Crazy service cost KTM

I have a Mazda 3 still under warranty.My 4 wheel fun machine.I take it to dealer for scheduled maintenance.$90Cdn for synthetic oil & filter change.Reasonable.l scratch a hashtag on filter.Let’s them know I’m watching.Third service is oil &filter, remove calliper,clean lube slider pins,rotate tires$280 Cdn.l think these Are a fair price for needed maint.

I always put a giant diagonal slash below the prescribed service printout on work order,& write in that customer will be informed of any further repairs.They sign it before l sign on the dotted line.First time they got their back up. Now we smile.l sit back , have a pop,read a book. I think we have an understanding. Probably go there after. Warranty is up as l feel these are reasonable fees.
I’m getting too old to be crawling on the floor like a reptile.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
Everything that you wrote is ridiculous. More like the vehicles belong to the manufacturer not the purchaser. Explains why the push for right to repair laws is gaining steam.
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Kinda like smartphones, isn't it?
You pay a (huge) amount for it, but you actually don't own it as they control what OS and apps you can install...
And if they decide "end of lifetime" you end up with an expensive doorstop...
 
and some of us are just not mechanically inclined. I can do oil/filter changes, and chain adjustments, some other little stuff, but other than that, someone with more mechanical talent than me is going to be working on my stuff. Luckily, I have a motorcycle mechanic I trust at my local dealership. He's been working on my stuff now for close to 30 years and he takes good care of me and my bikes. If he has taken advantage of me in some way it has never been apparent or shown up as a problem down the road. Knock on wood, I've never had to walk home due to a broken down motorcycle and my bikes have carried me to all of the lower 48 states and 2 provinces of Canada averaging 302 days of riding and 22,552 miles a year (at least for the last 15 years that I have been keeping journals).

There are good reputable mechanics out there and there are crooks. If you don't have the skills, tools, lifts etc, you just have to find one of the good ones.
 
While I agree with much that has been said here, the other side of the coin is.....they only sell what we buy. It seems like whenever anything "new" comes out, people line up to put their money down. Honestly, manufacturers are producing what they can sell given market and regulatory constraints. Change those 2 things and perhaps manufacturers would provide something different and have a different business model.
One is easy. Just don't buy. The other takes some effort but is not impossible.

Case in point regarding product is the F150. Largest (by numbers) selling vehicle in US/Canada. Try to find one that isn't loaded with options without waiting an inordinate amount of time. Why is that? Could be that the loaded one is what sells the most or produces the most margin? Most service models are the same. They produce the most net.

In reality, is it any different than what any one of us do in our own business? If my fees are too high, or what I deliver is not of sufficient value to my clients, I either lower my fees,change my business model, or accept the loss of clients. Why do we expect entities from which we derive goods and services to be different?

The dishonesty thing though? No excuse for that. Any business that does that should not be in business. Someone mentioned the Market Place show regarding quickie oil changes. There is documented proof of dishonesty. The business license should be suspended, or a heavy enough fine levied to be a deterrent. Somehow, neither happens.

A lot of what we are experiencing is the result of complacency on our part. The "I can't be bothered but someone else needs to do something" is what has got us to where we are.
 
The Jiffy Lube oil scams have been around for several years now.
They were on the news, on youtube, on consumer help shows etc.
They were caught so many times, red handed, on film and hidden cameras, but they never stopped doing it.
The only thing that was done to correct the situation (getting caught) was Jiffy Lube started TRAINING their employees to look for HIDDEN cameras. :doh1:
 
Jethro said:
Maybe being a mechanic for 40 plus years has taken the shine off of me doing an oil change, & saving chump change.
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No wrong or right with you paying someone to service your vehicle. To me it is who assumes the risk. For example if jiffy lube screws up your motor it's on you to prove they screwed up. When I do my own I assume the risk which is a hell of alot better than what are employed at the fast service outlets today. You know the old saying goes I can screw up my vehicles as well as the dealers:rofl1:
 
TPadden said:
Try finding a farrier, good or bad ...:rofl1:

Tom
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All you have to do is talk to your local large animal veterinarian and they can probably point you to a few with little to no effort.
If you lived closer to me, I could send you to 2 real good ones.
 
drrod said:
All you have to do is talk to your local large animal veterinarian and they can probably point you to a few with little to no effort.
If you lived closer to me, I could send you to 2 real good ones.
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My point was a mechanic, like the TV or computer repairman, has pretty much gone the way of a farrier; before completely going the way of the Dodo. Hence the :rofl1:.

Tom
 
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I knew that tom. Just couldn't pass up the opportunity when something is lobbed across the middle of the plate:rofl1:
There will always be a call for skills that are out of the mainstream. Just need to know who to ask.
 
red one said:
You know the old saying goes I can screw up my vehicles as well as the dealers:rofl1:
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I've said this for years.
I thought *I* invented that. Not only can I screw up my vehicles, I can screw them up far cheaper than the dealers.
At least until someone has to fix what I broke...
 
AFAIK, there's not a dealer within 100 miles of me that will even consider working on an old 'dinosaur' ST1100.
So, I have 4 parts bikes and 4 daily riders and I do the work myself.
It's not that I like to wrench (started working in a service station at 14 years of age and got plenty of that over the years).
But if I want to ride ST1100s, that's just part of the gig.
I'm just glad they are pretty much dead simple to work on (even the ABS) and tons of videos/manuals/software available.
You know, sometimes riding a 'dinosaur' ain't such a bad deal! :biggrin:
From what I've heard, the farm equipment manufacturers are doing the same thing to the farmers - making it impossible for them to work on their own equipment.
They break down in the field and they have to wait for some yahoo to show up with the electronic 'diagnosis' equipment while the crops rot.
 
Uncle Phil said:
They break down in the field and they have to wait for some yahoo to show up with the electronic 'diagnosis' equipment while the crops rot.
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Not to mention, the battery- powered EV tractors. The manufacturer, in one study, sent a bunch to a large farming operation, but neglected to consider what the hell do you do when it's time to recharge?!
Hours of downtime, daylight wasting, while they scrambled to bring more generators.
Proper planning prevents piss poor performance.
 
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@Sadlsor oh I think they know exactly what they are doing. Just like how you can't buy a car that uses generic 4x6 or 4x8 headlight bulbs / shells.

Like my VW's and windshield wiper blades. Sorry, that's a dealer only option.
 
I am still looking for a new car that has the "opitonal" roll down windows, an AM / FM radio, bench front seat and an ignition key that is simply a KEY. Every body wants so much nonessential FOO FOO stuff on their cars that I can no longer buy a brand new 1975 Dodge Dart Swinger Special. (Rubber floor mats, roll down windows, bench seat and the radio and cigarette lighter were OPTIONS! :old1:
 
diferg said:
I am still looking for a new car that has the "opitonal" roll down windows, an AM / FM radio, bench front seat and an ignition key that is simply a KEY. Every body wants so much nonessential FOO FOO stuff on their cars that I can no longer buy a brand new 1975 Dodge Dart Swinger Special. (Rubber floor mats, roll down windows, bench seat and the radio and cigarette lighter were OPTIONS! :old1:
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So, I guess that means an ashtray is out of the question...?
 
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