Lost My Faith in Motorrad Shops

[saddleman]

In my 56 years of riding I've always done all work on all of my vehicles myself. I have enough vehicles that if something I'm working on gets frustrating I can just walk away from it for awhile. I also never use power tools that can leave marks on the fasteners I'm just not in that big of a hurry unlike the mechanic at the shop that makes a living & is under pressure from the owner get it done & move on to the next job.

 

[zer0netgain]

Good mechanics/shops are hard to find. Not had an issue with the local BMW shops I’ve had to use, but I only used them for an insurance repair and tire replacements.

 

[fbt80]

Perhaps a sign of the times……
There isn’t many repairs or services that I can’t get through after maintaining a fleet for most of my life. I used to have a trusted list of vendors that could take care of things that I either didn’t have time for or didn’t want to do.
I have had that list get shorter and shorter until there is really no one left.
While it may seem strange, when I have to “farm” something out, it has got to where I’m more concerned about things done correctly than I am the cost.

OM

This is so true. I’ve learned to maintain all my bikes just out of self protection. Now I only go to any shop to get tires changed… even then, once the dealer installed the tire backwards ….ugg!

 

[omega man]

This is so true. I’ve learned to maintain all my bikes just out of self protection. Now I only go to any shop to get tires changed… even then, once the dealer installed the tire backwards ….ugg!

I use a tire crayon to “highlight” the directional arrow and increase chances of success.
OM

 

[CaptCF]

I use a tire crayon to “highlight” the directional arrow and increase chances of success.
OM

I usually do my own (Rabaconda), but when I use a shop I do the same thing with painters tape on the wheel and on the new tires.

 

[fbt80]

I always deliver unmounted wheels for mounting and balance only. Lord knows what they would do if they had to install it on a bike. Butttt, as I say this, next month I'm dropping off a set of Ohlin's to be rebuilt by the only certified Ohlin's service center in Florida, so some things I don't do. Forks, I've rebuilt many times. Shocks seem like working on a watch...too many little parts.

 

[skibum69]

I'm still learning my Rabaconda but I'm glad I got it.

 

[fbt80]

The more I think of it, this is only half true what I said. I love to wrench, to improve and refine the design, make it better, faster. Part of my racing background that changed me forever...do I love an excuse to buy a new tool?...yup. And part of my life-long interest of two wheels is building them.

 

[glenvine12]

I use a tire crayon to “highlight” the directional arrow and increase chances of success.
OM

OM, you have more faith than me. I use a paint pen, then lacquer thinner it off. I also painters tape the rim right up to the tire. It might protect the rim and it definitely sends the message to be careful.

 

[bigjohnsd]

I'm fortunate that my local dealer, Sturgis BMW, has a couple of good techs.
I haven't had any issues with the work they do, no damage so far.

That said, after two GSAs, when BMW opted to no longer sell Technical Manuals to consumers, I opted to buy a Suzuki DL800DE to replace my totaled GSA in January 2025. The Suzuki manual was $90 and i've been happily doing my own maintenance ever since.

 

[smswy]

I don't know if it would make a difference but you ought to contact BMW customer service and lodge your complaint against both dealerships and see what happens. Could be BMW will pay to repair the damages on your bike caused by the dealership and if nothing else make them aware of their shoddy service.

BMW Motorrad will not give a . They’ll pay some lip service to your email. But never forget, their customer is actually the Dealer, not you.

 

[smswy]

He would like a "place" to put a new or used grommet!
Notice how they filed down the area where the front grommet tab used to exist. The semi-circle where it snapped off.
That is diabolical!

The dealer doesn’t want to have to pay for a new side panel. And the mechanic would likely deny having done it. You have to take lots of photos of your bike or vehicle before taking in for service to have evidence trail.

 

[efiedler]

The old cliche of "honesty is the best policy" seems to be a relic of the past in this case. A phone call or text that day "Hey we're terribly sorry, but we snapped a piece from your side panel. It was a mistake on our part. Your bike can be ridden with the damage and we already ordered the new panel it should be delivered here in X days or X weeks..." The consensus here is many of you prefer to do your own maintenance...and I don't mind doing the basics myself. But what I don't have are diagnostic tools to see codes, clear service alerts, etc. And how would I upload the latest firmware? Guess it is time for me to purchase a diagnostic tool, maybe one of you can point me to the correct diagnostics tool for my '22 R1250RT. Appreciate the feedback from these forums.

