"Extras" required at 600m service?

[NorthernBoy]

When booking the bike in for the 6,000 mile service (9 month old bike), I was asked if I also wanted brake fluid and gearbox oil changed. This confused me, so I repeated to the receptionist booking it in that it was a 9 month old bike, had done 6,00 miles since the running-in service, and I wanted the 6,000 mile service done, and she repeated her question. I told her that I wanted everything done that BMW say should be done, and nothing extra (unless they found any problems), but again she asked if I wanted that to include gearbox oil, so I put the phone down (politely), and wondered when, exactly, the customer was supposed to tell the dealership what the service involves.

Is there anything that I am missing here? Surely saying that I want the scheduled work done is explanation enough, isn't it? She told me that I would need these fluids changed at a year anyway, but I said that as I'll have it back in for the 12k service by then, that is not a problem.

What gives?

 

[WindyChuffer]

Wasn't Park Lane by any chance was it?

Try another dealer.

Vines recommended.

 

[Blues Boy]

Extras

Hi there, I was asked this on my 6,000 mile service. It relates to changing of brake fluid etc, and is usually done after 12 months. Like me sometimes it is easier to have it done when the bike is in for service, than bring it back 3 months later just for the annual checks, plus brake fluid changes. I'd rather be out on the bike in good weather. I hope this solves the mystery for you.

 

[Steptoe]

.

Is there anything that I am missing here?

Yes -she had asked you a perfectly reasonable civil question "do you want the brake fluid and gearbox oil changed" (it's a yearly schedule, and seeing as your bike is 9 months old she is being perfectly logical and thinking you'll be back in another 9 months, which would mean 18 months between gearoil and brake fluid change ).
All you had to reply was "no thanks, i'll be back again in less than three months and i'll have it done then". Perhaps she didn't hear you ??

How difficult is that

 

[NorthernBoy]

Yes -she had asked you a perfectly reasonable civil question "do you want the brake fluid and gearbox oil changed"

It was not perfectly reasonable when it was asked for the third time, after I'd said "I only want done what is due to be done, and not anything extra". To ask again at that point can do nothing but confuse.

Anyway, I'm done with this dealer, their reception staff are both ignorant and rude (and before you ask, they were only annoying and confusing this time, the ignorant and rude part came on previous interactions), and life's too short to deal with people like them ever again.

And edited to point out that after having checked the service schedule, the gearbox oil seems not to be due at one year, so she was apparently actually asking about some work that was not due for another fifteen months. Asking, repeatedly, if I want it done even when I have said that I only want the scheduled work done seems pretty dodgy.

 

[NorthernBoy]

Wasn't Park Lane by any chance was it?
Try another dealer.
Vines recommended.

Yes, this was my final dealings with them, I think. I had to argue with the receptionist previously about why exactly I expected them to stick with the rental bike that I'd been promised, as opposed to something completely different.

A nice touch was the implication by the young lady answering the phone that I was a little bit stupid to not just accept the wrong bike, and then to take another day to arrange a test ride on the correct one up at Park Lane.

 

[Dainese Brave]

I'm guessing this has been caused by one of three things..

1....trying to boost sales.

Perfectly acceptable to try and get extra revenue...but if told no, then they should just accept it, and not continue to badger you (this would be out of order in my view).

2....although you get mileage intervals, you also get time period interval service requirements too (yearly service). This is like and interim service for low milage bikes, and I think they were trying to offer advice that the fluid changes were recommended, based on experience and knowledge (i.e yearly, not milage, period to next service etc), but might not actually be included in the mileage schedule.

3....lack of information/training on the sales persons behalf.

Maybe they've been told to remind you that extra fluid replacement services are available over and above those of the service schedules (based on time, not mileage).....but not actually sure the reasons for why?

In other words, she wouldn't actually know if they were supposed to be part of your service interval, only that she'd been asked to ask.
I'm guessing her repeating the question, might be because maybe she thought you would know the answer, and then answer your own question of whether it should have been included, and then whether you then needed it done??

So....I think it was number 3.....offering the service, but didn't really know the reason why, and therefore didn't know how to answer your question. Nothing more malicious than that..annoying...but nothing more I'd say

Not enough to never go back surely

I'm in the process of getting my GSA service, and ironically the service desk asked a similar question.....it was just explained why he was asking (time scale/life span of the fluids) so I knew why I was being asked.

