Let Me Tell You A Story....

[BajaRon]

True story. I'm not mentioning any names but this encouraged me so much I wanted to share it with the Spyder community.

A customer called me recently about a 'Popping' noise with her Spyder which happened every time she turned. She had the noise checked out at a Spyder dealership and the report came back that one of the end links on my sway bar was bad. She had my sway bar kit installed on her late model RT earlier this year and she was asking me if it was normal for one of my end links to go bad this quickly and how it might be fixed.

I told her that over the years a few end links had been found to be defective (not a safety hazard, just making noise) so that it was not outside the realm of possibilities. But that these links were designed to last the life of the Spyder so it was not likely. With the lack of definite information from the dealership. And because it is pretty easy to check the condition of the end links. I asked her if she would be willing to find a friend and verify that the end links were indeed bad before throwing expensive parts at the problem.

After outlining how to check the sway bar system, and how to make corrections where possible. She agreed to do some further inspection herself. I did not hear from her for about a week so I emailed to see how it was going. She said she'd had a routine medical procedure and that until the short recovery period was over she would not be able to do it. Then I really felt like a heal!

However, she had taken her Spyder to another Spyder dealership and they said that the sway bar bushings were worn out!

At the risk of her thinking I was giving her the run-a-round, I told her that those Delrin bushings are very tough as well as self lubricating. They just do not wear out. I said that I was even more skeptical of this 2nd opinion than I was of the 1st.

(Don't you just hate it when the manufacture is telling you one thing and the service department is telling you something else? I think we have all been there and it is no fun).

It's not that I expect every customer to be a master mechanic. Or even that they know a lot about their Spyder (much less how a sway bar functions). I understand that many want to put gas in their Spyder and ride. Leaving everything else to their dealership. And that is perfectly fine and, for the most part, works out pretty well.

We all have our areas of expertise and our areas of weakness. That is why there are 'Experts' in every field. They are supposed to help us with their wisdom and knowledge. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work out as it should. Sometimes the 'Experts' fail us.

So, now we get to the reason I'm imparting this entire event to you.

This lady (having recovered from her procedure) lifted her Spyder (obviously a resourceful person) and while going through the steps I provided, found that the 2 bolts holding the bushing blocks were loose. She tightened these 2 bolts, went for a ride, and guess what!!!

That's right! She found, diagnosed and corrected the problem that 2 dealerships were unable (or unwilling) to do!

Now you may be thinking that I love this story because this wonderful lady got me off the hook (which, admittedly she did). But it's not about that at all. I am so proud of this customer! She persevered and prevailed. She went above and beyond! She tackled this thing and conquered it! And I say 'Bravo'!

In a world where it seems so many revel in being the 'Victim'. This just warms my heart.

If you think I am making too much of this, (as I am sure she does) I understand. From the broad perspective it is a small thing in a big world. But isn't that how things change for the better? If we all continue to do our best, even in the small things. That is how we all come out better in the long run.

Have a great day everyone! Enjoy the ride!

Ron (bajaron)

[UtahPete]

I think Spyder owners are starting to realize that this is truly an enthusiasts' machine. The BMW of the 3-wheeling world. Don't expect a Toyota experience!

Congrats to you, Ron, for having a good outcome. It must be tough dealing with customers (and dealers) from afar and with varying levels of knowledge and interest in understanding an issue with your products. It speaks well of the way you do business.

[Bob Denman]

Ron,
Thanks for a GREAT story, that has a happy ending!
(about those dealerships: )

[Chupaca]

That is a great story and she is special following through and not just giving in. My guess is the shops she went to just felt some looseness and assumed the links and then the bushings and never going any further....sad but true...thanks for the full story start to finish and glad she recooped from the procedure in the middle of it all...you are still even with remote diagnosis and repair....

[Lew L]

Was the " Spyder dealership" that did the sway bar install at the local elementary school????? I'm not trying to put down elementary schools

Lew L
'

[ARtraveler]

Thanks for the update Ron. One of the fun things of being in business.

[PapaHotel]

Great story, but why/how in the world can't "mechanics" actually be able to find this glaring-obvious loose bolt issue????

[oldguyinTX]

Once again, dealer incompetence. It is really too bad that BRP has so little control over dealers, that they cannot compel them to have BRP certified techs working for them.

[ARtraveler]

Great story, but why/how in the world can't "mechanics" actually be able to find this glaring-obvious loose bolt issue????

They don't want to mess with certain things. They then come up with a cock & bull story to try and pull the wool over the eyes of the customer. It is always someone else's fault. Doncha know?

