15k Valve Adjustment Cost???

[Tourmaster1300]

What should I expect to pay to have the 15k valve adjustment?? I've heard it may cost as much as $600!!! Can this be true??? Every bike I've owned has needed a valve adjustment at some time or another, but never at that cost.

Please tell me it ain't true!!!!

TourMaster1300

[dbst1300]

I would buy the shop manual and check them yourself the first time.....most of us on this board have found that no adjustment/shimming was necessary.
If you take your time, it is rather easy to check the clearances......taking off the bodywork is time consuming the first couple of times. Then, you will know for sure that they were checked.............if you find some valves need re-shimming, you can always button it back up and have a "competent" dealer shim as needed if you don't fell like doing it.

Shop manual + 3-4 hours of your time = $60.00 vs. lots of money at a shop which may or may not do the job correctly.

[Finewest]

I would think $350 more in line, but heck that's also a lot of money! My local STealer charges $80 a hour labor.

[Imrubicon]

I checked my dealer and it was around $375
But he will give me a break as I am thinking of useing different springs and maybe have them wire in a powerlet for me while they have the plastic off.
I normally dont have the tools, time and or place to do it myself

[Lou65]

Local dealer quoted me $225

...at 29 Dreams quoted $150

[Hondog]

There is a significant difference between checking and adjusting.

[nybryan]

15k mile valve adjustment cost me nothing. I didn't do it on either of my st1300s. first one sold at 43kmiles second one has 53k on it neither has had a valve adjustment. the second owner checked valves on the first one they were in spec

[tommyboy]

Someone on the board should be from your neck of the woods and want to have a techSToc! They are quite fun.

[Austin city limits]

Me??? What did I just pay for an "Early" 16,000 mile service???

I got the valves checked... (((Spot On)))

The Brake Fluid Changed...

The Clutch Fluid Changed...

The Coolant Fluid Changed...

2 Tires Replaced... (((My Tires)))

2 Tires Balanced...

Changed Valve Stems...

Rear Splines Greased...

Throttle Bodies Sync...

Rear End Oil Changed...

Did all inspections due from 10,000 - 16,000 miles...

Cost???

$259.63

And you feel sorry for me living out here in the sticks... :p: ;)

[MidLife]

Me??? What did I just pay for an "Early" 16,000 mile service???

I got the valves checked... (((Spot On)))

The Brake Fluid Changed...

The Clutch Fluid Changed...

The Coolant Fluid Changed...

2 Tires Replaced... (((My Tires)))

2 Tires Balanced...

Changed Valve Stems...

Rear Splines Greased...

Throttle Bodies Sync...

Rear End Oil Changed...

Did all inspections due from 10,000 - 16,000 miles...

Cost???

$259.63

And you feel sorry for me living out here in the sticks... :p: ;)

I have to find out who is your mechanic! The savings on having him service my bike vs doing it locally would pay for the trip from Tx!

[Austin city limits]

I have to find out who is your mechanic! The savings on having him service my bike vs doing it locally would pay for the trip from Tx!

Local Honda Dealer too... :D

I have toyed with seeing if the local dealer would set up a deal and do this for us... He is wanting to sponsor the Moonshine Run but I have resisted so far...

[Tourmaster1300]

15k mile valve adjustment cost me nothing. I didn't do it on either of my st1300s. first one sold at 43kmiles second one has 53k on it neither has had a valve adjustment. the second owner checked valves on the first one they were in spec

That's what I've always done. The first metric bike I bought was suppose to have the adjustment at 12k. When I took it to my favorite wrench he said there was no need after checking them. It's now been five bikes later and I've never had a valve adjustment. Just wasn't sure ST as this is my first performance bike.

I guess I'll just listen for the sounds of loose valves before spending the $$$

Thanks to all who responded. This is a great place for information...

TourMaster1300 :07biker:

[crazykz]

I think mine was in the 300-400 range but I started doing my own after that.

You could just pay yourself $600 dollars and say you did it. Oh wait that's what the shop I took mine to did. Nevermind. :rolleyes:

Curt

[pepollock]

As Hondog correctly said, there is a huge diff between a valve check and a valve adjustment. The check isn't hard and is a DIY job for most anyone with tools. Most folks find the valves in-spec at 16K. Should clearances be out of spec, the job gets significantly more involved and requires removal of one or more cams on one or two cylinder heads. If the dealer is quoting a flat rate of $600, that should include adjustments. If he finds clearances in-spec, the cost should be a lot less. As with many jobs on the ST, it takes longer to pull the bodywork off and put it back on than it does to do the actual work.