It was up to me if I had it done...but it was recommended.

I'd put it down to experience if it was me, then have a word with the service technician or mechanic, someone who'll really know what's best for your bike, then way it up, and make a choice.

 

[cookie]

i thought brake fluid change was a 2 year thing

 

[Aggy]

I think a lot of places are doing this as it is a way of getting more dosh out of the owner.

Ok not a Beemer dealer, but years ago I had a Bandit 12 and took that to the local dealer who happily informed me that at 9k on the clock my front pads were 50% worn and needed replacing. I looked around for the tree he must have thought i had just fallen out of. So, I told him not to bother with the half worn pads as I would do them myself (muttering under my breath, in another 8k or so when they actually needed replacing).
Later that day I went and collected the bike and to my absolute horror i was presented with a seperate sheet printed with a large red warning across the top that they wanted me to sign saying that they were releasing a bike to the customer with a potential critical safety defect and me signing the form would releave them of all responsibility if I rode off the forecourt and killed myself. And you know, just for a while, I doubted my judgement. I actually thought that the pads might be better swapped and even wondered if they could do them for me before I set off. Luckily, I quickly thought otherwise and asked the service reception gimp if the brakes were defective or just the pads worn to which he replied 'the pads are worn' so I paid the bill and left and the pads were fine and dandy - well what a suprise.

But it makes me wonder how many bikers had been drawn in by the 50% worn thing. I know that in recent years a lot of dealers try little ploys to get the extra money out of you - I call it the 'would you like fries with that?' ploy.
example

My Triumph Speed triple went in for an MOT at a certain Honda dealer in Tamworth last year and failed on the rear tyre being close to the legal limit (but not illegal) - oddly they could replace the tyre and then pass the bike before I got there to save me the trouble and what is more they just so happened to have a special deal on tyres that week. Wow how lucky was I to have a tyre nearly illegal on the same week they had a special deal on?


And don't even get me started on the gobshites at Listers SEAT in Coventry.............................

 

[NorthernBoy]

Not enough to never go back surely

No, this alone wasn't, but as I mentioned in another post, the suggestion that I was a bit stupid for not just accepting the wrong hire bike, then taking another day off work to test the one I'd asked for really rubbed me up the wrong way.

They also came up with a laughably bad price to trade up to the new GS (£3,000 worse than the dealer down the road), and are just generally proving to be a pain to deal with. I just decided that I prefer to go somewhere where the whole experience is a bit more pleasant from now.

 

[NorthernBoy]

My Triumph Speed triple went in for an MOT at a certain Honda dealer in Tamworth last year and failed on the rear tyre being close to the legal limit (but not illegal) - oddly they could replace the tyre and then pass the bike before I got there to save me the trouble and what is more they just so happened to have a special deal on tyres that week. Wow how lucky was I to have a tyre nearly illegal on the same week they had a special deal on?


And don't even get me started on the gobshites at Listers SEAT in Coventry.............................

My rear is down to the legal limit, so I should probably replace it before the service.

I must say, mind, that I've had worse service in a dealers abroad. Somehow, in the process of fixing my front mudguard, they managed to snap the passenger footpeg in half, and then did not bother mentioning it.

I only noticed in three hours and 200 miles later, and saw no point even calling them to discuss the issue, but god knows what they must have been doing to snap clean through what is a pretty chunky piece of metal.

 

[HondaMan]

you seem to have bad experience with dealers in general, let us know how you get on with the next dealer and see if we can spot a theme.

Being an internet forum it is hard to judge what someone is really like, are they a pedantic pain in the arse or do they just have few social skills or is it just the way they type etc.....? It can be similar when dealing with people over the phone, maybe the receptionist made a bad judgment?

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

I think a lot of places are doing this as it is a way of getting more dosh out of the owner.

.............................

spot the big brain on brad.....

who do you think comes up with a 'service schedule' in thefirst place ?

engineers ? - nah
designers ? - nah
quality dept ? - nah

accountants ? - bingo

car first service = 10k miles - what oils do they use ?

