pint6x
Guest
Owning a 5 yr old bike (R1100R) I rang round a few dealers in my area (Coopers - Reading, SPC - Alton) to see if they operated a scheme similar to the BMW Car dealers which I think is called "Four plus"
In order to try and retain the custom of people with BMW cars more than four years old, they operate a scheme whereby servicing & parts are at a reduced rates.
Anyway, the upshot of these conversations was a resounding "no", so with quotes for a full annual service for my 30k bike hovering around the £300 - £350 mark, I went to a non-franchised dealer - Premier Bikes in Didcot.
They kept the bike for two weeks (whilst I was abroad on holiday) and did a great job. For £180 I got a full service, a new back brake light switch, brakes bled and a valet. They sorted out the backfiring and it certainly went better when I picked it up.
I think their labour rates are about £28 an hour, which compares very favourably with the £45+ that most dealers charge.
To be fair, SPC did say "If you come back when we're quiet, we'll see what we can do, but currently we're booked 3 weeks in advance".
My point is: with a bike out of warranty, why go to a dealer, when an independent specialist will charge a lot less ?
I suppose if you have a long relationship with a dealer, and they look sympathetically on out-of-warranty failures, and you always buy your bikes from them, then great.
I bought privately because this was the only way I could afford to get onto an R1100 of any description - I'll stick to the independents.
Philip
In order to try and retain the custom of people with BMW cars more than four years old, they operate a scheme whereby servicing & parts are at a reduced rates.
Anyway, the upshot of these conversations was a resounding "no", so with quotes for a full annual service for my 30k bike hovering around the £300 - £350 mark, I went to a non-franchised dealer - Premier Bikes in Didcot.
They kept the bike for two weeks (whilst I was abroad on holiday) and did a great job. For £180 I got a full service, a new back brake light switch, brakes bled and a valet. They sorted out the backfiring and it certainly went better when I picked it up.
I think their labour rates are about £28 an hour, which compares very favourably with the £45+ that most dealers charge.
To be fair, SPC did say "If you come back when we're quiet, we'll see what we can do, but currently we're booked 3 weeks in advance".
My point is: with a bike out of warranty, why go to a dealer, when an independent specialist will charge a lot less ?
I suppose if you have a long relationship with a dealer, and they look sympathetically on out-of-warranty failures, and you always buy your bikes from them, then great.
I bought privately because this was the only way I could afford to get onto an R1100 of any description - I'll stick to the independents.
Philip
