Need Advice on Bike Repair

[JaffaMafia]

In January I bought a 2005 Suzuki VL125 Intruder from a dealer in Cheshire. I also bought a warranty with it which included breakdown cover.

The bike was delivered and started and ran fine the day it was delivered. I also rode it a few days later to a hospital appointment in Preston and it was fine. However on the Monday morning when I tried to start it it wouldn't start. I called the breakdown company and they came out to the bike and tried to start it and there was no spark at the plugs. They took the bike away to a local garage who checked the bike over. They stripped the carbs and charged the battery overnight. When they reconnected the battery in the morning they found it wouldn't hold a charge so they charged me for a new battery they also fitted a new back tyre as it was damaged. All in all the bill came to just under £300.

I got the bike back in May and rode it for around a month when I had a slight accident that left me unable to ride the bike for around a week (the bike had been left at a petrol station near where I had the accident) when I collected the bike and checked for damage (just a few scratches) I started the bike and it fired up straight away. I switched off the engine and wheeled it to a pump to fill it with fuel. When I went to restart the bike it wouldn't start - starter motor whirred but engine wouldn't fire. I called the breakdown company who told me that they would send someone out to look at the bike but they said that because I hadn't told them about the accident, if the reason the bike wouldn't start was because of the accident then they would charge me £125 to recover the bike. However when someone came out to look at the bike it was someone from the same garage that fixed it in May and he said that he had only been told to come and collect the bike. He took me and the bike to the garage they checked it over and told me that there was a complete failure in the electrical system and they would have to check all of the wiring to find the fault. They also said that the breakdown company would pay for the whole thing.

Six weeks go by and I finally get a call from the garage to say that my bike is fixed and has been sitting there for 6 weeks waiting to be collected - someone might have told me earlier!! I go to collect the bike on a Saturday morning when I get there they tell me that there was a break in the generator wire which they have fixed. They also tell me that there is £95 to pay! I say that they told me that the breakdown company had said that they would pay. The garage say that the breakdown company said they would only cover the recovery! So, reluctantly I pay, they bring the bike out and it starts. I am just about to pull away and the bike stalls and it won't start. they take it back into the workshop and get it going again.

I rode home and on the Sunday I rode the bike to my mums it started fine but when I went to come home it wouldn't start and I ended up push starting it. Monday I went to ride the bike to work - wouldn't start had to push start it and again when coming home, and again on Tuesday morning. It then started ok on Tuesday evening, Wednesday and Thursday morning and evening and Friday morning. I had to push start it again on Friday evening. I didn't ride it on Saturday and Sunday I rode it to my mum's again and again it started fine when I left but it wouldn't start when I came to ride home. I tried push starting it but I couldn't get it going. A neighbour of my mum's came over and helped me, together we checked the battery - it had sufficient charge so we checked the spark plugs and there was no spark when turning the engine over on the starter.

I left the bike outside my mum's and on the Monday I called the garage and told them that the bike was still refusing to start and that in my opinion it still wasn't fixed. they said that they would send someone to my mum's that day and collect the bike but, unless the reason the bike wouldn't start is the same as last time (i.e. the broken generator wire) then they will have to charge me for the recovery and the new repair. They eventually collected the bike more than a week later following four telephone calls.

I apologise for all that but I needed to provide some background! My question is can the garage charge me for another repair since the reason the bike was sent to them originally was because it wouldn't start and after having "been fixed" it still won't start even if the cause the second time is different? And what recourse do I have?

Thanks for any help and advice and sorry for the long post

[MCN]

I think they can reasonably charge you for each issue found.
But they do seem like a shower of incompetent arseholes.
The problem with the battery is probably due to the alternator and since they just sat a new battery in and thought that was it they missed wiring fault.
There is some defence for intermittent faults though.

Good luck getting them to refund any of your costs. They will probably be 'proud' to itemise the work they've done and justify the charges.
Personally I'd be affronted to pass the bike as ready to go without a thorough check over.
They could have given the benefit and 'helped' you with the additional faults.
You probably wont get much mileage out of a claim for inconvenience either.

I would ride a 1000 miles further to bypass those cnuts for service.

Asking garages to do work can be fraught with hassle/s and costs.
Get a manual and tools and fix the fekir yourself.
You'll be a better person for it too.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Rogerborg]

Jesus wept, far tl;dr.

Doesn't sound like you're getting much benefit from your "warranty", but that's hardly unusual. Plenty of dealers thrive on ripping off starry eyed Learners.

You have two choices: toughen up, or smarten up.

Toughen up means facing them down, or reclaiming your costs. Given that you left it six weeks before asking how your bike was doing, I'm guessing that's not in your nature.

Smartening up means realising that you bought a 125 that's had a decade of being ignored or bodged, and that workshop time doesn't come cheaper just because a bike is older or smaller.

A £5 multimeter is probably the best investment that you can make. YouTube is replete with videos on how to use it to diagnose electrical problems. We have a Workshop section here where people will happily help you if you provide enough information.

For example: "[the battery] had sufficient charge" just raises further questions. How did you check it? Did you check the voltage drop while cranking? Is it a wet cell? Did you check the level of electrolyte?
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Fowlersrs]

Fix it yourself, theres a wealth of knowledge here to help and it's not like it's a car where certain parts are a night are to get too underneath.

[MarJay]

I'm a bit concerned that this is what the garage sees when they see you...:

https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/resources/images/3613825.jpg?display=1&htype=0&type=mc3

The bike sounds like a pile of crap, but to be fair to the 'garage' they seem to be responsive, and take appropriate action when needed. Most people however wouldn't do what you have done, and call for help every time something went wrong. Most people would try to learn about the bike and see if they can solve the problem themselves before calling recovery.

Bear in mind that if the charging system was damaged and the battery constantly discharging, you may have wrecked your 'new' battery.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Ste]