I've had STeph for nine months now, and she needed some attention. Brought her into an independent guy I'd met through friends. Sixteen days and $820 later, I'm pretty pissed off. The paramount issue he did take care of OK, and reasonable cost: $250 for new clutch slave cylinder, which had been losing fluid. Next on my importance list was the shock, which needed maintenance or sorting out or something--he ended up doing exactly nothing, except saying that maybe it needed to be removed and sent out for service. He also kept arguing that there couldn't be separate preload adjuster fluid separate from the main shock fluid, even tho supposedly he read up on it. Third was the left headlight, which kept going out, due to some wiring or electric issue--and that's all I know about it now even after 16 days in the shop. Then there's the stuff he did that I really didn't care about: a whole fork seal kit, which he told me on the phone was $35--"What about labor?" "It's all included, just the kit is all I need." $375--ka-ching, boat payment. Differential fluid, probably needed to be done, but I didn't ask for it--$150. The big problem was that this guy didn't communicate--he never called me, wasn't at the shop when I dropped the bike off, even tho I made an appointment with him for a specific time, and every time I called, he said he was just about finished, would call me soon. I had a different guy I was happy with, but I gave this guy a chance cuz I met him through friends--big mistake. Oh well, live & learn. Thanks for letting me vent, if you've read this far!
Not so happy with this mechanic
- Thread starter Me_cmc
- Start date
ToddC
Site Supporter
$150 for final drive oil???????
Wow, I'm in the wrong business!
ToddC
Wow, I'm in the wrong business!
ToddC
drrod
Site Supporter
The ST is relatively easy to do routine maintenance on. Your experience is reason enough to learn. eg. 5 min and a couple of ounces of oil is all it takes to change the final drive.
Rod
Rod
STurgisSTeele
When did I become the "Old Man"!?
Sorry to hear that. I'd be PO too.
Peace and All Good
Peace and All Good
How can folks like this live with themselves? That is just criminal!!!!
Maybe I'm being too hard on the guy--upon further examination of the invoice, it was $140 for diff fluid and oil change, but I really didn't want the oil change--those I do myself, but he said the crankcase was overfilled, and it might have been contaminated with brake fluid which may have caused the overfilling, and it had been two weeks and I needed the bike back for a trip and wouldn't have time to do it myself and maybe I don't really know how to read a sight glass. At any rate, my real bad feeling is cuz I still know nothing new about my rear shock, or headlight, and I feel misled about the labor costs, and he did stuff without telling me how much it would cost, and took way too long.
Huge red flag.Me_cmc said:
I'd make it a point to tell that guy I hope he enjoys the money made off me cause that's the last he'll EVER see of me and I'm happy to spread the word. If he has an actual business you could "Yelp" your experience online.
Then I'd tell my "friend" don't ever do me another favor like that because the guy ripped me off. Explain in excruciating detail what happened then ask your friend what about this guy was supposed to make him worth recommending.
The other thing is if this guy is any semblance of legit he should have a work order with estimate in writing for you to approve in advance. And you get a copy in advance.Lesson learned. Sometimes education costs money.
I'm not sharp enough to do much of my own wrenching. Fortunately there's a great wrench nearby. There are some basic things you can do on your own. If you prefer not to for whatever reason a good honest mech is a must.
"he said the crankcase was overfilled, and it might have been contaminated with brake fluid which may have caused the overfilling,"...WHAT!?! There is no way for brake fluid to enter the crankcase AND totally different oil...I could go on. RUN!!!!!! Sounds like a visit with a rape victim therapy group is in order.
BakerBoy
It's all small stuff.
Wow, lots of issues and red flags.
Be thankful he wasn't checking your valve clearances.
Be thankful he wasn't checking your valve clearances.
davidrider
Kungfu Panda
Sounds like they did what needed doing. The costs are no worse than any other shop I've seen and if you've got more money than time I can see it being "worth it". The thing that would bother me is not having my bike for 16 days cause that's definitely not 16 days of work and the lack of communication.
Captain Obvious says: "learn about wrenches" (it can be fun, builds confidence, saves money, and you can get your work done when you want it done)
Blrfl
Natural Rider Enhancement
Everybody slow down a minute.