[SupraSabre]

I haven't been given the bill on my Valve Adjustment yet, but since I took my bike in naked, I better not have to pay as much! :money1:

[crazykz]

I haven't been given the bill on my Valve Adjustment yet, but since I took my bike in naked, I better not have to pay as much! :money1:

I took all my plastic off also. They took off 15 minutes of labor from the book job. I don't go there anymore.

Curt

[wjbertrand]

I checked my dealer and it was around $375
But he will give me a break as I am thinking of useing different springs and maybe have them wire in a powerlet for me while they have the plastic off.
I normally dont have the tools, time and or place to do it myself

Different springs? What's the advantage over the OEM springs?

[Viggo]

I don't remember the price quoted by my local stealer (Hitching Post, Hopkins)for my 16k work but I remember it was very high, like around $650 - $750(?).

The conversation went something like:

Me: What will it cost me for the 16k scheduled maintenance?

Stealer: $xxx

Me: Wow, that's a lot of money. How much less if I bring the bike in naked?

Stealer: Same price.

Me: Can you quote a price for valve clearance check only with a separate cost if they need to brought into spec?

Stealer: No, it's just one price whether or not adjustment is needed.

Me: Why would that be?

Stealer: Dunno, that's just the price structure in the book.

I was so dumbfounded by this that I forgot to ask them about tire mounting (my tires, wheel off the bike) but I suspect they would have told me they don't mount tires not bought there.

I don't think my bike will ever see the inside of their shop. I did the 16k maintenance myself. Fortunately, all valves were within spec. I mounted my own tire (but I'm not likely to do that again' it just wasn't worth it, IMO).

There are other dealers within a reasonable distance (30 miles or so) so I'll probably check with some of them on future needs.

[sundesj]

had mine "done" 2x and the cost was about $330.00

[deanrd]

I just dropped mine off "naked", so we'll see what happens now. When I called 2 weeks ago, I asked if they preferred to have the plastic on or off. They said off with no mention of price. My mistake. When I brought it in today, he qoutes me $500-600 flatrate. I got just a little upset about that and told them there was noway that I would pay them flatrate when the plastic was off. If they wanted to deduct flatrate cost of plastic removal, then fine. They agreed to charge me per hour to do valve check and if it requires more - ie: adjustment, then they will call me.

I'll be kicking myself for not doing it myself, but they are trying to fix my fairing and fender that got gouged during last service. Part of the reason I pulled it this time. I have to setup a shop at home, it'll pay for itself.

I'll let you know what the final tally is.

Later - Dean

[ccryder]

My 16k check was under $200. I checked them my self after that. They didn't need adjustment until 76k and I had the Dealer do the work. Including the valve adjutment, on 3 valves, and new neck bearings it was right at $400 parts and supplies.

Later

[CWDUSMC]

Some people have the opinion that the valves don't need to be checked. That can be a hit or miss proposition. Here is my example of what can happen if you don't check and they are out of spec along with one of many threads on the subject http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46528

Did my 01 ST1100 myself, wasn't too hard to check clearances and mine were in tolerance. When I bought the bike (used) I asked the local dealer and was told it wasn't necessary to check. However, I had just finished a valve job on a Suzuki GS-450 twin cylinder due to a burned/split exhaust valve due to tight clearances (only had 75,000 miles). It cost me almost $500 by the time it was done and I did everything except the actual valve job. That was a twin cylinder and relatively easy to take apart, an ST would cost a lot more!
Checking the clearances and writing them down for reference is cheap insurance, in my book. I don't know if I would have tried to re-shim them myself if mine had been out of adjustment or taken it to the dealer to have it done, but if you don't check them, what you don't know CAN hurt you!

With a little mechancal skill and some tools, it is not that hard to check the valve clearances (at least on the 1100).
Good luck.

[IanW]

What should I expect to pay to have the 15k valve adjustment?? I've heard it may cost as much as $600!!! Can this be true??? Every bike I've owned has needed a valve adjustment at some time or another, but never at that cost.

