Suziki warrenty work is lousy. I gotta vent

I'm new to this forum and my first post will be a bit long and harsh on Suzuki warrenty work but I gotta vent. I bough my son a brand new Suzuki gs 500 in November 2005 from a dealer in the south Miami area of Florida. This was the first new bike I've ever bough and was purchased that way for the dependablity factor you get with a new vehical. Boy was I wrong.

It's a 2005 modle and had 6000 miles on it when the engin blew on april 4. The bike was taken into a suzuki dealer (who will remain nameless for now) in the Gainsville area for the problem to be corrected. There hasn't been a wrench put on the bike yet, today is 26 days in the shop. I have had diolog with the dealers service manager, Sukuki in cali., the dealer I bought the bike from, the nearest optional dealer and they all basicly say the same thing, "too bad for you, wait and we'll get to it when we can".

The service manager acually told me "if you don't like our service come get the bike and take it elsewhere". I'm 350 miles away and my son is new to the gainsville area, trying to juggle school, a job and being 20. The only thing saveing him right now is he's living with his brother. The nearest dealer is in Ocala which is 50 miles away and they as well as the dealer where I bought it tell me the same thing, it'll be 4 to 6 weeks to fix a major motor problem. This to me is unacceptable. If this were a car the lemon law applies after 15 days without action.

Let me ask you of this forum if I am over reacting or do you find this to be out of the ordainary? In the past I've always got used bikes and atvs and maintained them myself. I feel I and my son would have been better off that way this time. I can tell you all this I won't buy new again and depend on a warrenty or dealer service.

JMF

I moved this from the Suzuki forum to the dealer feedback forum as it appears to be more appropriate here. Please go ahead and identify the dealers that you are having trouble with so that others know who *not* to do business with.

It's important that you provide details to us as to what you are being told regarding such significant delays in the repairs. Is it because the only parts to fix it are in the middle of the pacific ocean on a slow boat from Japan... is it a backlog of work at the dealership... or is it simple arrogance and lack of concern on the dealerships part?

I don't think you're over-reacting. Repairs, especially warranty repairs, should be handled in a timely fashion. If you are frustrated enough to post here regarding your problems, then you obviously are not getting satisfactory answers.

This board is read far and wide by the motorcycling community, and I assure you, if you identify the problem dealers on this forum, the dealers will hear about it.

The dealer that has the bike is Streits Motor Sports in Gainesville Florida. Their excuse for the delay is they can only rebuild one motor a week. I find this either sheer incompidance or a joke. If I ran a shop in this manner and expected that little from my employees I wouldn't expect to stay in buisness long, that is unless I had the cooperation of the manufacture to aide in my sloth. The service manager told me 14 days ago that there were 4 bikes in front of my sons, well today there are still 4 bikes in front of him. He also said that we didn't have a "appointment" to which I replied that the bike didn't make a "appointment" with my son to throw a rod.
The SM also alluded to parts being a issue, this too seems laughable. I just did a partial restore on a 1971 yamaha rd 200 (that I made dependable enough to ride daily now) and had little if no problem getting all the parts I needed from Bike Bandit and Ebay. If me a mere googan when it comes to motorcycles can find parts for a 35 year old bike and a dealer has to wait weeks for parts there's something wrong with this picture.
I was hopeing to lemon law the situation but that particular law only applies to vehicals with 4 wheels and less than 10,000 pounds. I've researched this every chance I've got and there is very little recoarse a consumer has when it comes to motorcycles, this is why I've started posting on public forums the facts of the case. My next step if the situation is not remedied soon is to rent a billboard across the street from the dealer directing potential customers to a web site where they can learn the truth about the way they may expect to be treated by this particular Suzuki warrenty shop.
JMF

I can understand your frustration, but to try to put it in perspective from a neutral eye:

Most shops only have one or two "top" mechanics that are trained in the type of detail that is involved in a complete engine rebuild. When you see 10 mechanics hanging around the coffee pot, 8 of them are only qualified to change tires and do oil and spark plug changes... so we have to be understanding of the labor and knowledge required for a complete re-build.

Do we really want the guy who is responsible for changing spark plugs rebuilding your sons motor? I wouldn't. I want the guy who is most qualified even if I had to wait.

Now the parts issue. In general, older parts are in better supply, and less demand than newer parts are. If I need a tailgate for a 1976 Ford pickup truck, I can find a couple of hundred of them by checking the local boneyards... or I can find thousands and thousands of them by searching on the internet. On the other hand, if I need a tailgate for a 2006 Ford pickup truck, I have one place to go... the manufacturer. There simply aren't enough trashed 2006 Ford pickup trucks to fill the supply chain with used tailgates. To compound the problem, in warranty issues the manufacturer is only going to use new parts in a rebuild. You are perfectly happy rebuilding your old bike with 30 year old parts. You have to be. 30 year old parts are all that's available, and there are plenty of them around. The manufacturer will only replace parts under warranty with new parts. The demand for those replacement new parts has to compete with the demand for new bikes being built, and there are only so many new parts to be had.

