Out of warranty FD failure - options

[Engineer]

42k, the other was on my last bike.

Hmmmmmmm 42,000 miles and a 6 year old bike - considering the cost of a final drive then one might expect them to last a bit longer than that.

BMW's final drives do seem to be a weak point - compared to many others you have had a reasonable life from your drive, many seem to fail much earlier than that.

 

[Demongroover]

BMW's final drives do seem to be a weak point - compared to many others you have had a reasonable life from your drive, many seem to fail much earlier than that.

Agreed, and I don't expect no wear but a feasible solution from BMW.
£900 every time it fails is NOT reasonable.

I am investigating recon exchange, if anyone has a contact or somewhere they know that will reliably undertake this work please post it here.

 

[Wapping]

On the same, 06, bike, single owner from new.

22,000 on the clock for my first final drive failure (fixed under OEM warranty)

48,000 on the clock for my second (fixed under the BuMW branded extended warranty I bought). No quibbles from BuMW, they just swapped the whole of the final drive hub for a new one.

 

[Demongroover]

My bike is 04, I don't have (and shouldn't need) extended warranty.

I think BMW are stiffing us. They should just replace these units as and when they fail FOC as it has been proved here without a shadow of a doubt that the design is flawed.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

My bike is an 06 and I have just started my 5th year of ownership. So far I've bought and paid for over £1000's worth of extended warranty cover from June 08 to June 2011 and have yet to have to make a claim as nothing (apart from a blown dip beam bulb has failed) I would imagine that with you never having bought an extended warranty and done all your own servicing over the same ownership period you are financially better off than me

Bloody BMW's

 

[patzx12]

Some clever engineer forum member posted a thread with pics on changing the bearing. Has anyone got the link or name of the forum member so I can look it up?

You may be refering to me
Check my old threads, if you need any advise PM me

 

[Big Lee]

I had my 54 12 for 6 years from new and the fd was the reason i got rid for a Tiger 1050. It was a niggle in the back of my mind as I`d already spent £700 repairing a cracked gearbox housing and big service and it`s cost me so far £400 to change for a Tiger with all the goodies, 18k less miles and 3 years newer A great bike the GS but £1k for a final drive? no thanks!

 

[Chris Terry]

I sold a brand new fd last year on this site. Not much interest in it though, still it made £500.

 

[Old-man]

I was tempted in to test riding the GSA and loved it to death but after a week of soul searching I've decided I've got to stay with my FJR as the reports of FD failures have really put me off. I'd jump to a GSA tomorrow if the FD issue could be resolved. Can't afford £900+ to fix a known issue.

How do BMW expect to get new people to the brand with such negative comments, do they not realise the WWW exists! It reminds me of Mercedes-Benz (MB) who also comprimised build quality and have suffered ever since (they are only now starting to regain customer confidence).

I used to believe BMW stood for build quality so maybe like MB they have grown too fast too quickly and the quality assurance section is not quite able to keep up (I'll presume it not all down to cost savings).

I'm not anti BMW but I really wish the product was presented in a more positive way as not all BMW customers can afford to renew the bike once the warranty has expired, thus removing the build problem from the equation.

Yours wanting to be a GSA owner.

 

[bustupbiker]

I sold a brand new fd last year on this site. Not much interest in it though, still it made £500.

That means i GAVE mine away at £100

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I'm not anti BMW but I really wish the product was presented in a more positive way as not all BMW customers can afford to renew the bike once the warranty has expired, thus removing the build problem from the equation.

(

If you don't want to renew the bike every 2 years, just keep on extending the warranty @ £350/year

Get your GSA

 

[AberdeenAngus]

If you don't want to renew the bike every 2 years, just keep on extending the warranty @ £350/year

Get your GSA

You should only buy insurance (e.g. warranty) that you cannot afford to be without i.e. you just cannot afford the repair bill if something serious was to happen.

Insurance is a bet, and the house makes a profit so, by definition, it can't be 'value for money'.

Instead, you could buy £350 worth or premium bonds every year.
If you need to pay for a repair, cash some in.
Odds are very good that you will end up ahead of the game.
Once you've accured a couple of grand you can stop paying in and just let it sit there.
Plus you might win

 

[Deleted account Cooperman]

You should only buy insurance (e.g. warranty) that you cannot afford to be without i.e. you just cannot afford the repair bill if something serious was to happen.

Insurance is a bet, and the house makes a profit so, by definition, it can't be 'value for money'.

