Mechanic mess up...Yamaha FZS600 Fazer 2002

[LauraPickles]

Hi everyone,

This is my first time posting on a bike forum so forgive me if I’ve gone about this the wrong way... I recently bought a Yamaha FZS600 Fazer, 2002. The bike started first time, I was happy enough but then the next day it wouldn’t start. Did the usual checks myself but I couldn’t see what the problem was so got the mechanics to look at it. They they told me the bike had a whole host of problems and it might be best contacting the seller & trying to get my money back or sorting something out with him. This wasn’t an option as I had the bike delivered from England, so the bike was left with the mechanics to fix. They told me the main problem was with the head gasket which had blown, or failed I’m not sure what it’s called but it needed skimmed. I paid £750 for the bike and £1,200 for the mechanics. That work involved:-

Skimming the cylinder heads/gasket
Rear brake master cylinder replacement/rebuild
Replaced speedo & sensor
New pistons
Spark plugs
New Rear break pads

Not sure exactly what other work was done but this is what I discussed with them and is listed on the invoice, there’s a few other bits on the invoice but I haven’t a clue what they are.

So I waited approx. 2 months and finally got the call today, my bike was ready for collection. Picked it up, bike looked and sounded great, rode it home, felt fine. But it was only when I got off the bike, i noticed there was oil everywhere, all down my right calf and boot, and all up the right hand side of the bike. It took a minute for it to sink in, how dangerous this was. I called them and told them about the oil and they said they’d collect it first thing in the morning.

The thing is, I have crashed a bike once, 13 years ago, due to an oil spill on the road and my bike came from under me. It’s taken me years to get over that, and this has kinda knocked my confidence, mainly in the bike itself. How can I trust them to fix the bike and it be 100% safe...I can’t ride and enjoy a bike I don’t feel safe on but I can’t afford to sell it and lose a small fortune. Has anyone ever experienced anything similar or have any advice on how I should deal with this?

Thanks
Laura

[Nobby the Bastard]

Define oil everywhere. Pics would be useful.
Have you checked to see if there is any oil in the bike?
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[MarJay]

It really depends what the issue is. It does sound like the seller got one over on you a bit, although anything under a grand for an MOT'd working bike is cheap. Too cheap I reckon.

Wait to see what the issue is. It might be they forgot to tighten the oil cooler lines, it might be they left the oil filler cap loose.

I personally don't really see the relationship between your previous accident and this event - After all, you only noticed when you got back. It's not like you had any idea when riding that something might be wrong. If they hand the bike back and don't give you a definitive cause then I might start to worry, but really you're going to need to come to peace with the money you've spent, and try to trust the bike.

Maybe that's easy for me to say, as someone who works on their own bikes a lot and only sends stuff out to have done when I can't be bothered to do it myself. I'm confident I can check the bike over and work out where an oil leak is coming from.

I'm not sure what else to say really? Can I assure you that the bike won't ever leak oil again? No, not really. Can I be 90% confident the garage will fix it? Yeah, as most bike garages are reasonably competent. Can I promise you you'll never crash? No not really. Can I reassure you that you've done the right thing here? No, but if you're happy then that's all that matters. but I feel like it's worth noting that if you buy cheap you buy twice.... but the bike you'll end up with will be a good one I should think.

See what the mechanics say, and then re-evaluate your mental space once you have the full picture. Also maybe find someone who knows what they are doing to teach you the basics of bike maintenance. The only person who you are ever going to fully trust to check a machine you bet your life on is really yourself.
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[A100man]

Hi Laura

So if you had the bike 'delivered from England' where are you based?

Ths bike issues are unfortunate but it does happend and if you bought from a private seller there's little you can do to claim anything back (although you've accepted that Ithink). As the others have said. wait ans see what the oil problem is. Could be something very minor. Do check the oil now (in the small glass window on the bottom RHS of the engine. Bike needs to be upright so you might need another person to hold it steady.
____________________
Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[LauraPickles]

Here are some pics I took when I got off the bike...

Thanks so much for the advice, I think you're right about waiting until I hear back from the mechanic before worrying too much. It was just the initial shock of being sent away on the bike for it to then leak oil like that...it hasn't instilled much trust in the mechanic. The bike wasn't MOT'd when I bought it, the mechanic actually MOT'd it after doing the work it needed, that's what a lot of the hold up was, getting an MOT appointment here is wild right now.

[MarJay]

Also... New pistons? You basically had a full top end rebuild for £1200...? That sounds like a bargain!
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[MarJay]

Ok... first of all take a very deep breath, and let it out through your mouth and think *relax* as you do it.

That is a comparatively tiny amount of oil, and unlikely to cause you any noticeable traction issues. I'd say it's either coming from the crankcase cover, or the starter motor cover. It probably just needs nipping up to seal the gasket. A tiny amount of oil goes a long way. The bike is not wrecked, in fact it's sort of normal after a rebuild for this to come out during a shakedown run. Why they didn't road test it themselves I'll never know, maybe to get it back to you quicker?

