| Author | Message | ||
     Guard_rail |
It doesn't void anything right??? | ||
| Jules |
Are the warranty rules different in the States? In the UK my 620 mile service is free and the dealer has to do it to mke sure the warranty remains in force. It's the only one I really have to go back to the dealer for but as it's free i don't mind... | ||
| Tbolt98 |
I've heard people talk about getting their first one free but I wasn't told that so I don't know what the deal is! | ||
| Afhans |
Yeah, I paid the dealer just in case dude. I figured I did not want them trying to throw out my 4 year warranty on some BS technicality. | ||
| Froggy |
As long as you save your receipts and document you did it, you are fine. My dealer has a promo going on this weekend doing it for $40, if I didn't do mine last weekend I would be all over that, as its $40 in materials alone. | ||
| Afhans |
I currently live in Italy. It seems when the Europeans buy a bike the dealer gives them (probably worked into the bottom line) the first service at no cost. So they do not have this problem. I bought my bike from a US dealer and had to pay the Italian in Udine 120 Euro ($150) for my 620 service. Again, I only did so for the warranty stamp. It is kind of like having insurance. Mostly it is a waste of money, but one slip up and you are very glad you had it. No? | ||
| Vinb |
I let the dealer do it only so they would check the hole bike out. Good thing to do I think cuz my antifreeze was low and now its on record but the cost s#cked at over $300.00 but I'm still glad they did it | ||
| Dammitquikgentry |
That's a deal froggy! My local stealership wants $150... That's a lot to change oil. | ||
| Guard_rail |
Wait!! These bikes have anti-freeze | ||
| Kidder |
I changed the oil myself for the first service. It was a bit messy, but I did it.  | ||
| Ottobotz |
To All, -Since the thread already started, mine is due also. For the 620 mile service. -Here in Toostoned, AZ, they said it included a full check over on the bike as well as a oil change. They quoted me $340.00. -I understand the oil change is $40-$50, but what else do they do that could cost $290-$300? -Also, I told the service guy that I wanted a print out of the Flash thats on the bike, and if it didn't have the 152 if they could down load it. He didnt have a clue as to what I was talking about. The next HD dealer is in Phoenix, 110 miles away. -My bike is a 2009 1125 CR, and he kept calling it an XB12. I had to keep on correcting him on it. It goes in on Tuesday so we will see how this goes, since I have a f**k up temper. Don't do well with stupid people. -S**t there goes my Barker Exhaust, I'll have to spend next pay halves Over Time on one. | ||
| Pattio |
I just took my '08r to the dealer at 600 miles. Cost was over $300, which I consider to be a lot, but I can live with it. 1) I am (very literally) trying to buy their good will in case I need it in the future, 2) I got a $13,000 bike for $7000, I'll bend over on these first few services 3) I can and will do this myself later in the life of the bike and I can pat myself on the back for 'saving' $300 each time I do. I should also mention that part of the labor and expense was them fiddling with my side fairings, which they did not install, to help me with the melting-on-the-header problem. So now I have a cleared service-countdown on my dash, a new flash, a printout showing I'm a good citi$en, a very fast black motorcycle... and a forecast for pouring rain for the next few days. C'mon spring! | ||
| Zac4mac |
I have the oil change process down now. Last one I didn't spill a drop. I always change after a warm-up run. I got a drain-pan/jug from Vato Zone. Do the left side first, put the bike on rear stand and put the kickstand up. Take the big cover, on the side, off the jug and hold upright at about a 30* angle, so the drain-hole points into the upper-center of the jug-hole. When the oil starts coming out, it will hit the upper part of the hole and quickly drop to the lower part. This minimizes YOUR movement to keep up with the stream. Right side is piece of cake, filter isn't too messy if you blow the oil galleries out first. I always run the bike until the oil pressure drops from no supply. When the idiot light comes on... 700 miles more and I do the 24.8k service. I did this 12 k miles ago and it's a trip of a job. 8 hours in the book IIRC. BTW, when I blow out the galleries, 3 Qts puts it at upper-middle on the stick. Sorry I have no pix of this, but it's not rocket science. To the other question about "self-servicing"- Legally you are allowed to do you own services, IF you have the proper tools, knowledge and ability to do the work. Take notes, keep receipts and talk to your service dept about any anomalies. Practically though, your dealership is the front line for any warranty claims. Try to avoid an adversarial atmosphere, get them to trust your ability to do the job right. It's a slippery slope and I've learned a lot recently by being "inside" at the dealer level. Either let them do everything, or make sure they don't have to clean up your "mess" if you can't finish a job. I did that a few years ago and it cost a few "favors" to recover. The service department wants to make a profit so giving away stuff is a limited good-will thing. It never hurts to "throw them a bone" every now and then. Especially those few dealers who chose to stand by Buell for the duration. I AM proud to work at one of them. Sorry for the rant, but I really want more Buell riders to get better treatment when they need help. Zack | ||
