Fork Seals - Need Advice!!

iamloislane · 03/04/2009, 09h26

Let me give you some background because I need advice.

I have a 2008 bike. I had my suspension modified by a reputable person middle of last year. I paid 1000$ and sat there for 6 hours. This modification voided my warranty with the dealer and is now warrantied with the suspension guy.

Right before I stored my bike November 16, I saw that my fork was leaking, the seal was broken. I called the suspension guy and told him, he said "dont worry, call me at the beginning of next year and we'll get that fixed."
So two weeks ago, I call him. He says "no problem, get the part (about 30$) pay me 50$ for my labor and i'll do it." I was shocked to hear this guy was charging me for something he was completely responsible for (my seal would very likely not have broken had it not been played with for 6 hours).
So I called the dealer, who said he will replace it under warranty because he wants to keep me as a customer.

So here's my question:
1) Should I pay nothing, bring it to the dealer and risk voiding the warranty with the suspension guy (warranty is obviously a loose term at this point) OR
2) Pay 80$, suck it up, and bring it to suspension guy.

Please help me decide this by today because I already have an appointment with the dealer on Monday for other things so I would have to extend the time.

I would love to hear your comments.

Thanks everyone!!

esse0esse · 03/04/2009, 21h15

I am not looking for excuses for the " we know who " suspension guy but ...this is mechanical stuff you know...maybe the seal was going to fail anyway...one seal , not the other, go figure !...
You have the right to be mad about it , but him being "Completely responsible " is a bit hard...
Neither am i not pointing a finger at you here but ,maybe you have an " out of round fork tube "....maybe you have a scar on the same tube from a thrown rock...a bad seal to begin with...bad chroming of the tube( porous)...
I have seen blown seals when a bike was tied down too stiff in a trailer...
Has the bike been crashed before ?...
Did you eat your vegetables ?
So many variables !...

You have decided to go on with " hot rodding " your bike ... and I bet your bike handles really sweet now !... something you'll never get from any dealership , they simply have no clue ...as far as "performance" suspension tuning work...

Hey ! $ 80 is still cheap considering it "may" not be his entire fault ...we simply do not know for sure ...do we ?

P.S. yur bike looks awesome...

iamloislane · 03/04/2009, 22h41

Citation:

Envoyé par esse0esse

I am not looking for excuses for the " we know who " suspension guy but ...this is mechanical stuff you know...maybe the seal was going to fail anyway...one seal , not the other, go figure !...
You have the right to be mad about it , but him being "Completely responsible " is a bit hard...
Neither am i not pointing a finger at you here but ,maybe you have an " out of round fork tube "....maybe you have a scar on the same tube from a thrown rock...a bad seal to begin with...bad chroming of the tube( porous)...
I have seen blown seals when a bike was tied down too stiff in a trailer...
Has the bike been crashed before ?...
Did you eat your vegetables ?
So many variables !...

You have decided to go on with " hot rodding " your bike ... and I bet your bike handles really sweet now !... something you'll never get from any dealership , they simply have no clue ...as far as "performance" suspension tuning work...

Hey ! $ 80 is still cheap considering it "may" not be his entire fault ...we simply do not know for sure ...do we ?

P.S. yur bike looks awesome...

Thank you! You make alot of great points. But I am all about principle. If he wanted to keep a customer happy, he could have met me somewhere in between, maybe i pay for the part but no labor or vice versa...

At this point, i have no faith in him. If he is not wiling to fix an 80$ problem, he will probably not be willing to fix something bigger. And its not about the money either...

Why is the dealer - who is under NO obligation - willing to have loyalty and suspension guy's small shop doesnt feel the same...?
Thats what bothers me.

But thanks anyways! Much appreciated.
I'll post pics with my new exhaust soon ;-)
A

Bee-King · 04/04/2009, 07h56

Hey Loislane,

You are right about the principle. So, no matter how good the bike feels, with 1000$ spent, sorry but this guy can chew on his profit a bit in order to keep the referals... his fault or not. The 80$ is not the issue, its about the automatic "not my fault" behavior, so....

Go the dealer, who wants to keep a customer, and the jobber may go to hell...

You know sometimes, talented mechanics doesn't mean talented business owner.

When I pay, no question asked, then I expect the same kind of service in return.

**V-Force** · 04/04/2009, 08h37

If your dealer just change the oiil and seal, it will not have any issue on the fork settings. Just make sure they put the same oil grade and level that "you know who" put when he did the job.

So go to the dealer.

Like Bee-King said, "you know who" should do it for free if his job is warranted. If not. Go see your dealer.

My ....$80.00

iamloislane · 04/04/2009, 19h24

Thank you to both of you. Very much appreciated.

maxpat82 · 05/04/2009, 10h08

just an example: I changed seal(allballs) and oil(recommand by the dealer) in someones bike. clean everything, put everything back.....I notice the very lower end of the fork is a bit bent...no worry with his/her weight, never the person will go there. whatever.
The fork never leak for about 3month and about 4-5K km(that's include a 2 day track day at calabogie)
After asking the same suspension guy as you. He say: put tinner oil. Which I find useless but the person want to have it done, and I say: i won't do it.
So he/she pay to have it done by the same suspension guy. (150$)

do you know what: 3days later after the job have been done: I notice that the seal was leaking!!
and it was only aride back to home..50km..and been in the shed after that.