 

[MattW]

spot the big brain on brad.....

who do you think comes up with a 'service schedule' in thefirst place ?

engineers ? - nah
designers ? - nah
quality dept ? - nah

accountants ? - bingo

car first service = 10k miles - what oils do they use ?

Spot on.

The dealer doesn't want to see my missus' diesel Astra until its done 20,000 miles - they'll have come up with this to keep the fleet buyers happy.

No fleet buyers with bikes and bikers are used to bending over every time they walk through a dealers door so they set a nice conservative interval. BMW are also capable of some fairly serious design feck-ups - sealed for life FD's being a case in point. Probably ok if they're designed right in the first place but in the real world, a bum idea...

That said, bikes hold less oil and aircooled, lean running engines give the oil a harder time (and the gearbox / FD work pretty hard) so I still change all fluids every 4000 but I do it myself so it costs buttons. Of course with a new warranted bike they have you by the short and curlies.

 

[Dainese Brave]

No, this alone wasn't, but as I mentioned in another post, the suggestion that I was a bit stupid for not just accepting the wrong hire bike, then taking another day off work to test the one I'd asked for really rubbed me up the wrong way.

They also came up with a laughably bad price to trade up to the new GS (£3,000 worse than the dealer down the road), and are just generally proving to be a pain to deal with. I just decided that I prefer to go somewhere where the whole experience is a bit more pleasant from now.

Dealer confidence is paramount in my view....getting the right feeling in the dealers, and through dealing with them, is so important.

That's why I return to Balderstone's for all my servicing, because I trust their work, and advice, and they've always been spot on. Also the same with recent dealings with Lind in Norwich.

...such a difference from my dealings with Cannons, where I bought my bike! (ok...I know they're under a new regime!)

Sorry to hear you've had other problems.

 

[NorthernBoy]

you seem to have bad experience with dealers in general, let us know how you get on with the next dealer and see if we can spot a theme.

Well, that's certainly one option.

The other, of course, is that I ignore patronising and cuntish posts like that one up there, which is probably better all round.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

I've run the Service Reception areas in both a Volvo and Land Rover dealerships and I've got to say that BMW service schedules are a bloody mystery to me. If I'm brutally honest I think they're a mystery to some of the service staff at the dealerships as well

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Yes, this was my final dealings with them, I think. I had to argue with the receptionist previously about why exactly I expected them to stick with the rental bike that I'd been promised, as opposed to something completely different.

A nice touch was the implication by the young lady answering the phone that I was a little bit stupid to not just accept the wrong bike, and then to take another day to arrange a test ride on the correct one up at Park Lane.

Now this is a more difficult one. In my previous life I was always getting people moaning at me because they didn't want a certain courtesy car. More often than not it was a Range Rover owner who didn't want to be seen driving a Discovery. I think you get the picture? Occassionally you'd get a Freelander owner moan because they wanted to drive a Discovery. On a few occassions I've had customers fire ****s into me because they wanted a Discovery as a courtesy car because they'd arranged to take all their garden rubbish up the council tip I've even had people moan because the courtesy car was sign written and they were going in it to a wedding

My point is this. If you want to test ride/drive a certain vehicle book it with the Sales Dept and not the Service Dept

In my experience with the BMW bike network they don't have courtesy bikes, They have sales demonstrators stickered up as courtesy bikes for the use of all customers and on occassion those customers have a need to keep the bike overnight. How would you feel if you had a courtesy bike and the dealer called to say "we need to keep your bike overnight and by the way could we have our courtesy bike back"? I'd guess you wouldn't be too happy?

Be nice to the service receptionists. They've probably been dealing with cnuts all day

 

[Schtum]

i thought brake fluid change was a 2 year thing

Likewise. I understand that BMW recommend a 2 yearly service interval for the brake fluid on all bikes with braided steel hoses.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

I'll say it again. My advice would be too avoid park lane at all costs. MY experience with them was bad on all counts. If you search through my posts you'll see a few posts on extortionate servicing costs, along with terrible customer service.

The only way to go is vote with your money. It won't hurt park lane, they get enough traffic in there. You do deserve better than they give though.

I know their service manager is liked on here. But I had a call with him on my complaint, and all he could say was how busy they are etc etc and then didn't even bother coming to speak to me the next day I was in there.

Just my 2p