| Author | Message | ||
     Geoffg |
and I'm having warranty issues. Deal is, I just bought a brand-new 2003 XB9R. There is a problem with the bike, though--the plastic on the front fender is peeling. However, the dealer claims that it is damage from being dropped (actually, another bike was dropped, they exchanged fenders...). Anyway, according to Buell Canada, they are only reponsible for manufacturing defects--the dealers are responsible for damage. The dealer says the price I paid for the XB is so low I shouldn't complain. Now, my thing is this--the fender problem is NOT damage, it is a DEFECT--that plastic is peeling so bad in places it looks like Astro-Turf. Don't try to tell me that's from being dropped! Also, the dealership is selling TWO 03 XB9Rs (the other one is going to Bake)--and although the price is the same for both, only mine has the problem. I'm feeling a bit shafted. I can't believe Buell, as a company, really wants a brand-new bike to go out the door looking like this (it's really visible, from a distance). Plus, for the sake of a front fender, for Gawd's sake, I'm getting a real sour taste in my mouth about Buell customer service--before I even take delivery of my bike! | ||
| Ted |
tell em to keep it ,until they fix it. Let the dealer hash it out with Buell. | ||
| Geoffg |
Well, no. I wanna ride the damn thing! I've already spoken to Buell Canada, and I know they've spoken with the dealer. They are maintaining that it is the dealer's problem (shop damage), and out of their hands. It's not even the dealer so much as Buell Canada that I'm annoyed with. I get the feeling they do not believe me that the plastic is peeling (no-one I've spoken to will admit to ever hearing about any peeling). | ||
| Johnk3 |
I had a major problem with a dealer and the factory. I was able to get my issue resolved finally afer 5 months. The resolution wasn't what I wanted but it really is better than nothing. You need to call the customer service, they can help you with the dealer. Be persistent. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Take pictures to make sure they know what you are talking about and for proof. | ||
| Thansesxb9rs |
Just tell the dealer to spend the $90 and replace the fender or you will take your business else where when the warranty is over and you need service, or tell them you will by all you acessories from Dave and not them. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
I would be willing to bet the dealer is telling BC one thing and its different then what your telling them. Take pictures of the damage and send those to BC so that they can see what it is that is being discussed. I do have to ask you one question, did you agree to purchase the bike knowing the fender was in that shape? | ||
| Geoffg |
Wycked, yes I knew about the fender, and I agreed to buy it in that condition. So, yeah. But the main sticking point is the cause of the problem--shop damage or manufacturer defect? I am firmly of the belief the problem is a defect--I intend to take a lot of photos, and maybe send the fender off to Buell. I deal with industrial materials all the time, and I'm convinced this problem is a material defect. Plus, what ever happened to just good ol' plain customer service? I've called a few other dealerships, and they're horrified that Kamloops H-D is letting a new bike go out with this kind of problem. It's brand new--hasn't even left the dealership yet! I wonder if they'd treat a guy buying a Softail with orange-peel in the fender paint the same way... | ||
| Got1nut |
screw them all man take that to the canadian council of better business bureau. There is no way in hell I would let anyone tell me "the price I paid for the XB is so low I shouldn't complain". That right there would be the end of my convo or dealings with anyone. | ||
| Bake |
Geoff, I guess your bike was held back till all the others were sold. When I was finishing up the deal for mine I got the salesman to walk around it and check for damages before it went into their storage for the winter. He signed a paper saying mine had no defects. I am not unsympathetic.... but you had the upper hand knowing exactly what I paid for mine and choose to pay the same price knowing about the damage/defect. I am not knocking you but these are the facts. No matter how you slice it we both got sweet deals even if you have to buy a new fender. It sounds to me like Buell should come good for yours! I pick mine up tomorrow and will look at a new dirtbike they have brought in for me as well. I may be returning home with 2 new bikes tomorrow. Hope you get the fender replaced by Buell or the dealership. How did you make out with the manual? bake | ||
| Daves |
