sawbridgeworth bmw

robeekay67

Guest
ok. upset man here. bike submitted for 36k major service. not cheap. within 1k miles, i need a new rear tyre which was fitted by my local and very decent mechanic. he rings me to warn me both sets of brake pads are on the metal and the callipers are sticking.

aghast, i write to sawbridgeworth's service dept outlining my problem. to their manager's credit, he promptly wrote back defending his mechanic's 'brake miss' and reminds me caliper cleaning is extra. why am i left feeling defalted by this dealership yet again?

i have already ordered a new bike with these people (more fool me?) for q2 next year. selling bikes they are great; servicing sorry, the jury is well and truely out.

infact the whole bmw experience for me has not really been what i expected. im starting to question why i buy a bike for commuting that with extras weighs in around £9k. purchasing a fazer 1000 for £5.5 k seems better sense. lighter, more powerful, parts cheap and pletiful and who cares if it corrodes, anyone here with a gs that hasnt suffered rotting wheels and nuts?

as for resale, my £9k bike with 40k mies is worth what? £5k?
buy a fazer for £5.5, 40k miles, worth £2.5k?
so, that alone saves me £2.5 k...

add to the problem of dealers few and far between (they have you by the nuts) and i begin to question the whole propellor badge loyalty.

if you can prove me wrong, then please do BUT.....right now, a black fazer is looking so promising...
 
What did Sawbridgeworth get wrong?

I assume that they serviced your bike just as you asked. Was any of the servicing faulty? Or is it that they were just expensive?

OK, so they didn't warn you that the brake pads were thin or that the rear tyre only has a few miles left. But these aren't items that you can't see for yourself each time you check your tyre pressures - especially if you've got 36k miles on the bike! (If you've had the pads changed before, you'd have some idea of how long they last). You give Sawbridgeworth a roasting - but you didn't check the bike either!!

Surely a bit of self-help is called for here. I don't think that there's anybody on this board who can't check tyres, pressures, oil level, brake pads, lights working etc for themselves.

Or are you blaming your dealer because the 1150GS is not the cheapest bike to commute on? That's hardly their fault, is it?

I'm sure that Sawbridgeworth, like all dealers, are working hard to offer a good service. They are not cheap - but they're not Motorcycle City either!

Greg
 
It seems a bit crap that they didn't even check the brake pads for you if you ask me, I recently paid about 300 quid for a major service and the dealer replaced brake pads, throttle cable and all the usual items, so why wasn't it included in yours?

can't really complain so far, although mine blew a head gasket about 600miles after the service, I suppose they can't really predict this, but I did notice afterwards that the other one is starting to go, I wonder slightly why I wasn't told about this.

Strange,

David
 
Greg,

any mechanic worth his wages should check the condition of the brake pads on the bike. Period. This is a basic requirement and, as a mimimun I would expect a 'phone call to ask whether I wanted the pads replaced.

As for 'caliper cleaning is extra' - it never has been wherever I've had any of my bike's serviced.

We should all be aware of tyre tread depths and fluid levels, but would query whether every rider should be expected to check brake pad wear. Clearly you do, as do I, but for a rider who is less mechanically minded, surely a 6k mile service interval is sufficient to allow the dealer to point out to a customer that his pads will need to be renewed in the near future? Isn't that what you'd expect from a main dealer servicing your car?

Mike:)
 
Not had a lot of experience with BMW bike servicing as mine had only had a 6k and annual service done before I wrote it off! But I do have a lot of experience with BMW car servicing and I know that if my non-franchised BMW specialist service centre thought there was any chance of anything not lasting until the next service they would at the very least ring me and give me option to have it sorted whilst it was with them.

Indeed as I write this I have just had a call to let me know that they are replacing the front disks and pads under warrantee as the front disks are warped again, this is the second time they have replaced these disks under warrantee, the first time 11 months and 2 weeks after fitting them and this time 11 months 3 weeks and 5 days after fitting the last warrantee set. Good job they have a 12 month warrantee period !!

The only down side is that the owner rides a Ducati Foggy Replica!
 
What did Sawbridgeworth get wrong?

I assume that they serviced your bike just as you asked. Was any of the servicing faulty? Or is it that they were just expensive?

:D :D -WELL greg, im not a mechanic, i use my bike every day to get to work to pay the bills; service in normal speak would include a brake check or are brakes beyond any form of needing servicing?

