Dealer tricked me - how did they do it?

[HadesOmega]

Yeah i don't trust mechanics period. I mean if I can't do it or don't want to do the work then I don't really got a choice. But no one treats your stuff better than YOU. I'll find stuff not put back the way I like or something is missing. They take something off and put something weird in it's place. I try to do every bit of work on my bikes or automobiles myself so if something is messed up I only have myself to blame.

 

[Moike]

And based on your picture, it looks more like a manufacturer problem rather than a dealership (and yes, I read the part about your bad experience with dealerships and manufacturers).

Oh I'm more than able to post photographic evidence of the shitty patchwork the mechanics at the dealership (long since gone) did to that particular vehicle. At the time the dealership and DNA were in a dead fucking heat to see who could screw me over harder, so the blame is shared.

My lawyer set both their asses straight. The fact that it got to the point that I had to hire a lawyer is pathetic.

If your dealership experience was so bad that your trust is broken for every single dealership around, then all that tells me is that whoever was taking care of your dealer needs failed you.

Three different dealerships. Three different bikes, from three different mfgrs.

I had horrible new bike experiences at three dealerships. Most people would have learned their lesson after the first bad dealership experience. But no. I remained optimistic, hoped for the best, and still got hosed two more times before giving up.

The last one, the 999s, that was the last straw. After that I committed 100% to learning how to service / repair / source parts for my own motorcycles (and all my vehicles). Been happy ever since.

And before you can say, "Well if you have the same shitty experience everywhere you go, then you're the root cause of your shitty dealership experience."

San Jose BMW was a good dealership experience. So much so that I went right back a year after buying the first new bike and bought a second new bike without hesitation. Chris and his team always treated me right, and their mechanics always did top notch work. I never found anything out of place after picking a bike up from service. It's a shame they didn't sell the next three brands I went after, would have saved me lots of grief.

Somebody has to buy a car or bike brand new from a dealership eventually, as manufacturers want to insure that a high quality product is delivered to every customer, and they aren't going to deliver vehicles from factory to your home anytime soon, if at all.

The Tesla I ordered online sure as fuck isn't coming from a dealership.

 

[tuxumino]

I really like Suzuki of Oakland when they were on Macarthur in a hella sketch part of Oaktown. Didn't by a bike from them but went there for service and parts. Bill the parts guy was great.

 

[Maddevill]

I used to work for a Ducati/KTM/Triumph dealership. I have a ton of leftover insecurities and a healthy sense of pride in the work I do so I was extremely anal about doing the job right. I'd make sure the bike left the shop running and looking better than when it arrived. Having said that, we had a tech that had a bike return with EVERY thing he touched, leaking. Fuel leak, oil leak, coolant leak. I had to fix everything. Management response ?
Nothing.

Mad

 

[superhypered]

...

To be fair, you just proved my point when you found your safe haven with SJ BMW, that not every dealership is actively trying to screw over customers. It's most likely that probably every dealership has horror stories from multiple perspectives, so it is up to each individual to do their own due diligence with choosing someone to work with. That's why I chose Hollister Honda to complete my pre-paid maintenance rather than the local shops down the street.

And like Mad, when I used to work on cars at a dealer, there were so many different types of employees there, and their work was usually a reflection of their character. They have a bonus system for us where if we had an average of 6, 7, or 8 hours of sold work, we would have an hourly bonus on our paycheck. Personally I felt this is a very bad thing, because some people would take shortcuts in order to make this bonus at the customer's expense. I didn't give a damn about the bonus so I would take a little extra time to insure my inspections were accurate and my work was precise to insure no comebacks. However, another employee whom I noted earlier was taking shortcuts at every single opportunity which led to the discovery of loose drain plugs, loose caliper bolts, damaged Corvette side skirts. Of course, nothing happened to this guy because his hours looked good.. Until he got a dui and they could not have him on their insurance any longer.

As for Tesla order, it's most likely that their vehicles are fully inspected before being shipped out. In comparison to other manufacturers, it's the dealer's responsibility to insure a quality product during the pre delivery inspection, as things tend to get missed from time to time. I remember when the 1090 Adventure first came out, one of the ones we received had a bad clutch lever or reservoir, literally being stuck and unable to pull the lever in. And another time a special edition Ducati had fairing damage from the crate, so we worked with Ducati on replacing said fairing. If they did the pre delivery inspection at the factory before being shipped out, I am sure they would cost the customer even more money.

 

[kuksul08]

I've had a negative experience at EVERY dealership I've been to. Either being laughed at or mocked by staff that thinks I'm another clueless idiot customer, attempts at charging for warranty work, or shoddy mechanic work (least common). I do all my own work now just to avoid these kinds of situations. Even under warranty, I do what I can myself to avoid the interaction.

Out of all the motorcycle dealers I dealt with, SJ BMW was the best on average. It also really really depends who you work with.

As to the OP's story, I agree that the fact that this dealer took the bike back so easily tells me they knew they were in the wrong. Why else would they do that? Cheaper to fix themselves and sell it as a demo bike than deal with fixing a relationship with a customer? Seems suspicious no doubt.