am i being fobbed off by the garage?

[gileragirl]

Coming out from work one day I noticed my bike had been tampered with.
It is a gilera DNA 125.

To cut a long story short, we tried everything to get it to start again, but we had no luck.
Everything seemed to point to the coil or the starter unit.

We sourced a near by garage that looked the job. Has a web site, looks very good. It’s nearer than the others so we contacted them. They were very helpful with advice over the phone when we tried to get the bike on the road.
In the end it was arranged for the garage to recover the bike from our house.

We should have seen the warnings signs then I suppose, when the garage kept letting us down with the recovery. They kept telling us the van had broke down, or that they relied on an outside source that let them down.

So in the end we got the bike there our self’s.
Now I needed the bike back by a certain date as I was a naughty person was caught speeding by the local nick (yes on a DNA 125! )

And was due to attend a speed awareness course on the said bike. The garage said that as the date was at least a month away there were no worries!

Here we are 4 days away from the speed awareness course, and the bike is still at the garage.
Every time we call them they tell us the engineer is not there, so they don’t know what is going on with the bike. Or they tell us they will call us back but they never do.

The bike needed a few things doing to make it ready for the course. 2 new tires, a disc break and pad, to name a few things. They tell us the bike is ready and just needs a few things finishing off. Yet when I ask what was wrong with it, they wont/cant tell me.

They then tell us that our bike is in a queue and we can’t push in. yet the bike has been there now for almost a month and we agreed a date when it went in.

What the hell is going on?

[Kickstart]

Hi

Does sound like you are being fobbed off. I would contact those runnign the course and explain what is happening and hope that they don't just see it as an excuse to get more money from you.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[gileragirl]

I contacted the speed awareness course, who said they would let me take the course at a later date, with a letter from the garage to say the bike was there and off the road.
However we are at a situation where the garage are telling us they have started work on our bike, but they wont tell us what they have done or how much it costs. So we can’t take the bike away either.
In a way they are withholding our bike.
They have not even called us to ok the ordering of parts.
Where do I stand legally?

[Guest]

Yes you are.

In what way had it been tampered with? Why does everything "point to the coil or starter unit"? - has someone hacked the wiring about?

[Kickstart]

Hi

Honestly do not know where you stand legally, but getting that letter is probably the most important thing at this moment.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[gileragirl]

The high tension lead had been pulled out of the spark cap. Leaving the pin attached to the lead snapped out of the cap, I was not able to fix it.
To get it home I managed to make a connection temporarily with insulation tape, taping the cable direct to the spark plug.
However the bike eventually dies and would not start again. I changed the spark plug, the cap and the high tension lead it would not start.
So I put the high tension lead against the engine and hit the starter, there was no spark.

It is my understanding that the inconsistent connection between the plug and the lead when I had taped them together to get home caused resistance to the coil and the unit and could have either shorted the unit or burned out the coil.

There was no spark from the engine what so ever. The fuel pump was working so was the starter.

[Kickstart]

Hi

I think you are probably right. On some bikes it is quite easy to fry the ignition by disconnecting the plug leads with the engine running.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Finglonga]

What exactly did you ask the garage to do? If they have done work you didn't ask to be done you are under no obligation to pay for the work or parts, you can demand they put the bike as it was when you brought it in(they have probably thrown the old bits now) apart from the work you asked for. CAB will back you up.

I had this with a local tyre place that decided to replace two rear shocks and two front discs and pads without asking me..It was an expensive day for them.

Must be a good firm if their van keeps breaking down.
____________________
Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[WavyGravy]

The garage has no right to change anything on the bike without your consent, if you took it in to have the ignition repaired by a certain date then thats a contract between the two of you, to keep the bike for a month is disgusting. I'd contact trading standards if i was you.

When you take a bike or any vehicle in with a mystery fault make sure they write on the jobsheet "Keep replaced parts for customer"

Until you get to know a friendly and efficient dealer then treat them as they are treating you, like a business, if that bike was your source of income could you do without it for a month?
____________________
1975 CB125s, 1991 GN250, 1990 Ducati Paso 906
"Don't wake him up - He's got insomnia - He's trying to sleep it off"

[gileragirl]

well i contacted the garage again this morning.

the man i spoke to was very rude (probably because i am a woman )

I asked him if the bike had actually even been looked at.
he said it had.
I then asked what was wrong with it and he said "i don't know i'm not a mechanic"
I then asked him what had been done with the bike up to now.
The bike went in because it would not start, we asked them to look at it and get it started, and also to change 2 tiers, a disc break and pad and a switch.

They told us the bike needed some fork seals and bushings. witch we were quite surprised about becasue we had new ones fitted 3 months ago.
The ones on the bike before then had been there since new and the bike is a 2001 model!

today he told me that if i did not like the way he ran things to go and get the bike, and take it else ware.
when i asked him how much money they had spent on the bike up to now. they said nothing.
so no work has been done.

had i of known i would of taken the bike else ware weeks ago.

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

Get your bike back and take it elsewhere.

Once you have done this then post up the name and location of this shop so everyone else can avoid it.
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Pictorgraphicalfantastical

[Finglonga]

As above..GET your bike back, ASAP. DON'T pay them anything. If they get nasty get the police involved...sounds like a cowboy firm.


YEP!...Name and shame them!
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Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[alien.46.uk]

Give us the name, address and website, if its a gooden ... a little messing up wont hurt

Not that i know how

lol




Hope you get it sorted in time, n get someone very mean sounding to ring em ... they might tell you summit more then ...
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2007 Kawasaki ZX10R :: 1998 Kawasaki ZX-9R - SOLD
1998 Yamaha FZS600 Fazer - SOLD :: 1994 Aprilia Pegaso 125 - SOLD