Reasonable price for dealer install of Bluetooth

[Brentc]

Spoke with the local dealer that I purchased my new spyder from today for a price quote to install the Bluetooth Dongle from Can Am. We are still deciding on what headsets so for now I was going to have the dealer install the factory dongle. They quoted me $259 for dongle and 2.5 hours of labor at $99 per hour for install, does this seem reasonable? I can understand in there are numerous pieces to remove and wiring to splice in, but if this is a simple plug and go type setup I want to shop around or do it myself

[bcoulter19]

Thats about right. unfortunaley they have to get under the seat to connect the dongle to the radio and then run the wiring to teh frunk for the SM10 that you are going to be paired to.

Bill C.

[billybovine]

Spoke with the local dealer that I purchased my new spyder from today for a price quote to install the Bluetooth Dongle from Can Am. We are still deciding on what headsets so for now I was going to have the dealer install the factory dongle. They quoted me $259 for dongle and 2.5 hours of labor at $99 per hour for install, does this seem reasonable? I can understand in there are numerous pieces to remove and wiring to splice in, but if this is a simple plug and go type setup I want to shop around or do it myself

There is no splicing. The new harness just plug into the existing plug. Located in the rear right of the Spyder. All the right side panels come off. The front trunk comes off. To route the new harness. Several holes are drilled in the front trunk. This is to mount the bracket for the dongle and to pass the wires into the front trunk. I estimate a 2 hour job so not so far off.

[Brentc]

Thank you both for the info, makes me feel a little bit better about the expense.

[AY4B]

What does the dongle do that justifies that expence?

[SNOOPY]

I like the use of "reasonable" and "dealer" in the same title roflmao

[finless]

Word of warning please.

MANY that got the stock BRP SM10 setup have had issue. Search here to see.
Constant disconnects and noise issues. This is due to it being mounted in the front trunk.

If you go with the BRP kit, have your dealer mount the SM10 in the rear trunk instead. It just works better there and is easier to manipulate.

Now as a side note and I am not sure why others have not told you this. The SM10 itself is about $110. You can make a cable for about $20. Installation in the trunk is easy and no side panels are removed. Yes you will drill a hole.

See my post all about doing this yourself here:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?54867-Sena-quot-stock-quot-SM10-wiring-to-the-BRP-radio-Make-your-own-Dongle!

Please take the time to go through the entire post as my video is now old and it is far easier to make the cable with the proper parts.

Bob

[Centurion]

The prices that your dealer quoted you sound about right to me. I think people need to make a value decision for themselves on the relative value of technician time and labor and decide what is right for them. For me, technician experience and expertise is worth the price as well as the price of my time not spent trying to do the same job which is beyond my abilities. Dealerships are businesses and these people have to pay their employees and for the facilities. I love my dealership ( Renos in south Kansas City, Mo) and will pay for their service when needed but that is my decision. Others are ready and willing to perform almost all labor and trust their own expertise-good for them.


As I side note, my dealer would not mount the dongle in the trunk since the BRP specifications show it mounted in the frunk. However, I do not find the forward location inconvenient.

[finless]

The prices that your dealer quoted you sound about right to me. I think people need to make a value decision for themselves on the relative value of technician time and labor and decide what is right for them. For me, technician experience and expertise is worth the price as well as the price of my time not spent trying to do the same job which is beyond my abilities. Dealerships are businesses and these people have to pay their employees and for the facilities. I love my dealership ( Renos in south Kansas City, Mo) and will pay for their service when needed but that is my decision. Others are ready and willing to perform almost all labor and trust their own expertise-good for them.


As I side note, my dealer would not mount the dongle in the trunk since the BRP specifications show it mounted in the frunk. However, I do not find the forward location inconvenient.


All fine and good if you cannot do it yourself.

But for me NO WAY was I going to pay the markup that BRP adds to an Off-The-Shelf Sena SM10 ($110 or less).
And please don't say it's because of the cable. Its 5 wires, one connector and two cables which costs all of $20 retail (let alone what BRP probably gets them for which is at least 1/2 that but probably even less).

I wont argue dealer labor costs at all. I understand that. But if BRP made the cost of the BT kit reasonable then it would be a far easier nut to swallow. Alas that is not the case.

All said and done as the OP stated.
Just to get this installed is going to cost:
$259 for the BRP kit (RIP OFF)
2.5 hours at $99 = $248
Total = $507 not including tax

So really to get media streaming to BT helmets is $507+ :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

Come on... I am sorry but that is hard to justify!

