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R 1250 GS 6000 Mile Service

My local dealers offer a 10% discount on parts to BMWMOA members if you ask for it. Not a lot but it's something. No discount on labor but I did receive a coupon in the mail recently off labor this time of year since their shops aren't busy now.

After getting my bikes back missing fasteners, having disconnected hoses, and mauled electrical plugs I decided that I care more about my bike and my own safety than they do, so I do as much of my own maintenance as possible. That includes tires, balancing and all the other regular maintenance. I leave the recalls, warranty work and anything I don't wanna mess with to them. That hasn't been much thank goodness.

I think everybody spends their money differently and there should be no disrespect in what people decide is valuable to them or not. Do whatever pleases you and have a nice day. Then go riding, that is the point, isn't it?

So who is this horrible dealer? Lots of us travel and need to know who to avoid so we don't get missing fasteners, disconnected hoses and mauled electrical plugs.
 
Back to the original topic, when you buy a service - even just an oil change - you are buying more than oil and a filter. You are buying part of the mortgage on the building, part of the cost of the lift, a bit of a computer and some software, some tools, and some supplies. You are also buying some wages, some cost for benefits like health insurance and unemployment insurance and some workmen's compensation insurance and maybe (hopefully) a little contribution to a 401(k) or similar plan. You are also paying for a little bit of utilities and taxes and insurance. Oh, and also a little bit of the carrying cost to keep some parts in inventory. Of course I can do it cheaper than the dealership. Keeping a business open 5 or 6 days a week for most of the weeks of the year does in fact cost money. I do most of my own maintenance because the nearest dealership is more than 400 miles away and my favorite dealership is more than 1,000 miles away.

But when I do go to the dealership to have work performed I do not gripe about the bill. The last time I looked neither Amazon nor Walmart can fix my bike. But of course, YMMV!
 
Back to the original topic, when you buy a service - even just an oil change - you are buying more than oil and a filter. You are buying part of the mortgage on the building, part of the cost of the lift, a bit of a computer and some software, some tools, and some supplies. You are also buying some wages, some cost for benefits like health insurance and unemployment insurance and some workmen's compensation insurance and maybe (hopefully) a little contribution to a 401(k) or similar plan. You are also paying for a little bit of utilities and taxes and insurance. Oh, and also a little bit of the carrying cost to keep some parts in inventory. Of course I can do it cheaper than the dealership. Keeping a business open 5 or 6 days a week for most of the weeks of the year does in fact cost money. I do most of my own maintenance because the nearest dealership is more than 400 miles away and my favorite dealership is more than 1,000 miles away.

But when I do go to the dealership to have work performed I do not gripe about the bill. The last time I looked neither Amazon nor Walmart can fix my bike. But of course, YMMV!

Very well said Paul !
 
So who is this horrible dealer? Lots of us travel and need to know who to avoid so we don't get missing fasteners, disconnected hoses and mauled electrical plugs.

The four I've encountered, over the decades, are all closed or no longer carry BMW....wonder why? Two in Fort Wayne, Indiana, one in Mishawaka, Indiana and one in central Illinois.
 
The four I've encountered, over the decades, are all closed or no longer carry BMW....wonder why? Two in Fort Wayne, Indiana, one in Mishawaka, Indiana and one in central Illinois.

Maybe it is an east coast thing but the dealers here are all very good. The dealer's I have had personal experience with include:

Motorcycles of Charlotte (my dealer and the best on the east coast!)
Frontline Eurosports in Roanoke (Salem), VA
Gulf Coast in Fort Meyers FL
Max BMW in Troy NY
Bob's BMW in MD
Eurosport Asheville, NC
Grass Roots in Cape Gerardo, MO (not east coast but had a very good experience there)
 
There is no excuse anyone on this forum can make on the cost of a oil and FD change. NONE

It is a pure rip off.

You might want to dream and say the dealer goes over the bike and blah blah. Talk to a mechanic some time. Your lucky if they even eye ball your brake fluids and you antifreeze. Now there are good techs out there but far and few between.

You are drinking way too much Kool-aid if you think every dealer is doing the 600 the way it is written up on the 600 mile service sheet.

You are correct, it's a big racket cars too.
 
When I grow up, I want to have enough money that I don't balk at the price to have my BMW Motorcycle serviced! :brad
 
There is no excuse anyone on this forum can make on the cost of a oil and FD change. NONE

It is a pure rip off.

You might want to dream and say the dealer goes over the bike and blah blah. Talk to a mechanic some time. Your lucky if they even eye ball your brake fluids and you antifreeze. Now there are good techs out there but far and few between.

