[Uncle Fester]

This is non motorcycle related but another reason I hate going to dealers to have work performed.

I have an issue with my 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring where the electrical assist steering has a clunk when you turn the wheel left or right and some freeplay. They have a little rubber coupler in there so the two gears do not hit metal to metal and deteriorates over time. So my car had a special policy on it for 10 years/100K and that was going to expire by time next month.

I inserted the picture of the rubber grommet. There are over 20 Youtube videos on how to replace it since it is so common on Hyundais and Kias. I think you can buy the part on Amazon for less then $10.00.

Made an appointment over a week ago. Took it in today. Got a call it was done. Went to pick up the car. Got in and turned the wheel side to side and it was worse then before.
Talked to the service writer who never tested the steering after the mechanic who never tested the steering after the repair came out. Asked if they could show me the old deteriorated part and they said it was thrown out. So the service writer said it might have been a bad part. Right.

So I'm thinking the mechanic never replaced it once he got in there and saw it wasn't easy to access. Or he did a shitty job and now he is going to rip the dash apart again with an attitude since he won't get paid for it. Now I'm worried that he will break some connector eventually pulling apart everything once again plus I'm sure I'll have weird vibration noises coming from the plastic pieces when it is all put back together.

For most of us who have gone to dealers, this isn't our first rodeo. I took a chance I could get a competent mechanic who could do a common repair on one of their vehicles they sell. But alas, it's a crap shoot. Maybe I should have told the "technician" to watch this Youtube video.

 

[Bluestrom13]

The rare occasions that I have had to resort to using dealers for repairs, I have been known to put a spot of Tippex or similar on some of the fasteners that I knew had to be disturbed.

 

[s-steel]

not a fan of dealers and garages and dont trust them. only bad experiences and always paying more than I should. I also feel they cut corners and never do the job by service manual spec. never torquing things they should. never using grease when it needs to. like when doing cvt service, they never take apart the clutch to clean and regrease

I remember when I had my sym 200 joyride scooter. the bike was under warranty. the clutch pads were defective. there was a revised replacement. they dissassembled and rework the cvt. I also asked them to install a rubber bumper on the center stand which was missing (an $8 part). while I never "actually" paid for the work and new cvt parts, I wound up paying $70 for the rubber bumper. I was the sucker who actually gave my cc so willingly instead of saying no way its that expensive. naive me.

I too would feel exactly like you. that they would wind up scr***ng me over if I brought it back. kind of like going to a restaurant and saying the dish is not tasty and needs to be redone and who the heck knows what youll get in it when it comes back.

I saw the video. its not difficult, but time consuming. before doing it myself, first I would drive way out of my way to a different service center and see if they can do it. but make sure to set up appt for it.

 

[mikeyMarine]

A man walks into a bar with an alligator and asks the bartender, " do you serve dealers mechanics here"? Yup sez bartender,,Good says man, I'll have a beer for myself and a mechanic for my alligator!

kinda funny but, sometimes,,,

 

[s-steel]

thats hilarious.

"kinda funny but, sometimes,,,"

poor alligator needs a bite to calm his growling stomach.

 

[zrx212]

As a retired aircraft mechanic, I can tell you looking/inspecting stuff is probably 75% of any aircraft maintenance program, with that said, my "very limited" (usually warranty issues) car dealer shops/mechanics experiences where never good
I usually looked everything over and under , always found something wrong or missing. Years ago took my truck to dealer, to get a "Warranty/Recall" serpentine belt replacement, opened hood to take a look before driving off, the "HUGE" upper half of the radiator fan shroud was missing , I asked for same supervisor that signed off final check about it, had a few words choice words about their work quality ...., they offered 3 free oil changes for my troubles, etc, Really declined politely , went home and checked everything !!

Most common folks, jump on car and drive off happy, "Look they washed car, they do great work here"

My tires get changed exclusively at Discount Tire, because I can see all the work thru glass in waiting room

Since I do my own maintenance, when I buy a new vehicle, I research issues and ease of DIY maintenance, including access to computers, etc. Saves me $$$. I know not everyone has the skill set, a car extended warranty/service plan my be a good option with the ridiculous dealer cost $$$, IAC research where/who is doing the work.

Sorry for the Rant

 

[s-steel]

Sorry for the Rant

nope .not a rant. good post. I respect people who do their own maintenance. this must be one of very few forums with the most amount of knowledgeable and passionate people who do their own work. imguessing there are motorcyclers who mostly do their own, but scooter owners dont.

