Dealership Tales- You Can Order It? So Can I!

[oldcamper]

Interesting post, but not surprising. I've had a similar experience....

Two years ago I came home from a ride. While wiping down the bike in the garage I noticed a screw firmly embedded in the back tire. Damn. There's a Kawasaki dealership about 3 km away from my house so, it being a Saturday afternoon, I removed the back wheel, threw it in the trunk of the car and drove over to get the tire plugged. Now, I've been doing business with these folks for years as I once owned a ZX-11 plus I get along really well with the owner and staff. I continue to buy sundrie items from them and have had them replace a chain on a Ducati.
So I walk into the service department, explain to the new service manager that I've got a screw in my tire and ask if he can plug it.
He asks...
"What kind of bike is it on ?"
"It's a BMW but I've got the wheel in the trunk and I just need it plugged."

"We don't work on BMWs."
"I understand that but the wheel is off and I just need it plugged."

"We don't work on BMWs."

With that I turned on my heel and left before my head exploded. I was actually incredulous. Upon my arrival back home I phoned the owner to recount my experience. He told me that one of his parts guys had already told him what had occurred and he apologised profusely. I suggested that the behaviour I witnessed is a great way to lose customers.

I haven't been back to that shop since.

Around here, most dealers won’t plug motorcycle tires, they will say due to liability. Rather, they will always insist on installing a new tire.
With a BMW wheel, a Kawasaki dealer might not be comfortable working on it at all due to the potential for expensive damage or the inability to balance it properly without an axle hole adapter. Maybe the dealer has been burned before.

 

[globalrider]

Around here, most dealers won’t plug motorcycle tires.

Why would anybody need a dealer to plug a tire? And what if you get a flat on the highway?

Just order a Dynaplug tire repair kit. Ultra-small, about the size of one-half of a cigar tube. And get a Crank Brothers tire pump, about a length of a cigar tube. Nice and simple, no electronics to it. Works all the time.

End of story.

 

[oldcamper]

Why would anybody need a dealer to plug a tire? And what if you get a flat on the highway?

Just order a Dynaplug tire repair kit. Ultra-small, about the size of one-half of a cigar tube. And get a Crank Brothers tire pump, about a length of a cigar tube. Nice and simple, no electronics to it. Works all the time.

End of story.

I was just responding to another post about a Kawasaki dealer refusing to plug a BMW tire. Personally, I carry a sticky string repair kit and several c02 cartridges. I’ve heard the rubber plug kits can fail with radial tires.

Edit: I just looked into the Dynaplug kit and it does look interesting. Thanks for the info.

 

[globalrider]

Edit: I just looked into the Dynaplug kit and it does look interesting. Thanks for the info.

I have the compact Dynaplug Pro for the motorcycle and the Dynaplug Pro Extreme for the Porsche (no spare, just a factory tire sealant), both in the stainless steel versions.

I've never needed them, but my friend who I recommended the Dynaplug to, has repaired a leak that he is still driving on. There are plenty of reviews on YouTube. I also carry a small tube of tire glue to make insertion easier. And the Crank Brothers Power Pump is ultra small with nothing to go wrong.

 

[snotty54]

Oil drain plug

I can't believe I stripped out the oil drain plug on my west coast XR. In the end, I wasn't able to do the oil/filter service I'd planned on the bike. It only had 300 miles on the oil, but 1 year of sitting. The local BMW dealer in Tacoma, SO-SO, didn't have it in stock but could order it. No point, won't be back for a year. Back in Asheville, I call Eurosport, same thing, not in stock but can order. I did order it as they agreed to mail it to me for $3.00. I always go through Asheville on my way to west coast so will bring it next year for my annual west coast 2 weeker (wish I could go more often, but budget constraints don't allow). It will be a long time before I forget that the oil drain plug on an XR (Gen 1) is a 50mm Torx...

 

[Omega Man]

Sounds like it was just the Torx that was stripped? Much more betterer than the threads into the actual engine case.

OM

 

[globalrider]

I can't believe BMW would use a steel drain plug into an aluminum engine block. Dumb!

Not bad if it at least had a seperate oil pan which is not the case.

I torque my drain plug to far less than the specified torque on my 2016 R1200 GSA.

 

[mjfink420]

In the case of the Kawasaki dealership not fixing a BMW tire. At least the owner apologized that is a good thing. As employers or store owners we cannot see what our employees are doing when out of sight and sound. LOL, even in the age of cameras, not too many dealers have a guy watching the camera and every employee full time.