[Spyderglide]

I was at the grocery store with my new Spyder RT. ( it was one month old ) I was about ready to start it when a older lady came up and asked me “ your new Spyder ? “ I said “yes!” She said “oh I just love mine !” Which really took me by surprise. Then I proceeded to crank the engine without it starting! Being new and in a hurry I wasn’t sure what the problem was. Then she said “ oh your kill switch is on ! “ ( I swear, I never remembered using it! ) LOL!

[BitSlayer]

Ron,

You are correct, kudos go to her for listening to a voice of reason and going that extra mile to diagnose the problem and fix it herself. However, I say kudos to you as well for helping her in this way. You could have sent her new parts and when the issue persisted washed your hands. However you took the high road and helped her help herself. Good on you and well done sir!

[RinconRyder]

I think Spyder owners are starting to realize that this is truly an enthusiasts' machine. The BMW of the 3-wheeling world. Don't expect a Toyota experience!

Going back a bit further in history, those of us who have owned a British vehicle (cars or bikes) completely understand the nature of the beast.

If I wanted a "Toyota experience" I would have bought a Yamaha. Oh! Wait! I did!

[zuni]

Ron was kind and helped me with a noise a while back that I experienced after installing his bar on my F3. I was getting a rattle. I checked, tightened, applied some lube, and checked again. I was sure the links which seemed to have VERY easy movement were the cause. We traded several emails and I was making no progress. I decided to put the stock links back on and low and behold.......I still had the damn rattle. It ended up being the windscreen. I had changed it at the same time as the sway bar and where it fit into the break-away under the screw on the console wasn't a tight fit and it was causing the rattle. The screws wouldn't tight down anymore so I purchased some large rubber washers which provide enough friction to hold it secure without preventing it from breaking away in case of an accident. I sent Ron a message letting him know what I found and thanking him for his help when I was trying to diagnose the noise. Would have to say that we have some great vendors here. Spyderpops is another. I lost the hardware he shipped with the bumpskid and contacted him so I could order a replacement set. He sent it right out at no cost and it was my fault. Like I said GREAT vendors.


CJ JAX

[Bob Denman]

Once again, dealer incompetence. It is really too bad that BRP has so little control over dealers, that they cannot compel them to have BRP certified techs working for them.

It doesn't take factory training, to know that bolts need to be tightened...

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Once again, dealer incompetence.

IMO it has a lot less to do with incompetence than with the lack of training, understanding, and practicing, the art of trouble shooting. The current generation of technicians in all fields of technology are taught more to be parts replacers than parts fixers. In most cases, it's cheaper. My wife's nephew was a service writer and lead mechanic at a Ford dealership. Cars are so complicated that at any one time during the day some mechanic at the shop would be on the phone with a Ford factory engineer diagnosing a problem.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

It doesn't take factory training, to know that bolts need to be tightened...

If your mentality isn't geared toward trouble shooting, even something as simple as a loose bolt can be easily overlooked.

[HankD]

It's stories like these that make me at the thought of taking my Spyder into a dealer.

[Peter Aawen]

............
This lady (having recovered from her procedure) lifted her Spyder (obviously a resourceful person) and while going through the steps I provided, found that the 2 bolts holding the bushing blocks were loose. She tightened these 2 bolts, went for a ride, and guess what!!!

That's right! She found, diagnosed and corrected the problem that 2 dealerships were unable (or unwilling) to do!......

I really do appreciate that this resourceful Lady made the effort to fix what TWO supposedly competent Dealerships managed to overlook/misdiagnose... but is it the cynic in me rearing it's ugly head & whispering things like 'how did those bolts get loose in the first place?'

Not trying to take ANYTHING away from the resourceful & persistent owner, but maybe, just maybe, we should look at the dealers efforts from the cynic's point of view?!? Can those Dealerships & their techs really be that incompetent that they didn't even do the most basic of 'something's loose' checks & put a spanner on the bolts?!? OR could it be maybe they were prepared to lie over something as little as a couple of loose bolts!! And if they are prepared to lie over a couple of little things like that, surely you hafta take that a tad further & begin to wonder about HOW EXACTLY did those bolts get loose in the first place?!?

Look at it from the (incompetent OR dishonest) Dealer's point of view - Lady comes in, possibly not all that mechanically minded, & since she's come to a Dealer she obviously doesn't have ready access to a competent mechanic or a friendly/reliable home spanner spinner, so she'll be easy to fool & we can also discredit that aftermarket product at the same time! Noises? Hhmmm... Probably just a slight movement caused by something that's a little loose, so instead of tightening the likely culprits let's just loosen them a bit more & tell her that the heavier a/mkt swaybar is too stiff & it's flogged out the bushes or busted/twisted the link ends... she'll never know the reality of it & we can easily 'fix' that in a moment while charging her for a full replacement job & for parts that we don't even hafta use! Win Win Win!! She goes away happy, we make some money for jam, AND we get ammo to label those A/mkt sway bars as 'crap that flogs out bushes'! What more could we wish for?!..... ONLY, this particular Lady WASN'T averse to getting stuck in, she isn't a schmuck, & SHE LOOKED!

