Not Happy With Kawasaki At The Moment (Rant)

[Burbs]

My bike is in for it's 20K service and I'm also in need of new front rotors as well due to warping. This will be my second set that needs to be replaced under warranty, but it seems Kawasaki is dragging their feet in approving the work. So now I have to wait to see if my dealer can get it put through. Apparently they are pointing to the fact that they've done it once already. If they decide not to do it, I will not be happy with them at all and will consider getting rid of the bike if they are going to be like this. I'm within my 3 year warranty term and this is a known issue, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?      Alright who am I kidding, I won't get rid of my bike, but it just pisses me off that they would pull this crap. Even if I did get rid of the bike they wouldn't care, so who am I kidding? Nothing aggravates me more than poor customer service for a loyal customer.

So I'm going with the assumption they won't pay for it, which means I'm going with a different manufacture. I know that Galfer seems to be a popular brand here, but any other manufacturers? Oh and  Kawasaki can go screw if they think I putting another set of their rotors on. 

AHHHHHHHH.........alright....I think I feel better now.

-Chris

[IRULE]

It not the dealer's fault if they can't get kawasaki to pay for it.  The rotors are a well know problem and they should pay for it, if they don't, that's life.

One question, when you said you are a loyal customer, can you expand on that?  Do you do all the service there at the dealership?  How loyal are you?  My willingness as a service manager depends on how loyal you are as a customer.

[B.D.F.]

Kawasaki knows about brake rotor problems on C-14s and there really shouldn't be any problem replacing them. If your dealer leans on Kawi a little bit I am sure you will get new rotors under warranty. They have a known problem. My dealer does not have any difficulty changing rotors that have warped. If you continue to have trouble, I suggest a change to a different dealer.

Brian

My bike is in for it's 20K service and I'm also in need of new front rotors as well due to warping. This will be my second set that needs to be replaced under warranty, but it seems Kawasaki is dragging their feet in approving the work. So now I have to wait to see if my dealer can get it put through. Apparently they are pointing to the fact that they've done it once already. If they decide not to do it, I will not be happy with them at all and will consider getting rid of the bike if they are going to be like this. I'm within my 3 year warranty term and this is a known issue, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?      Alright who am I kidding, I won't get rid of my bike, but it just pisses me off that they would pull this crap. Even if I did get rid of the bike they wouldn't care, so who am I kidding? Nothing aggravates me more than poor customer service for a loyal customer.

So I'm going with the assumption they won't pay for it, which means I'm going with a different manufacture. I know that Galfer seems to be a popular brand here, but any other manufacturers? Oh and  Kawasaki can go screw if they think I putting another set of their rotors on. 

AHHHHHHHH.........alright....I think I feel better now.

-Chris

[DaveO]

My bike is in for it's 20K service and I'm also in need of new front rotors as well due to warping. This will be my second set that needs to be replaced under warranty, but it seems Kawasaki is dragging their feet in approving the work. So now I have to wait to see if my dealer can get it put through. Apparently they are pointing to the fact that they've done it once already. If they decide not to do it, I will not be happy with them at all and will consider getting rid of the bike if they are going to be like this. I'm within my 3 year warranty term and this is a known issue, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?      Alright who am I kidding, I won't get rid of my bike, but it just pisses me off that they would pull this crap. Even if I did get rid of the bike they wouldn't care, so who am I kidding? Nothing aggravates me more than poor customer service for a loyal customer.

So I'm going with the assumption they won't pay for it, which means I'm going with a different manufacture. I know that Galfer seems to be a popular brand here, but any other manufacturers? Oh and  Kawasaki can go screw if they think I putting another set of their rotors on. 

AHHHHHHHH.........alright....I think I feel better now.

-Chris

have you been using OEM brake pads the whole time?

[Bob]

 

[jimmymac]

Alot of times they will fix an issue for you once, but won't fix it a second time.



My bike has over 20,000 miles and the rotors are still awesome.

[556ALPHA]

It not the dealer's fault if they can't get kawasaki to pay for it.  The rotors are a well know problem and they should pay for it, if they don't, that's life.