| Ratsmc |
Ottobotz, you need to find another dealer. I bought mine in Chandler and they try. I'm not sure I would say they are experts but I feel fairly comfortable. I have been driving to Tucson every week so I have been able to drop the bike off on the way down and pick it up on the way back. Chandler is a crappy drive from Tucson but it is almost an hour from where I am and even though there is a dealer just 10 minutes from me, I don't trust them and won't go there. I change the oil myself since I am not a fan of semi-synth and my 620 cost me $80. Actually, since I go back and forth so much, if you wanted to work out the details with the dealer, I'd be willing to transport the bike to the dealer or pick it up that would mean you would only have to make a trip one time rather than two. Just a thought. I'm not sure who would trust someone from a forum to take their bike but I can assure you my wife would kill me if I showed up with another bike  (Message edited by ratsmc on March 13, 2010) | ||
| Leroysch |
I had the same thoughts, Pattio, with my first service just before winter. Got it back with no coolant in the reservoir (took two thermostat openings/top-offs to get any visible signs in the radiator)and an uncleared "service now" code. Little things, sure, but not what I expect at shop rates. Moral: DIY!!! | ||
| Guard_rail |
Ok. Not to beat a dead horse but here's another option. There's a local bike shop that says they could do the job. They work on Harley all the time and the owner owns a Buell. They are 10 mins from my job. So I could do the whole drop off in the morning & pickup after work thing. But does the work have to be done by a Harley dealer? | ||
| Usmoto |
It doesn't affect the warranty if you do the services yourself. You have to make sure you do everything listed in the maint. sched, document it and use the parts specified. If you want more info on warranties, at least in the US, check out: Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act of 1975. The dealers know about this but try to use tactics to make money off you by "convincing" you that you have to take the bike in to them. Basically if a dealer says you have to take it to them for service, they have to perform that service free of charge. Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act is some very valuable reading. I only take my bike/cars in to the dealer for recalls. I do all services myself. I won't dis the dealers cause a friend of mine owns one. I just simply will not pay $300 for an oil change and inspection of my bike. Rock on EBR! | ||
| Homer007 |
Am i reading this right? You drain the oil and then you start up your bike to "blow" out the rest of the oil? | ||
| Vinb |
If that is true I think someone near him should take the bike from him. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Been doing exactly that for years, YMMV. Z Trying to take my bike would be a bad idea... (Message edited by zac4mac on March 15, 2010) | ||
| Homer007 |
Starting the engine with the oil plugs removed to “clear” the galleries is possibly the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a while. No one cares what you do with your bike but please do the world a huge favor and don’t give out oil changing advice to anyone ever again.. (Message edited by Homer007 on March 16, 2010) | ||
| Augustus74 |
Called 2 dealers about 620 service 1)said $325+tax and I need an appointment 2)where I bought the bike - no appointment necessary but "the first service is at 1,000 miles!?!?) Really wasn't looking forward to doing it myself but that looks like what i'll be doing! | ||
| Syonyk |
Nothing wrong with starting an engine and letting it idle for a few seconds with low oil, the bearings are plenty protected at that low of a load, and if you shut it down as soon as oil pressure drops, you really don't do any damage. You do, however, get a lot more of the old oil out (depending on the engine design). If you don't want to do it, fine, but it's not the end of the world. | ||
| Ogobracing |
Yes, you can do it yourself, which you have probably figured out from all the other posts. The question is do you want to? It is the messiest oil change job I've ever done. I thought I was prepared by reading the many posts, but.... Let's just say the only time I made a bigger mess was when I got a phone call and forgot to put the drain plug back in the daughter's Kawi before dumping in two quarts. The wife says no more changing oil in the driveway for Mr. Buell. | ||
| Jeepinbueller |