All of the clutch hydraulics are bolted to the rear of the engine and there's no brake fluid anywhere near the clutch pack. Force from the slave cylinder is transferred to the clutch by way of a push rod that runs the length of the engine.
There are two seals in the slave cylinder, one on the piston and one where the pushrod enters the crankcase. Brake fluid or oil making it to the no-man's land between the seals will reach the outside of the crankcase through a drain hole that Honda very thoughtfully put in the slave cylinder housing. If -- and this is a big if -- the drain path becomes blocked and that area fills with fluid, it could be forced through the crankcase seal when under pressure. Even if that did happen, you'd have to force an awful lot of brake fluid through the system for it to show on the sight glass.
The usual failure is the piston seal, which will result in a squishy clutch and brake fluid dribbling down the back of the engine.
--Mark
Fortunet 1
Fortunet1
Ditto what Mark said. There should be NO guessing how much new oil should be placed in the ST after draining and new filter put on. EXACTLY one gallon, coming to a near perfect half way mark on the sight glass.
This guy would have been tied to the rafters in my garage and flogged with an old speedometer cable 
This is why I find mechanical issues should be solved together, with both the owner and the person doing the work involved.
This way, the owner understands how everything works, and the person assisting, teaches the owner how to do his own service work so he won't be thrown under the bus by someone looking to make his boat payment.
.02
This is why I find mechanical issues should be solved together, with both the owner and the person doing the work involved.
This way, the owner understands how everything works, and the person assisting, teaches the owner how to do his own service work so he won't be thrown under the bus by someone looking to make his boat payment.
.02
You know, I was starting to feel like maybe I was wrong, and he wasn't so bad. Then, I had to return to the shop twice today. First, he didn't reconnect a clutch wire which meant I couldn't start the bike in any gear, only neutral. That's a safety hazard. Second, he didn't replace at least two bolts and two pins from the bodywork. Holy crap! How does a prof. Mechanic not even have a bowl for parts and fasteners taken off a bike they're working on? Even I have one of those. i'm scared to think about what else he might've forgotten to put back on, like a nut holding the front wheel on maybe--I have a feeling as I'm sliding down the road on my keister at 70 mph I'll know, oh yeah, he must've forgot to put the wheel back on right too.
where did you get that idea? This thread contains a unanimous reply theme of "don't ever go there again, he screwed you big time"
Some folks have no conscience... could not go to sleep at night if I treated someone that way! I would rather "help" someone with their issues so they can witness what was done and learn in the process. The second reason I would want the owner right there, so they know it done to their satisfaction. No second guessing about parts, etc. It eliminates any questions.... also some folks will try to blame unrelated problems on a mechanic... yeah, once you touch it, it's your fault. I've seen both sides...
Sounds to me like a massive failure to communicate - along with some bad wrenching. I know this is hard to do, but you need to talk to this guy and tell him how you think he failed you. And let him know that you think not connecting the cable properly and not assembling the fairing IS a big deal. Especially since he charged you the going rate for good work and you did not get it. The problem here is he will probably get defensive, will probably dismiss the missing pins as being minor (well, it is on YOUR bike, but not on MINE) and this might devolve on his part to a shouting match. In which case you leave and write him off.
If he did give your friends good service, then you owe it to yourself and your friends to at least try talking to the guy, if for no other reason than you will probably come away feeling better because you told him how unhappy you are.
I had a rather unsatisfactory experience with a local dealer recently (see my thread called Clutch Noise - Solved) but it all worked out. Now I want to go back to the dealer and sit down with the owner and explain why I am so unhappy with their work. Not something I am looking forward to. But something I have to do.
If he did give your friends good service, then you owe it to yourself and your friends to at least try talking to the guy, if for no other reason than you will probably come away feeling better because you told him how unhappy you are.
I had a rather unsatisfactory experience with a local dealer recently (see my thread called Clutch Noise - Solved) but it all worked out. Now I want to go back to the dealer and sit down with the owner and explain why I am so unhappy with their work. Not something I am looking forward to. But something I have to do.