One question, when you said you are a loyal customer, can you expand on that?  Do you do all the service there at the dealership?  How loyal are you?  My willingness as a service manager depends on how loyal you are as a customer.

What difference does this make?  So if I don't pay 150.00 for an oil change then my rotors do not deserve to be replaced under WARRANTY for a KNOWN problem?  I understand the bitterness of a dealer if a customer goes 400 miles to save 1500.00, well no I don't but that's another story.  Why have a warranty if you are at the mercy of a dealer who decides whether he will help you based on how much money you spend at his shop?  WTF.... If my local dealer did not leave greasy fingerprints all over the bike and do half AXX maintenance then I may use him but frankly I don't trust their work.  Installing rotors isn't rocket science so I would rather them just hand me the parts but they won't do that either because of......policy.  What a joke, and you wonder why some of us don't qualify for the LOYALTY  program?

[booger]

Kawasaki knows about brake rotor problems on C-14s and there really shouldn't be any problem replacing them. If your dealer leans on Kawi a little bit I am sure you will get new rotors under warranty. They have a known problem. My dealer does not have any difficulty changing rotors that have warped. If you continue to have trouble, I suggest a change to a different dealer.

Brian

Kawasaki always drags their feet.  I had problems getting a safety recall taken care of a couple of years ago on a KLR 650.

They just have to go through their little ritual before they can do anything.

[JetJock]

Some dealers will "push" harder than others with corporate than others will. This is true whether you're talking Mama Kawie or any company when it comes to warranty work. And it's usually the service manager doing the pushing and some of them are good at it and some of them aren't ---- just like in anything else.

If it gets turned down (says the service manager) you might want to talk to the General Manager or Owner. Don't assume they know what's going on and what kind of effort their service manager put into your case. When I run into warranty problems I work my way up the ladder trying to get it fixed. I don't just take "no" for any answer.

[Mighty]

One question, when you said you are a loyal customer, can you expand on that?  Do you do all the service there at the dealership?  How loyal are you?  My willingness as a service manager depends on how loyal you are as a customer.

This should have zero to do with the fact that it is a known problem still under warranty and Kawasaki should take care of it.  If it was something out of warranty and you were trying to get the dealer to go to bat for you that's a different story.

[maxtog]

If it gets turned down (says the service manager) you might want to talk to the General Manager or Owner. Don't assume they know what's going on and what kind of effort their service manager put into your case. When I run into warranty problems I work my way up the ladder trying to get it fixed. I don't just take "no" for any answer.

+1.  If you are right, then don't settle for "no".  Kawasaki has a duty to make sure they are not being ripped off, and that the expensive labor and parts charges are legit (yes, there are some scummy dealers out there that will rip off Kawasaki).  But you have a duty to make sure Kawasaki stands behind their warranty.  If you are not happy with the answer, escalate at the dealership,  then find another dealer, then make noise directly to Kawasaki.  Fortunately, I have not had to go through any of this with my bike, but I have had to with other products under warranty.

[SVonhof]

FYI, I brought my 2009 in the other day for a new front tire and mentioned the pulsing front brakes and rotor issues and the guy didn't know anything about rotor problem on the C14 and actually said that there were no problems that he had ever heard of. I told him it's a known issue on the forums and he basically said "There are forums out there for every bike and they are not always right".  Not a good thing to say in my book. After he brought the bike around to the shop, he did ask if I felt it was dangerous and I told him that it wasn't and if it got worse to where I thought it was an issue I would not hesitate to bring it in. Maybe he mentioned it to one of the actual workers in the shop and they confirmed it?

[Steve Bell]

So I'm going with the assumption they won't pay for it, which means I'm going with a different manufacture. I know that Galfer seems to be a popular brand here, but any other manufacturers?

-Chris

I warped a set of Galfers already and they have not determined if they will replace them or not so I would consider a different brand.

[DaveO]

I told him it's a known issue on the forums

i suggest you never ever mention any problems  you heard about on motorcycle forum to your dealer .
You'll lose all credibility.

