Dealer Rip-off?

[ARtraveler]

I am coming up on 14,500 miles on my 2011 RT-S and will take it to my dealer for the checkup. I read some paid $800-$900 for a valve check. But did they really need it? Have any of you skipped the 14K valve check? Just wondering. My RT runs like a hose and I kinda hate to have someone fool with the valves....??

My advice, save your money Big Red. I did a valve check on my 2008 at 14,000 miles--no adjustments needed. I waited until 28,000 miles and did one on my 2010--no adjustments needed. I am out $1,500 bucks IMO. I plan on doing none on my 2011 which has just reached 15,000 miles. The 2014 is a no valve adjustments needed machine. If you machine is making noises--then have it checked out--if not--save your money--IMO.

[Mr. White]

My advice, save your money Big Red. I did a valve check on my 2008 at 14,000 miles--no adjustments needed. I waited until 28,000 miles and did one on my 2010--no adjustments needed. I am out $1,500 bucks IMO. I plan on doing none on my 2011 which has just reached 15,000 miles. The 2014 is a no valve adjustments needed machine. If you machine is making noises--then have it checked out--if not--save your money--IMO.

Thanks. It seems I read your thoughts earlier on your 2008 and 10. My engine is quite and running well. I think I shall take your advice and wait. I can use the money for my 82nd birthday in a couple of weeks...ha ha Best Regards.

[Oldtimer51]

I believe the 2014's and up and all the 3 cylinder engines have hydraulic lifters so the valves are not adjustable. Some dealers come with all kind of stuff to make a quick buck. I am glad I have tools and I am not affraid to get dirty and enjoy doing most of the simple stuff. I change my oils and it is very cheap with parts ordered on line or now purchased at cyclegear.com

[ARtraveler]

Yes, the 1330 three cylinder engines no longer require valve adjustment maintenance. The oil changes have also been adjusted.

No 600 mile break in service. First oil change at 3,500 miles and then, every 9,500 OR once a year, whichever comes first.

[japgen]

I know this won't make anyone on this forum feel better, but I came to my 2020 Spyder after 3 BMW's, and so I'm numb to the high cost of maintaining these toys. The kicker was that the nearest BMW dealer was 2 1/2 hours away, which made every service visit a full day affair. At least now I have two Spyder dealers much closer.

[trikermutha]

Hate to tell you but everything is expensive to maintain.

[trong]

Toys vs Essentials.
I'm sure all the Can-am dealerships read these complaints and laugh all the way to the bank. The problem is these Spyders are consider toys to most people and dealers know that so they charge for services at unreasonable rates. Any of you who own boats any personal watercrafts would have similar stories to tell. We purchased two Yamaha Waverunners last year and I asked their service guy about the first service - after first 10 hours, he told me it will be $300 per unit. What do they do? Change the oil and filter, check the steering linkage and make sure everything works the way it should. There is not a whole lot of moving parts on a Waverunner except for the engine, no plastic panels to remove, no coolant to check. It's highway robbery consider oil change kit from Yamaha is $35, 4 quarts of oil and a filter.
I was told that an oil change for my 2013 RTL is $200, I was about to fall backward, an oil change kit for Spyder is $80, synthetic blend not full synthetic. Oil change on my '14 BMW 750Li, with V8 and twin-turbo using 10 liters of synthetic oil, is $150 at a BMW dealer, basically they charge $35 for labor including a car wash.
I have a friend who bring her Honda Accord to the dealer where she purchased the car for oil changes, they charge her $30 each oil change for years and every so often they just give her an oil change for free.
Cheers.

[Peter Aawen]

......
I have a friend who bring her Honda Accord to the dealer where she purchased the car for oil changes, they charge her $30 each oil change for years and every so often they just give her an oil change for free.
Cheers.

And surprisingly to some (like BRP & many Can-Am dealers) I bet she religiously goes to that dealer for all the scheduled oil changes on her Accord; probably for all the bigger (more expensive) services too; heck, she probably even gets them to supply & fit whatever new tires they think best for her/her car/her usage, which they do as & when necessary, choosing the best tire they can that's available at a reasonable cost!! And what's more, she probably doesn't ever have a bad word to say or complain about them; she likely tells everyone she knows/whoever asks that they are the absolute best people to deal with; and she's probably not even going to consider for a single moment going to any other dealer when she next decides to upgrade, and she'll probably get a pretty good if not top notch trade-in value on her old car too, cos that dealer KNOWS it's been well maintained and looked after!

