I was told my leaky shock was not covered by wty.?
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I do solemnly swear that after 45+ years of BMW Ownership and 600K+ miles of riding B
- Thread starter beemerdons
- Start date
I was told my leaky shock was not covered by wty.?
Never denied issues, just a bit bored with all the crying. Pointing out that it doesn't happen to everyone. Hope it's ok to post other points of view.
Very sad. I was at my dealer, Blue Moon BMW and they spotted the small leak which I hadn't noticed. The ordered a new shock while I drank some coffee and installed it a week or so later.
gr8ridn2
Tourmeister
Not denying some owners have problems with BMW or any other motorcycle manufacturer, just trying to add a little reality and perspective that differs from your view. Many of us have few problems. The problems with defective parts and manufacture are handled by BMW warranty for three years/ 36 K miles. Additional warranty is an individual decision. If you don't like that way of doing business another manufacturer would be a rational decision. It's irrational to stay with a motorcycle that makes you miserable. Good luck with your next motorcycle choice.
Could this be the BMW dealer in Brockton? Sure sounds like it.
lee
Debbie's Servant
My wife and I both had leaking rear shocks replaced on warranty on our 03 K1300RSs. The dealer said BMW will replace leaking shocks, but not worn shocks.
It was good timing for us as the bikes were less than three years old and the bikes had 34,000 or 35,000 miles on them. The other good thing, I asked for the yellow spring sport shock as they were the same price as the white spring regular shock and the dealer agreed.
That cause for that bad RT suspension piece depends on the maker.
Poor metallurgy isn't rare and takes time to investigate. Can't know the right fix until the true cause is determined and sometimes they are very subtle. (from my experience investigating industrial accidents caused by metal failures). I don't fault BMW quite as much on this one and their precaution is OK- a rear suspension failure could be a game ender for a rider. Only way I'd say BMW made a major screw up here is if a supplier altered the spec without consent or subbed a different grade or type of material and BMW failed to catch it. It is true that those who outsource rarely provide adequate quality oversight because it reduces the theoretical savings, and that Chinese/Taiwanese makers will cheat every chance they think they can get away with it.
A major contributing problem is failure to do enough real world testing of prototypes. All BMW does is a few miles by factory riders in a very short time period. Its not enough.
BMW got a reliability reputation in the 60s and 70s because the prevalent Brit and US bikes were crap for reliability. Then J brands matched BMW and have been a match or better ever since. But J brands have also cut corners on cost and not introduced obvious hardware upgrades like stainless brake lines or ABS and were slow with modern electronics.
Today, we all have cars that almost never break down even with bad maintenance. That has totally redone expectations for motorcycles which have not yet caught up to that expectation. BMW has built plenty of cars with engineered in defects (eg SOs 535i that took a couple years to get straight) that it had to deal with after sale so it is no surprise that their bikes have the same problem and they are equally slow to identify and make fixes. Matrix organizations like BMW often operate in a manner where no individual is held accountable and careers are determined more by social skills than professional competence. At least the warranty is better than average.
Poor metallurgy isn't rare and takes time to investigate. Can't know the right fix until the true cause is determined and sometimes they are very subtle. (from my experience investigating industrial accidents caused by metal failures). I don't fault BMW quite as much on this one and their precaution is OK- a rear suspension failure could be a game ender for a rider. Only way I'd say BMW made a major screw up here is if a supplier altered the spec without consent or subbed a different grade or type of material and BMW failed to catch it. It is true that those who outsource rarely provide adequate quality oversight because it reduces the theoretical savings, and that Chinese/Taiwanese makers will cheat every chance they think they can get away with it.
A major contributing problem is failure to do enough real world testing of prototypes. All BMW does is a few miles by factory riders in a very short time period. Its not enough.
