2013 GSW 10 klm Blown Gearbox & Engine. Seized back wheel.

[Voz]

So, my beloved 2013 (Dec 2012 build) GSW nearly killed me yesterday. I don't care too much about the bike at present, I am just thankful it did not lock the back wheel on me when I was riding in anger.

Everything was normal, was riding in a group of approx 150 riders on a memorial ride for a recently fallen rider in our club (Sydneys Riders) so we were all riding slowly and respectfully. Was on the Old Pacific Highway, Mt White, about 70Klm north of Sydney, Australia.

Fortunately, I started to hear clanging and feel unusual vibes just as the group was turning into a cafe stop (Road Warriers, Mt White), as I entered the gravel driveway at 5Km/h the back wheel started to lock and skip.

Stopped and parked. Started the engine in N, noted clanging sounds, revved a little, the bike started to move forward. Shut it down. Rolled it in N to a better parking spot, all sorts of grinding in the drivetrain.

Loaded onto the trailer in N, rear wheel not locked but drivetrain grinding. By the time the tow truck and I started to unload the bike the rear wheel was 100% locked, we had to lift/drag it off the tow truck. Left in the dealers driveway (sunday arvo) so they would notice it in the morning.

They called this morning to say it was in the workshop. A few hours later they called to say the nut holding the clutch basket had worked itself loose, the shaft the nut is on was now able to move on the horizontal plane, wrecking gears, cam chain and other engine components.

Dealer is preparing a report for BMW and will await their advice. Dealer says as a minimum it will be a new gearbox and rebuilt engine or replacement engine. Expects the process to take 1 month.

I will wait until I have a BMW case # then will start to make noises if I am not satisfied with the outcome.

Not sure if this is a common problem but it may pay to have the dealer check your clutch nut on the next service.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Sorry to hear that & also more importantly your memorial ride for your buddy was spoiled by this inconvenience

I'm sure BMW will sort it - the warranty is excellent

 

[Voz]

Sorry to hear that & also more importantly your memorial ride for your buddy was spoiled by this inconvenience

I'm sure BMW will sort it - the warranty is excellent

I am certain they will sort it. I am thinking I would prefer a new engine over a rebuilt engine but I don't know.

I think if they offer me a new bike I will jump at it but this seems unlikely.

As a minimum I would like a no charge loner for the next month or so.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Over here you are entitled to a courtesy bike/car provided you used the Motorrad system to get you bike recovered

Is it not the same for you guys in Aus?

 

[Voz]

Over here you are entitled to a courtesy bike/car provided you used the Motorrad system to get you bike recovered

Is it not the same for you guys in Aus?

Not sure about that. I did use (and pay a $275 excess km charge) the BMW Motorrad Assist program to collect the bike and deliver to my local BMW dealer.

I have requested the dealer raise the $275 charge and add to any claim.

The dealer's opinion is that I will not get a new bike, new engine or even a loaner. He seems to be prepping me for major dissapointment. We shall see, I am generally extremely reasonable and fair however I can be vile **** if I don't get what I think is reasonable. At this stage I am just waiting to see how this resolves in the first instance.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

I'd be taking a look at your warranty/breakdown cover T&C's in the owners handbook and raising the issue with BMW Customer Services in Aus

 

[Voz]

I'd be taking a look at your warranty/breakdown cover T&C's in the owners handbook and raising the issue with BMW Customer Services in Aus

Just thought I would have a quick look at all the books, etc that came in the owners wallet. Seems that BMW AU have a BMW Motorcycle Supplementary Warranty which basically states the T&C's of warranty. Interestingly, it opens with this:

"The BMW Australia Ltd ("BMW") Motorcycle Supplementary Warranty Conditions are contained in this handbook. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure."

I might just go the refund route if it's that simple. If I choose the repair option I have to think about this

"Goods presented for repair may be replaced by refurbished goods of the same type rather than being repaired. Refurbished parts may be used to repair the goods."


Life was much simpler when I was just riding around now I have this shitstorm to deal with.

 

[HermanH]

Just a quick note, the same thing happened to my 2013 LC a week ago, 16500km on the clock! Still waiting to hear what broke! Only difference was that I couldn't even move the bike when it was in Neutral! I will update as soon as I receive info from BMW.

 

[Voz]

Just a quick note, the same thing happened to my 2013 LC a week ago, 16500km on the clock! Still waiting to hear what broke! Only difference was that I couldn't even move the bike when it was in Neutral! I will update as soon as I receive info from BMW.

I just saw your post on wilddog.za.net I posted you my details there too. How come after a week they have not advised you of the cause?

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

"The BMW Australia Ltd ("BMW") Motorcycle Supplementary Warranty Conditions are contained in this handbook. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure."

I might just go the refund route if it's that simple.