You are drinking way too much Kool-aid if you think every dealer is doing the 600 the way it is written up on the 600 mile service sheet.

You are correct, it's a big racket cars too.

Well honestly I can't agree as related to BMW dealers .... well at least MY dealer. I know for a fact they do the services the way they are written up (or better) since I usually am in the Service Area chatting the folks and watching the work being done. I also know the time they spend on my bike when doing the service. And I usually get the FD done when they are doing other items like tires so they discount the FD service since they are already woking on the bike. Usually costs about $40 or $50 including the FD fluid. And I know he goes over the bike because he tells me what he found and I usually have half dozen related questions.

What needs to be reiterated is that BMW motorcycle dealers are a specialized low volume service provider and have costs of operation to cover. As I noted earlier the good dealers pay their folks more than say a large volume car dealer or a Quick Lube facility and their people stay which in turn results in better service provided. At least that is MY personal experience but as always YMMV. I probably pay a bit more than a multi-brand Honda/Suzuki/Yamaha/Kawasaki dealer but I believe I also get better service as a result.

My experience with Car dealers has been good as well but it's only for oil change type service and I can usually get it done for $49 or so and gives me 6 its oil, filter and tire rotation. Oh and a wash which I always decline as my truck is usually cleaner when it goes in. But again auto dealers are a volume shop and have a lot of other "stuff" to cover their overheard.

Maybe I'm just blessed with a honest and "fair" dealer. YMMV
 
I do agree there are good dealers and great techs. You just have to be lucky enough to have one. I bought my 17.5 GS from Hermey's in Port Clinton PA and they are second to none as a dealer and as a service provider. They are 100 miles down the road. My local dealer who is 7 miles away is terrible.

The dealer I bought my 07 LT and my 15 RT from is gone he was about 35 miles away. Great sales and service. He is gone.

As I said not all dealers are are bad and not all techs are bad but finding the good ones is a expensive and sometimes a aggravating experience.

So to that end I made up my mind I will keep the GS myself. I will do the maintenance. I take pictures, I save receipts, I save the printout from the GS-911 and I keep my valve sheets that started at 69 miles. I have pictures(video)of the cam checks, the shim replacements, the oils draining and new oils sealed, and open, FD fluid in a measuring cup clean and dirty, new washers-o-rings together. I just do not leave anything to chance for documentation. I do not think Hermey would give me any problems on a warranty issue but you never know.

I love working on my bike and I feel no one will take the time with it that I will as they really can not afford to while they are trying to make a living.

So for me it makes the best sense to do my own work and avoid dealers. Others choose what is best for them in their lives.

I have seen a lot of shady stuff over the years. I have put scratches on stuff to see if it is replaced, marked bolts, taken numbers off parts, paint dots on stuff and on and on. I have caught a few things over my life that really blows my faith in another working on stuff I am trusting my life too.

I have been to Hermy's and thought it was a nice dealer. Never had work done there but have only heard very good reviews. I have been very lucky as not only is my Charlotte dealer superb but my experience with other dealers on the east coast has been equally excellent. I believer while there are some not so good BMW dealers they seem to be the exception. Most of what I hear is pretty good remarks. And as you say I suspect Hermy's would support you should you ever have an issue.
 
Data point. Just got a call that my 6k service is $330 (2019 r1250 gsa). Haven't seen the bill yet but was told it was 'reduced' because of the caliper recall so what they would have charged for bleeding the brakes fell under that.

I don't usually take it to the dealer for minor intervals like this, but long story short, I did this time (new bike, 600 oil change I did etc...).

Kind of afraid to think what the charge would have been if they didn't take the brake bleeding service out if it[emoji15]

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Depends on the dealer and the tech. That is the service I get at my KTM dealer. It is an enthusiast shop; everybody that works there, and the owners, are riders and most of them have raced or currently race, mostly dirt but the tech has road racing experience. It is also what I get at my Triumph/BMW dealer. I no longer know the techs well (a former tech there is now at the KTM dealer) but I know the service writer well and he does report what the tech found.

To be sure, at this end of PA (Phila. and it's western suburbs) there are a slew of very good, enthusiast dealers.

Who exactly? I wouldn’t call Quaker city motor or Montgomery as one of those . I’d love to know someplace great to go to in the Philly area for BMW bike repairs I can’t handle.


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Why not? If I am to avoid a dealership I like to know why I am going to do that.

My experience with service at quaker is what led me to sell my Ducati and get the bmw. I’d never go back there . Sales is great but not in the back. I went to MD to get my BMW (Gaithersburg) and found the experience drastically different there .

As for Montgomery I had a friend I trust implicitly have a nightmare there. His word alone is enough for me to avoid them.


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