I agree with Syonyk ... there's plenty of oil coated on the lower cylinder walls and crankshaft for a second or two of run time. I mean, the oil pump doesn't build pressure until a second or two after startup anyway ... I don't see a difference. I did the same thing with my last change b/c I knew how much oil was going to squirt out after that cartridge filter. Makes for a cleaner change. | ||
| Homer007 |
Seriously? Nothing wrong with trusting the idiot light to tell you when to shut off an engine with no oil in it? You don’t see anything wrong with the risk/reward ratio here? Risking scoring cylinder walls, cams, etc.. over the reward of getting a minuscule amount of old oil out? This is about the silliest thing I heard. Actually, the second silliest. The silliest thing I heard was some guy doing kerosene flushes on his engine to get salt and sand out … | ||
| Jeepinbueller |
I just don't understand the reason why starting an engine for a second or two is risking scoring the cylinder walls. There's still residual oil on the walls, rings, crankshaft, and piston rods if you've ran it like you should before the change. How's it any different than how long it takes for the oil pump to start cycling oil? I'm not being smart — this is just the way I rationalize it. I'm inviting correction. | ||
| Syonyk |
Seriously? Nothing wrong with trusting the idiot light to tell you when to shut off an engine with no oil in it? You don’t see anything wrong with the risk/reward ratio here? Risking scoring cylinder walls, cams, etc.. over the reward of getting a minuscule amount of old oil out? This is about the silliest thing I heard. Actually, the second silliest. The silliest thing I heard was some guy doing kerosene flushes on his engine to get salt and sand out … The risk of scoring the cylinder walls and cams with a few seconds of idle load running, after the engine has been completely coated in oil, is basically zero. We're not talking about "start it with no oil, flog it on the track for a few miles" - it's start it with most of the oil drained, let it idle and the oil pump scavenge out the rest of the oil in the system until the pump loses pressure. All the critical surfaces are still protected, the bearings still have oil, and all in all, it's very likely causing *less* wear than a cold start after the bike has been sitting for a week - which plenty of people do. I don't think the point of kerosene flushes is to get the salt and sand out, it's to get any sludge and other crud out. I'm not sure how much benefit it has with newer engine oil, and I wouldn't do it on an older engine, but it's a decent solvent and is oil-like in nature - I see no reason to believe you'd harm your engine idling it for a few minutes with kerosene in it. The stresses on an idling engine are minimal. Nobody is suggesting running an engine hard without oil, but idling is really not hard at all on an engine (in terms of lubrication). Seriously, though. Cold starts are about the worst thing you can do to an engine, and nobody worries about them. | ||
| Kirb |
I see no reason to believe you'd harm your engine idling it for a few minutes with kerosene in it. My '48 willys jeep said to use Kerosene as the engine oil when operating above the artic circle...granted, that thing would run on milk for fuel | ||
| Sneakr |
I got my 600mile oil change done, I live in the US and it was free...I would go and have a dealer do it, mine checked all the fluid to insure everything was runnin right and there was the predicted amount of metal shaveings in the oil | ||
| Zac4mac |
I started doing this on my Harleys, back in the late 70s. A lot of my "tricks" came from "old timers" and most were still valid. Some were truly awesome. The full flush was an old idea but I realize after a few discussions with the techs in back, that it is either useless or possibly dangerous with the current technology. I am no longer going from 70 weight to kerosene to 30 weigh, etc. My biggest change now is 20W-50 to 10W-40 and I promise to be more "Mainstream" in my oil changes. Sorry if I freaked anybody out, but I do "have a clue". Thanks for being BadWeB. Zack | ||
| Mountainstorm |
lol I got into the erl change a couple of days ago and since I have a Slip On it's actually easy to do a clean job. I have one of those old timey galvanized pans that's about 20" diameter and I set the kickstand down inside it and let loose with the left side. It only soaked down the kickstand nothing else. No biggy to wipe that off. The oil filter was a gusher. But I simply slid the pan out a tad to account for that and got lucky with containing the used erl. The O ring looked fine to me but I used the new one supplied with the cartridge. Just alternated back and forth with the Torx and got that snugged and wiped down in a jiff. Left side I just leaned the bike over and let it chug out. It was not a steady flow but after a couple of minutes died to a trickle. A surprising amount came out of the left side. Topped it off with 2.7 quarts of Mobil 1 V Twin Synthetic 20-50 and started up and checked for leaks. Didn't even have to take off the fairing. Wasn't more than a 10-15 minute job including clean up. 3 quarts at $7 and one filter at $21 sure beats the $100 or whatever at the dealer. |