Funny one for you guys, I got a flat rear tire up in Lake Lure NC last year. Didn't have a plug kit (I NEVER ride without one now, lesson learned; I got a flat a few months later, pulled over, plugged it, was riding again in 20 minutes). But, man, was I lucky! I was less than a mile from Chimney Rock Harley Davidson. I could actually see the start of main street from where I was!! Wow, was that lucky..

Anyway, hop off the bike and, since it's so close, decide to just walk down there. I had the tools to pull the rear tire but figured I'd go down and get them to drive back with me to get it. Good thing I did. They couldn't change a tire. Not a BMW tire, a tire. They didn't have the tools to change a motorcycle tire (we didn't even get to the question about having the right tire). I'm sure the face I made was classic, I just could not believe it. A motorcycle dealer who can't change a tire? Turns out, they only sell apparel, " t-shirts, jackets, rain gear, gloves, helmets, novelties such as shot glasses, and home decor".

So, that day turned into a bit of a nightmare. Massive fail for BMW roadside assistance (they never showed up). Wound up having my wife drive up with a new tire in her car (I had one at home) and then over to Asheville to Eurosport to change it. Learned my lesson that day about carrying tire repair supplies.

 

[akbeemer]

Some HD dealers operate satellite stores that, as you described, only sell apparel, posters and other HD branded items. Typically, the satellite stores are located in places with heavy tourist traffic. For example, there are two HD dealerships in Alaska, located in Fairbanks and Anchorage. These unaffiliated dealerships operate satellite stores in Skagway, outside Denali National Park in the area known as Glitter Gulch and a third store, the location of which escapes me. I knew some of the staff at the Fairbanks HD dealership (they also sell BMWs) and was told that their store in the gulch made more profit in three months selling HD branded merchandise to tourists than they made in a year selling HD bikes.

 

[rich]

Turns out, they only sell apparel, " t-shirts, jackets, rain gear, gloves, helmets, novelties such as shot glasses, and home decor".

But did you buy a t-shirt?

 

[mjfink420]

But did you buy a t-shirt?

No, but I should have. I might go back up there to get one just to have a visual reminder of the story.

was told that their store in the gulch made more profit in three months selling HD branded merchandise to tourists than they made in a year selling HD bikes

I've heard that anecdote before; basically that HD is a clothing company that also happens to have a small motorcycle division. Apparently it's not all that far off the mark!

 

[pglaves]

I can't believe BMW would use a steel drain plug into an aluminum engine block. Dumb!

Unless I miss my guess, they have been doing that since 1923. There is a reason some guy or gal invented tap and die sets and oversize plugs, too.

 

[akbeemer]

I cannot recall working on a motorcycle of any brand that didn’t have a steel drain plug used with an aluminum alloy oil pan. My Yamaha’s did, as well as our Urals.

 

[kbasa]

Parts on the shelf means you have capital sitting on the shelf, waiting to be sold. I can make it hard to do things like make payroll. Every day they sit there means you don't have access to the money you might need to run your business.

That's why Just In Time inventory became standard and it might be hard to find some airhead parts on a shelf if they're going to sit for a year or two.

 

[kbasa]

I can't believe BMW would use a steel drain plug into an aluminum engine block. Dumb!

Not bad if it at least had a seperate oil pan which is not the case.

I torque my drain plug to far less than the specified torque on my 2016 R1200 GSA.

My Hondas have always had steel drain plugs in an aluminum case. So do all my BMWs.

 

[gsinnc]

Has

Has anyone who gets peeved at their dealership not having items in stock at hand ever owned a shop? Just today I was having coffee at my local one man shop and he was telling me about one of his customers brought up the question of how much stock he had on hand and what the amount of money involved in is. The customer was shocked at the above $20,000 price for just ONE revolving bin shelf. This is a shop that only works on 50's to 95 airheads.

I can't fathom the cost involved at a dealership even attempting to have a quarter of the parts needed for the K, R, F, and so forth bikes they work on. There is just so much room and so much money available.

I try to buy first from my friend and if he doesn't have it in stock, I am happy to wait for him to get it. I am not in such a big rush nor do I have so much "busy" I can't take time to help him stay viable. St.

Nice post and I agree! I am lucky to have a great BMW dealer who is close to my house. They treat me FAIR and I try to use them whenever possible. NO ... they are not the cheapest prices on a lot of stuff but they are FAIR priced and reasonable. And I understand they need to make a profit to stay in business and be there when I need them. Have been using them since 2000 and have bought 4 new motorcycles from them over the years. They treat me well and should them make a mistake or mess something up they make it right!