KneeDragger · 05/04/2009, 10h27

I'd also go with the dealer... not even knowing who did your suspension.

I've had issues with a business many years ago and the two owners got into a personal scrap... Thus affecting customer service. When one of them contacted me to appoligize and COMPLETELY RE-DO my front end, at his expense, I knew where to take my business from then on. Many weeks later, the other owner tried to get is old clients back... From that day on, the service the first owner gave, got him his business from many others and I.

So yes, principals apply here and so does customer service. A $1000 job vs a $80 to not claim responsibility on his job (even if it's not is) I find that low and unprofessional.

Go with the dealer, that is willing to put it under warranty, or else he wouldn't do it for free I guess!!!

Loyalty goes a very long way and if this suspension guy of yours doesn't value that, then take your business else where. I'll even give you the guys that worked and will work again shortly on my suspensions...

iamloislane · 06/04/2009, 09h59

Citation:

Envoyé par KneeDragger

I'd also go with the dealer... not even knowing who did your suspension.

I've had issues with a business many years ago and the two owners got into a personal scrap... Thus affecting customer service. When one of them contacted me to appoligize and COMPLETELY RE-DO my front end, at his expense, I knew where to take my business from then on. Many weeks later, the other owner tried to get is old clients back... From that day on, the service the first owner gave, got him his business from many others and I.

So yes, principals apply here and so does customer service. A $1000 job vs a $80 to not claim responsibility on his job (even if it's not is) I find that low and unprofessional.

Go with the dealer, that is willing to put it under warranty, or else he wouldn't do it for free I guess!!!

Loyalty goes a very long way and if this suspension guy of yours doesn't value that, then take your business else where. I'll even give you the guys that worked and will work again shortly on my suspensions...

Do you know of a good suspension guy. A friend of mine is looking to have his done, but doesnt want to go to mine, and I dont know anyone else that does suspensions.

Thanks!

maxpat82 · 06/04/2009, 10h05

any dealer or shop can change fork seal....no need to be specialized in suspension.

I haved my suspension done by Stadium Suspension in beloeil.

Affichage des résultats du sondage: Fork Seals - Need Advice
Bring to dealer - free	9	69,23%
Bring to suspension guy - 80$	4	30,77%
Votants: 13. Vous ne pouvez pas participer à ce sondage.

03/04/2009, 09h26	#1 (permalink)
iamloislane Stunter Date d'inscription: avril 2007 Localisation: Ile-Perrot Messages: 199 Pouvoir de réputation: 3 Reputation: 19	Fork Seals - Need Advice!! Let me give you some background because I need advice. I have a 2008 bike. I had my suspension modified by a reputable person middle of last year. I paid 1000$ and sat there for 6 hours. This modification voided my warranty with the dealer and is now warrantied with the suspension guy. Right before I stored my bike November 16, I saw that my fork was leaking, the seal was broken. I called the suspension guy and told him, he said "dont worry, call me at the beginning of next year and we'll get that fixed." So two weeks ago, I call him. He says "no problem, get the part (about 30$) pay me 50$ for my labor and i'll do it." I was shocked to hear this guy was charging me for something he was completely responsible for (my seal would very likely not have broken had it not been played with for 6 hours). So I called the dealer, who said he will replace it under warranty because he wants to keep me as a customer. So here's my question: 1) Should I pay nothing, bring it to the dealer and risk voiding the warranty with the suspension guy (warranty is obviously a loose term at this point) OR 2) Pay 80$, suck it up, and bring it to suspension guy. Please help me decide this by today because I already have an appointment with the dealer on Monday for other things so I would have to extend the time. I would love to hear your comments. Thanks everyone!! __________________ Dernière modification par iamloislane ; 08/04/2009 à 17h53

05/04/2009, 10h27	#8 (permalink)
KneeDragger 12 O'clock Date d'inscription: novembre 2004 Localisation: Home is where the heart is... Messages: 6 388 Pouvoir de réputation: 12 Reputation: 276 Moto: A sweet ass track mistress!!!	I'd also go with the dealer... not even knowing who did your suspension. I've had issues with a business many years ago and the two owners got into a personal scrap... Thus affecting customer service. When one of them contacted me to appoligize and COMPLETELY RE-DO my front end, at his expense, I knew where to take my business from then on. Many weeks later, the other owner tried to get is old clients back... From that day on, the service the first owner gave, got him his business from many others and I. So yes, principals apply here and so does customer service. A $1000 job vs a $80 to not claim responsibility on his job (even if it's not is) I find that low and unprofessional. Go with the dealer, that is willing to put it under warranty, or else he wouldn't do it for free I guess!!! Loyalty goes a very long way and if this suspension guy of yours doesn't value that, then take your business else where. I'll even give you the guys that worked and will work again shortly on my suspensions... __________________ Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost Keep the Rubber Side Down! AM #210