I have great admiration and trust for those who tinker with their bikes. the amount of knowledge here of even small specs is amazing. higher level of riders in my eyes.

I wish more people would do their own work. at the very least plug ,engine/gear oils and air filter.

I feel knowledge is power and most know nothing about their bikes and blindly let mechanics do to it as they see fit. being dissappointed over and over from them, I took matters into my own hands to learn how to do things to spec. I have made mistakes but being more aware of things over time. investing in tools pays back.

I will say my b400 with the issues I had, elevated my tinkering skills, so im very happy with that. I would have be very scared to deal with electrical issues (and still am) but I am willing to at least try with that.

doing regular maintenance and swapping basic parts is different than trying to troubleshoot problems. troubleshooting really gets me in anxiety attacks.

 

[Uncle Fester]

I replaced the timing belt, water pump, both belts and front rotors and pads before I took it in. The only reason I took it in was the special policy. The timing belt was a stretch of my mechanical abilities but I watched a number of YouTube videos that walked me through. I haven't heard back from the dealer yet but it should not be an all day job especially the 2nd time going in there.

 

[zrx212]

Let me tell you about my dealer experience in Colombia S.A(Yes that 3rd world country in South America), I traveled there a lot and stayed for months at a time for years, USD go a long way there, so around 2016, I purchased what is considered a high end vehicle there, a 2012 Ford Escape V6, awd, etc., etc. used at a Kia dealership.

After a few years, it developed and intermittent failure of the "Electric Power Steering"/EPS while my wife was driving, as I was back in the US, told them to park it while I investigated, there was a safety recall from Ford, whole EPS/steering column unit had to be replaced, not knowing what to expect, had my wife call Ford Colombia ??. Long story short, they replaced part at no cost, no hassle, complete and excellent communication thru the whole process, Dealership, service personnel and facilities, although small, where up to par or better than some dealers here !!
The only delay(2 days) was procedural, as they had to connect computer to car, to transmit failure codes to Ford, this automatically orders parts, etc. 3 failure codes where detected, all fixed free of charge on a 6yr old car 👍

BTW the failures where not part of the OBD protocol or parameters, no "check engine" light, only can be detected by Ford proprietary software or now-days by the free "ForScan" software or so I heard 🤞😙

BTW vehicle was returned fully detailed inside/out for my troubles 😎 Sold the Escape last year for 1k more than I paid 👍.

 

[rjs987]

This all makes me feel only slightly better about the nearest Kymco dealer to me refusing to do warranty work on my AK. He admitted right out that he won't do the work for me. Of course he said it with the kind of attitude in his voice that convinced me that I did not want to trust any vehicle to him to work on. He reminded me that I talked to him about buying my AK from him but he seems to have forgotten that he stated he could not get the one I wanted. So because I didn't buy the scooter from him he was refusing to do the service on mine.

Well, the jokes on him. I talked with the Kymco USA HQ to find out about that response and where I COULD get warranty service and they told me this dealer was in breach of contract with Kymco by refusing to do the service, on warranty or not. So they took the information from me who this dealer was and they are investigating him for breach of contract. And THAT made me feel much better.

 

[zrx212]

Well, the jokes on him. I talked with the Kymco USA HQ to find out about that response and where I COULD get warranty service and they told me this dealer was in breach of contract with Kymco by refusing to do the service, on warranty or not. So they took the information from me who this dealer was and they are investigating him for breach of contract. And THAT made me feel much better.

Well, maybe or maybe they told you what you wanted to hear !!(AKA blowing smoke...) I worked at several dealers in my younger days, both motorcycle(Kawasaki) and cars(BMW), we had our share of investigations on customer complaints, usually dismissed as a miscommunication, kinda "He-said, She- said, reality is the bottom line rules, dealer sells units, manufacturer makes money, give the customer a treat to distract them/make them happy, business as usual. I've seen dealers that are notorious for bad service, but you see a lot of cars driving around with their logo

 

[rjs987]

IN this case I actually contacted 4 dealers around me and 3 of them refused to do warranty service. The 4th one is where I took my AK. Kymco USA wanted name and location info on all of them and said the same about the ones who refused service saying they would investigate. If they do anything or not I don't care, as long as they contact those to ask about it. The 4th dealer is well known for good service in Iowa City, a college town.

 

[wspollack]

In a related travail, if anyone is bored, curious, or has some free time, check out this Beemer forum thread from last year:

Louisville, KY BMW dealership/shop declines to work on...