Bob

[PaladinLV]

So really to get media streaming to BT helmets is $507+ :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

Come on... I am sorry but that is hard to justify!

Bob

But another way to look at it, Bob - about HALF the cost of a CB and wired headset which even less reliable :rolleyes:

AJ

[finless]

But another way to look at it, Bob - about HALF the cost of a CB and wired headset which even less reliable :rolleyes:

AJ

Agreed!

Bob

[ThreeWheels]

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking.

If you are buying the BRP setup as part of your original purchase and installation out of the crate, that price seems a bit high.

If your Spyder is already built and on the road, then the price seems fair.

You can save some money if you buy the SENA equipment and get a Finless cable.

In my own opinion, unless you have the same skill set as Finless, it's better to go with the BRP setup, that way you have one stop shopping and one finger blaming, but it's better if you can negotiate the price as part of the original deal.

Also, the difference in price between the BRP setup and the SENA setup seems small when purchasing the Spyder in toto. The price difference looms large when just purchasing the dongle.

I had quite a few problems with dropouts when I first purchased the Spyder in late 2014. After I became a little more familiar with the bluetooth equipment, again thanks to Finless, I found that the BRP supplied hardware came with outdated firmware. I updated the firmware and it's been trouble free since.

[satownsendsr]

ThreeWheels, how did you update the firmware? I had my dealer install the BT Dongle on my RT Limited and it is located in the Frunk.

[ThreeWheels]

ThreeWheels, how did you update the firmware? I had my dealer install the BT Dongle on my RT Limited and it is located in the Frunk.

If I recall correctly the firmware update was for the SMH-10 headsets, as well as the SM-10 dongle, nevertheless the procedure is the same.
You'll have to remove the dongle to take it out of the frunk to connect it to a computer. It comes out very easily.

Go to the SENA website. http://www.sena.com/

You need to first register on the site. Once registered, go to this address:

http://www.sena.com/support/software/sena-device-manager/

Download the software appropriate to your computer, either Windows or Mac.

Follow the installation instructions.
You plug your SENA device into your computer using the supplied mini usb cable. The software detects your SENA product and then updates the firmware.
Do this for the dongle and the headsets.
Once all the devices are updated, you'll need to repair the headsets to each other and the dongle, as well as your phone or other bluetooth device.

I hope this is helpful.

[billybovine]

Word of warning please.

MANY that got the stock BRP SM10 setup have had issue. Search here to see.
Constant disconnects and noise issues. This is due to it being mounted in the front trunk.

If you go with the BRP kit, have your dealer mount the SM10 in the rear trunk instead. It just works better there and is easier to manipulate.

Now as a side note and I am not sure why others have not told you this. The SM10 itself is about $110. You can make a cable for about $20. Installation in the trunk is easy and no side panels are removed. Yes you will drill a hole.

See my post all about doing this yourself here:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?54867-Sena-quot-stock-quot-SM10-wiring-to-the-BRP-radio-Make-your-own-Dongle!

Please take the time to go through the entire post as my video is now old and it is far easier to make the cable with the proper parts.

Bob

Bob, how did you know the OP has a rear trunk?

[finless]

Bob, how did you know the OP has a rear trunk?

Ha! I guess I have RT stuck in my head. I forget that the ST has the same radio.

Bob

[HIspyder]

All fine and good if you cannot do it yourself.

But for me NO WAY was I going to pay the markup that BRP adds to an Off-The-Shelf Sena SM10 ($110 or less).
And please don't say it's because of the cable. Its 5 wires, one connector and two cables which costs all of $20 retail (let alone what BRP probably gets them for which is at least 1/2 that but probably even less).

I wont argue dealer labor costs at all. I understand that. But if BRP made the cost of the BT kit reasonable then it would be a far easier nut to swallow. Alas that is not the case.

All said and done as the OP stated.
Just to get this installed is going to cost:
$259 for the BRP kit (RIP OFF)
2.5 hours at $99 = $248
Total = $507 not including tax

So really to get media streaming to BT helmets is $507+ :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

Come on... I am sorry but that is hard to justify!

Bob

I completely agree the kit from BRP is over priced, as are most of their accessories. So I camped out on eBay and sniped one for under $150.00, complete factory kit.

Now all I need is a Spyder to put it in. :) May 15th! :yes: