08 RT: My Brake Recall Experience

The BMW Dealership on 16th Street in Indianapolis did my front brake line recall work today.

Good:
They gave me a 2010 GS loaner bike for today while they worked on my RT

Bad:
The oil light came on 3 miles down the road. When I checked the sight glass--there was no oil registering! None! I called them and they said don't worry about it

Good:
I told them I wanted to purchase a new key for the RT and they told me that they would order one for me free of charge

Bad:
When I got home, I saw that they had left out one of the T-25 screws out of the upper fairing so now I have to go back for a 40 cent piece

So, I don't know what score to give my experience. Overall, I guess it was a positive experience but I am more than a little annoyed about the screw. It's not just the screw. It is indicative of a larger issue--the techs hurrying and a lack of attention to detail. Makes me doubt the rest of the service, you know?

I told them I would do the new fluid in the rear so I know it was done right. I want to the dealer but I know the right response is The last time my bike was in the dealership was for the 600 mile run-in. The 6k and 12k I did myself. And I'm glad I did.

Expatriated said:

...
Bad:
The oil light came on 3 miles down the road. When I checked the sight glass--there was no oil registering! None! I called them and they said don't worry about it
...

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I'm assuming you had them do an oil change when they did the brake line recall, otherwise I'm not sure how the two things would be related. I'd worry about it enough to check the oil the recommended way and fill if needed.

Short ride to warm the engine up. Stop on level ground. 5 minutes on the side stand. 5 minutes on the center stand. Check oil in sight glass. Fill to top of sight glass.

alzyck said:

I'm assuming you had them do an oil change when they did the brake line recall, otherwise I'm not sure how the two things would be related. I'd worry about it enough to check the oil the recommended way and fill if needed.

Short ride to warm the engine up. Stop on level ground. 5 minutes on the side stand. 5 minutes on the center stand. Check oil in sight glass. Fill to top of sight glass.

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In reading his comments, it looks to me like he was on the loaner bike when the oil warning indicator came on.

XTrooper said:

In reading his comments, it looks to me like he was on the loaner bike when the oil warning indicator came on.

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Thanks for the catch. Brain must not have engaged yet this morning. When he said "bad", I was assuming it was his bike. Not sure why you'd care on a loaner.

alzyck said:

Thanks for the catch. Brain must not have engaged yet this morning. When he said "bad", I was assuming it was his bike. Not sure why you'd care on a loaner.

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Yeah, it was the loaner. I cared because I had signed for the bike number one and number two, if these people can't keep the appropriate oil level in their bikes (brand new ones at that), I'm someone concerned about their attention to detail. I also didn't want to be stranded somewhere.

Expatriated said:

Yeah, it was the loaner. I cared because I had signed for the bike number one and number two, if these people can't keep the appropriate oil level in their bikes (brand new ones at that), I'm someone concerned about their attention to detail. I also didn't want to be stranded somewhere.

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I understand your point, but here's where I might disagree with you.

At least on my R12RT and R12's of the folks I ride with, the oil light actually comes on early. When the oil light comes on and we've went through the recommended side stand 5 minutes, center stand 5 minutes, check site glass routine, the oil level was about 2/3's of the way down the site glass. If you don't go through that routine, you don't allow the oil to drain back properly to check the level. If you don't go through that routine and just stop and check the site glass, the oil level may be below the site glass.

The oil light wasn't on when you left. It came on after you left. If you told me that, because the oil light does seem to come on early, my first cut also would be "no problem" until you get the bike back. (If I brought my bike in for an oil change and it happened, I'd want to know why they didn't fill the bike).

If you're saying you went through the full side stand/center stand routine, the oil was below the site glass, you told the dealer that, and their response was "no problem", then you have a pretty strong point about their lack of attention to detail.

If the light came on while you were riding, and you stopped and looked at the site glass with out going through the side stand/center stand routine, the dealer probably made the right call.

I think we should call out dealers when they do dumb stuff, but a least from the way you described it, I'm not so sure the dealer was wrong.

Dealing with BMW dealers is like being in a failing marriage. You want to trust them but they make it very difficult to do so.

Not sure about the newer models, but my 05 RT always had oil in the sight glass when the warning light came on. Even if immediately stopped. I share the OPs concern about attention to detail, and would consider finding another dealer.

Having had an RT for a couple of years and spending many anxious moments meticulously following oil consumption , I'm pretty familiar with how to read the sight glass. My OCD would not let me sleep unless I kept a log showing "ml per miles consumed". Yeah, I'm sick.

Anyway, I did the whole side stand dance and even waited an hour for the oil to drain back into the sump before I called them. On the center stand, no oil ever registered in the glass. On the side stand, I could get some oil to register in the glass, but it was definitely low.

Ultimately, I really don't care as it is their bike and not mine. But, it doesn't give one a warm and fuzzy feeling of obsession to detail by the dealer.

But, in the end, I'm not worried about their bike...I worry enough about my own

I had my wife go by the dealership today and get my t-25 screw they left out of the upper fairing. The tech got the manager and they wanted to get me to bring the bike in so they could make sure what screw it was (all the tupperware is on by the same t-25's, except the larger t-27's on the lower portion-what the heck?). I finally took pictures of the empty hole and pictures of the screw on a micrometer to show length and diameter and sent to them. They were able to figure it out by that.

The dealership is an hour from my house and I'm watching the kids today so I couldn't get over there with the bike. Luckily all that combined BMW expertise was able to figure out something so unusual and esoteric as one of the 20 or so RT fairing screws.

I bit my tongue and kept from saying, "The screw should look exactly like the extra one laying next to the tech's workstation."

I'm so pissed right now.

My wife brought my screw home and I realize why they didn't put it in--they seem to have lost the metal female part that the screw goes into. So, the screw doesn't have anything to screw into I'm bringing my bike down there tomorrow to get them to fix it.

I cannot BELIEVE all this trouble over a tiny little screw.

If I ever go back to the dealer, I guess I'll have to spend an hour in the parking lot going over the bike with a fine-tooth comb.

I'm not so sure this "free" brake line recall was worth it.

Welcome to the most common mistake - lost or damaged fasteners (or other small parts).
This is a sign of a disorganized mechanic (not rare) or one under excessive time pressure (some).
I find that about 1/3 of the jobs I inspect are not done as well as I would do it (if I have the tools and can). But I also once lost a tupperware screw off mine that I put in myself- must not have tightened it enough.

Expatriated said:

I'm so pissed right now.

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I know this feeling, but at this point, I'd suggest taking a break, not thinking about it, and chilling out a bit.

A mechanic made a mistake. It happens. It's why lots of us do our own work when possible - the mistakes are then our fault (and they DO happen with DIY, probably lots more often then with a mechanic.)

The dealership hasn't denied they made a mistake. They have been trying to make it right, but aside from them dispatching a mechanic the hour trip to your house and the hour trip back, what would make you happy?

On recall issues like this - BMW is not generous with the payment for a mechanic's time. Getting to the brake lines on an RT is pretty much a major project, and I bet BMW isn't paying near what the actual time is to do the job and do it right. So.. what happens? Either the dealership and/or the mechanic eats the difference. Does that mean they do sloppy work? Maybe - or it just means they don't have the time to check everything as carefully as they normally would.

If it was me (and I know it's not) I'd give them a chance to make it right. Sounds like that's what they want to do.. and approaching them with a non-confrontational attitude will mean in the future you won't be remembered as a negative.

YMMV.. and feel free to ignore everything I've said above..

Dealing with a dealership is like dancing with your Mother-in-law. While you don't want to be abused you don't want to irritate them either. I'm blessed with having had dealings with two excellent service departments on my bike; BMW of Western Oregon in Eugene and Sierra BMW in Reno / Sparks Nevada. In both of these shops I received the level of care and service one would hope to expect from a dealer. I understand it doesn't happen all the time.

Del, of course you're right. I've calmed down. I'm not so mad at the mechanic as much as I was about the inconvenience and the hassle 1 little part caused. I guess I should look on the bright side and be glad it wasn't a FD problem. I've heard of some complaints from techs about management trying to be on them to beat the book times. I'm sure that doesn't help attention to detail.

More:

I was double checking everything this morning before the ride over to the dealer and found the lower fairings loose. I took the tank rail off and low and behold 2 screws were just in by a thread--actually the tank rail seemed to be holding them in.