Please tell me it ain't true!!!!

TourMaster1300

I have read on this site many times about BMW servicing costs being excessive, I have responded with the facts about my ride a BMW R1200RT which I consider the BMW equivalent of the ST1300 Honda, my valves are adjusted (not just checked) at every service (10,000km) the labor charge is half an hour.
Ian

[dduelin]

I have read on this site many times about BMW servicing costs being excessive, I have responded with the facts about my ride a BMW R1200RT which I consider the BMW equivalent of the ST1300 Honda, my valves are adjusted (not just checked) at every service (10,000km) the labor charge is half an hour.
Ian


Ian,

I want you to state the total cost of the 10,000 km service and the cost of the major service at 20,000 km. Lets throw in the alternator belts, throttle cables, the throttle body synchs, filters, etc up to say, 100,000 km that BMW requires for you to retain warranty coverage just in case you have problems with the transmission or final drive. That should be a fair assessment of the higher cost of BMW maintenance over time that many owners and fleet operators report.

The valve check is just a portion of the 10k service and the boxer layout is indeed easier to access the valves than the ST's V4.

[YR]

Quotes for 16k valve check from the Pittsburgh area:

One dealer charges $488 flat, no matter if you come with the plastics on or off, and regardless of whether he finds all valves to specs and there is no need for adjustment.

Two dealers charge by the hour, one $60/hour and the other $80/hour. They both estimate 2 hours for valve inspection, and up to additional 2-3 hours if adjustment is needed. They both will take time off of the first two hours if the plastics are already off.

[IanW]

Ian,

I want you to state the total cost of the 10,000 km service and the cost of the major service at 20,000 km. Lets throw in the alternator belts, throttle cables, the throttle body synchs, filters, etc up to say, 100,000 km that BMW requires for you to retain warranty coverage just in case you have problems with the transmission or final drive. That should be a fair assessment of the higher cost of BMW maintenance over time that many owners and fleet operators report.

The valve check is just a portion of the 10k service and the boxer layout is indeed easier to access the valves than the ST's V4.

Jax
I have my invoices in front of me, first 10,000km service: $296.45, first 20,000km service: $353.45, this included the annual inspection as BMW calls it, it included the gearbox and the brake fluid change and bleed in the wheel circuits (the tech said he did the whole brake system as it is not much more work).

P.S. I have only dropped BMW's twice.
Ian

[Gti20vturbo]

I have responded with the facts about my ride a BMW R1200RT which I consider the BMW equivalent of the ST1300 Honda, my valves are adjusted (not just checked) at every service (10,000km) the labor charge is half an hour.Ian

Well there you have it, your BMW "needed" adjusting every time. How is it possible its the equivalent of a Honda of any kind?:p:

[deanrd]

I just dropped mine off "naked", so we'll see what happens now. When I called 2 weeks ago, I asked if they preferred to have the plastic on or off. They said off with no mention of price. My mistake. When I brought it in today, he qoutes me $500-600 flatrate. I got just a little upset about that and told them there was noway that I would pay them flatrate when the plastic was off. If they wanted to deduct flatrate cost of plastic removal, then fine. They agreed to charge me per hour to do valve check and if it requires more - ie: adjustment, then they will call me.

I'll be kicking myself for not doing it myself, but they are trying to fix my fairing and fender that got gouged during last service. Part of the reason I pulled it this time. I have to setup a shop at home, it'll pay for itself.

I'll let you know what the final tally is.

Later - Dean

Valve check was $234.00 and they topped off my antifreeze (a little low after thermostat replaced) All valves within spec, recorded on the invoice. Charged me 3 hours @78.00/hr. They will replace my fender and left cowling under warranty for gouges. I didn't complain.

Dean

[dduelin]

Jax
I have my invoices in front of me, first 10,000km service: $296.45, first 20,000km service: $353.45, this included the annual inspection as BMW calls it, it included the gearbox and the brake fluid change and bleed in the wheel circuits (the tech said he did the whole brake system as it is not much more work).