So just that I have this right, You knew about the fender problem,agreed to a price knowing about the fender, agreed to buy it with the bad fender at the agreed price and now you want a different fender? I am the only one here that thinks that is wrong? Does anyone think that is being fair to the dealer that made the deal? If the fender was a problem for you, you should have got a new fender as part of the deal. A deal is a deal, you agreed to the deal. It sounds like the dealer lived up to their end. You need to live up to your end. | ||
| Davegess |
Daves seems to have it pegged. | ||
| Aldaytona |
You're not the only one, I just read his personal quote and it appears that he is neither. | ||
| Slaughter |
3 things: 1 - Sandpaper 2 - Krylon 3 - Ride! | ||
| Svo1023 |
well a deal is a deal......sorry i'm with dave and al on this one.....go buy a new fender and quit whinin | ||
| Got1nut |
I guess He's saying the problem wasn't damage like the dealer told him but a defect. Is that right? I guess if you KNEW about the problem and agreed to buy it anyway, you may not have a leg to stand on after all. | ||
| Geoffg |
Dave, I bought the bike knowing about the fender. However, there was some misunderstanding as to the cause of the problem. The dealer said it was "scratched" when dropped in the shop--upon seeing it, I believe it is a material defect. Being such, I feel it should be covered under warranty--I don't expect the dealer to have to pay for it, the manufacturer should replace it at no charge to them. The reason the bike is still at the dealer (six hours drive from me) is that, on the day I showed up to pick it up it was not ready (yes, I had called four days ahead and was assured it would be ready). I was in town overnight anyway, so no prob, I arranged to pick it up the next day; still not ready. I had to leave it there. Hey, stuff happens--I'm not too concerned about that, but taken together... Anyway, back to the fender. Since the dealer has stated (correctly or not) that the damage was caused by them, Buell Canada's position is that it is the dealer's problem. No-one will admit that the plastic might possibly peel on its own. Now, I've read right here on Badweb about some of the early XB plastic parts peeling. Anyone else seen this? In the end, I'll probably just buy a fender. You'll notice I posted here several days ago looking for one. But, I still feel it is a material defect, and Buell (not the dealer) should warranty it. I'll post some pics when I get the bike... | ||
| Steve_mackay |
I've never seen ABS plastic peel like you're describing on it's own. Got any pics? | ||
| Midknyte |
I dunno what kind of future service you can expect when you need a "real problem" fixed. You're at the risk of building up a karma deficit with your shop. If a piece of plastic is your only problem at present, gotta say suck it up and move on. Go into your next venture with your eyes open... I'm not trying to be unsympathetic, but all things considered, you're bordering on nitpicking [as it is now after-the-fact]. You're robbing yourself of the grin factor. Get that thing home. New plastic does not cost that much (ever priced "metric" bodywork?) and good pieces show up on ebay all the time. | ||
| Court |
>>>You knew about the fender problem,agreed to a price knowing about the fender, agreed to buy it with the bad fender at the agreed price and now you want a different fender? I am the only one here that thinks that is wrong? Geoff: As you know, for 20 years, I have had the honor of being the unofficial champion of Buell owners in resolution of problems with Buell. I see them from a keen perspective as an owner. In this case. You are wrong and must take responsibility. Read that again.... I was getting ready to just buy a fender personally and send it to your dealer. You are correct, Buell does not want the bike running around like that. When you agreed to take the bike "as is", you made a promise. Now pick up your bike, order the fender, and enjoy. You are going to love the bike. Court | ||
| Court |
>>>>I'm getting a real sour taste in my mouth about Buell customer service-- By the way, you owe several folks sincere apologies. | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
Why did you even buy the bike from that dealer? Damaged fender, bike not prepped after four days. I would have told them to forget it. They obviously do not care about selling the bike. I also agree, though, that if you bought the bike knowing that it was damaged, that it is your responsibility. You should have stated that you would not take delivery without the fender being repaired. That's just the way that I see it though. | ||
| Emscityx |
Just order the carbon fiber front fender, throw the stock fender out, and smile at your upgrade !! | ||
| Whistle |
Or ya could go chopper style and just throw out the front fender and...not do anything!  | ||
| Geoffg |