I'm sad to say that the bike doesn't look in fantastic shape. The frame there has lost it's powder coat, and the coating on the engine is past it's best. It's never going to win the concours d'elegance, and it's probably not worth much more than you paid. However, I reckon nip up the bolts holding on the clutch cover and the crankcase cover, and you'll have a decent rideable bike. I'd also attend to the surface rust that is appearing on the uncovered part of the frame... else you'll have a newly rebuilt engine with nothing to hold the wheels on to it...

For now some curust, and then a thorough clean and black hammerite should be enough. If you wanted it mint again you'd have to strip the bike and get the frame blasted and powder coated, but I don't think it's worth it on a bike this age and condition. Keep it as a rat bike.
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Nobby the Bastard]

what marjay says. It's not much oil at all. The mechanic will identify and rectify the issue quite quickly.

Its certainly not enough to slide on.
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[A100man]

..yep, and get them to slap some paint on that bare metal part of the frame as recompense.. did someone heat up some bolts to release the mounts and burn it off?
____________________
Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[LauraPickles]

I have to say, I laughed out loud reading that message. I think I may have overreacted, just a tad. Thank you guys, definitely feeling a bit more relaxed now after all your advice. I know, the previous owner did not look after it very well at all, lived by the sea too so that could explain the rust and corrosion. I took a risk when I bought it and it did not pay off! Lesson learnt, the hard way haha. Hopefully once it's cleaned up I can get out on it and give it stacks. Appreciate all the help guys, these forums are quite handy hey!

[MarJay]

I think those are brake caliper pistons, rather than the usual engine pistons. When one says 'pistons' one usually means the engine type!

Ask them if they can stick a bit of paint over the bare part of the frame just in front of the engine... As I said it's already started to rust.

https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/whatsapp_image_2021-05-17_at_18.43.43_frame_paint.jpg
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[LauraPickles]

Oops! I just heard "pistons", I have no idea what they are, sorry for the confusion! There's me thinking I got a bargain getting the engine ones done!lol. I'll say to the mechanic if they can paint that part of the frame and see what they say, thanks for the tip I really need to come on here more often!

[stirlinggaz]

Hi,
I havnt read all the replies so apologies if this has already been said/asked.
On your bill/receipt, how many hours work were you charged for & cost of labour per hour?
Sounds like you've learned the hard way that most (even small) jobs cost a fortune at most garages due to hourly labour charges.
A quick look at the parts used seems like most parts were consumables (brake parts anyway)
I'm guessing you have little experience of the maintenance of motorbikes.
Only suggestions I have is either buy a Haynes or better still a wsm for your bike & learn to do most jobs yourself (brakes can be easy or a f*cking nightmare) or
find a friendly, local mechanic who won't charge you 75 quid an hour or whatever dealerships are charging these days.
If it's any consolation, the very situation you found yourself in has happened to umpteen people when buying used bikes.
Next time, try get someone to come with you to look over the one before handing over cash?
As for the oil everywhere, I understand your concerns, even though it might not be a lot of oil ,so I'd be foning the mechanic who did the work & explaining your concerns.
After paying 1200 quid you'd expect the bike to be safe to ride, right?

cheers,
GAZ

[UncleFester]

You can google the part nos to see what they really are.

51LW005700 is indeed a brake piston
____________________
Module 1 and 2 passed - October 2014. Happy owner of a 2017 Z1000SX, ex owner of a YBR125 / CB500 / VFR800.

[wr6133]

[LauraPickles]

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much, I really appreciate all your advice here...

Just a wee update, besides the oil leaking...another couple of issues have also arisen over the past 24hrs, I just wanted to focus on the engine/oil issue yesterday as that was more of a safety thing. But, here are the other issues: -

I was told yesterday, before I collected the bike, that they had to replace the whole front fairing, because they dropped the bike and cracked the old one. They seemed to be making this out as if they did me a favour and I'd got a "brand new" fairing, on them at approx. £220. I'd asked was it like for like and they said yes apart from the "Fazer" decals, the new fairing didn't have these and was just plain yellow.
There is a fresh dent in the exhaust, which wasn't there before (see before & after pics)
There is a chip off the paint on the little yellow radiator cover.
I spent a whole afternoon cleaning the bike before they collected it so it was as spotless as it could be but it's come back needing a full valet.

I get the bike isn't worth much but I feel like the above just decreases it's value even further.

All in all I'm just super disappointed. They've had the bike 2 months and I've paid £1,200, and they didn't even lube the chain, I mean is this not a 5 minute job? They collected the bike this morning and I had a good chat with the driver. He was pretty annoyed himself and said I should definitely ring them and tell them I'm not happy. He said one mechanic's bad job reflects badly on the whole company and that I should tell them I'm not happy/make a complaint about it so something is done. He actually said it's like the mickey mouse club down there. This is a long standing, reputable garage (and yes they charge £70 per hour!).