Do you ever wonder how many people have that sort of loyalty & ongoing relationship with their Can-Am dealers? Or that sort of loyalty to & confidence in BRP? I certainly don't think it's a great proportion of the Spyder/Ryker owners out there or the overall customer base of many dealers &/or BRP's Spyder/Ryker division, cos that sort of customer trust, confidence, and loyalty is based upon one thing that BRP & many of the Can-Am dealers out there seem to be severely lacking - it's called A CUSTOMER SERVICE ETHIC that over-rides their pure thirst (or maybe greed is a better word? ) for making the largest amount of profit they can NOW at their customer's expense.... And they do that instead of developing & growing their business by working with and looking after their customers rather than putting short term profit first; and so getting ALL their customer's repeat business and developing & nurturing that long term loyalty that would improve their market share over time and very likely bring in more profit over time than they'd ever get out of the few services &/or accessories etc that they currently squeeze out of relucant customers before they drive many/any of those customers capable of going elsewhere away!

But maybe that's just me getting older & more cynical with time.... Oh, hang on, I still have that decades long relationship with my car dealer, been dealing with them for over 50 years now, & my parents were dealing with them long before that! I will admit that I have every now & then I've done a 'due diligance' check on servicing &/or new car prices from other places, but invariably, MY car dealer comes out on top by a fairly good percentage on the initial cost, and an even greater percentage over the life of each vehicle! So why would I go elsewhere, I trust them, and they know that whilever they look after me & my family, not only will we tell everyone how great they are, but I'll be back, my brothers & sister will be back, my kids will be back, and in time, it's highly likely that my kids kids will be back! Amazing thing, this Customer Service Ethic & the two way Loyalty it engenders, isn't it?!?

[Mikey]

Not to mention that this post started back in 2014 and the price of shop work is even more now!!!

[Peacekeeper6]

[sarcasm on]

What ?!

A dealership that overcharges and rips people off ?!?!

SAY IT ISN'T SO !!!!

[sarcasm off]

[canamjhb]

I think Peter's comments are spot-on. There is a large dealership here that carries BRP products along with just about everything else. A few years ago I took my Spyder in for belt alignment and adjustment. They screwed it up royally. Had it hard up against the flange and way too tight. I took it back to have them fix THEIR screw-up. They fiddled with it a little and said that was the best they could do. They told me they had seen a lot of Spyders with belts riding against the flange and it was normal...... That's when I received guidance from the good people on this forum. I learned to do a lot of my own work including PROPER belt alignment and tension adjustment. Do you think that dealer would refund my money after screwing up my bike? NOOOOO!!!! Do you think I will EVER set foot in that dealership again? NOOOOOO!!! Do you think I will tell everyone interested about the poor and incompetent treatment from that dealership? YOU BET I WILL and I DO!!!!! Jim

[fatboy]

ask what you all happens when they do a service then ask what you get for just an oil change

[GOZFST]

I think Peter's comments are spot-on. There is a large dealership here that carries BRP products along with just about everything else. A few years ago I took my Spyder in for belt alignment and adjustment. They screwed it up royally. Had it hard up against the flange and way too tight. I took it back to have them fix THEIR screw-up. They fiddled with it a little and said that was the best they could do. They told me they had seen a lot of Spyders with belts riding against the flange and it was normal...... That's when I received guidance from the good people on this forum. I learned to do a lot of my own work including PROPER belt alignment and tension adjustment. Do you think that dealer would refund my money after screwing up my bike? NOOOOO!!!! Do you think I will EVER set foot in that dealership again? NOOOOOO!!! Do you think I will tell everyone interested about the poor and incompetent treatment from that dealership? YOU BET I WILL and I DO!!!!! Jim

So who was the dealer?

[canamjhb]

So who was the dealer?

Biggest dealer in Arizona for BRP. And if you want to Ride Now, don't trust them to have your bike in good riding condition. I found Nash Motorsports to be better and their Spyder mechanic, Josh, is knowledgable but scheduling any work is an exercise in patience..... Jim

[Steve W.]

... A CUSTOMER SERVICE ETHIC

You keep hearing the word "service" tossed around. "Customer Service." "Internal Revenue Service." And so on. Very puzzling.

I heard one guy say that he was raised on a cattle farm. His dad would contact the farmer down the road to bring his bull over to service the cows. THEN it all made sense.

.

[Peter Aawen]

You keep hearing the word "service" tossed around. "Customer Service." "Internal Revenue Service." And so on. Very puzzling.

I heard one guy say that he was raised on a cattle farm. His dad would contact the farmer down the road to bring his bull over to service the cows. THEN it all made sense.

.

Adds a whole new level of understanding & meaning to 'Interal Revenue Service', doesn't it?!?

There again....

'Service' definition:
noun

1.

the action of helping or doing work for someone.

'"millions are involved in voluntary service"

.......snip........

verb

1.

perform routine maintenance or repair work on (a vehicle or machine).

"ensure that gas appliances are serviced regularly"

2.

(of a male animal) mate with (a female animal).

"one dog could presumably service several bitches in a day"

OR...

Phrase 'Customer Service' definition:

Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during, and after a purchase.




But you are right Steve. Altho I do find it is often very revealing by what a person reads into whatever someone else has written - frequently far more revealing about the 'reader' than it is about the 'writer'!