Y'know, it's true that it's just a piece of plastic. However, it's just not givng me the warm fuzzies to be bringing home a damaged bike. When I agreed to buy the bike, well the deal was pretty good, and I was willing to overlook the fender. What kinda got to me, I guess, is when I discovered the dealer actually had two white XB9Rs for sale, identical except for the damaged fender. They sold them both within a few weeks, for the same price--well, not really, because I'm gonna have to spend extra money for the damaged one. Now, I'm buying from this dealer because they were the place I've been going in to, and they've been pretty good. I did phone around, and I found several other levtover 03s around, but I decided that for the same deal, I'd stick with Kamloops. Keep in mind that where I live, dealers are few and far between. As I've said above, I am still of the opinion that the damage is a material defect. Why is it that Buell Canada denies this? A large portion of the fender has plastic threads peeling up, and in areas it is very dense--this is not shop damage. I do wonder what kind of response I'll get if I ever do run into a "real" warranty issue. Anyways, looks like I'll just have to suck it up and buy a fender. Hope they can at least give me an owner's manual (couldn't find it the day I was supposed to pick up the bike). | ||
| Buelltroll |
A Canadian dealer STRIPPED my PRIMARY case drain plug and when i brought it to there attention over the phone they said "eh".......... | ||
| Steve_mackay |
I am still of the opinion that the damage is a material defect. Why is it that Buell Canada denies this? A large portion of the fender has plastic threads peeling up, and in areas it is very dense--this is not shop damage. I do wonder what kind of response I'll get if I ever do run into a "real" warranty issue. Because it's highly unlikely that ABS will do what you're describing without 1st being damaged. I've seen ALOT of plastics, and I've NEVER seen what you're describing, because, well, that's what I do for a living. I design plastic injection molds. I've done some for Buell as a matter of fact. But not the fender in question. I just find it highly unlikely this is a material defect. | ||
| Slaughter |
I think the XB parts are DuPont Surlyn - not ABS | ||
| Geoffg |
Steve, I'll refer you to this thread: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/32777/63018.html--here's one post: "Having done injection molding for a lot of years (not now thank goodness) what you describe isn't a rare happening. What is rare is that it wasn't caught before it made it to a bike. Plastic does strange things. What it sounds like to me is that either the plastic wasn't dry (I mean extra dry) when it was injected into the mold, called splaying, this causes the water vapor to get trapped in the plastic under pressure, with no where to go it "flattens" out causing the plastic to be in "layers". Or, if the mold wasn't heated or cooled (which ever surlyn needs) properly the flow of the plastic is fugged up, which gives you Charlie's guess, first surlyn to go into the mold coats the mold and hardens first. Either way it is a production/manufacturing issue, and nothing more or less. If this is the case, they should replace your bodywork." If you could see this, you'd realize that the peeling is not started by damage--it just seems to be lifting up of it's own accord. Looks like a lot of little strips of white cellophane tape. | ||
| Glitch |
it's just not givng me the warm fuzzies to be bringing home a damaged bike. Then you shouldn't have bought it. You made the choice, no one made you buy it. As far as the defect, yes I've seen this. It's called "splay". It happens when moisture is absorbed by the plastic before molding, and during the molding the water keeps the plastic from flowing correctly. It happens, and would have been a warranty issue if you had made that an issue before you bought the bike. Anyways, looks like I'll just have to suck it up and buy a fender. Yep. | ||
| Glitch |
Having done injection molding for a lot of years ... Yep that's my post and it is accurate. | ||
| Steve_mackay |
But for the splaying to happen, it would have had to pass by at *LEAST* 2 QA departments. I'd love to see a picture of the fender. | ||
| Daves |
Hey Glitch check your email. Shirt project. | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
All this over a damn fender???? Christ I wish all our troubles were so trivial. I bought an entire 2nd set of plastic for my X1 just so I could swap colors when I want. You got the bike at a dirt cheap price, buy a new fender off ebay or from Dave, etc & be done with it. Or put a nice big sticker over the supposedly peeling part. I have seen wet resin cause, lensing/fisheyes/holes/voids/etc, but have never seen surylyn peel. | ||
| Steve_mackay |
Yeah, this sticker would work well, just replace the Honda with Yamaha  http://www.isitfast.com/images/Decals/Comic/peeon_honda.jpg | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
This is appropriate for this thread. | ||
| Geoffg |
Thank you, Dyna! Yes, life is hard here in the First World...  |