Outils de la discussion
Afficher une version imprimable Envoyer un lien vers cette page par email
Modes d'affichage
Mode linéaire Choisir le mode hybride Choisir le mode arborescent

Discussions similaires
Discussion	Auteur	Forum	Réponses	Dernier message
Seals de fourche	Mike_ZX10	Problèmes Mécaniques / Bike Problems	31	13/05/2009 00h59
Poteau de fourche qui faire fuire les seals...	Xtralight	Problèmes Mécaniques / Bike Problems	8	31/07/2007 23h11
I need some advice...	Ragno	HORS SUJET / OFF TOPIC	28	27/10/2006 13h58
I need some advice	Purple	Motosports / Sportbikes	17	09/11/2005 09h39
cherche pieces cbr 600 f4, fork, lumiere, batterie, stater	honda4life	Motos (À vendre ou recherchées)	0	17/09/2005 17h33

03/04/2009, 21h15	#2 (permalink)
esse0esse Stunter Date d'inscription: avril 2008 Localisation: Nicolet QC Messages: 221 Pouvoir de réputation: 2 Reputation: 38 Moto: RC-51	I am not looking for excuses for the " we know who " suspension guy but ...this is mechanical stuff you know...maybe the seal was going to fail anyway...one seal , not the other, go figure !... You have the right to be mad about it , but him being "Completely responsible " is a bit hard... Neither am i not pointing a finger at you here but ,maybe you have an " out of round fork tube "....maybe you have a scar on the same tube from a thrown rock...a bad seal to begin with...bad chroming of the tube( porous)... I have seen blown seals when a bike was tied down too stiff in a trailer... Has the bike been crashed before ?... Did you eat your vegetables ? So many variables !... You have decided to go on with " hot rodding " your bike ... and I bet your bike handles really sweet now !... something you'll never get from any dealership , they simply have no clue ...as far as "performance" suspension tuning work... Hey ! $ 80 is still cheap considering it "may" not be his entire fault ...we simply do not know for sure ...do we ? P.S. yur bike looks awesome...

04/04/2009, 07h56	#4 (permalink)
Bee-King Contributeur Date d'inscription: mai 2008 Localisation: Lachine, Quebec Messages: 684 Pouvoir de réputation: 2 Reputation: 188 Moto: B-King 2008	Hey Loislane, You are right about the principle. So, no matter how good the bike feels, with 1000$ spent, sorry but this guy can chew on his profit a bit in order to keep the referals... his fault or not. The 80$ is not the issue, its about the automatic "not my fault" behavior, so.... Go the dealer, who wants to keep a customer, and the jobber may go to hell... You know sometimes, talented mechanics doesn't mean talented business owner. When I pay, no question asked, then I expect the same kind of service in return.

04/04/2009, 08h37	#5 (permalink)
V-Force Moderateur Date d'inscription: février 2003 Localisation: Cité de Fort Fort Lointain Messages: 13 025 Pouvoir de réputation: 21 Reputation: 431 Moto: Buelldozer XB12X 2007 et ZMX Best Racing Pocket Bike	If your dealer just change the oiil and seal, it will not have any issue on the fork settings. Just make sure they put the same oil grade and level that "you know who" put when he did the job. So go to the dealer. Like Bee-King said, "you know who" should do it for free if his job is warranted. If not. Go see your dealer. My ....$80.00

04/04/2009, 19h24	#6 (permalink)
iamloislane Stunter Date d'inscription: avril 2007 Localisation: Ile-Perrot Messages: 199 Pouvoir de réputation: 3 Reputation: 19	Thank you to both of you. Very much appreciated.

05/04/2009, 10h08	#7 (permalink)
maxpat82 12 O'clock Date d'inscription: juillet 2004 Localisation: Rive-Sud Messages: 15 350 Pouvoir de réputation: 22 Reputation: 333 Moto: DRZ400SM 05(rue et dirt) - GSX-R600 K5(track) - XR100 2002	just an example: I changed seal(allballs) and oil(recommand by the dealer) in someones bike. clean everything, put everything back.....I notice the very lower end of the fork is a bit bent...no worry with his/her weight, never the person will go there. whatever. The fork never leak for about 3month and about 4-5K km(that's include a 2 day track day at calabogie) After asking the same suspension guy as you. He say: put tinner oil. Which I find useless but the person want to have it done, and I say: i won't do it. So he/she pay to have it done by the same suspension guy. (150$) do you know what: 3days later after the job have been done: I notice that the seal was leaking!! and it was only aride back to home..50km..and been in the shed after that.

06/04/2009, 10h05	#10 (permalink)
maxpat82 12 O'clock Date d'inscription: juillet 2004 Localisation: Rive-Sud Messages: 15 350 Pouvoir de réputation: 22 Reputation: 333 Moto: DRZ400SM 05(rue et dirt) - GSX-R600 K5(track) - XR100 2002	any dealer or shop can change fork seal....no need to be specialized in suspension. I haved my suspension done by Stadium Suspension in beloeil.