All of this being said, is the amount of time you have had to wait to have the bike repaired annoying? Hell yes it is. Is it unusual? Probably not. You have the right to be upset, and you have the right to exercise your freedom of speech to rent a billboard to complain if you want to, as long as you don't slander the company you are protesting. In the long run though, you won't get your son's bike back any faster by raising hell with the dealer, and you surely won't make any friends at the dealership.

If it's that important that the work be done "right damn now", then find a wrench outside of the dealer environment and pay to have the motor rebuilt. There are many fine mechanics out there who will rebuild that motor as good or better than new. It won't be under factory warranty, but you'll get your immediate gratification and your son will be back on the bike right away.

PS, tell your son to keep the revs down from here on out. Rods don't just sling for no reason. There's a reason there is a break in period on new motors.

I have come across problem like this when trying to get work done on my uncle's Yamaha. I feel when a Dealership does not only sell Motorcycles, their mechanics have to work on everything from Motorcycles to boats. This is one of the reasons that I have always rode Harleys. At least if I have to go to the dealer for a repair, the mechanic only works on Harleys. I am not saying that there are not some good "Power sport" repair shops out there, but they are hard to find.
I hope you get this problem resolved.
Ride Safe,
Tugs

I agree with Bigwater. If you want your warranty then stick with the dealer. Remember to always be nice to the dealer. This is very important. Of course there are some subtle things you can do to keep track of the progress. If the dealer states that he waiting on parts, ask him the order date, the shipper and the tracking number. Now he doesn't have to give this to you, but he may and it will get him thinking. If he does then you will know when all the parts are there. With that info you can ask for a schedule of the repair. Hold him to it. But remember be nice. For example, I took my Suzuki to the dealer this morning for a full carb overhaul. I will have it back in time for the local bike show Saturday. Interpersonal skills go a long way.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

I found the best way to get a dealer/mechie to hurry up is to be super nice to them. Not talking about kissing ass, but be friendly with them. The saying "you get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar" goes a long ways.

Personally, from what you have described I'd say that is likely out the window. So you'll have to take what they give ya. Don't like it, take that as a lesson and live with it. Or go elsewhere. Word of caution- there is no "shit list" that I know of, but mechies tend to hang together. Word will get around about you and other mechies will just turn you away ior consider you a low priority customer.

I know this as I used to repair mopeds & scooters years back, and while we didn't exactly go fishing together, the mechies recognized each other in public, and usually wave or say something friendly. A brief discussion can teach you a lot. Talk about a new moped that came out.... get views/opinions on it.... swap a few jokes.... and a bit of info- "say, you wouldn't have heard from this guy, Mr. X, have you?" "Nah, should I expect him?" "You may end up hearing from him. He brought a bike in to us a while back and we couldn't get to it like he wanted. So he came and got it and said he's going somewhere else." "What's wrong with it, do you know?" "Yeah, looks like his kid cranked it too hard in the break in period and it looks like it tossed a rod." "Damn. Sounds like he's new to bikes." "Yeah, real new. He even treated our SM "Mr. A" like shit. So "Mr. A" told him to come and get it." "Really? (laugh) Well, he best keep looking around for a place to take it then, I've known Mr. A for a few years and he's always been fair and honest to me."

:dig:

Back when I first got into mopeds, an SM at a dealership took seriously ill. Wasn't thinking anything of it, just being a kind hearted human, but I got him a get well card and a few of my grandmother homemade chocolate chip cookies.

That man became one of my best sources of info, parts and work he couldn't/wouldn't touch. :kewl:

He past away back in '89.
FWIW

Got the bike back today. One day ahead of schedule and it only cost $70.00 to overhaul 4 carbs. It pays to make the dealer your friend.

Got the bike back today. One day ahead of schedule and it only cost $70.00 to overhaul 4 carbs. It pays to make the dealer your friend.

If by chance you do happen to find a dealer that gives you good service, please recommend them to your friends and support them as much as possible. The local Harley Dealer here in York, PA where I bought my bike was very helpful and supportive when I got the bike. They paid special attention to go over the bike and all of it's controls and made sure that I was very comfortable with it before I left. In appreciation of that extra effort, I make sure to go to them when I need accessories. While I may pay a little more at times, they now know me by name and give me some discounts that I know for a fact that they do not give to everyone. Not that I do not buy from other places, but for the things that count or are very noticable, I buy from them.

If by chance you do happen to find a dealer that gives you good service, please recommend them to your friends and support them as much as possible. The local Harley Dealer here in York, PA where I bought my bike was very helpful and supportive when I got the bike. They paid special attention to go over the bike and all of it's controls and made sure that I was very comfortable with it before I left. In appreciation of that extra effort, I make sure to go to them when I need accessories. While I may pay a little more at times, they now know me by name and give me some discounts that I know for a fact that they do not give to everyone. Not that I do not buy from other places, but for the things that count or are very noticable, I buy from them.


