Resolved!: Screwed up big -- trusted the dealer for the first valve check

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Sorry guys, but threads strip going in, not coming out.

And people who make their living as mechanics deserve more respect than to assume they don't know how to set the wrench for unscrew.

The most common scenario I've seen on any stripping, from spark plug to drain bolt, is that it's stripped going in. And then in sad cases, it is buttoned up and innocent lambs say they had nothing to do with it.

Note that dealer has said to take bike elsewhere in future.

They know.

So does poster.

 
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I'm pretty sure I would have responded a little more rationally if they just admitted a mistake was made and resolve it.

In the end it is the dealership owners burden to employ qualified people. Kinda pathetic to see whats happen to this place

over the years. I bought a new Yamaha 650 Special II from them in 1980 when I got out of the Army. It was a gathering spot

for local motorcyclist. The only place with a crowd now is huge HD dealer. Maybe we should all by Harleys.................I think I just threw up a little in my mouth

Merry Christmas to everyone and ride safe.

 
Well, most of the time threads strip going in but not out unless blue loctite is used on assembly and the bolt is not heated hot enough to boil spit before attempting to unscrew in some cases. Oilhead driveshaft disassembly comes to mind.

 
WRONG! Sorry boys. When I pulled my rear pads for a swap, one of the bolts stripped. I was using a 3/8 ratchet, not an impact gun. In true Yamaha fashion, they overtorqued them at the factory, or they were just stuck from the heat cycles. The bolt stripped in a way that I was able to reinstall it and tighten it.

Yamaha replaced the rear caliper under warranty, and my tech at Bobby J's installed it when it came in. Easy.

Those bolts are questionable. Still, if it was in the tech's hands when it happened, the repair belongs to the dealer.

 
Years ago while having new tars put on my '66 Chrysler a shop monkey at Monkey Wards wrang off all five lugs on the first wheel he tried to get off..[hell of a gun]. Yeah, those cars had left hand threads on one side...
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I have never needed to use heat to remove blue locktite. It always comes loose with proper impact. Red loctite is another matter, but no one uses red loctite if they don't intend that the fixture be permanent anyway. There is no need for it on 99.9% of fitments.

The dealer told the poster where to go for further service .... literally.

That's the sure sign of an asshole interaction. It is a sure sign that the dealer felt diddled.

FWIW, if you study at any modern business school, you will discover that some customers are not worth the trouble.

It is better to send them away and take your lumps.

The bad pr will eventually evaporate if it's a one off deal.

There is no more "customer is always right" mentality in business ... because it is no longer true. The customer is often just another manipulative jerk.

Stop and think for just a minute.

I am not a dealer and have not worked in a dealership since August of 1973, so I am not grinding my own ax here.

A dealer is just a motorcycle enthusiast who loved motorcycles so much that he wanted to make them his life's work.

Nearly every motorcycle dealer in the US was started for the love of motorcycles.

Dealers are not "out to get you."

Dealers are not "dumb as rocks."

Dealers are struggling, with lousy margin, to make a living.

Dealer service departments generally have to stand on their own these days, so they're trying hard to survive in a climate where bikes change nearly every year, and where internet forums present data to argue that the dealer's mechanics are idiots ... not nearly as smart as the smartest guys, who often are computer jockeys, and who are permanent denizens of some internet forum.

Bikes like the FJR are NOT very common at most dealerships. So sometimes there is a learning curve to come up to speed when addressing an issue on an FJR.

I get along by recognizing and empathizing with the dealers issues. If I have to pay a bit, I suck it up. It is worth it to have a good relationship and good support.

You would be surprised how often a dealer will treat you like a colleague if you act in a collegial way. This is true from BMW to Suzuki. Yamaha to Triumph. Honda to Ducati.

Unlike many here, I don't have the time, even in retirement, to fool with many maintenance items.

I've had nearly 3 dozen bikes in my life, and I usually have 3 to 6 at any given time (4 at the moment).

I'd rather ride (or do other things) than fool with a project. I suppose that the fact that I am a collector of collections, focused on guitars, firearms, motorcycles, photography, audio reproduction, audio recording, and other diversions, impacts how much time I'm willing to fool with bike maintenance.

But on this issue of the dealership buggaring up the tire change, I think the end result, i.e. it ended well but they told the poster to go somewhere else in the future, gives credence to my speculation that the dealer did not feel as though they'd been at fault.

No this is not a rant about leaving the forum.
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And no, this is not a late Festivus airing of grievances.
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I just don't think it is healthy to always assume that the dealer is out to get you, or that you are smarter than the dealer, or that forums are the place where you will aways learn the most about your motorcycle.

This is a good forum.

The FJR is a great bike.

But have a little sympathy for the poor shmoes who sell and service the bikes. You can't all do a fly and ride to D&H ... and even if you do, you may not be able to suffer through Jerald's political rants
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With all that said, there are dealers out there that are incompetent, or unethical or knowingly employ incompetent and unethical people. Certainly, there are also customers that are unethical and asshats. One cannot validly indict or defend all dealers or customers with a few statements. However, one can accurately summarize this forum with the simple statement, "This is a good forum", and describe dealers and customers by saying some are good and some are not so good.

 
El Toro, the facts are:

!) Svc. Mngr. put a young inexperienced person on that job

2) Those bolts don"t need to be removed from the caliper for a tire change.

3) Using a impact gun to disassemble small parts on motorcycles is careless.

4) Trying to make me pay for those mistakes is wrong.

5) I will admit I could have reacted in a more civil manner.

6) For the record I spent 35 years as a mechanic/service manager

10 of those as National Service Manager of a large equipment manufacturer

traveling around the country conducting service schools and resolving problems.

I know what it takes to provide quality service.

Thanks for all the input from everyone. We are all entitled to express our opinions.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas. Ride safe!

 
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