LC Service intervals a disgrace

[rudiemoto]

At the end of the day I am glad BMW charge 80-100 per hour
And when you do paid for the service stamp to keep the wty ,
There try everything to get out of sorting your bike out

But if you find a dealer that does everything to help then yes it's a lot but the dealer needs to pay big bills .very big bills

So in short buy an mt350 and service it yourself and look cool .

 

[skywalker]

I know I'm probably going to upset a lot of people but here goes........ why shouldn't a fully trained technician earn in the region of 40K (only £20/hr). Most vehicle technicians (Truck,car,motorcycle) serve an apprenticeship/training and then have to invest a considerable amount of money on tools, they will have to have further training with new models/technology. Do the people who complain about servicing cost also complain about what electricians and plumbers get paid (most likely). I think we need to look at what we get paid and then make comparisons. I have a friend who was a HGV fitter and gave that up to drive a car transporter for Fords, he earns about 65k a year, what does he need, a driving licence and a tacho card.

I can't understand the logic of spending thousands on a bike (or car) then moan about spending a few hundred on servicing.

Or do we just like a moan? Discuss.

I may be a little bias, in a previous life I was an HGV technician, gave it up to get a better paid job.

Good point over looked by lack of knowledge of how the motorcycle works.
1 its seasonal
2 no bike shop can afford those kind of wages due to profit margins in the products they sell
3 I'd love to be on that kinda money

 

[skywalker]

There was a position offered for a Senior Technician with a salary in excess of 30K.

Add on the Nat Ins all the other bullshit and you are not far off.

Take it that was down south ?? Add on your cost of living down there and that'll probably equate to around 18-20k up here

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Oh dear Johnny, you can always rely on you to lower it to a personal level.

I was being



You are lauded for your information provided, so please don't stop

.....Christ Bob, don't join the Samaritans for God's sake, you could easily make someone lose the will to live

I smiled with you Johno

 

[Micky]

As Skywalker says .... the motorcycle industry is seasonal, the so called profits aren't there week in week out, month in, month out. The 'bike industry is in no way similar to the car side of things ....

The profit margin for motorcycles is, I believe, less than 10%, leaving very little room for manoeuvre, unlike the heftier mark up for cars. Motorcycles are a leisure industry, the car game is not.

All the dealers have to conform to the corporate image, whether they employ five or fifty people. They get no choice to shop around for furniture and fittings!

A new bike launch? All the promotional stuff is delivered to the dealer, brochures, wall hangings etc quickly followed by a demand for a few grand from BMW HQ .... it all has to be paid for by the dealer.

Technicians wages? Ha ... I know for a fact that the average trained up technician earns very little over the minimum wage. £1,000 to £1,200 a month take home OK for you? Oh, but of course, it'll be a pleasure to work for a BMW main dealer won't it, you won't be wanting a lot of money for doing so!

The £60 to £100 an hour you're charged for your servicing doesn't all go to the Technician .... or the owner. The overheads are there 24/7 whether any bikes are sold or not. Not many motorcycles are sold between November to March but the overheads, rates, rent, wages etc still need paying.

As said earlier, it amazes me that people pay 13k to 20k for a motorcycle then start whinging about the costs of servicing. It also amazes me the number of people who think its all a charity .... for them, their very own charity. Time and time again I see punters wanting the maximum allowance against the bike they're taking in (and of course they're going to take all the extras off, even expecting the dealer to do that for nothing) AND THEN they want their new 'bike price knocked down AND some goodies thrown in. FFS

I'm glad I'm out of it though, the F800GS now just five years old and with 84,000 miles on it, will be staying for a few more years yet

When I get old I'll give the 800 to my lad and put the Xcountry in to full use 24/7

 

[Nutty]

As Skywalker says .... the motorcycle industry is seasonal, the so called profits aren't there week in week out, month in, month out. The 'bike industry is in no way similar to the car side of things ....