I have by all means fowarded good service info onto my friends, coworkers and anyone who will listen. But that street has 2 sides and I have already steered a coworker away from the motor sports bikes and to Harley. After what I have read here, have garnered else where in the cyber world and from my own personal experiance at the local Harley dealer (I did my own exit poll on service friday) as soon as that Jap bike gets out of the shop it will be sold. I see a 883sportster in my sons future.
I believe in makeing nice with a dealer or for that matter with anyone whom I will be doing buisness with, it just good manners. But I will absoultly refuse to kiss a#$ just to get someone to do their job. I did not enter this with a bad attitude it was given to me after 2 weeks without a wrench being turned. In 2 weeks I was a bit perplexed. After 3 weeks I'm pi$$ed. And when 4 weeks rolls around in 3 days if nothing is done I'll be livid and speaking to a attorney.
JMF

I have by all means fowarded good service info onto my friends, coworkers and anyone who will listen. But that street has 2 sides and I have already steered a coworker away from the motor sports bikes and to Harley. After what I have read here, have garnered else where in the cyber world and from my own personal experiance at the local Harley dealer (I did my own exit poll on service friday) as soon as that Jap bike gets out of the shop it will be sold. I see a 883sportster in my sons future.
I believe in makeing nice with a dealer or for that matter with anyone whom I will be doing buisness with, it just good manners. But I will absoultly refuse to kiss a#$ just to get someone to do their job. I did not enter this with a bad attitude it was given to me after 2 weeks without a wrench being turned. In 2 weeks I was a bit perplexed. After 3 weeks I'm pi$$ed. And when 4 weeks rolls around in 3 days if nothing is done I'll be livid and speaking to a attorney.
JMF

I am very sorry to hear about your bad experiences with your dealer. There are times when no matter what you do, you will not be treated correctly by the dealer. Especially if that particulr dealer knows that he is the only game in town. I suspect that this may be the case in your situation. I hope for the sake of all others after you, that if this dealer is factory authorized, that you will take the time to contact Suzuki and let them know about the situation. The simple truth of the matter is if they knew in the beginning that it would take an inordinate amount of time to fix your bike, they should not have had you drop it off until they were ready to start the repairs. Sorry to hear about all of your hassles, Suzuki's are usually very high qualiy, reliable bikes.

Welcome to the Harley side though, your son should like the 883, they are good bikes.

The dealer in Gainseville started work on the bike on day 28 in the shop. I called on Monday (day 26) and the fella who said he was the service manager said it would be another 2 weeks before they start. I do not know if all the he!! raiseing I did from then till Tuesday afternoon did any good. But on Tuesday morning after playing nice on Monday I told the Suzuki customer service rep that I had spoke to leagle council and intended to use the Manguson-Moss Warrenty act do defend my postion. They started work the next day (Wensday). I'm happy and will be giving the bike away when we get it back to the first person who will take over the payments (132.00/month). I will never purchase another Suzuki product again, nor any product from any Motor Sports dealer either. All my import bike parts will come from the net and my sons and my next bike will be a Harley.

For anyone interested the "Manguson-Moss Warrenty Act" is a federal law that can be used in lieu of the Lemon Law to defend your rights when it comes to anything that comes with a warrenty and costs over 25 dollars. Breifly it says the warrentor has a resonable amount of time to resolve a problem and then suit may be filed by the warrenty holder. Here's the good part, if the warrentor loses they MUST pay for all leagle expenses you incured to pursue them honoring their warrenty.
JMF

Here's the good part, if the warrentor loses they MUST pay for all leagle expenses you incured to pursue them honoring their warrenty.
JMFYeah, unfortunately you wouldn't win. Nobody ever does. The Magnusun-Moss Warranty Act was one of the biggest shams ever pulled over the eyes of the American Consumer. It was touted and promoted as being a consumer protection arm, when in reality it does nothing but protect the manufacturers from any possible claim against the manufacturer. If you bullied your dealer into working on your bike by throwing the Magnusun-Moss Warranty Act in his face, you better be glad he didn't call your bluff, because he would have laughed you into bankruptcy when you tried to fight him.

The act specifies that the manufacturer must provide warranty work in a timely manner... but it doesn't specify what a timely manner is. All a manufacturer has to do is say it took x number of days to get parts from the supply chain or whatever, and you lose.

It prohibits anybody who offers a written warranty from disallowing or modifying implied warranties of merchantability. Woohoo! Sounds great for the consumer huh? There's just one pesky little problem with it. If the manufacturer puts the term "Limited" in their warranty, guess what? NO implied warranty of merchantability applies.

About the only thing that that POS legislation did anything to do to actually help the consumer was force manufacturers to still honor factory warranties when after market parts were used in repairs, but even then, the warranty work still has to be done by the authorized manufacturers repair facility, and the use of the aftermarket parts has to be approved by the manufacturer for the warranty repairs performed in the first place.

No consumer has ever benefitted from that legislation... ONLY the manufacturers and dealers themselves, and I'll say it again, count your lucky stars your bluff didn't get called on that one.

What a sucky way to spend the holidays ttk, I really hope that you will get better soon, atleast before new years eve so you can drink some booze

i worked for suzuki . i hate to say it but you have been thrown into brutal mixing bowl of Suzuki bull shyt brownies. i'd stand out in front of that business with a sign (check local permitting ) stating how many days you've waited for a repair . that Will WORK . trust me . i've done it . good luck .