Main dealer - named and shamed!

[Den]

I would sue them for a million poonds , then buy up steptoes remaining stock of stainless nut and bolt kits and stuff them up the mechanics arses to remind them not to do it again.
Hangin is too good for potential murderers like wot they are.

Anyhoo .... why didnt the 'brake bolt loose' warning light come on when this happened.

 

[pedmo]

Anyhoo .... why didnt the 'brake bolt loose' warning light come on when this happened.

Good question. If the mechanics are incapable of spotting disloged brake pads and a big hole where a bolt use to be, there is a need for one. If the computer says theres not a fault, there is not a fault - I had this response when I had an obviously faulty indicator switch. It took 3 visits before they would replace it. Muppets.

 

[John Armstrong]

BTBR, why not ask to see the dealers workshet for the annual inspection and look for this area:

[Variant, not for BMW Motorrad Integral ABS (partially integral)]
Changing brake fluid

Visually inspecting the brake pipes, brake hoses and connections
[Variant, BMW Motorrad Integral ABS (partially integral)]

34 00 706 Scope of additional work with ABS: Changing brake fluid in wheel circuits (for maintenance)

That's on page 10 of 10 here: http://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/gb/en/services/maintenance/pdf/d_R1200GS_WP.pdf

Then ask them if they standby the statement of "it's nothing to do with us sir".

 

[John Armstrong]

BTW to err is human, but they should admit it if they did.

I'm in the aviation industry and the people that worry me are the ones who can't admit they've made a mistake. If they can't admit it they'll probably do the same again And bike brakes are definitely in the same "safety" critical area.

 

[cookie]

so,

you have no idea when the bolt fell out, the dealer you think should have checked this was engaged by the previous owner so you have no contract with them, and checking said bolt isn't in the service schedule anyway.

yet,

you feel the need to risk libelling them. only despite titling this thread "Main dealer - named and shamed!" you actually haven't named or shamed anyone

what if the previous owner did it?

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

perhaps hes hoping to get a whole new set of pads out of them ? whooo

He's turned into the typical BMW owner - i might do a 'Den' here......

 

[Den]

HIDDEN THREAD

BTBR cant see this post. Ive arranged it with Paul. So dont mention it in other postings.

I am taking collections for a bolt and a set of brake pads for BTBR.
We will surprise him at a pub somewhere, where we will present him with the items.
If we collect enough , we might have enough to even buy him a pint for his trauma.
Give generously.

 

[ChasMill]

A similar thing happened with my last bike (Aprilia RSVR). New rear tyre at service then I set off to do a trackday at Goodwood. The rear calliper fell off en route and was hanging from the braided hose, banging against the rear wheel.
I was stopped by a car and zip-tied the calliper to the swinging arm.
The dealer denied all responsibility but still fitted a pair of brand new wheels to the bike to hide the evidence once the bike had been recovered back to him.
Before anyone says that I should have noticed there was no rear brake, try owning a RSVR - they have no rear brake to speak of anyway so I never used it.

 

[pedmo]

why he doesn't just linish the fckers flat with a belt sander and stick a new bolt in and go down the pub - like ANY sensible clued up person would do is beyond me.

i'm getting into Tarka rant mode here - YOU'RE BEING A TWAT !

He's not being a TWAT - YOU ARE. It could have killed him. It's bad enough fending off car drivers even in the mistaken belief that your brakes are fitted properly. What about the next poor sod who takes his bike for a service with the same incompetant mechanic and comes out with some fundamental bit missing. The garage probably wont give a feck then either. The correct course of action is to tell us who it was so we can go down the pub and forget it.

 

[how much]

whenever i buy a new or used bike......

i dont go tear arsing up the road on it the second i get it! nooooooo way!

i ride it gently home, put the fecker on its stand and inspect "EVERYTHING"

even do it with brand new uns! its amazing how many small faults you find, tyres pressures wrong,chain badly adjusted,bolts loose etc.
i always stay in visible range of my bike when having tyres fitted etc, cos boy do those feckers employ some dullards!


shit happens! i prefer to check everthing myself so then its my fault when shit does happen..................... and it will


how much

 

[LiquidLAN]

I've got to be honest I'm not surprised by a number of the responses here, they are fairly typical...

Having read BTBRs posting, I can't feel he has a point... yeah ok, so the fact that he doesn’t religiously clean and inspect his bike after every run means he can't call himself a real biker.... and yes he or the previous owner should probably of spotted the missing bolt... but they didn't. Instead he put the bike into a main dealer who definitely should have spotted the missing bolt!

If all the main dealer is going to do is blindly follow a check list, why are we expected to pay them so much more???

I don't think it’s completely unreasonable to hope that a main dealer inspection would involve a qualified mechanic looking over the bike and hopefully picking up things that are definitely wrong!

If I was in your position BTBR, I think I would be left wondering what else the dealer might have missed out…

 

[Warthog]

If the same thing happened to the bike of one of you who are criticising BTBR for his oversight after you've spent a shed load of cash on a service, you'd be pissed off, too.

I agree that one should check the bike regularly, and I know I don't do it often enough, but come on....

I suppose it wouldn't be the airline's fault their pilot was pissed because you did not breatherlize him on boarding....

You pay for a service and you should expect it to be done properly and dealers are responsible for leaving the vehicle in a safe condition.

 

[Deleted account 220427002]

you bought a second hand bike, it wasn't quite perfect.

get over it

I don't think that is BTBR's point of his post.

He's pointing out the poor attitude that V*n*s had to their servicing responsibilities.
From the reply it would seem they want to shift the blame and avoid taking any responsibility for overlooking an item that is crutial for riders safety.

The bike had only been serviced by the same place since it's purchase.
The person who owned it before was not mechanically minded and left all servicing to that dealer.

