3 year old failures

[quendi]

Yesterday my R1200 GS was three years old, but not a happy anniversary. 12 weeks ago at 17,000 miles the rear shock failed but replaced 100% by BMW. This week the gel battery failed, but worst of all my BMW dealer MOT'ed the bike yesterday and reported the final drive is totally knackered at 19,000 miles, that's despite me having the oil changed by them at 6,000 miles and again yesterday. Again BMW will replace the final drive and cover the parts cost 100% but not the labour.

Whilst I can't fault BMW's and my dealers customer service I am amazed that a 3 year 1200 GS with only 19,000 miles on the clock, BMW dealer serviced from new should have such major failures. Where is the reputed BMW quality?

Quendi
Blue R 1200 GS 2006

 

[piebaps]

You should think yourself lucky. My 3 1/2 year old 2005 with 24k had a final drive failure (its second!!) and all I got from the feckers was the finger.

Dealer said contact customer services and customer services said contact the dealer. One or both of them was jerking me around.

Nice to see that the goodwill gestures are being made despite what my dealer told me.

 

[(RIP) Bobble]

Where is the reputed BMW quality?
Quendi
Blue R 1200 GS 2006

That ended years ago when cost cutting/higher profit became more important

 

[smartbear]

platiscene f/d

reading tales like these must make BMW cringe with embaresment,good job the bikes are not expensive or it would make it even worse
oh-they are

 

[cookie]

reading tales like these must make BMW cringe with embaresment,good job the bikes are not expensive or it would make it even worse
oh-they are

i think it's pretty obvious from the lack of proper fixes to these issues, that they really don't give a shit.

 

[(RIP) Shenzi]

i think it's pretty obvious from the lack of proper fixes to these issues, that they really don't give a shit.

Why would they, they are still selling lots of bikes! The only thing that interests them is profit! The 12GS is the best selling bike over 1000cc in the world apparently, please don't anyone mention Charlie McGregor as that is a UK thing only which is a very small market.
Had the disgraceful problems of the FPC and ring antenna affected sales I'm sure they would have been fixed very quickly.
The FDs on all their bikes should last a lot longer than they do. Come on Honda build an alternative and yes I have tried a Valadero, didn't like it.

 

[bumpy]

i think it's pretty obvious from the lack of proper fixes to these issues, that they really don't give a shit.

Its just possible they dont have the expertise to solve them.

 

[cookie]

Its just possible they dont have the expertise to solve them.

they could always use the same method they used to solve the servo problems.

 

[Slowdown]

blah ...final drive problems... blah

they could always use the same method they used to solve the servo problems.

Given the F800 is suffering from crap chains, you think BMW are about to bring out a GS Unicycle?


kewl!

 

[m1keyp]

Ducati are making a "GS" soon and that will be more reliable!!

 

[Patventure]

Build quality

I'm sure it's been said before, but BMW are doing their future sales a power of no good here. The stories on this thread alone would stop anyone in their tracks when approaching the BMW dealerships for a new bike in the future.

The combination of Ewan and Charlie, along with their previous reliability reputation (which is still perpetuated by the biking press - how out of touch are they?) has sold the thousands of 1200GS bikes that we see today. but in 5, 10 years time? BMWs'll be a much rarer sight, I predict.

Patrick

 

[theop]

Why would they, they are still selling lots of bikes! The only thing that interests them is profit! The 12GS is the best selling bike over 1000cc in the world apparently, please don't anyone mention Charlie McGregor as that is a UK thing only which is a very small market.
Had the disgraceful problems of the FPC and ring antenna affected sales I'm sure they would have been fixed very quickly.
The FDs on all their bikes should last a lot longer than they do. Come on Honda build an alternative and yes I have tried a Valadero, didn't like it.

Ewan and Charlie adventures are already translated (& assorted dvds)into 30 languages mate.... Best selling single adventure series dvd ever regardless of industry or sport...

I reckon it has at least something to do with GS sales success... Probably difficult to quantify though...

 

[GSoh]

Quendi I am also very much in this camp, 3 years old, 15k miles, fuel pump thingy, batteries, gearbox seals, clutch and now the fecking thing has totally packed in because the wiring harness completely burned out taking the alternator and possibly ABS pump with it. It should be a great bike which I can rely on, but I now have no confidence in it whatsoever. Expensive shite.

 

[appledell]

Quendi I am also very much in this camp, 3 years old, 15k miles, fuel pump thingy, batteries, gearbox seals, clutch and now the fecking thing has totally packed in because the wiring harness completely burned out taking the alternator and possibly ABS pump with it. It should be a great bike which I can rely on, but I now have no confidence in it whatsoever. Expensive shite.

You have had the same problems as my 1200RT but in reverse order.

Mine spontaneously combusted 2 years ago ! NO fuses ! Feck me.

Mine is still in the shop having gearbox seals and clutch done, oh and FD seal (a pre curser to FD meltdown?) FPC left me stranded and £206 poorer 2 months ago.