[Pokey]

How the hell are you guys having rotor issues twice? I personally think the OEM pads are too hard on the rotors, I run Galfer pads on my bike and really like them.

[IRULE]

Have you never heard of the word "Politics"?  What about "get more if you use honey"?  What about the word "that's life"?

You can assume or expect whatever you want about warranty, but you will get more if you are nice and spent money at the dealership. Heard of this one, "it's not what you know, but who you know". If you don't believe it, you must live in a cave!

[Burbs]

Sorry guys, I never received a notification that people replied to this thread eventhough I did check the box.

IRULE I am a loyal customer because I do get my bike serviced at this dealer each time it needs it, even with tires. I've also bought helmets and parts here as well.

BDF Brian, I'm actually going through Razees right now and I know they are probably doing a good job of fighting for me. The frustrating part is that they knew I was bringing this in for a good 4 weeks now and the service guy didn't get it approved by Kawasaki yet. My feeling is that this should have been either approved or at least brought to my attention before I brought it in. I'm sure it just got buried under his other warranty paperwork, but still I think he should have gotten this done sooner.

Pokey I do have the OEM pads on the bike and I'm not sure why they are warping again.

These guys at the dealership know me and for the most part (I think) like me. I've never gone anywhere else for service and I've only changed my oil once on my own, but I did buy the oil and filter through this dealer. I'm going to call later today and see where it stands.

One thing my dealer did do was they called the Michelin rep to come out and look at my tires since I'm having issues with them lasting. They gave him my history with tires and they explained that I've only put Michelins on it. They said the rep took pictures and contacted Michelin and now I'm awaiting word. I'm pretty confident that they will not do anything to replace them, but it doesn't hurt. My wife and I are going to ride the BRP and "The Dragon" in August, so I'm going to wait until two weeks before I go and replace my existing tires with Pirellis or Michelins if they choose to give me a new set.

-Chris

[DaveO]

How the hell are you guys having rotor issues twice? I personally think the OEM pads are too hard on the rotors,

what makes you think that and what makes you think galfer pads are better ?

[556ALPHA]

Have you never heard of the word "Politics"?  What about "get more if you use honey"?  What about the word "that's life"?

You can assume or expect whatever you want about warranty, but you will get more if you are nice and spent money at the dealership. Heard of this one, "it's not what you know, but who you know". If you don't believe it, you must live in a cave!

Sorry but you made me do it:



WTF is the point of having a warranty if I have to be blackmailed into kissing the dealers A%& to get anything done...My rear sensor never worked from day 1 and it's the mentality of people like you that keep me from taking it to my local dealer who wanted MSRP on a 2 year old bike.   I traveled 3 hours to get a fair market deal on a 2009.   Should I have just paid the Kings Ransom just to get something fixed under warranty?  When do I have to kiss the ring?  Again, if the dealer was competent I would pay him the fee for changing my oil and I would buy a 25.00 T-shirt and play POLITICS as you put it but they are a bunch of unethical idiots.  Maybe you work at a better dealership but I can say from experience that most of the work I have had completed at dealerships required me to double check the completed work they did because of previous bad experiences.   How many guys here have had to tighten bolts after finding stuff left loose that was supposed to be checked  prior to delivery or found tires at 25 lbs of pressure after a service?  Give me a break.

[B.D.F.]

The warranty guys usually wait for the bike to be brought in so they can look at it themselves. Most dealers won't (and are not supposed to) order anything for warranty service unless they have diagnosed the problem. And usually with brakes, dealers don't like to let the bikes go back out while waiting for parts for obvious safety reasons. I am speaking generally here and don't know your situation. But the warranty guy at Razee (Pete) has been great with me, at least so far.

Brian

<snip>

BDF Brian, I'm actually going through Razees right now and I know they are probably doing a good job of fighting for me. The frustrating part is that they knew I was bringing this in for a good 4 weeks now and the service guy didn't get it approved by Kawasaki yet. My feeling is that this should have been either approved or at least brought to my attention before I brought it in. I'm sure it just got buried under his other warranty paperwork, but still I think he should have gotten this done sooner.

<snip>

-Chris