Click Click, will not start! still after 90 days!

[JoeUpchurch]

Are there any electrical engineers out here? On May 28th I got the "click click click - won't start" from my 2012 Spyder RT LTD and thus began three months of not being able to use my machine and still today it's in the dealer's shop awaiting a starter. Now they say after a new battery and newly tightened ground wires that there is a "bad spot" in the starter which causes it to start sometimes for no good reason and to fail most times because of this "bad spot".

My question is "Is there no way to diagnose a starter's "bad spot" other than to wait three months to exhaust every other possibility?" In your opinion, would a smart mechanic take the starter to his bench and energize it sufficient times to duplicate this behavior?

Sick of sitting at home when I should be out enjoying my Spyder.

Your opinion will be appreciated - maybe change mechanics - dealer?

Thanks,

Joe Upchurch

[Chupaca]

techs no longer repair things. If they pulled the starter apart they could find that the magnets become loose and need to be recememted. There are ways to check the rest if not the case. Now getting a new one, if not warranty, go to cheapcycleparts.com and get one. If warranty your stuck with dealers capabilities and brp's availabilities. Parts is a major problem...good luck..!!

[Bob Denman]

THREE Months???
I'd have camped on their doorstep until they got tired of tripping over me, and just put a new starter on the bike!

[Eagle1]

Three months is ridiculous, they could have put in a different battery to test the starter or as you said bench test it. I think I would be looking for a different dealer.

[spydaman60]

Three months is ridiculous, they could have put in a different battery to test the starter or as you said bench test it. I think I would be looking for a different dealer.

i know i'd be looking for a different dealer!!!

[ARtraveler]

It looks like mechanic issues, rather than mechanical issues to me.

[jcthorne]

Unfortunately, it seems most Spyder dealer service departments ARE this bad. There are good ones, but neither I nor the OP have one.

NO, this should not have had your Spyder out of service for 3 MONTHS. Your dealers service department should have figured it out long ago and had you on the road. Its quite obvious they do not CARE. You need to take the bike else where or get more actively involved with the process to get things moving. If you wait patiently, you will keep waiting.

[Dgjason]

[QUOTE=jcthorne;874747]Unfortunately, it seems most Spyder dealer service departments ARE this bad. There are good ones, but neither I nor the OP have one.

JC, have you found any good dealers in our area ?

[Bob Denman]

I like the Graphcs on your bike... How about some more pics?

[Seadog1]

Seems as if very few shops have a good service person on staff. Anyone should be able to rebuild a starter. Most are barely able to swap out a part.

[jerpinoy]

How many miles do you have on your spyder?

[Chief-J]

You need to write or call BRP, and let them know what's going on. Many times BRP is not aware of the problems we are have with their product, or how some of these "service centers" are. The only way (sometimes) is to go to the top.

Good luck

[jcthorne]

[QUOTE=Dgjason;874752]

Unfortunately, it seems most Spyder dealer service departments ARE this bad. There are good ones, but neither I nor the OP have one.

JC, have you found any good dealers in our area ?

NO

[JoeUpchurch]

Last Friday Can-Am agreed to warranty the starter and Columbia Powersports (Chris) got it and installed it this morning - After all this they even comped the $50.00 Best PLUSS warranty deductible. The new starter sounds quite different - seems to have more authority and I appreciate everything Chris and his crew did to finally get me back in the wind. I trailered it home; so the real test will come after multiple rides in the next day or two. I hope I don't have to call on my BEST PLUSS towing provision to get it to the dealer again. Stay tuned, no news will be good news.

I hope for everyone's sake that this is not indicative of warranty repairs or the time it takes to effect one if you have starter problems.

Thanks to everyone for their comments, encouragement, suggestions, etc during this process.

Sincerely,

Joe Upchurch

[ARtraveler]

Thank you for the update. to having the problem solved now.

[Joe Upchurch]

Are there any electrical engineers out here? On May 28th I got the "click click click - won't start" from my 2012 Spyder RT LTD and thus began three months of not being able to use my machine and still today it's in the dealer's shop awaiting a starter. Now they say after a new battery and newly tightened ground wires that there is a "bad spot" in the starter which causes it to start sometimes for no good reason and to fail most times because of this "bad spot".

My question is "Is there no way to diagnose a starter's "bad spot" other than to wait three months to exhaust every other possibility?" In your opinion, would a smart mechanic take the starter to his bench and energize it sufficient times to duplicate this behavior?

Sick of sitting at home when I should be out enjoying my Spyder.

Your opinion will be appreciated - maybe change mechanics - dealer?

Thanks,

Joe Upchurch

Can you believe it - this (my) Spyder is unreliable - what to do? Dealer says bring it back in tomorrow - will call BEST PLUSS again and let them tow it in again.

[Bob Denman]

I think that there is more about this; that points to the dealer, as the problem...

[Marker]

Time for your dealer to get a new mechanic or you to find a new dealer.
If the tech was any good he know how to test the starter for bad spot.

[Magdave]

Actually I have gotten many reports that Columbia PS IS a good dealer so I find this strange. Time for BRP to step up to the plate here and get one of their techs to stop in and check this bike. Are you listening BRP Cares Steve? You sure popped up fast enough on the 2015 RT thread how about a little help for this owner? That is why you are here isn't it? Or is it just to tell us the 2015 will have paint on it?

[Joe Upchurch]

Are there any electrical engineers out here? On May 28th I got the "click click click - won't start" from my 2012 Spyder RT LTD and thus began three months of not being able to use my machine and still today it's in the dealer's shop awaiting a starter. Now they say after a new battery and newly tightened ground wires that there is a "bad spot" in the starter which causes it to start sometimes for no good reason and to fail most times because of this "bad spot".

My question is "Is there no way to diagnose a starter's "bad spot" other than to wait three months to exhaust every other possibility?" In your opinion, would a smart mechanic take the starter to his bench and energize it sufficient times to duplicate this behavior?

Sick of sitting at home when I should be out enjoying my Spyder.

Your opinion will be appreciated - maybe change mechanics - dealer?

Thanks,

Joe Upchurch

After new battery, new starter, tightened all grounds, new brake switch and three tows to dealer have begun to leave it in neutral before turning the switch off - the few times I've forgotten and left it in first gear it has started after pressing the brake to make it shift into neutral. I think it has quit failing to start in first gear but I will continue to try to remember to shift into neutral when shutting it down just to be on the safe side of another tow.

[Joe Upchurch]

After new battery, new starter, tightened all grounds, new brake switch and three tows to dealer have begun to leave it in neutral before turning the switch off - the few times I've forgotten and left it in first gear it has started after pressing the brake to make it shift into neutral. I think it has quit failing to start in first gear but I will continue to try to remember to shift into neutral when shutting it down just to be on the safe side of another tow.

As as much as I hate the fact that this "failure to start" problem has kept my 2012 RT ltd in and out of the shop for more than three months, I have to give the people at Columbia PowerSports on Two Notch my thanks for getting me back to being able to depend upon my Spyder as being reliable.