Another DSS FAIL thread

[sscheuer47]

I added another thread because of what I found out yesterday at the dealership about the DESS FAIL warning I have been getting on the 2014 RT ever since I first locked the bars on the bike two weeks ago. No issues with electrical prior.
The bike went in for the 3000 mile check yesterday. The service writer says that there is nothing wrong with the DESS. They also saw the failure while trouble shooting and the tests of the system were good and he said that there is alot of chatter on BRP maintenance forum that they are seeing alot of these because of 'after market horns and lights' being added to the bike which causes a 'frequency' problem with the DESS and that is why it is intermittant AND the fact that this problem started after the first time I locked the bars had nothing to do with it. They reset the codes and that is all.

This is the only electrical issue with this bike so far.

I had a third party add the led lights and mudflap lights to the front fenders and they blick with the l & R turn and at the same time they also added the third brakelight and flashers on the rear. I have added an aux power source that supplies power to usb and 12v outlets. The two usb's provide power to a camera front and rear and a outlet direct to battery supplies power to the GPS. According to this dealership I am at fault for this issue and because of the aftermarket adds well, how do you argue that?

I believe that the locking of the bars was the cause because the DESS will not allow start after that. I will not lock again until this is resolved. Perhaps that will solve the fail issue since the fault has been reset. The fender lights are all wired directly to the bike existing wiring. Also the horn. He mentioned the horn several times. The FZ-1 Fuze block that I am using also has a switched source.

The wifes RTL has the horn and 3rd brake light and we locked hers at the same time as mine but no problem with it so the problem could be with the fender lights on the RT. Who knows, but I will start there. All lights are working wonderfully. No problems at all.

I have not read anywhere that aftermarket has been causing electrical problems with the RT. If known, I would have insisted that all wiring go through the FZ-1 or another aux source. Anyone familiar with the maintenance BRP forum and this issue?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Except for the Horn ( of course )......are all your lights LED's ............if so I'm not having a warm and fuzzy feeling about your Dealer / tech person......I have LED'ed the cr*p out of my 14 RT and none of it is purpose bought after-market for the Spyder......It's all home done DIY......and so far I have had no electrical or computer issues .............Do you think They may be trying to lay the blame somewhere other than themselves ???????.................Good Luck....Mike

[ARtraveler]

Thank you for the update. This gives those with the DSS issue more information to check out. Electronic bugs are the worst things to find.

[Roadster Renovations]

Wondering if it's an ignition issue. Wasn't there a recall last year on some of those? I know they checked mine to see if t needed replaced when we bought it.

[JayBros]

There was a notice, with VINs, regarding the ignition key problem I asked about it as part of my purchase and was shown the list that did not include my Spyder. Don't recall the exact problem though.

[namknight]

From my prior DESS thread. Let it be known through out the land that I have no aftermarket or Can Am Electric gizmos on my machine. It is still in the shop.

[ulflyer]

I have a fairly early '14 and it started flashing the fault code so they replaced my ignition and that solved the problem. This was early last year.

[sscheuer47]

Key switch replaced prior to delivery.
After clearing codes by maintenance, have not received any errors during ride home or the many times the power has been turned on in the garage.

[BaldEagle]

I had the DESS orange screen on my 2014 RTL right at 3000 mi. Have my ride LED'd to the max just like the 2012 I traded for it. Took it to dealer and service writer told me there is a bulletin on this and was authorized to replace the DESS module. No issues since. And they didn't even have to reprogram the keys. Sounds like the dealer might be searching for a reason to blame it on you. Using ambiguous "chatter" as a fall back position....forget the chatter, ask about the bulletin.

I added another thread because of what I found out yesterday at the dealership about the DESS FAIL warning I have been getting on the 2014 RT ever since I first locked the bars on the bike two weeks ago. No issues with electrical prior.
The bike went in for the 3000 mile check yesterday. The service writer says that there is nothing wrong with the DESS. They also saw the failure while trouble shooting and the tests of the system were good and he said that there is alot of chatter on BRP maintenance forum that they are seeing alot of these because of 'after market horns and lights' being added to the bike which causes a 'frequency' problem with the DESS and that is why it is intermittant AND the fact that this problem started after the first time I locked the bars had nothing to do with it. They reset the codes and that is all.

This is the only electrical issue with this bike so far.

I had a third party add the led lights and mudflap lights to the front fenders and they blick with the l & R turn and at the same time they also added the third brakelight and flashers on the rear. I have added an aux power source that supplies power to usb and 12v outlets. The two usb's provide power to a camera front and rear and a outlet direct to battery supplies power to the GPS. According to this dealership I am at fault for this issue and because of the aftermarket adds well, how do you argue that?

I believe that the locking of the bars was the cause because the DESS will not allow start after that. I will not lock again until this is resolved. Perhaps that will solve the fail issue since the fault has been reset. The fender lights are all wired directly to the bike existing wiring. Also the horn. He mentioned the horn several times. The FZ-1 Fuze block that I am using also has a switched source.

