This is why dealerships are useless!

[ShockwaveTXB]

So I ordered a set of Vance & Hines Big Radius (Black) pipes and a Arlen Ness Big Sucker from the dealer a few weeks back. After a couple weeks of waiting due to the pipes being brand new and on back order, I checked in every couple days to see if they were in or when they'd be available. Each time I was simply told they were still on backorder and not sure, probably mid August.

So last Monday I stop in and ask if they have anymore info, and the guy is like "well I'm not sure, but I can check." It turns out they actually had arrived that previous Friday, but nobody saw fit to check them in or give me a call to let me know. Who knows how long they would have sat there until someone did if I didn't ask. So then we setup the appointment to have everything done, including the Dyno tune for this past Friday. When making the appointment last week, I asked them to double check and make sure all the parts had arrived and they assured me they had. I drop my bike off this past Thursday night and proceed to head out of town for a concert last Friday. I told them to call my cell if any issues should arise.

Friday comes and goes and I assume everything is peachy. I head to the dealership Saturday morning to pick the bike up and everything appears just fine. The pipes look and sound awesome and I'm happy at this point and head home. I get home and give everything a closer look and I'm looking at the air filter. They used the factory cover so I didn't really get a close look at it until I got it home. When I looked behind the cover, I noticed the filter itself was white, and not the maroon color that the Big Sucker w/K&N is. I took the cover off and sure enough it was the Screamin' Eagle air filter kit, with the Harley logo and part number to confirm this.

I call the dealer back up and ask them what the deal is and they basically said they weren't sure why the mistake was made and that they could see on the order sheet it listed a "Big Sucker Stage 1." So the guy tells me to bring the bike in first thing today and they'd switch them out. He says "let me check to see if we have the right one in stock." I'm thinking, well you should because I ordered one, and he says, "ya we have two in stock." So I show up today and am waiting for them to take the bike in.

After about 10 minutes he comes outside where I was sitting and informs me that the reason the SE kit was put on was because the Big Sucker they ordered was for a Tourning model. So I ask why they didn't bother calling me and telling me this before putting it on on their own and he says he's not sure. So then I'm like ok whatever, just put the right one on. Then he said they didn't have the right one in stock! This is after telling me Saturday they had two! So I say what the crap!?

He said the computer showed two but they didn't actually have them when he went to get one. Now he says they rush ordered the correct one and I'll have to come back AGAIN to get it done. Why can't a dealership just check their work the first time and avoid all the hastle? Then they wonder why people hate dealing with them so much!?!?!

 

[Dr. Dolittle]

Wow, totally understand your frustration but the bottom line is, we're all humans and nobody's perfect. It just really sucks when any issue cuts into riding time.

You didn't mention anything about the dyno run. Was it done with the wrong filter in place? Will they do another one for free once the correct filter is installed?

Good luck to you!

 

[ShockwaveTXB]

They pretty much said that a dyno tune wouldn't be necessary. They said the SE filter is a high-flow filter just as the Big Sucker is. So they said that the tune would be pretty much the same or changes would be minimal. So it sounded like they didn't want to go through the hastle of redoing it, but I think I'm going to request that they do simply out of principle and the fact that I paid so much money for a specific tune.

And yes, I realize humans make mistakes, but my frustration is over the fact that numerous times I asked them to check the parts and make sure they were in there and were the right ones and each time they said they were only to turn out they weren't. I even gave them the part number of the right one when ordering!

 

[01dynaglide]

Man that stinks. Well once you get it out and ride you will not worry about the run around they gave you. It will ease your mind. Enjoy your new purchases.

 

[Dr. Dolittle]

Easy for me to say cause I'm not currently in your shoes but we do live in an imperfect world - keeps things interesting in a twisted sort of way.

Seems pretty obvious but if you're that upset, you have two clear choices:
1) Do all the work yourself
2) Find an independent mechanic you can trust to do all your work

Hang in there! :s

 

[nolafishr]

That is Why I do most of the Work Myself on My Bike, You cannot Trust Anyone!

 

[ldavis16]

While I was in college I was a mechanic at the local Harley shop, and let me tell you, this crap happens all of the time. the biggest problem my shop had was the fact that the parts guys (well, one of the two) would almost never actually check in the stock room for the correct parts, he would just look on the computer, same goes with the GM and the sales guys. They would refer to catalogues and the computer. Then, they would set up appointments for the customers and create work orders that were not always correct due to the fact that they didn’t care; the sale had already been made. As a mechanic I would do the work that the work order said, and then would find out that it was incorrect or that we didn’t have the part. The substitutions that happen are usually due to the GM saying that the customer won’t notice or won’t mind.

To them, it is all about the initial sale, once they have your money they don’t give a crap about you and it makes the people working their rears off in shop look like jerks.

I would demand to have another dyno tune because the paper filter that comes on a screaming eagle does not flow as well as the cloth filter on a big sucker. Yeah, you are only going to get another 1-2 hp out of it; however you paid for a service and did not receive what you paid for.

 

[TQuentin1]

While I was in college I was a mechanic at the local Harley shop, and let me tell you, this crap happens all of the time. the biggest problem my shop had was the fact that the parts guys (well, one of the two) would almost never actually check in the stock room for the correct parts, he would just look on the computer, same goes with the GM and the sales guys. They would refer to catalogues and the computer. Then, they would set up appointments for the customers and create work orders that were not always correct due to the fact that they didn’t care; the sale had already been made. As a mechanic I would do the work that the work order said, and then would find out that it was incorrect or that we didn’t have the part. The substitutions that happen are usually due to the GM saying that the customer won’t notice or won’t mind.

To them, it is all about the initial sale, once they have your money they don’t give a crap about you and it makes the people working their rears off in shop look like jerks.

I would demand to have another dyno tune because the paper filter that comes on a screaming eagle does not flow as well as the cloth filter on a big sucker. Yeah, you are only going to get another 1-2 hp out of it; however you paid for a service and did not receive what you paid for.

Excellent post. Nice to see your perspective. Many of us here have had unfortunate experiences taking our bikes in for work, and not getting the value we expect.

Thanx for your comments.

TQ