There are only 19 people where I earn a crust and 5 ride bikes, I am the only one with a B um W. They laugh and have even asked me to join the honda club

Guess what? I will as soon as the V4 1200 goes on sale.

Someone said that it is easier to keep existing customers and 10 times more difficult to attract new buyers. At this rate, unless BMW raise their game then I think they are fecked.

The only way I can see then climbing out of the shithole they have dug for themselves is offer a 5 year warranty.

Hyundai do a 7 year warranty on their cars FFS.

Rant over

 

[Fanum]

Has anyone got any figures to show that the number of serious issues per thousand bikes produced has increased?

Yes we're hearing more about the failures, but that's because, as we all know, this is the first sort of place people come to moan about them.

The NUMBER of failures is irrelevant, unless you happen to be one of them.....it's the NUMBER OF FAILURES PER X UNITS that is far more important and is the only figure that will concern them


While their sales are on the increase, or even just holding their own in comparison with other marques given the current Global recession, they won't give two hoots

 

[Davy F]

Reading all this (and so so many other related threads) has me worried. I mean, I've almost covered 24k and nothing has happened to my 12GS. So just when will it all go pear shaped ?

 

[GSoh]

Fanum I know what you mean but I have also been a member/regular user of honda and yamaha sites in the past for long periods of time and there was nothing like the amount of faults etc reported on those sites, albeit that they may not sell the same numeber of bikes. What about another statistic - posts on problems per x posts!!!!

 

[Hector]

Well mine's an 05 plate 34K on clock. One oil seal (Warranty) and a brake lever micro switch.Still lovin' it!

 

[Pauly S]

I don't understand how they get away with it.

What gets me is that tens, sorrys hundreds of people get on here ranting and raving about the bikes, but people still buy them?
I dont understand why, you can buy a transit van and never have an oil seal or a bearing go???
If you think about it,my 2008 orange transit weighs 3.1 ton laden, with the fat busterd driver in it prob 3.2 ton, spread the load over 4 corners thats 0.80 tons per wheel bearing.
Bmw bike 3-400 kilos laden thats 200 kilos per bearing, yet the bearings , and seals in the fd seem to get fecked up with regularity???are they made of stilton or cheddar?they must be the crappiest seals available, made in a shed in singapore, with lathes spinning by donkey power, come on bmw ffs...no double ffs
Gearboxes.. 3.2 ton of transit pulling up to 2 ton load on the back of it, so 5 ton gross train weight, yet no problems with oil seals leaking in the gearbox,no fecked clutches, it just works...and works.
last van had 180k on it with original clutch...
I'm so nearly getting my cheque book out to buy an 06 1200gs, but i wonder , is it a good idea?
A new fd is £900, how much ffs??its the most popular selling adv bike in the world apparently, so what happened to making bits in bulk and bringing the price down?
I wonder how much a new diff would be for a transit van? anyone know?
I despair cos i really like the freedom and places these bikes can take you, but why all the money grabbing doorlocks?
Mate of mine has a k75,85'000 miles on fd, not even worn, whats goin on?
Fuel pump controllers, why fit the poxy thing in the first place?why not have a 12volt pump and let it run at 12 volts controlled by a relay?its not rocket science
Canbus...why not fit fuses, they are only pennies, any numpty can change a fuse..
You can have the handling and performance without all this unesscessary junk.
Enhancing the reliability... if it aint fiited it cant fail...also removing all this crap it will lighten the bike up.
Why cant they make the k75/k100 final drive go on the 1200, redesign the castings around the original gears,they worked....and worked...and worked...
I too have experienced the bmw "finger" they dont seem to give a feck.
However a mate of mine who has a bandit 1200 was told although his fork seals are leaking at 4k, thats wear and tear and not covered by warranty by suzuki, doorlocks.. that was bates of dartford,kent.kankers...
Come on mr bmw, get your hsit together,nick some parts form the car division or summat.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

.....................
You can have the handling and performance without all this unesscessary junk.
Enhancing the reliability... if it aint fiited it cant fail...also removing all this crap it will lighten the bike up.

Eh

It's 'cos they got rid of a lot of the junk that the 1200 is significantly lighter (and better ) than the other oil heads.

The R1200 has its issues, I ain't defending it, but I honestly don't think it's any less reliable than any previous boxers.

It sells in bigger volumes so we hear more about issues with the R1200.

In comparison to a UJM it's a joke in terms of reliability.

The big difference is that the older WMBs were owned by enthusiasts that did all their own work on a bike and expected a bike to need pampering and fettling (just look at all the improvement mods carried out to air-heads).

With the R series we now have a bike selling to peeps brought up on UJMs and a different set of expectations.

The above is not an excuse it's just how I see it.

ALL the bikes I have ever loved with my heart have been great yet flawed bikes and it's somehow, in a perverse way, the flaws that give the bikes character and the reason I've loved them

Andres