Any advice on the fairing/decals and dented exhaust would be greatly appreciated?

Thanks guys

[A100man]

Hi Laura

Sound like it was more than the fairing that broke when it was dropped.. hence exhaust dent and rad cover.

BTW are you suggesting the charged you for the fairing that THEY broke??

If that is the case I'd be heading down to the CAB/trading standards to see about getting that money back. You have photographic evidence

Good luck keep us posted.
____________________
Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[Robby]

£1200 doesn't go very far when fixing bikes, and major surgery often ends up making a mess and breaking things - plastics get brittle with time, fasteners rust.

My best guess is that they did what they could to try to keep the bill down - taking the time to be extra careful with everything and replace any part that was vaguely marginal would have put another grand on the bill.

It is quite possible that they did test ride the bike, but the oil leak didn't show up. It could have been a re-used gasket that let go after 10 miles, or an o-ring on an oil cooler pipe that didn't like being disturbed. The garage made a call on whether or not to replace all the things - and the associated additional labour (scraping gaskets takes a surprisingly long time).

All in all, this thread demonstrates part of the reason why most of us do all of our own work on older bikes (and newer ones only go to a dealership workshop to maintain the warranty). Garages still make the same silly mistakes as us home mechanics, still break things, but also charge a big chunk of money.

So I don't think they're a cowboy outfit, although I would point out the dented exhaust and ask them to fix that. Should get them to provide a sticker kit for the fairing too. The judgement call for you is how far to push it - do you want to stay friends with the garage after this and get more work done by them, or do you want to go somewhere else?

[Evil Hans]

Wow.

I'd get them to sort the fairing stickers, rad cover and exhaust. Properly. And I'd be looking to see if they cracked any of the engine side covers when they dropped it - that could explain the oil leak.


If it was me I'd be absolutely ashamed of myself, charging someone £1200 and giving it back in that state, so if they have any sort of reputation they'll be falling over themselves to sort it.
____________________
Triumph Sprint ST 1050. And it's Red.

[wr6133]

You can probably find a sticker kit on eBay for the fairing.

Dent in the can, pretty shitty they didn't mention it or make right. Not like they wouldn't have noticed it. If they aren't going to make it right or you can't be bothered chasing it then new can time or just leave it wearing the scar, it's pretty minor I wouldn't dip my hand in my pocket to sort it.

Rad covers, find some on eBay and quote them the cost. Like the can though if they won't make right or you can't be arsed arguing the point I'd just leave it be.

I'd say avoid using that garage again, 2 months to rebuild brakes, send a head off to be skimmed and wait for a pattern nose cone to arrive from China..... clowns.

[stinkwheel]

Any fazer owners know if it's normal for that ?oil? pipe (far right edge of picture) to terminate in a bit of rubber hose and two jubilee clips?

https://www.bikechatforums.com/download.php?id=104668

It looks rather to me that it's blowing from the head gasket. One would hope not after being skimmed and replaced.

EDT: Also, what's happening with the top of that carb? Looks like it's been melted/broken and glued?
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Nobby the Bastard]

I'm inclined to think the oil is coming out of the starter clutch cover or starter chain cover.
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[WD Forte]

As its a 2002 and not pristine, my main concern would be the oil leak.
I suggest you check the oil level is Ok, top up if neccessary then wipe off the engine as best you can and run it for while to see where the oil is
leaking from.

Cosmetic faults can be annoying especially if its someone elses fault
but 'chrome dont get you home' and all that.
Find and fix the oil leak and hopefully at least you can ride it with some confidence.

As mentioned above, buy a manual for starters and learn about your bike.
People who do this save a lot of time and money by not paying shops to do work they could easily do themselves.
It can also help you avoid troube by identifying and fixing snags long before they develop into something serious/expensive.
Dont Know about Belfast prices but here in Bristol labour charges start at £40/hour + and often with VAT on top, ouch!
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bikers smell of wee

[Tdibs]

yeah.... this is not great service at all, I would be fuming if they had dropped my bike and then charged me for the replacement parts

I would definitely be looking for a new place after they fix the oil leak. Its worth talking to the manager too, showing the condition of the before/after or the exhaust damage and fairings. If it was enough of a drop to destroying the fairing, I would be double checking handlebars etc are all straight still too.

If you give your general area, im sure some on here can recommend better business in the area.

If you have not heard of it already, buying some acf50 is a good idea too, spraying it over anything metal will help slow corrosion.
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Previous : 09 Vanvan 125| 02' Sv650s || Current: 1999 Xj600n | 1992 DR650 RSE | 2005 Fazer 1000

[stinkwheel]