Now the previous owner in a perfect world maybe should have notice the bolt missing.... but a BMW dealer whom you leave your bike in with for servicing definitely should.

BMW servicing is not cheap and is meant to be to a very high standard.... when you get all your servicing done with them you expect nothing less that a bike that comes out safe to ride on the road.

I don't know much about brake pad wear... but if the same pads were on the bike for 5000 miles and haven't shown massive wear it's hard to believe that 600 would have taken the pads down so far,

At the end of the day when you leave your bike in with a BMW dealer and get charged heafty sums for them to service and mantain your bike you should expect nothing less than a top class service.

For them to despute the brake issues shows a lack of good will and customer care to say the least.... what would it have taken to say we'll fix it to show our good will... price of a set of pads and a bolt

 

[cookie]

he put the bike into a main dealer who definitely should have spotted the missing bolt!

i don't believe anyone can say with any certainty that the bolt was missing at the time of the service.

If all the main dealer is going to do is blindly follow a check list, why are we expected to pay them so much more???

you expect them to check the tightness of EVERY fastener then? how much are you wanting to pay for this?

 

[alimey4u2]

Thanks for the headsup, just been out & checked, mine's still there...

 

[cookie]

I don't think that is BTBR's point of his post.

He's pointing out the poor attitude that V*n*s had to their servicing responsibilities.
From the reply it would seem they want to shift the blame and avoid taking any responsibility for overlooking an item that is crutial for riders safety.

The bike had only been serviced by the same place since it's purchase.
The person who owned it before was not mechanically minded and left all servicing to that dealer.

Now the previous owner in a perfect world maybe should have notice the bolt missing.... but a BMW dealer whom you leave your bike in with for servicing definitely should.

BMW servicing is not cheap and is meant to be to a very high standard.... when you get all your servicing done with them you expect nothing less that a bike that comes out safe to ride on the road.

I don't know much about brake pad wear... but if the same pads were on the bike for 5000 miles and haven't shown massive wear it's hard to believe that 600 would have taken the pads down so far,

At the end of the day when you leave your bike in with a BMW dealer and get charged heafty sums for them to service and mantain your bike you should expect nothing less than a top class service.

For them to despute the brake issues shows a lack of good will and customer care to say the least.... what would it have taken to say we'll fix it to show our good will... price of a set of pads and a bolt

as i said in my previous post, it is supposition to accuse v*nes of overlooking the alledgedly missing bolt. prove it.

we now get menu servicing, we know the cost of a service is before it is carried out. the consumer wanted this, this is the result.

how can the service price be fixed if the job is not specified? so bmw fix the jobs to be done at each service. they apparently do not specify rear caliper mounting bolts to be checked (dunno for sure, i'm taking vin*s word for it there). perhaps the fault lies with bmw, they set the service items?

perhaps we should go back to the old way, of a (hopefully) skilled mechanic going over your whole bike (maybe) & then the garage charging whatever they sees fit?

 

[LiquidLAN]

i don't believe anyone can say with any certainty that the bolt was missing at the time of the service.

Fair point, so are you saying it is just coincidence that the bolt disappeared after a main dealer service? Tuned In has a good point on good will, for the cost of a bolt and a set of pads would I as a dealer really want so much bad feeling? Probably not when I've charged so much for the services in the first place.

you expect them to check the tightness of EVERY fastener then? how much are you wanting to pay for this?

Every bolt? No... but then every bolt isnt exactly key to the safety of the bike. What I would hope though is that if the bolt had been missing at the time of the service that a mechanic would have case an eye over the bike and seen that it didnt look right... after all we are talking about people who are looking over bikes day in and day out.

If the bolt hadnt been missing, how much time would it actually take to run over the bike and check the key nuts and bolts are tight?

 

[(RIP) Proff]

FFS !!!
If I can remember back when I used main dealers to service my Vehicles.
I remember on all Services {Cars ,Bikes and Commercials } that a visual check of ALL safety items was carried out, It was definitely on BMW serviing schedules when I was at Walsall bike center.
Secondly, IF i was one who had no mechanical knowledge and left everything to the servicing main dealers, I would be crapping myself now, wondering if they've missed anything as VITAL !!! on my Bike or car.
Probally some trainee {unsupervised} doing short services on £3.00 an hour,and you get charged £50.00 plus an hour.
UNSUPERVISED !! WHY ????, cos Bikes bought in on big yellow trucks need the fully trained guys


PS. If I was BTBR I'd be down there ripping them a new Anus,I've seen the result of a cock up like that 1st hand, Caliper[front] came off broke pipe so no brakes then got caught in wheel locking up and throwing rider down road Luckily he lived, but was very knocked about, ribs leg and a puntured lung

 

[cookie]

Fair point, so are you saying it is just coincidence that the bolt disappeared after a main dealer service?

i wasn't saying that at all. i don't know when the bolt went missing* and neither does anyone else.

are you saying they loosened it?

Tuned In has a good point on good will, for the cost of a bolt and a set of pads would I as a dealer really want so much bad feeling? Probably not when I've charged so much for the services in the first place.

could be construed as an admission of guilt.

If the bolt hadnt been missing, how much time would it actually take to run over the bike and check the key nuts and bolts are tight?

more than bmw let you pay for by the looks of it

*i'll put my hand up here & say i have *ahem* "had experience" of brake caliper bolts not being tightened. in both cases it took a lot less than 600 miles before it became bloody obvious

 

[LiquidLAN]

are you saying they loosened it?

No, not at all... these things happen, it's how people respond to them that's interesting...

could be construed as an admission of guilt.

Yeah I guess... and in an age of blame no-one likes the finger pointed at them, I just can't help but think they would have got a lot more respect if they'd handled it differently...