P.S. I have only dropped BMW's twice.
Ian

For apples to apples now go to a local Honda dealer and price a 26,000 km (16,000 mile) service as it varies so much between locales. We have seen it as low as $400 AUD and a high of $815 AUD in the US. This is titled a valve inspection, not an adjustment. Most shim over bucket Hondas don't need adjustment until 72,000 km if then. If you have a Honda dealer than doesn't charge the flat rate for adjustment only for inspection the cost is reduced by about 66%. If we paid for an adjustment at 25,000 km you have spent $650 AUD already and will have another $300 service a few km after one Honda 25,000 km service of $400 to $815 depending on the dealer's greed. You are losing already. When Honda service to about 30,000 km would cost as low as $400 to as much as $815 you will have paid about $900. Then you have the alternator belt change we don't have and the recommended throttle cables change at the the belt change which we don't have.

Did you read the linked article below? RT1200P police bikes are very expensive to maintain compared to the ST1300P. There are 3 or 4 references to high cost of BMW maintenance, parts cost, and extended downtime plus the lack of dealers. Read it and weep:

http://www.ci.costa-mesa.ca.us/council/agenda/2008-04-01/APR%201%20-%20FORMAL%20BID%201121%20PURCH%20OF%204%20PD%20MOT ORS.pdf


P.S. I haven't dropped my BMW once.

[Lou65]

2nd quote was $375 at the STealer and he ended up charging $150...how suspicious is that?

said all in spec at 22K

[sddinnh]

Valve check was $234.00 and they topped off my antifreeze (a little low after thermostat replaced) All valves within spec, recorded on the invoice. Charged me 3 hours @78.00/hr. They will replace my fender and left cowling under warranty for gouges. I didn't complain.

Dean

Who's doing the work Dean?

[leveredge]

Better part of $250. Wow! I'm glad I looked at them myself. Can I be one of those cheep ST guys now? The two front cylinders all 4 exhaust valves were a little tight but in spec on mine at just shy of 16k miles. Not .009" tight.
It makes no sense that taking the plastic off would not save them time or you dollars. It takes more time to take the plastic off/ on then to look at the valve gaps.
I had a Honda shop give me a pretty high number for my old bike as well. I looked at them myself with that bike also. That bike was a cruiser and I had to take the tank off, a bunch of plastic and the carb intake off so I quess ST's aren't the only bikes you have to disassemble to look at the valves!

[deanrd]

Who's doing the work Dean?

Rochester Motor Sports, Rte 11, Rochester, NH

[sourbeer]

i do not want to fuel the fire at all, but will state that in the 50,000 miles that i rode my bmw's, i had to make valve adjustments very few times. The service took me less than an hour total, was easy to learn, and required a couple of shims to inspect the clearances. It was a 6,000 mile suggested interval, and while I checked mine near about that frequency, they seldom needed any adjustment. adjustment was easy to do as well, required no shims.

the reason that i'm on a Honda ST1300 instead of an RT has nothing to do with the maintenance expense or frequency of either bike. It comes down to simple economics and dependability (final drive). I had no issue checking or adjusting the valves on the bmws but am a little nervous about doing so on the ST. I will learn the process as i choose to do all of my own maintenance. If I could have the boxer motor in my ST1300, I would. If I could ahve the Honda final drive on the RT, I'd certainly consider it. The purchase cost of the ST, especially considering the deal that was offered on leftover '06 bikes when i got mine was hard to pass up. Both are great bikes, either of which I'd be happy on.

funny thing, everybody at work thinks i downgraded bikes going from the bmw to the honda. i don't see it that way at all.

[maldos]

It really is easy to check them yourself. Keep records so that you will know if they are changing between the 16K and 32K services. If they need adjustments (mine did, 2 valves , one on each side of the engine needed changing) it's still fairly easy, but you can decide. I think the most difficult part of the adjustment is releasing cam-chain tension on the right side..find someone who has do the adjustments and is willing to help. You don't want to drop the cam-chain down into the engine. The knowledge gained will be priceless.

Dealer prices and service are horrible around here.