I went by the dealer, they gave me the little clip-nut and apologized. I talked to the dealership manager and the service manager and they both indicated they would talk to the techs and try to get them to concentrate more on the plastic installation.

Hopefully it helps some future guys. In the end, it seems to be ok, but it was certainly an inconvenience.

I've had my R1200R since January, 2010, and it is now pushing 13,000 miles. Part of that consisted of a cross country trip - NH to CA and return.

During this time I have had 4 services done on my bike by 3 dealerships, including 2 while I was on the road. None of them was totally satisfactory, and all showed signs of careless workmanship.

1. Six hundred mile service done at Max BMW in North Hampton, NH. The engine oil was overfilled by 8 ounces. I'm pretty OCD myself, and measured exactly how much needed to be removed in order to get the proper level, as measured in the correct manner. I'm about 99% sure at this point that the final drive fluid was not changed at all. I believe this due to the amount and color of the fluid I removed (and carefully measured) at 3900 miles. If they changed it at all, they way overfilled it, as 230 ml came out, indicating that the factory original 250 ml was in there when I changed it. How this omission might or might not impact the life of the final drive is unknowable.

2. Fuel level sensor failed at 1500 miles, replaced under warranty at Max BMW. This took two visits, as the first replacement they put in was also bad, and they only had one on the shelf. Not the dealership's fault on this issue. My gripe with that issue is that, after they put a good one in on the second visit, I noticed a few hundred miles later that they had neglected to hook up the two hoses with connectors at the front right of the tank - one is a drain, and the other goes to the charcoal canister. Simple to hook back up, but it took a little research to make sure I got the right hose on the right connector. I finally just went to my local dealership and looked at a new bike. Careless, but no real harm done.

3. There's a Harley/BMW dealership in Grand Junction, CO. I stopped there to have them reset my service reminder, which I had neglected to do when I serviced everything early in preparation for my cross continent ride. It took the tech quite a while to do this, which should have made me suspicious, as I can do it in a minute or two with my GS-911. Anyway, when the bike was returned to me, the service reminder was indeed off (good), but the clock was also reset to base time, as though it had never been set at all. No biggie. But, when I got to my motel, which, thank God was just around the corner, I found the protective cap for the diagnostic interface plug in the recess formed by the handle on top of my left saddlebag. I took the seat off to replace it, and found the interface plug dangling by its wires, rather than in its protective clip/cradle. Now that's careless, and if I had gone any distance or attained any real speed I would have lost the protective cap, and possibly worse.

4. I stopped at BMW Motorcycles of Denver (which is actually in Aurora, CO) to have them replace my rear tire and do an oil and filter change. I'd picked up a screw in the tire somewhere in Utah headed West, and had plugged the tire with a Dynaplug. I hadn't had any trouble with the plug in a couple of thousand miles or so, but as long as I was at a dealership and they were servicing the bike anyway, I figured I'd have them replace the tire. For 11 bucks they sent the plugged one to my house, and I intend to remount it when the present one wears out. Anyway, no complaints with the work they did on the tire - that was fine. But, as soon as I left I noticed that the engine was running rougher and hotter than normal. When I got back to where I was staying (with a friend in Littleton) I called and asked what oil they had put in the bike. They told me it was 10w40 petro based oil, and that that's is what they use on all bikes unless otherwise instructed. They buy it in bulk - cheaper. Now, the default petro based oil for the R1200R is 20w50, as we all know. 10w40 is an acceptable substitute up to 84 degrees. I told them multiple times that I was on a cross country ride, and it shouldn't have taken an Einstein to figure out that I was going to go through temps in the high 80's at least, especially this year. So, as far as I am concerned, they flat out put the wrong oil in my bike, and should have known better. They told me that they would replace the oil if I wished, and would charge me the same $110.00 to do so that they charged me to begin with. No thanks. I wound up changing the oil only to Castrol GTX 20w50 in my friend's garage, and all was well.

Thus far, I have not had a hitch free BMW dealership service on this bike since I bought it. On the other hand, doing my own work, I've only made one mistake. I thought the fill plug on the final drive was a Torx fitting, whereas it's really a hex (Allen) fitting. After a couple of changes, I had to replace the plug. So, all in all, I'm doing a lot better than the dealerships.