BMW got a reliability reputation in the 60s and 70s because the prevalent Brit and US bikes were crap for reliability. Then J brands matched BMW and have been a match or better ever since. But J brands have also cut corners on cost and not introduced obvious hardware upgrades like stainless brake lines or ABS and were slow with modern electronics.
Today, we all have cars that almost never break down even with bad maintenance. That has totally redone expectations for motorcycles which have not yet caught up to that expectation. BMW has built plenty of cars with engineered in defects (eg SOs 535i that took a couple years to get straight) that it had to deal with after sale so it is no surprise that their bikes have the same problem and they are equally slow to identify and make fixes. Matrix organizations like BMW often operate in a manner where no individual is held accountable and careers are determined more by social skills than professional competence. At least the warranty is better than average.
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globalrider
Alps Adventurer
They must have been taught well by American Corporations in that respect where the almighty dollar rules. It took the Japanese auto makers to have GM, Ford and Chrysler pull up their socks. Hell, look at what GM tries to get away with....right in their design department.
jammess
Jammess
I can definitely say that I will never buy a BMW again. I have a very interested buyer for my '04RT that has 45K one owner miles that has never once been to a dealer for service not even the 600 mile way over priced service. Myself I would never buy a motorcycle especially a BMW with 45K miles from anyone. Odds are that the clutch will need replacement sooner rather than later and if this individual can't do it himself he will pay dearly and a 10 year old BMW isn't worth the bucks a dealer would charge for even basic service let alone a clutch job.
I began riding BMW's in the mid-seventies because they were simple, reliable, easy to work on machines that you could count on to go coast to coast reliably in relative comfort but not any more, imo.
I will keep my two very low mileage classic BMW's (9500 and 4k MILES) and dream about a new FJR that actually has a single sided swing arm with an axle to carry the load. What will they think of next??
I mean jeezuz, 90 years to switch to a wet clutch! Give me a break!
I began riding BMW's in the mid-seventies because they were simple, reliable, easy to work on machines that you could count on to go coast to coast reliably in relative comfort but not any more, imo.
I will keep my two very low mileage classic BMW's (9500 and 4k MILES) and dream about a new FJR that actually has a single sided swing arm with an axle to carry the load. What will they think of next??
I mean jeezuz, 90 years to switch to a wet clutch! Give me a break!
globalrider
Alps Adventurer
And cars still haven't.
jammess
Jammess
And how many cars have you ever seen or heard of that strip their input shaft splines? Come to think of it most cars today have auto trans anyway.
globalrider
Alps Adventurer
None. Come to think of it, neither have my BMW motorcycles.
Come to think of it most cars today have auto trans anyway.
That is because it is hard to shift gears and text at the same time. Proof that there are very few engaged drivers left...and they call themselves enthusiasts.
Have you seen the "GM key thing"? Guy on the news said that the fob/chipped part created enough torque from swinging back and forth while stuck in the hole to turn the car off while enroute. The lowered braking & steering effect was causing the deaths. Reminded me of a self winding watch notion when he was dangling it . Lawyers are salivating, no doubt.
I can't even text in a chair-at least very fast.
globalrider
Alps Adventurer
No doubt, especially after GM admitted to knowing about the issue ages ago.
I can't even text in a chair-at least very fast.
I don't text unless it is an emergency and I am low on remaining cell time as was the case some years ago when I was in a hospital overseas due to a cell phone yapping kid running into my GSA.
Furthermore, I don't want my finger tips looking like ET's.
AntonLargiader
Active member
Assuming you started riding at 18, you are right on schedule. IIRC Pieter DeWaal told us that BMW's research showed that riders were unlikely to purchase new bikes after 63. This was in the context of discussing BMW's increasing drive to attract younger buyers.
Pieter was a refreshingly open and honest guy to head BMW Motorrad USA.
However, I doubt the research predicted that people stopped buying new bikes because they were sick and tired of the problems...
Now that's just funny as heck. I rode my first BMW at 65 and have bought 12 more new ones and am now 78.