[dduelin]

i do not want to fuel the fire at all, but will state that in the 50,000 miles that i rode my bmw's, i had to make valve adjustments very few times. The service took me less than an hour total, was easy to learn, and required a couple of shims to inspect the clearances. It was a 6,000 mile suggested interval, and while I checked mine near about that frequency, they seldom needed any adjustment. adjustment was easy to do as well, required no shims.

the reason that i'm on a Honda ST1300 instead of an RT has nothing to do with the maintenance expense or frequency of either bike. It comes down to simple economics and dependability (final drive). I had no issue checking or adjusting the valves on the bmws but am a little nervous about doing so on the ST. I will learn the process as i choose to do all of my own maintenance. If I could have the boxer motor in my ST1300, I would. If I could ahve the Honda final drive on the RT, I'd certainly consider it. The purchase cost of the ST, especially considering the deal that was offered on leftover '06 bikes when i got mine was hard to pass up. Both are great bikes, either of which I'd be happy on.

funny thing, everybody at work thinks i downgraded bikes going from the bmw to the honda. i don't see it that way at all.Having a pushrod boxer BMW with the same 6,000 adjustment interval I know how easy it is to check and adjust the valves for the boxer as well as everything else in a minor and major service. I wouldn't think about paying a BMW tech to do it but that is how this thread is going. But an Oilhead isn't an Airhead and some simplicity has been lost along the way. BTW I don't pay a Honda tech either save for tires. At 45,000 miles my ST's valves were still in spec and stable from the last check.

[FGrella]

What should I expect to pay to have the 15k valve adjustment?? I've heard it may cost as much as $600!!! Can this be true??? Every bike I've owned has needed a valve adjustment at some time or another, but never at that cost.

Please tell me it ain't true!!!!

TourMaster1300

Well after reading this thread I called the dealer here in MB Redline Powersports. He put me on hold while he "got the Book"
Oil Change etc $150.00
Spark Plus $250.00
Valve Inspection $250.00
He said if values need shims that would add another $500 do to amount of work involved.
Maybe I should have asked all those questions on this forum before I purchased my 2007.
Since I have already done the oil and filter and rear drive and I know I could probably do the plugs. I would just let them do the value inspection. And BTW no discount if I remove the Tupperware.

[hojo in sc]

Well after reading this thread I called the dealer here in MB Redline Powersports. He put me on hold while he "got the Book"
Oil Change etc $150.00
Spark Plus $250.00
Valve Inspection $250.00
He said if values need shims that would add another $500 do to amount of work involved.
Maybe I should have asked all those questions on this forum before I purchased my 2007.
Since I have already done the oil and filter and rear drive and I know I could probably do the plugs. I would just let them do the value inspection. And BTW no discount if I remove the Tupperware.

I don't normally say this, but here goes: *** !, $150.00 oil change, is he out of his %^&%$@!&%% mind !

I got lucky on my valve check, I knew the wrench and he came to my house, I had the bike apart and he showed me how to do it, all of $20.00 When it was time for the valve check on my KLR 650, I wasn't as nervous.

[Slider]

I don't normally say this, but here goes: *** !, $150.00 oil change, is he out of his %^&%$@!&%% mind !
I have to agree with that. And $250 for spark plugs!?!? It takes 10 minutes to change the plugs on the ST - this guy is just ripping people off.

[sourbeer]

i have a real hard time trusting dealerships to do my maintenance as i've never really been pleased with the quality of work. for you folks that have good dealership mechanics that do quality work for reasonable prices in reasonable amounts of time, you are blessed. and to boot, since i ride my bike for transportation daily, i can't be bothered with the drop off/pick up shuffle. i don't have any local dealers that i trust, and i don't like paying a premium for the service when i have the garage/tools to do it myself. I am willing to learn how to do these things myself, and i realize that it will take me longer to do it the first time. i consider it a part of the ownership experience.

it is amazing that some folks are willing to pay these prices.

[pHr01d]

i have a real hard time trusting dealerships to do my maintenance as i've never really been pleased with the quality of work. for you folks that have good dealership mechanics that do quality work for reasonable prices in reasonable amounts of time, you are blessed. and to boot, since i ride my bike for transportation daily, i can't be bothered with the drop off/pick up shuffle. i don't have any local dealers that i trust, and i don't like paying a premium for the service when i have the garage/tools to do it myself. I am willing to learn how to do these things myself, and i realize that it will take me longer to do it the first time. i consider it a part of the ownership experience.

it is amazing that some folks are willing to pay these prices.

+10 - my bike, my tools, my garage, my money - sounds selfish don't it? I don't have a trustworthy dealer where I am. I'm at 16k and looking into doing all the maintenance myself. It'll get done right and if not... I know who to blame... the cat.