I doubt after this time it will be

You have to be realistic and give the dealer the opportunity to repair your bike

I'd be looking for a replacement vehicle to keep you mobile. There is nothing in this world that makes a dealer focus more on getting your bike repaired than the fact that you are in a replacement car/bike

 

[HermanH]

I just saw your post on wilddog.za.net I posted you my details there too. How come after a week they have not advised you of the cause?

Politic's between dealers and BMW SA. The dealer needs to get approval from BMW SA to start stripping the bike to determine what the problem is. Without approval none of the costs involved is paid by BMW SA.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

That's a perfectly normal procedure and one that happens in the UK as well

 

[Voz]

Yes that is also happening in my case. I will give it a few days.

 

[Packer]

That is now two separate issues that have resulted in cam chain failure and locked transmissions.

1) This thread where the clutch basket nut has come loose

2) Loose starter gear train bolt that allowed a gear to move and plane the heads off the rear face of the right cylinder cam chain rivets. Five or six known incidents of this the last time I looked

Very happy that the op was travelling so slowly and wasn't hurt. This cam chain in the gearbox void looks increasingly like a very bad idea.

 

[Captain Beaky]

I'm one of the latter of these two failures.
Like the OP, if the failure had happened 30 secs earlier, I'd be in serious trouble...

Bike was 11 months old, 3,500 miles, and in mint condition.

BMW originally wanted to fit a new engine - I wrote a careful letter to BMW HQ in the uk, and they expedited a new bike to me.

The dealer was great too - pulled out all the stops to get me back on the road PDQ.

 

[Voz]

I'm one of the latter of these two failures.
Like the OP, if the failure had happened 30 secs earlier, I'd be in serious trouble...

Bike was 11 months old, 3,500 miles, and in mint condition.

BMW originally wanted to fit a new engine - I wrote a careful letter to BMW HQ in the uk, and they expedited a new bike to me.

The dealer was great too - pulled out all the stops to get me back on the road PDQ.

Rolled into the dealer this morning the check the progress.

I saw the bike in pieces and got some pics of the opened engine & gearbox. I could see some chunks taken out of some gears in the box and the damaged cam chain. There were large and small chunks of alloy in the engine block and gearbox.

Just after I got back to the office the dealer called and said that BMW have offered to replace the engine & gearbox. About a 1 month turnaround. I have not confirmed or accepted anything at this stage.

I am confused about what to do here. My bike has 10K on the ODO, how does this work for scheduled services with a new engine & gearbox? Will the value of my bike change? Should I request a subsidised trade in price and upgrade to a 14?

As for a loan vehicle, apparently BMW only offer cars as loaners which is of no value to me as I have nowhere to park a car at home or office. I also use my bike daily and depend on it for work.

Starting to feel quite annoyed & confused about this whole situation. Again, I have no issue with Procycles St Peters, they have been outstanding throughout, they did not cause the problem and are doing all in their power to resolve it.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I am surprised a thread like this is not attracting more debate from WC owners, who must be interested in such a failure or are they in denial ?

Voz good luck with your repair

You're in a difficult dilemma

If I wanted to not spend anymore money, I would accept the repair

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

I'd be asking your dealer for options. It strikes me that you like the bike and just want the situation sorted asap?

You already know that they can fit a new engine/gearbox under warranty and that this will take a month to complete (which seems a tad excessive to me)

I bet they could supply you with a new bike within that timescale? Why not ask the question as to what the cost to upgrade to a 14my will be?

I would also be ask them to ask BMW if they would buy you out of the bike completely basing their valuation on its pre detonated state? This will focus their attention on the fact that you are a tad miffed with the whole situation

I would also request of the dealer, that during this down time they supply you with a bike for the reasons you have given and that they reimburse you and recharge this 'rental' to BMW as part of the warranty claim. This can be done. It's just whether or not your dealer can be bothered to sort it for you? They seem to have done everything you have requested of them so far so this should be no problem. After all. I am sure they have customers who can't drive a car? So ask yourself. How would they get on in a similar situation if public transport (the cost of which you are also entitled to claim for) is not an option?

 

[Packer]

If you can wait the month to get your bike back with a brand new engine and gearbox you will be in a good place. As most of the servicing issues relate to those components the service clock would probably start from zero again with the necessity to run in the new engine. Apart from the final drive and cycle parts you'll effectively have a new bike, certainly the bike will have 10,000 more miles of life in it apart from cheap items like wheel bearings and the more expensive FD. You'll definitely be better off.

Is it an option to buy a cheap hack for the month, it's winter for you just now so it may even be worth more when you come to sell it nearer summer although your climate may mean that here isn't the same seasonal value fluctuations that we get here in the UK.

Ask for the value of the rental car to put towards the temporary bike or perhaps that value can be used in a deal to buy, run for a month and sell back to the Procycles at no loss to you as long as you haven't damaged it. Play on the fact that you have no car parking facilities so can't use their current offer leaving you with a problem caused by the faulty bike.

 

[Voz]

Thanks for all the feedback and opinions, great community.

Will keep you guys updated, cheers.