Rant Mode - Doble Honda

[Polo]

I had them replace my fork seals 7 months ago at a cost of £175.

Now one of them is leaking and guess what they said "Honda guarantee's last 6 months and if we were to file a claim against it, it would be rejected".

I have a tiny, and I mean tiny, amount of pitting on there, barely visible, and they are saying that is a factor although they admit the seals should last longer.

I am taking the bike to be inspected at Doble's on the 29th, but they cannot do any servicing that day as "if new forks are needed, they will have to be ordered" Like I am going to shell out for new forks.

Am I right in thinking that at the time the forks were stripped down by Dobles, any competent mechanic / service monkey should note the condition of the forks and advise the customer that the seals may not last due to this? They told me nothing at the time and this is the real cause of my anger. Am I right to expect such feedback from them about the condition of the forks and the impact this may have on the work carried out?
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My mum smells your fingers

[Kwaks]

Hmmm, I would be contacting Honda to confirm this, a quick google shows most Honda dealers offering 12 months
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Fallen Angel "Nae sniffing my seat now!!!!! "
www.cliqueycuntsmcc.co.uk
I AM NOT A FAST RIDER!!!!!!!!!

[Polo]

The Doble website doesn't say, nor does the Honda UK website.

I have mailed Honda UK for their comments.
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My mum smells your fingers

[Itchy]

Pitting will be a factor in that they shred the seals, you might also have wanted the bushes done, a few years back I changed me fork seals and they would burst after 3-4 months , changed the bushes which slide against them and they have so far been ok.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Ichy]

No idea what the bike is but £175 for fork seals is horrendous! Just a guess but did they only change the seals or do the bushes at the same time?

I pay, on average, £15 for a set of oem seals. 1 hour to 1.5 hours to change.

When I completely rebuilt my forks, including grinding and chroming, I spent about £180.

[Itchy]

£180 is pretty high , but watcha expect from a manufacturer branded dealer, Pete will do fork seals for £90 if the forks are still attached to the bike + parts (which he is OK if you buy them separate its not as if he sells them to you at a premium anyway),

or he'll do it for £60 on loose forks, which is well worth it cus he gives you a ton of abuse when you get him to take other parts off to fix other things.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Ichy]

I would of thought £60-£70 would of been average, even fitted to the bike. Shows how much I know! Always do my own, only me to blame when it goes wrong then.

How much do dealers charge hourly for labour then?

[McJamweasel]

[Polo]

Bushes were replaced at the same time along with new oil, obviously.

Parts were a snatch over £50, I think labour was 2 hours at £45 p.h. Then loaded with vat on top.

I think that was the figures, the receipt is at work so will check tomorrow.

The whole reason I went to them and paid a premium price was that I wanted a good job done that would last?
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My mum smells your fingers

[katanastwin]

Dobles cant be responsible for a seal that 7mths down the line starts leaking due to a stone chip in the fork leg (usually causes pitting) that you picked up afterwards?.

TBH this is very common this time of year due to excess road dirt. All it takes is one stone flicking up and hitting the fork leg to cause a "pit" mark. It will then tear the seal egde.

If they had done a bad job the seal would not have lasted 2 weeks let alone 7mths!

[Ben.]

doble are a rip off, go to heartgate in mitcham, its worth the 15 min ride, top blokes, managed to get a brand new carb for my cbr125 on warranty even though i fucked it up, they had the bike for a week and charged me 60 quid, got it all done on warranty.
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follow my racing season
Race bike - R6
Road bike - sv650

[Kal]

You'll have to sort the pitting one way or another if you want the seals to last. If really small you might get away with polishing them out or possibly liquid metal - although

Once you have done can I suggest forkgaiters? Not the sexiest bit of kit I know but it's got to be cheaper than replacing forkseals constantly

To be honest I understand why you are pissed, I would be too, but at the same time you should have been paying attention to your fork legs too...
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Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Polo]

[Polo]

I see what you are saying Kal, but one of the reasons I take my car and bike to main dealers is so that the service is there and advice is given.

I am of the opinion that these dealers should treat everyone as not having any clue about the vehicles concerned and thus warn them about anything that may impact the work they carry out.

If they carry out work and they note that an outside factor will in all probability cause the work they have done to fail prematurely, then I think they have a duty to inform the customer of that. Even if it is to say "look if we do this and the pitting causes the seal to fail then we will not cover the guarantee".
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My mum smells your fingers

[Wave2k]

They are utter cowboys, i got my CBR600RR from there and it had no oil in it, yes NO OIL.
also had a pretty bald illegal real tyre, they also said they would fit a can as part of the deal, i waited 3 weeks for it to arrive for them to fit the can UPSIDE DOWN.
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[Polo]

Right that's it.

Doble will not get another penny from me again.

That is fvcked up, Wave.
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My mum smells your fingers