The profit margin for motorcycles is, I believe, less than 10%, leaving very little room for manoeuvre, unlike the heftier mark up for cars. Motorcycles are a leisure industry, the car game is not.

All the dealers have to conform to the corporate image, whether they employ five or fifty people. They get no choice to shop around for furniture and fittings!

A new bike launch? All the promotional stuff is delivered to the dealer, brochures, wall hangings etc quickly followed by a demand for a few grand from BMW HQ .... it all has to be paid for by the dealer.

Technicians wages? Ha ... I know for a fact that the average trained up technician earns very little over the minimum wage. £1,000 to £1,200 a month take home OK for you? Oh, but of course, it'll be a pleasure to work for a BMW main dealer won't it, you won't be wanting a lot of money for doing so!

The £60 to £100 an hour you're charged for your servicing doesn't all go to the Technician .... or the owner. The overheads are there 24/7 whether any bikes are sold or not. Not many motorcycles are sold between November to March but the overheads, rates, rent, wages etc still need paying.

As said earlier, it amazes me that people pay 13k to 20k for a motorcycle then start whinging about the costs of servicing. It also amazes me the number of people who think its all a charity .... for them, their very own charity. Time and time again I see punters wanting the maximum allowance against the bike they're taking in (and of course they're going to take all the extras off, even expecting the dealer to do that for nothing) AND THEN they want their new 'bike price knocked down AND some goodies thrown in. FFS

I'm glad I'm out of it though, the F800GS now just five years old and with 84,000 miles on it, will be staying for a few more years yet

When I get old I'll give the 800 to my lad and put the Xcountry in to full use 24/7

Wise words Micky

 

[MKP]

Good point over looked by lack of knowledge of how the motorcycle works.
1 its seasonal
2 no bike shop can afford those kind of wages due to profit margins in the products they sell


Skywalker, I don't really understand what you mean "good point overlooked by lack of knowledge of how motorcycle works". As a trained technician I know exactly how a motorcycle works or am I misinterpreting your post?

I understand that its seasonal compared to cars/trucks but it's not seasonal for the technicians they have to pay their bills all year round. I just think that they should be paid, not necessarily for just what they do but for their knowledge and paid a decent wage. We all deserve that surely.

 

[oldnfat]

All this stuff about seasonal etc misses the point. The service schedules amongst the mechanised world are getting longer as technology improves....but not it seems with BMW....why not?

I buy the cost of a tech, workshop and the seasonal nature of the business needs to charge an amount to see it through the lean times and make a profit....but it does not answer the fundamental point of this thread.

 

[Pukmeister]

Its all down to economics.

The dealers will charge whatever labour rates and parts prices the market can stand for a premium brand, and the manufacturers will set the maintenance intervals based upon many factors (not just the necessary engineering based decisions).

 

[Bendy toy]

BMW Motorrad dont have to try too hard on service costs because most other bike makers are even worse.

To keep the warranty alive, Honda were demanding £500 every 25K to check the valve clearances on a VFR. The fact they never needed any new shims until much later was ignored. Its also why I didn't buy one.

 

[Rasher]

The fact they never needed any new shims until much later was ignored.

Unless Mystic Meg relinquishes her ball to Honda they have no way of knowing if any shims are needed without checking them

£500 for a V4 motor covered by acres of bodywork sounds quite resonable when a 12k service for a GS with two sticky-out pots that can be reached with no bodywork removal and have easy to check screw and locknut tappets costs close to £400.

Plus how many of these bikes would need one of these checks in the warranty period, probably very few I bet 90% of owners do under 6k a year and less than 1% would clock up the 50k required for a second check in the warranty period.

Anyway aren't we on about service intervals not extending?

Honda (and most Jap bikes) have shifted basic service schedules and tappet checks in particular quite a bit in the last 20 or so years - still not enough IMO and I think all bikes should manage 8k / 12 months on a whatever comes first basis.

We all know the schedules and costs up front, and the options for DIY and independants so can vote with our wallets.....