Now is that just being too cynical??

[ThreeWheels]

Once again, dealer incompetence. It is really too bad that BRP has so little control over dealers, that they cannot compel them to have BRP certified techs working for them.

I'm with Dwight on this one.
Not to take anything away form this lady and her efforts. If she was the first one to look and troubleshoot the problem, I'd say a hearty "Here, Here!".
It's great that she was able to fix the problem, but only after the first dealer screwed up the installation, which she undoubtedly paid for, and two other dealers (maybe one) couldn't find and fix, also at her expense.
It's bad enough to pay exorbitant fees for service, but to get poor service for that price is unconscionable.
The Spyder is a great machine, but it doesn't help to have a great machine that doesn't get repaired.
It's been 10 years.
The Spyder line-up has already collapsed to only two models.
If BRP doesn't do something to make their service at dealers better, I'm afraid the entire brand may collapse.

[Big Juice]

To me, this great story expresses the importance of 2 very needed ideas and concerns!
1 - we as owners need to be more personal and knowledgeable about our Spyder ryde, and willing to get involved!
2 - we need more suppliers willing to help their customers with advice and guidance, such as Ron has done!

[pitzerwm]

The sad thing is that it just again shows the pathetic collection of Spyder dealers, that BRP has authorized to rip us off. I wouldn't allow the local dealer, Ride Now, to air up my tires much less anything important.

[Bob Denman]

If your mentality isn't geared toward trouble shooting, even something as simple as a loose bolt can be easily overlooked.

And NO amount of training can fix THAT!

[2RTsGV]

I actually think that the dealer issues go deeper in that there seems to be a lot of spyder tech movement going on at these dealers ie: moving to other non-brp dealerships as a result of poor pay &/or conditions, moving from one brp dealer to another brp dealer in different state etc. - I am sure that like most specialized industries these techs don't grow on trees and this no doubt, leaves the original dealership with a void in their organization. Don't get me wrong, I am not defending the dealership, firstly, I don't believe the dealerships are capitalizing on the opportunity for growing their tech pool while they have a current tech and once the 'horse has bolted' - well its too late to shut the gate! ... Secondly, I also think BRP are missing a huge opportunity by not scooping up these trained techs and setting them up in a separate (from the dealership) 'offsite' workshop to continue servicing the spyder / BRP products within that region.

[bscrive]

I'm with Dwight on this one.
Not to take anything away form this lady and her efforts. If she was the first one to look and troubleshoot the problem, I'd say a hearty "Here, Here!".
It's great that she was able to fix the problem, but only after the first dealer screwed up the installation, which she undoubtedly paid for, and two other dealers (maybe one) couldn't find and fix, also at her expense.
It's bad enough to pay exorbitant fees for service, but to get poor service for that price is unconscionable.
The Spyder is a great machine, but it doesn't help to have a great machine that doesn't get repaired.
It's been 10 years.
The Spyder line-up has already collapsed to only two models.
If BRP doesn't do something to make their service at dealers better, I'm afraid the entire brand may collapse.

I agree Threewheels,
As soon as one of the other motorcycle companies come out with a good reverse trike, we may well see the Spyder start to disappear. They have already dropped the RS line and those folks are really pissed. With the introduction of the Yamaha Nikken and possibly the Honda Neowing in the future. I am sure that the RS crowd will leave. I know that it is s good possibility with my wife and her F3.
Can am may be putting nails in their coffin with the bad dealers out there. The product is getting better, but the dealerships are getting worst it seems. The dealer near us is great, but I would still prefer if my wife could ride a Honda instead.

[jaherbst]

I think Spyder owners are starting to realize that this is truly an enthusiasts' machine. The BMW of the 3-wheeling world. Don't expect a Toyota experience!

Congrats to you, Ron, for having a good outcome. It must be tough dealing with customers (and dealers) from afar and with varying levels of knowledge and interest in understanding an issue with your products. It speaks well of the way you do business.

I think the moral of Ron's story here is some times even an ordinary person can find a solution to a problem when the highly paid dealers and pro Tech's can't find the problem. (or don't bother to find it) It's all about taking the easy way out and slapping new expensive parts on. Shame on them.

Jack