with difficulty getting and keeping quality techs.. just sayin'..

 

IMHO the single biggest problem BY FAR is management (as is the case in most business operations).  A guy named Deming tended to agree.  And if you research the backgrounds of many of the people Harley gave franchises to over the past couple decades you might get a better understanding of why dealership service in general has gotten so bad.  The old school dealers who grew up with motorcycles and loved the tech end of the business were pushed aside and replaced with marketing hot shots like used car dealers and similar types who would agree to borrow tons of money to throw up nice new facilities with lots of room to sell Harley's clothes and accessories.  Unfortunately a lot of those folks were only in it to profit from Harley's resurgence in the 90's, and many didn't know diddly about bikes or care anything about customer service.  To them and their ilk the service department was just an unwelcome cost, and the only reason they had one at all was the franchise requirement to do so.

Jerry

[ultrafxr]

IMHO the single biggest problem BY FAR is management (as is the case in most business operations).  A guy named Deming tended to agree.  And if you research the backgrounds of many of the people Harley gave franchises to over the past couple decades you might get a better understanding of why dealership service in general has gotten so bad.  The old school dealers who grew up with motorcycles and loved the tech end of the business were pushed aside and replaced with marketing hot shots like used car dealers and similar types who would agree to borrow tons of money to throw up nice new facilities with lots of room to sell Harley's clothes and accessories.  Unfortunately a lot of those folks were only in it to profit from Harley's resurgence in the 90's, and many didn't know diddly about bikes or care anything about customer service.  To them and their ilk the service department was just an unwelcome cost, and the only reason they had one at all was the franchise requirement to do so.

Jerry

I agree.  Most of us view taking our bikes in for service with as much enthusiasm as going to the dentist for a root canal.  I imagine the service department and its function / non-function is the primary source of complaints and problems for most dealers.  So management (good management that is) would focus on improvement and addressing shortcomings.  Unfortunately I think most dealers just turn a deaf ear and blind eye to service.  I know my experiences have been mediocre at best, usually very poor.  The only really positive service episode I've had was when my motor crapped out and I left the bike at Gail's H-D for repair.  Service there and the tech, Robin, were world class.  If only they could all be so but that is wishful thinking I am afraid.

[MOBEAH]

Hey Jswerve, I also have one for ya, went to a dealer in the east coast, dropped the mc off at 900 am on monday, friday afternoon they Hadn't Even Touch It. WTF now that sucks!!!. Do any of them really care.. Excuse was I had alot of breakdowns, so my warranty work wasn't important enough!!!

[Jswerve]

Hey Jswerve, I also have one for ya, went to a dealer in the east coast, dropped the mc off at 900 am on monday, friday afternoon they Hadn't Even Touch It. WTF now that sucks!!!. Do any of them really care.. Excuse was I had alot of breakdowns, so my warranty work wasn't important enough!!!

It's true they shop is full of junk that we all buy lol.

[Royalroadie]

I'm not really trying to hold blame on the worker. To me, the problem is on Harleys end. They should have better wages and benefits which would attract higher quality employees. Lord knows they charge enough for everything to cover it. But no we wouldn't want to cut into those profits.

.

Talking about profits, I lost the cigarette lighter out of the fairing the other day and called my STEALERSHIP today to get a replacement.  He said he had some in stock.  I asked what was the price.  THEY WANTED $29 for a new one.  WTF!   I went to O'Reilly and found one for $4.86, granted it did not have the little rubber gasket, but really is a gasket worth $25? 

[Jswerve]

.

Talking about profits, I lost the cigarette lighter out of the fairing the other day and called my STEALERSHIP today to get a replacement.  He said he had some in stock.  I asked what was the price.  THEY WANTED $29 for a new one.  WTF!   I went to O'Reilly and found one for $4.86, granted it did not have the little rubber gasket, but really is a gasket worth $25?

Surprised it wasn't a hundred

[Rooster]

The beginning of a long story for me was being left in the rain on the side of I-5 with a blown motor that they installed. Excuse was we are closing in 20 minutes and I don't know where our truck and trailer are right now. I ended up getting towed myself a couple of hours later the wife and I standing by the bike on the side of the freeway watching all these bikes go by and either not look or turn their head. First lady stopped in her car to ask if she could help and then a guy with a dirt bike in the back of his pick-up offered to go unload and come back. I thanked them both as I had reached a tow company by then. I always look at bikers on the side of the road and do the thumbs up or down thing at least. I did that to a guy with a Gold Wing recently and when he didn't respond I turned around and went back when I pulled up the guy apologized and said after you did that I realized what you meant and it was to late so sorry and thanks for checking on me.

[sprinkman]

That was way Too Funny, took it over to the Stealership yesterday afternoon about an hour before they closed, they brought her into the back and It was 5 mechanics trying to figure out the key and then an hour went by but they did get it out, they told me the lock was too dry...

That was what I was going to suggest WD40 done that to mine when it gets hard to get out.

[cahdbiker]

nudels2u75, I  clearly understand your frustration. When my 09 was new I thought I better practice using the key on the saddlebags and tourpak in case the electronic switch breaks.  The tourpak, and saddlebags were super dry and hard to turn except ignition. Gave all of them a shot of silicone  spray( including  the ignition ) and then they were smooth as butter. I try to do this whenever I change oil. According to the HD service list it suppose to be done every 5k miles. Like one of the other guys said this should have been done either at the factory or by the "tech" who got your bike ready for delivery.CAHDBIKER