OK, so they didn't warn you that the brake pads were thin or that the rear tyre only has a few miles left. But these aren't items that you can't see for yourself each time you check your tyre pressures - especially if you've got 36k miles on the bike! (If you've had the pads changed before, you'd have some idea of how long they last)

-NOT warning me is very dissapointing; id say brakes are totally integral to the safety of the machine. if you're happy to check your bike every time it returns from a dealer and supplement their work, great. id rather pay my money and ride.
--Greg, you assume the tyre was worn, it wasnt, it had a lovely nail in it! no mention of worn brake pads at a major service is rather dissapointing don't you think?

Surely a bit of self-help is called for here. I don't think that there's anybody on this board who can't check tyres, pressures, oil level, brake pads, lights working etc for themselves.
You give Sawbridgeworth a roasting - but you didn't check the bike either!!

-SPOT ON; POL- TPB check was taught to me a long time ago but then the people who serviced my kit warned me of fatigued items and life expectancy;safety through knowledge.

Or are you blaming your dealer because the 1150GS is not the cheapest bike to commute on? That's hardly their fault, is it?

-IM NOT sure how i can blame my dealer for BMW prices; i elected to purchase the 1150gs based off abs, shaft drive and reliability. having spent the better part of 32 months on board, I question the logic in it being at least 1/3 more than most other bikes. as i said before, i want to have my views changed but at the moment you're not doing it for me!

I'm sure that Sawbridgeworth, like all dealers, are working hard to offer a good service. They are not cheap - but they're not Motorcycle City either!

brakes are brakes are brakes..at the very least they might have warned me the calipers were sticking dont you think? in the end i respect your views Greg but Im also aware of the money you pay for the status of the blue propellor. we pay over the odds as it is and i feel somewhat surprised you see nothing wrong in receiving a service that doesnt match the expectation. If your dealer rocks, then please tell me and I will happily try him! Honestly I will.
 
My sympathies

I think they should have told you about the pads nearing the end of their life and to say that "caliper cleaning" is extra AFTER the fact is taking the mickey.
I have also had mixed experiences with Sawbridgeworth, as you said they are good at selling but sometimes their service department seems too busy for their own good (and yours!). Did you get a completed checklist of what was done for your money? They SHOULD do it but never have when I've been in.
As soon as my bike is out of warranty I will be taking it to an independent mechanic - Wreford Miles recommended a place in Welham Green (between Hatfield & Potters Bar) called Tekmotive. (http://www.tekmotive.co.uk)
The rest of your post seems to be a gripe about the high cost & depreciation of the GS -v- build quality in general. Can't help you there - I like the GS for what it is and I can't get that from a Fazer (or any other bike). If you just want a commuter that doesn't corrode, loses you minimum money and you don't care about, buy a 2nd hand Deauville :rolleyes:
Andy
 
As an ex-owner of a garage repair business, I feel qualified to make a comment here. If a vehicle came into my garage for a service, EVERYTHING was checked: and if anything was wearing out or needed advising or replacing, I would telephone the customer and advise them and give them a costing for the extra parts and work.

This gave them the chance to get it done there & then (thus less incovenience for them), and more importantly for me, gave me more work which meant more money for me PLUS the customer felt happy that he wasn't being charged for something over & above the service.

I think if you're running a service shop, this should be standard practice, If a dealer is just doing the basic work only, they're missing out on two counts: extra business, plus a satisfied customer.
 
Brakes should be checked at the service, especially a major one.

At my last service Balderstons spotted a failed pad and rang me to ask if I'd like them changed. I was surprised as they appeared to have plenty of life if left in them when viewed from the rear of the caliper and requested that they keep the old ones for me to look at. Sure enough half of one of the pads had somehow come away from the metal plate and fallen off.

This is the sort of service we should all be getting.

I won't rave about Balderstons too much as Mike O has had a different experience :eek:

As for losing money, the answer has to be don't buy brand new. Get a two year old bike with 10k or less on the clock (there are a few about I'm sure) this way it'll cost less, any warranty work should have been done and you can extend the BMW warranty if you really want to or use an independant to do your servicing and forget about the warranty.

Still, if a jap bike floats your boat go for it.

Adam
 
As I'm not at home, I can check the service schedule for a 36k miles service, and, yes, it may include a visual inspection of the brake pad thickness. If it does, Sawbridgeworth are remiss in not advising you that they are getting thin.

But sticking calipers? That's not obvious from a visual check and, depending on how bad they are sticking, may not even be noticable from a road test. But if they were that bad, why didn't you say something when you took the bike in? Perhaps they weren't sticking - in fact you didn't know that they were until someone else told you 1,000 miles later. If your brakes started sticking after the service, it's entirely possible that the pads were perfectly serviceable when Sawbridgeworth had the bike. It's a bit hard blaming your dealer for not spotting a fault that may not even have existed!