 

[motorhead1977]

@efiedler IMHO the HEX GS-911is the top dog. . There are other less expensive alternatives which I'm sure will be shortly mentioned.

 

[CaptCF]

Another GS-911 user here, but you can't update the firmware with it. Only a dealer can do that. Also, on the newer models they are less useful than they used to be since BMW has locked some features out by either using encryption or some kind of phone home system. I can do more with it on my '18 and '21 bikes than I can on my '24 so I expect eventually they will lock them out completely and you won't be able to even reset the annual service light yourself.

 

[Wkoppa]

I traded up my trusty 1990 K75RT for a brand spanking new 2022 R1250RT four years back. I told myself it was time for something new. With routine maintenance now in the hands of a BMW Motorrad mechanic at the dealer I knew it wasn’t going to be cheap so I swallowed the pill and put my money and trust with a dealer to work on my bike.
On my very first trip back to the dealer for its break-in maintenance I got the bike back and it wasn’t until I got it home and was pushing it in the garage that I noticed a small scratch on top of the cylinder near the oil filler plug. If I had to guess the mechanic wore a ring and hurried to open the fill plug but didn’t bother to remove the plastic piece in front of it, all 4 or 5 screws to give his hand proper clearance. I called the dealer and spoke to a service manager and I got the response that I must have brought the bike in with the scratch and I’ll talk to the mechanic. Yeah sure. Fast forward to 2026. I relocate and brought my bike to the closest certified BMW Motorrad dealer for maintenance. Brake fluid flush, engine oil change and of course a software update and clear alerts. Well, a month later I open the side triangular cover in front of the rear master cylinder and discover that one of the three grommet tabs was broken off, carefully filed down so it was hardly noticeable visually. Again it had to be done by the mechanic who flushed my brakes.
I’ve lost my faith in these shops, ok it ain’t cheap but I’m not squawking about the money, instead I’m complaining about the quality and care taken at these dealerships. If I wasn’t worried about the huge loss I’d be forced to accept to sell my 2022 1250RT I would sell it and revert back to a bike that I can maintain myself.

If you would have had some of the broken tab, it sometimes can be repaired. I have had success with plastic repair kits. You repair and build it up and then tidy it up with a Dremel Tool. There are a few You-tube videos addressing technique. If you could locate a donor piece maybe a tab transplant could be preformed. Some of the plastic tabs are really fragile. I have not had to take my bikes to dealers to get a broken tab, I can get that done at home.

Wayne Koppa
Grayling, MI
#71,449

 

[stevenrankin]

Machines have become complex with a lot of working parts hidden by layers of expensive plastic. They are harder to work on, diagnose, and frankly some mechanics are not up to the task.

I deal with airheads only and have found "mechanics" that should have their fingers tied together rather than be allowed to work on bikes. We are talking about airheads which are relatively simple when compared to a GS1350 or RT.

So a shop hires a guy who looks good, presents himself well, says he has skills, great. problem is, the person is overstating their skills, and habits. Who gets stuck with dealing with the customer, the shop or dealership manager. Same thing goes for those guys, a dud is a dud it is too bad we can't read minds to see who is really up to snuff before we hire them.

Sadly it only takes a few of these duds to ruin a shop's reputation. LOL, then again, some shop owners don't care about the customer, they just want the money. We can go on for a long time writing about this topic. St.

 

[omega man]

For consideration-
I have found that people with mechanical abilities usually started off fixing things because they had to….. a few of the fortunate were actually “born” with mechanical skills.
The other group is those that wanted to be mechanical, perhaps went to a school that instructs on how to be mechanical, and it seems to take a bit longer to figure things out.
If you know an old person or one of the “born” with mechanical skills- you’re fortunate.
Think of the difference between when someone can hear or see a problem and know where to start vs someone that needs to “plug in” a diagnostic device to get going.
It seems that no matter the skill level or how the skills were obtained, there is the “overhead” of the repair establishment and the wildcard of customers expectations.
OM

 

[pauls1150]

There's actually a commercial on KNX (1070 AM only, now) for a home service outfit whose final statement is to the effect that "....It's not the tool, but the hand using it."
When Harbor Freight has a coupon for a free tool or set, I'll get it and give it to my any of my assorted neighbors who don't have the collections that many of us typically do - throughout time, I have seen that when somebody "has" the tool, they find a way to apply it on something.
Of course, there are always those who will stick a screwdriver into an outlet...

 

[PGlaves]

Of course, there are always those who will stick a screwdriver into an outlet...

I do have a few friends who I have described as "Scary with a rubber screwdriver.