Clutch has gone after ~53,000 miles on my 2011 BMW R1200RT. Local BMW dealership/shop has declined to repair the problem claiming that their tech doesn't feel comfortable tackling the job. I offered my Hayne's manual showing the process step by step. I don't do it because I lack the tools...

www.bmwlt.com

 

[Taichungman]

I like dealing with independent mech much better. I haven't bought a new vehicle since 1976 cause I don't know how to work on these new ones. There are some local mech in my area that are very trustworthy and do great work. They have a reputation to hold unlike mech at dealers. They might be good dealer mech but they don't have much incentive other than to get the job finished and get ready for the next. I had a local independent mech rebuild the tranny in my '93 chevy pu about 10 years ago and it's still going fine. A transmission is one job I don't want to tear into.

 

[Bluestrom13]

The problems you have finding good mechanics Stateside is not unique to you. Same thing here. And getting worse.
ALL the large franchises in my area are always looking for good technicians. They are at a premium.Pay is now good.
But the problem is only getting worse. Young people don't want apprenticeships in an industry with such an uncertain future...ICE or Electric? Train to be a mechanic today, only to have to re-train to be a computer technician.
All the remaining ICE vehicles getting older, older mechanics retiring.....
I've certainly had the best times of the last century.

 

[Taichungman]

I agree Bluestrom13, it's the same everywhere. The people who pick tea leaves and work in the vegetable fields here are old people and when they are gone it will be up to importing workers from poor countries which they are doing already. If it weren't for poor people we couldn't keep the country running anywhere. I thing most governments know that and work toward that end.

There won't be many repairs to the electric scooters; it will be mostly plug and play for the technician. One tech will probably be able to replace 10 gas engine mechanics. Electric engines can last a long time and the biggest expense will be the batteries. But even that is solved with Gorogo scooters here in Taiwan. They have battery changing stations everywhere and you never have to buy another battery. Unlimited battery exchange cost about $15.00 usd a month.

I started to work for AT&T in 1969 and when something broke or needed fixing, we repaired it. By 1980 that was all over and we were just pulling out equip and replacing it with new equip just like an installer. By 1983 I was sitting at a computer and if equip broke down all I had to do is hit a button and have it changed to another. I knew then I was obsolete; I quit in the mid '80s and went out on my own and never looked back.

 

[mikeyMarine]

I still hafta wonder, whats more renewable, gasoline or minerals/metals for making /recycling batteries, and what political/national controls (what countries) are there on petroleum and battery stuff, we are making good strides in battery tech, but we are also making progress on growing gas outta seaweed and tacos and stuff, making either is bad for nature, burning fuel to make electricity or to propel an ice is bad for nature, my neighbor burning his household waste is bad for nature,(extremely heavy smoke outside this morning) I dunno the answer and beginning to feel like I dunno the question either

 

[Dave_J]

.............................................
I started to work for AT&T in 1969 and when something broke or needed fixing, we repaired it. By 1980 that was all over and we were just pulling out equip and replacing it with new equip just like an installer. By 1983 I was sitting at a computer and if equip broke down all I had to do is hit a button and have it changed to another. I knew then I was obsolete; I quit in the mid '80s and went out on my own and never looked back.

I started working with AT&T and Western Electric equipment in 1973 for the US Army. I did business Key/PBX/PABX installs all the way from small 6 line Relay systems to a whole building switching systems. I was a 'Dimension 600' Tech for a few years. Did GTE 5ESS (SS7) systems near the end of my military career, signed for a $4.2M 1200 line tactical switch system. This was when it turned from being a true search and repair tech to a 'Pull a Card and Replace' tech.
When I retired from the Army I went to collage to relearn a new trade, Welding and Automotive. I did Automotive repairs as a ASE tech but got tired of Service managers not allowing time to pinpoint issues and making me throw parts at problems (Shared Commission for parts). When GTE was hiring in 1997, I hired on as an installer then went to cable repair and splicing, and did ADSL, T-1 and T-3 Data and then Fiber Optic's. The ADSL and T-1's again started being 'Throw Parts' at issues.

 

[Uncle Fester]

They wont rebuild alternators or starters anymore. Just throw in a new one. Remember radiator shops? And good luck finding someone that can rebuild an engine or transmission. The CVT transmissions are pretty unserviceable from what I heard as far as repairs.

 

[mikeyMarine]

yup, had a tranny replaced cause it couldn't be repaired in a nissan versa note, new tranny had same problem, belt slap.