You write that "infact the whole bmw experience for me has not really been what i expected" and go on to rationalise why a Fazer might have been a better purchase even "if it corrodes". FWIW, my bike hasn't suffered rotting wheels and nuts!

You write of relative depreciation; of dealers being few and far between. Yet you head your posting sawbridgeworth bmw and go on to say "why am i left feeling defalted by this dealership yet again?". The answer seems to be simple. You're blaming them for
  • not spotting a fault that may not have existed
  • not having bought a Fazer
  • that the Home Counties are not awash with BMW dealerships
  • and that you've clearly had a bad day and want to blame someone for it!

Greg
 
Checking brake pads and discs for wear is on the service schedule Greg. And I would expect it to be done if I put my bike into Sawbridgeworth for a service, ESPECIALLY at the labour rates they are charging.

Bob
 
Bob Southgate said:
Checking brake pads and discs for wear is on the service schedule Greg. And I would expect it to be done if I put my bike into Sawbridgeworth for a service, ESPECIALLY at the labour rates they are charging.

Bob
Click to expand...

Yes, it is and I'm sure they'd have grabbed the opportunity of fitting new pads too if they had spotted that the bike needed them!

Greg
 
well greg..its been a pleasure reading your rantings at me on here......am glad to hear you have a service manual at hand, im sure everyone on this site keeps a handy volume or two at work, dont we guys?

ill do a deal with you greg. fancy servicing my bike for me? seems you're the man and its obvious you're a mechanical guru so im more than happy to pay you as you have all the answers.

as for me, im just a jub paying punter who appears to have the support of everyone who has posted on here. ever wondered if you might be backing the wrong horse? or are you a dealership too?? let us know?

your no compromise approach is refreshing and inspires confidence that any mechanical object let loose in your workshop will be properly dealt with.

my point about the fazer was monetary which you failed to grasp: 1/3 to x 2 the money does not equal double the bike.

my bmw is now on its 40,000 th mile and despite exact service intervals and normal care, it does not seem to be holding up any better than any other 'lesser' bike. it has corroded as much as any other bike and the wire wheels smack of design complacency. imagine buying a bmw car and having rusty wheels after the first few falls of rain and then told its normal........

add to very high dealer ship costs (see comments elsewhere here) with minor things like brake pad wear and tear missed on a major service and the result is a poor experience. and im being polite.

as i told you before, i really wanted to be coaxed into loving the blue prop but people like you remind me bmw ownership can be quite a pain.

fyi, bmw carefully control who has a bike dealership. i know for a fact my local bmw car dealership wanted to provide bikes and had a lot of cash available to build separate premises etc.....bmw uk said no; oh look, a rigged market.....hence very little choice where you go to have your official service and heaven forbid a haggle over your bike price......

and no, i havent had a bad day, just feel let down

happy days
 
My question is did you see the brake pads that were almost worn down to metal?
M/cycle pad are far thinner than car pads to start with and it is possible that the BMW dealer mechanic considered that there was ample life left to make it to the next service. There by saving you some money.
It is also possible that your local mechanic considered that he could increase his turnover by selling you some pads.
Either way the only way I am sure that I am not been ripped off is to do the job myself.
 
This all sounds very familiar with good old sawbridgeworth, don't you all think. Who was it last time that had the piss taken by them?
 
Greg Masters said:
I'm sure that Sawbridgeworth, like all dealers, are working hard to offer a good service. Greg
Click to expand...

Cough, cough, splutter, splutter........the sanguine chokes on his coffee!!!!
 
Actually, for them to miss this at a 36k service seriously sucks.

Like all dealers (BMW or otherwise) they will always try and justify a mistake by passing the burden of blame to the customer. A few dealers would come clean and offer something in the way of compensation and apologise. They tend to be few and far between, but more likely to be BMW dealers than other bike dealers IMHO.

I can understand that a caliper strip and clean might be an extra item, but not to give the brakes even a once-over is crap service.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Steptoe
Final drive about to fall off.
2
Replies
25
Views
1,298
ThreeDawg
iangough
2004 GS Top Speed Degradation
2 3
Replies
41
Views
1,813
iangough
iangough
Wapping
411 Himalayan - Relays, iridium exhaust, free air flow filter, EBC sintered pads….. next up, exhaust…. And other bits that have worked
Replies
2
Views
163
Wapping
Wapping
Nando654321
BMW 1150GSA - stubby or not to stubby…
2 3
Replies
43
Views
2,592
Nando654321
Nando654321
wessie
Annual travel insurance renewal runaround. Check those T&C
Replies
17
Views
745
Wapping
Wapping


Back
Top Bottom