Instead, you could buy £350 worth or premium bonds every year.
If you need to pay for a repair, cash some in.
Odds are very good that you will end up ahead of the game.
Once you've accured a couple of grand you can stop paying in and just let it sit there.
Plus you might win

To complete the equation:

How much is an equivalent european recovery policy?

What's an approx saving by independant servicing?

 

[AberdeenAngus]

I'd love to know why you think the SOGA has anything to do with this. The bike is way out of warranty ...

One has no dependance on the other.

 

[Andrew Dalton]

My GS burnt out two clutches - one at 5,000 mles, one at about 25,000 miles - second one out of warranty. After some firm correspondence with BMW (on my own law firm's headed note paper) and some helpful interventon from Mrs Pidcock of Pidcocks BMW, BMW finally relented and reimbursed clutch two. I was willing to sue BMW for the £800 odd, and they would have had to commit to writing, in a defence, that they do not expect a clutch to survive longer than this due to wear and tear, so they paid up, but if I was not a litigation lawyer and I had to pay another lawyer to do the job, I'd have just taken it. I am now replacing my GS and my brain tells me that the GS is the best bike for what I need but my heart and soul are telling me "Don't take it up the 'r$& again off BMW" - and while I wish I had taken ot the extended warranty I agree the general principle that insurance is just a bet where the underwriters make the money. If I buy another GS and any major non consumable goes a bit wrong, I am going to sue again. I know this is a bit of a rant, but it isn't that difficult to make all the main bits of a premium motorcycle all bolt together without breaking. Honda seem to manage.

 

[Demongroover]

My GS burnt out two clutches - one at 5,000 mles, one at about 25,000 miles - second one out of warranty. After some firm correspondence with BMW (on my own law firm's headed note paper) and some helpful interventon from Mrs Pidcock of Pidcocks BMW, BMW finally relented and reimbursed clutch two. I was willing to sue BMW for the £800 odd, and they would have had to commit to writing, in a defence, that they do not expect a clutch to survive longer than this due to wear and tear, so they paid up, but if I was not a litigation lawyer and I had to pay another lawyer to do the job, I'd have just taken it. I am now replacing my GS and my brain tells me that the GS is the best bike for what I need but my heart and soul are telling me "Don't take it up the 'r$& again off BMW" - and while I wish I had taken ot the extended warranty I agree the general principle that insurance is just a bet where the underwriters make the money. If I buy another GS and any major non consumable goes a bit wrong, I am going to sue again. I know this is a bit of a rant, but it isn't that difficult to make all the main bits of a premium motorcycle all bolt together without breaking. Honda seem to manage.

Hear hear!

 

[Demongroover]

just been into Pidcocks Long Eaton and asked what the options were ref getting the final drive sorted. Basically, buy a new one.
The rub is that although their tech might be able to do a repair, BMW won't let them due to liability.
The new unit is out now with the addition of a breather, at a cost of £980.
I asked what their customers were doing ref this problem, he said they don't get many out of warranty. I guess most will be voting with their feet and going elsewhere.
Sad to say, although I may fix it this time, I may do the same and buy something else next time.

 

[[email protected]]

might just be me but

every bike Ive ever owned something has gone wrong on it, now I will admit to not being very good at mechanics, oil and filter, pads,final drive oil and thats about it, wash them every now and then and ride as much as possible

first road bike suzuki ts 125 clinder head warped
tdr 250, choke lever ( remember them ) snapped off
suzuki gsxf 600, wiring loom at headstock broke as it was crimped too tight
yamaha fj 1200, rear wheel bearings went
kawasaki klr 650 engine oil leak
yamaha fzr exup 1000 ( okay i crashed that one)
second exup, exup cables went along with exup valve
aprillia futura, electrical problems, rear brake stuck on popping the hoes off and making a right mess
triumph daytona 955, thermostatic valve went, spitting coolant all over the floor several times
2004 GS BATTERY, INJECTOR, FPC AND FINAL DRIVE ( all fixed under warranty) now have no warranty, just done 2300 miles around europe, loved it.

IMHO, they all break down in one way or another, maybe Im just used to it, its cost me thousands but Ive never wanted to keep a bike before and always changed at 2 years max, 2 years is up for the GS in Septemeber 10, no plans to change, dam thing has got under my skin and the wife loves it.

 

[Demongroover]

Agreed! That's why a decent affordable repair is needed for FD.

 

[Tuono1961]

Of course an easy answer assuming someone somewhere inside BMW gives a shit is to reduce the price of the replacement unit. A grand on a part really hurts. £350 wouldn't seem so bad.

There's probably at least 50% margin on spares. Designing a faulty product and then making a profit out of fixing it is what really bothers me