New bikes dealer servicing..... is it worth it? - Poll

[FriendlyEllis]

So Honda badgered me for the 8k mile / 12 month service.
£150+vat and they change the oil and filter and 'check' the bike.

I have done about 4.5k and have already changed the oil and filter (k&n and Castrol power 1 racing) £40 all in.

I've explained to the dealer that I don't feel £180 for an oil change that's not needed is a good deal but they're doing the warranty scare on me.

I will get it serviced at 8000 miles as per the book but just not the 12 months as its checked weekly (powerb) for safety and cleaned weekly and always garaged so bar the oil don't see what the 12 months has to do with it apart from it being a Honda 'protection racket'.

Opinions please?
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Honda CB600F Hornet 2013 -> Kawasaki Z1000SX ABS Tourer 2015

[defblade]

IF it was a brand new bike when you got it
AND you're not doing very many miles a year
AND you intend to sell it on at maybe 3 years old at most...

...then it might be worth getting it dealer serviced to maximise the part-ex/sale price.
The warranty part is pretty much an insurance deal effectively, so you decide whether the potential payouts are worth the "premium", ie, dealer servicing prices. Although, if you intend selling within the warranty period, it will affect the price quite a lot - I mean, which one would you buy if the price/condition/milage was the same: bike with or without any manufacturer's warranty?
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp

[Benjums]

Hey mate, I have never owned a new vehicle so no real first hand experience in this, but my inlaws bought a brand new car a few years back, they were late getting one of the services done (I think they got it serviced after 15 months instead of 12)
I can't remember what went wrong with it a few months later but the garage wormed their way out of it by arguing that the service was not done at the correct interval, so the warranty was not valid anymore.
At the end of the day the choice is yours but by not doing the service you are giving them room to get out of the warranty if something should happen.

[Ste]

You don't have to have it serviced by a dealer for warranty purposes. It can be serviced by any VAT registered garage and the work has to be done to the manufacturer’s requirements/standards and using approved parts. If you need to claim on the warranty then you'll need to be able to show the stamped service book and the service sheets/invoices that show what's been done.

I've had servicing done at a main dealer and then later had a complete headache with claiming against the warranty. I've also had servicing done at an independent garage and then later claimed against the manufacturer's warranty without problems.

The warranty claim that was problem free was done through a franchised dealer and the warranty claim that was a headache was through a dealer that was owned by the UK distributor of that manufacturer. I'm also 100% certain that I'll avoid dealerships owned by the manufacturer as franchised dealers have more incentive that their customer is a happy customer.

The franchised dealer told me that warranty claims are very straight forward as the claim going through depends almost entirely on what they tell the UK distributor (who're the ones footing the bill).

[theburger]

What about getting the bike serviced elsewhere rather than a main dealer.

I am not sure if it applies to bikes (but sure it would). In 2004 the OFT (office of fair trading) reported that all major car manufacturers had removed service tie ins on warranties. This means you can get a car serviced at a garage of your own choice and still retain the warranty.

https://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2004/85-04#.U2CccfldXTo

[Robby]

You've spent a lot of money on a new bike. The big benefit of spending all the money and getting something new is the warranty.

To maintain the warranty you need to get the thing serviced by a garage. Not necessarily Honda, but by a real garage.

Honda can't legally squirm on the warranty obligations if you get it serviced outside of their dealer network, but they will try and they will remove any goodwill - this could mean they will do warranty work after a bit of persuading, but will do it slowly and won't give you a courtesy bike.

It's your choice, but if the cost difference between a Honda dealer and a decent independant is small, I would go to Honda for peace of mind. The overall difference probably works out at about £100/year. That's not a great deal if you're spending more like £2000/year on the finance payments for the bike.

Previously I might have said to just DIY it (assuming you are competent) and make a huge saving, with the assumption that the bike won't break in a serious way during the warranty period. Unfortunately Honda quality control has taken a nosedive recently, so the warranty is now far more valuable.

[Rogerborg]

[Llama-Farmer]

Whether it's worth it is down to each owners personal view and circumstances.

If you're looking to sell it before the warranty period runs out, then definitely a FDSH would add value to the bike over a non-dealer FSH. Part service history or self-service would be worth even less.

But how much of the value of the bike would be lost, compared to how much money is saved by non getting it dealer serviced? Depends on the bike I guess.


If you're planning to keep it for 5 or 10 years then the residual value on all but a rare few bikes will be a fraction of what you paid, and as such the difference between a bike with FDSH and self-service with receipts for parts will be a smaller margin. May be a bit more difficult to sell privately but as long as its still in decent condition and actually did get serviced correctly by someone/anyone with receipts to prove the parts were bought, then it shouldn't be too difficult if the price is set right.
You will save a lot more money over 10 years of DIY servicing than the money you would make back with an FSH.




All depends on time, money, facilities, location of bike mechanics and dealers, and what you can justify to yourself.



If I were to buy a new bike from a dealer I'd probably take it back to the dealer for servicing as per service-schedule for the first 3 years, after which I'd do the oil changes/spark plugs/filters/chains & sprockets/brakes myself and get local bike shop to do the more complex stuff over the next few years. Once the bike is 10 years old I would probably just get it "checked over" every MOT by the same shop in exchange for beers & biscuits (in the same way dealers do those vehicle inspection sheets things)
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Current Bike: 1999 Honda CB600 FX Hornet
Next Bike: I want a CBR-RR. And I want an F800 GS-A. And a VFR 800. Can I have all 3?
Dream Bikes: Honda VFR750R RC30, Honda NSR500, Ducati 996 R

[c-m]

[Copycat73]

[Jayy]

I just had the first 600 mile service done a couple of weeks ago and it should have cost £95+VAT but they did it for free because of an oil leak that had been "fixed" 3 times.

Turned out to be a machined part that was slightly off and had a small gap in it. They fixed it the 4th time with a brand new part and seal and showed me the small gap in the faulty one, fair play.

However, I will not be using them again for any more services, I will take it to the guy whose been doing all my bikes for the past 15 years and he charges less then half of what they do and he can stamp the book.

[Rogerborg]

[conker]

I'd rather buy from someone who self-services, documents what has been done and when. I'd assume they are more competent and careful than the dealers.

They'll also be more likely to check the bike over more often that when the dealers claim to do during services.

Suzuki, for example, don't require Suzuki Dealer servicing.
Suzuki FAQ

Will Suzuki honour my warranty if my motorcycle is serviced by a non Suzuki Dealer?
Yes, so long as any defects are not the result of any service related issues
If a non Suzuki Dealer services my motorcycle, do they have to use genuine Suzuki parts?
No

I don't know what that means in terms of self servicing.

[pinkyfloyd]

I have a new Yamaha. I could either go to Southampton pay over the odds and hang around all day while they service it or spend £10 each way for a train fare and come home.

Or, take it to a registered garage that will charge me half as much, stamp my service book and its within walking distance of my house.

Hmm. Hard choice there.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[FriendlyEllis]

As I have changed the oil and filter myself, with these being the only physical things replaced during the service Honda Dealer has agreed to do all of the "checks" needed to get my dealer stamp for £50!!!!!

Result after a good moan. The Sales Manager said he felt Honda should perhaps offer a different service plan for low mileage bikes as he could see my point.
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Honda CB600F Hornet 2013 -> Kawasaki Z1000SX ABS Tourer 2015