RANT: dealer using my bike in Tucson

[h2smokin]

Finally got my bike back today from Tucson Kawasaki after 6 weeks. Had new sensors installed under warranty but little nuts were back ordered. Bike went in with 24884 miles and came back to me with 25305. Really!!!! 421 mile test ride to check wheel sensors? Said they could have wrote numbers wrong. Manager just says it's not possible , that no one has keys to come in on weekend and pilfer bike for a joyride. How do they open the dealer on tues-sat if no one has keys to get in the place. Sorry I'm just a little peeved right now. We bust our humps to get a little joy out of life and somebody has the nerve to use our stuff with no permission. Manager would'nt give me area reps phone# I had him sign an invoice with new amount of miles and the difference between. Anybody have a west coast rep phone#? Gonna fax this to Momma Kawi not that it will do any good. Again sorry for the ranting.

[ZG]

Valet scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off

[tomp]

Those sensors are tricky little buggers and need at least 4-500 miles of testing to be sure all is well.  Does that sound any more reasonable than what you were told?  Probably not, and no more true than the BS you were given.  The dealership has to have an owner, and that is the person with whom you need to have a come to Jesus talk, about the deliberate abuse of a customer's bike...  Least that's what I would do...     

You don't know if the bike was run WFO, wheelied used in burn outs, etc.  All which could lessen the life of your equipment.   Let us know the outcome.  tp

[maxtog]

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=16896.msg207430#msg207430

[Shoe]

I've only had one sensor replaced so far plus two recalls for the brakes and once for the saddle bag locks.
I've not left the bike once at the dealer. I bring the bike in they verify there is a problem and order the parts.
When the parts come in I bring the bike in and wait for it.

If you have to leave the bike then make sure the tank is close to empty.

[tomp]

I looked at my owner's manual and the PO changed the sensors out on my '08 in '12.  Kawi says they are good for 5 years, but he had them done at a tire change.  Guess I'm good to go for a couple of years, at least.  tp 

[KaTieM505]

I can certainly understand your frustration. I recently put a deposit on a bike and when I picked it up, it had 200 more  miles on it than when I had initially made the deal. Same lame excuse that they were testing it to make everything was working.

[tomp]

Like I said, it takes hundreds of miles just to MAKE SURE.  Mine had two miles more than the initial internet posting, but the dealer put new tires and brake pads on it, so a couple of miles to make sure all was well, was expected.  Doesn't matter to me, as 21K miles on an 08 is to me, just broken in.  Runs like a scalded dog. 

[maxtog]

Like I said, it takes hundreds of miles just to MAKE SURE.  Mine had two miles more than the initial internet posting, but the dealer put new tires and brake pads on it, so a couple of miles to make sure all was well, was expected.  Doesn't matter to me, as 21K miles on an 08 is to me, just broken in.  Runs like a scalded dog.

For the TPS?  You can tell those are working correctly in about 1/10th of a mile.  When I got mine back from the dealer for TPS/tires, there was less than 1 mile additional on the odometer.

[tomp]

My first sentence was made with a touch of sarcasm, in reference to what happened to the OP.  The two miles is the distance from leaving the dealer's lot and making a test ride circle back to the lot.  I've made too many of those at that dealer. Mileage may have been made by a tech or another potential buyer prior to my purchase. 

[Riverszzr]

Consumer Services

If you have any questions or comments regarding Kawasaki or Kawasaki products, contact our Consumer Services Department and they will endeavor to find the answer. Our hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm Pacific Time.

If you have a product concern which may be time sensitive, we highly recommend calling Kawasaki Consumer Services at 866-802-9381. An example would be if your Kawasaki product is currently at a Kawasaki dealer for repairs and assistance is desired.

Email: You can also use our online email form by selecting a topic below. We appreciate your feedback. Please understand that due to the high volume of inbound emails, we will only respond to those customers who need assistance with completing e-commerce orders. If you have an urgent question, please check the FAQ section of Kawasaki.com or contact your local dealer. Our Consumer Services Department is also available at (866) 802-9381. Our hours are Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00 Pacific Time.