... but seeing as your all lining up round the block for the new model I can't see this being on BMW's agenda when they can sell stacks of bikes, loads of oil filters and keep the dealers happy with promises of billions of pounds in servicing revenue as you lot all clock up 3 services a year

 

[Davy F]

Honda were demanding £500 every 25K to check the valve clearances on a VFR.

I owned a VFR Vtec and my big service was just under half of that. You probably read the early road tests which were very misleading about servicing costs, and you missed out on a cracking bike by believing the nonsense.

 

[skywalker]

Good point over looked by lack of knowledge of how the motorcycle works.
1 its seasonal
2 no bike shop can afford those kind of wages due to profit margins in the products they sell


Skywalker, I don't really understand what you mean "good point overlooked by lack of knowledge of how motorcycle works". As a trained technician I know exactly how a motorcycle works or am I misinterpreting your post?

I understand that its seasonal compared to cars/trucks but it's not seasonal for the technicians they have to pay their bills all year round. I just think that they should be paid, not necessarily for just what they do but for their knowledge and paid a decent wage. We all deserve that surely.

Absolutely - but reality is what it is
Its difficult on here to know who's in the know and who's not regarding the motorcycle industry. As Micky says dealers are there to make a profit of sorts.Nice shops/environments have to be paid for. Look at the big shopping malls everywhere. All the different shops tills are linked to the operator's/owner's bank account at some point. A nice place to visit ?? but paid for somewhere along the line. Do folk moan - no.
Some folk have a beef about service schedules which was the point of the original thread. For BMW they are what they are wether you agree or not -that's the nature of the beast. No amount of whinging on here will not alter things.
You may find the new LC has less to do on it than its predecessor so that would surely mean cheaper servicing- a bonus ??

 

[Davy F]

In response to the original statement, I don't think a 6k service interval is a disgrace. I do find it a bit surprising that BMW didn't 'design in' longer intervals to help compete with others in the same market. However, with them being the current market leader, and I have no doubt the the new LC will continue with that trend, I don't think they felt they needed to extend their servicing schedules as a selling point.

Plus they know their customers and know that the vast majority of people who buy the GS will be more worried if they have the correct and matching riding gear and stickers for their panniers.

 

[skywalker]

In response to the original statement, I don't think a 6k service interval is a disgrace. I do find it a bit surprising that BMW didn't 'design in' longer intervals to help compete with others in the same market. However, with them being the current market leader, and I have no doubt the the new LC will continue with that trend, I don't think they felt they needed to extend their servicing schedules as a selling point.

Plus they know their customers and know that the vast majority of people who buy the GS will be more worried if they have the correct and matching riding gear and stickers for their panniers.

 

[Nutty]

Everyone talks about the "competition" having longer service intervals, but we all know, and BMW knows that there is no competition

 

[Stig]

Ah-ahh!..

In response to the original statement, I don't think a 6k service interval is a disgrace. I do find it a bit surprising that BMW didn't 'design in' longer intervals to help compete with others in the same market. However, with them being the current market leader, and I have no doubt the the new LC will continue with that trend, I don't think they felt they needed to extend their servicing schedules as a selling point.

Plus they know their customers and know that the vast majority of people who buy the GS will be more worried if they have the correct and matching riding gear and stickers for their panniers.

And that statement hereby concludes this thread

Ha!..

 

[NorthernBoy]

I use the audi dealers for my A4 - fixed price servicing and the most I've ever paid is £199 for a full service. Service intervals are around 12000 miles too.

Surely with most bikes an oil change every few thousand miles would suffice?

I ran an RS4 for 5 years from new, and be total servicing costs were under £500. I've now got a new 911, and don't expect to see the dealer at all for two years. These are not basic or low-performance cars.

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

1986 yamaha FZ750 - first valve service - 25000 miles

say no more

 

[Nutty]

1986 yamaha FZ750 - first valve service - 25000 miles

say no more

Those were the days