^Pasted right from the Kawasaki website^

I think you have a valid complaint and concern in how your bike was used. You wrote down the mileage when it was dropped off? or Are you only going by what they had written down and then what it was when you picked it up? Either way I doubt they made a 400+ mile error on the invoice but- I do suggest knowing exactly what the mileage is whenever you have to drop a vehicle off, especially for any length of time.
 good luck, I just went to battle with Kawasaki on a warranty issue on a 2012 ZX10R, there are only reps in California (so I was told) and I had to argue-prove the case via the dealer....It was time consuming and a huge pain in the ass. In the end KAwasaki sided that all work had been done properly with proper parts so they covered it, despite the dealer not even putting a fake effort in on the part of the customer, besides going through the motions

[h2smokin]

I was there when we were writing it up as I also wanted the clutch and brake fluids flushed. Went to bike and got mileage with service manager and mileage is on all 3 invoices I have. On way home is when I noticed it thinking it was just shy of 25k and had put off valve adjust attempt to do warranty stuff first since I had not purchased extended warranty yet. Called them and told them issue. Manager said he would talk to his people and not worry about coming in. Bull pucky ! Wasn't gonna go back a day later and have them say I rode it myself. Had them write new mileage on invoice and sign it. Also to state there was a mileage discrepancy . Sort of makes me wonder why they were saying I'm good to go in such a hurry when I picked it up. Said I didn't owe anything. Told them I had flush done on fluids and needed to pay for that, which I then did. Feels like they were thinking he'll get something for free and won't notice other crap. I'll be in touch with Kawasaki on Monday for sure, or at least start leaving messages. Thanks

[fmwhit]

Its good to see the dealers that screw us listed in the forums for others to avoid.  Although I applaud you for this I must tell you that I wish you luck dealing with Mother Kawasaki.  In my personal experience they tend to back their dealers no matter how blatant their rippoff is to the consumer.

Fred

[Riverszzr]

 That wasn't my experience on numerous cases. Thus why I wrote up the above story---"mother Kawasaki" is the one who stepped up and took care of it while the dealer really wanted to do what they could to stop it, or atleast not do anything "extra" to get past the almost constant first step of refusal to cover, seems to be a standard answer.

 Back in 91-92? I had a 1991 ZX11, I rode the **** out of it and was about a week out of the 1 year warranty and back then 12,000 mile as well, well my bike had over 25,000 miles on it and on my way back to MN from Arizona it actually broke the crank in half, so two cylinders no longer had pistons moving up and down while 2 did.
I limped that thing over 500 miles to home (it was about 9pm at night when it happened and no way no how was anyone open and what could they have done anyhow?)
 Anyways, net day I call the local dealer (my parts supplier for years and where I had bought numerous bikes) they say no way it will be covered, past warranty in both time and way over in miles.
I decided to try Kawi directly and after numerous attempts I finally got a live person who actually had some knowledge and he asked the right questions etc...
IN the end he had me take it to the local dealer~kawasaki warranty is only authorized through Kawasaki dealers~ (I already had it completely apart, so I only took the engine in) and they wrote up an estimate and I sent that to kawasaki corporate (directly to the guy I had talked with a week earlier) and he approved it. New crank, rods, bearings (full sets of every size available), rings, all the gaskets and seals, oil pumps, etc...pretty much every wear item in the engine.

I took my box o parts home and did the work myself, no doubt the dealer got paid for the work-but since they were so unhelpful on the situation and more than anything I didn't trust their ability to do the work to my standard. I was far happier to do it all myself, the retail $ amount on the parts was well over $2500 at the time (I suspect that puts dealer cost around $1300, and ma kawi likley to be well under $1k-so their cost to keep a loyal Kawasaki rider happy likely was mostly the labor credit to the dealer, but here I am 20+ years later and still riding Kawasaki's.

So my moral to the story is that ma kawasaki really wants to keep you as a happy customer even if sometimes the dealers do not.