The wifes RTL has the horn and 3rd brake light and we locked hers at the same time as mine but no problem with it so the problem could be with the fender lights on the RT. Who knows, but I will start there. All lights are working wonderfully. No problems at all.

I have not read anywhere that aftermarket has been causing electrical problems with the RT. If known, I would have insisted that all wiring go through the FZ-1 or another aux source. Anyone familiar with the maintenance BRP forum and this issue?

[JimFoy]

Last week, after 9k miles, I had the DESS problem on my early 2014 RT Ltd. The dealer found a bulletin on the problem, and replaced the DESS under warrantee.

FYI, i found that I could get around the DESS error code (and the failure to start) by rapidly switching the key off then back on.

[ZWolf-2011]

Howdy,

DESS failure! Wow that sucks, I know cause mine did it to me yesterday while I was out on the road having a good time. Stopped at a Buc-ee's in Waller and went to start and this term DESS popped up on my screen. I had stopped a number of times that day and no issues, before getting this message. My RT is fully stocked, nothing changed on it since I got it Feb 2014. So the dealership cannot tell me a caused the problem.

I tried to get it started many time but that darn massage kept popping up. So on to the next step, calling the BRP road side assistant program that I am a member of. Since we started with the BRP RSAP at 3pm, they said they are sending a certified wrecker to pick up my Spyder. At 6pm I got a wrecker with a trailer to pick up the RT, the trailer was for a bike with two wheels, and the trailer was just 7.5 feet long! I asked why such a small trailer, I was told that BRP RSAP said they need to pick up a bike. For an extra $120 they could go back and get a bigger trailer, and I told them to forget it. It was already an extra $86 over the $200 from BRP RSAP to take the RT to the house, 21 miles away.

I had to call back to BRP RSAP to get another wrecker and I asked do you not make sure that the wrecker companies that you call can pick up a CanAm Spyder, they didn't seem to know much.

I asked them if BRP made any 2 wheel bikes, they didn't seem to know, but I didn't think they made any 2 wheelers. They had no answer. Does BRP RSAP know much about the product they support? Doesn't seem like it.

So, on the search for another wrecker to pick my Spyder up, finally 7pm, we have a wrecker on it's way! 7:30pm, I saw that It was a flat bed this time! Loaded up the Spyder, and got it home. Now tomorrow to call up the dealership for a DESS error fix!

Allan

Can Am Spyder RT 2014 with 5800 miles on it.
Cypress TX
ZWolf.TX

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[SpyderAnn01]

Allan, I think they use a call center for the Roadside Assistance and, you are right, they don't have a clue as to what a Spyder is. I had the same experience a couple of years ago but in my case the wrecker driver that they called knew what a Spyder was and he called me to see if I had 2 or 3 wheels. I always tell folks when they call BRP or any roadside assistance to make sure that they know that you have a 3 wheeled Spyder and not a regular motorcycle.

Please let us know what your dealer finds with your DESS issue.

[sscheuer47]

After several weeks I had the DESS key fail, again. checked with the three buttons and P something. Great, Out with a group of Spyder riders and after a break for lunch, this error. I was able to start after several attempts. I also saw P0000.
Took it to another dealer and wouldn't you know it, no code in the computer and they could not duplicate. Great. An intermittent problem not leaving a trail. I tried to get the error by locking the bars numerous times before I left but nothing. On the way home, stop for gas and restart and Dess key fail warning, jiggle key and starts. This even with The FZ1 disconected and the OEM horn reinstalled.
So one dealer blames the assesories I have added and the other can't do anything until the computer shows a code.
After reading the recent thread about the check engine when blowing a aftermarket horn I am beginning to believe I have two problems. A weak DESS module and inteference into the CAN BUS system.

[ulflyer]

Tech put it on BUDS this morning and no faults showed. He said some outlets near the ignition switch could cause this but since I didn't have any, he cleared the codes on both keys and
reinitialized them. These are my words not his, but you get the idea. Tech said if it happens again he'll call BRP to see what needs to be done.

While there, my previous Viper Red '11 Rt that I traded for the '14 rolled in. New owner had only put 3K miles on it. Love that color and was tempted to trade with him.

[ulflyer]

Came out of restaurant last tuesday and it acted up big time.
Called BRP Towing and while holding on the phone to hear about the tow truck, it started, so canceled tow and rode it up to
Winston Salem. They took it right in and said they would order
a new ignition system.

A friend on his RT was with me and rode me home. Meanwhile,
I'm riding my Yam Majesty 400 scooter that I bought last saturday, and enjoying it way too much!

[JayBros]

Meanwhile, I'm riding my Yam Majesty 400 scooter that I bought last saturday, and enjoying it way too much!

Wow, Ted! Loving the scoot, you'll be back in the air again soon!

[sscheuer47]

The computer finally started to leave a trail of error code and was able to get my 'Miss Pearl' into Apache Motorcycles Mesa for service last week. They were able to see the error screen and knew right away what the problem was. They started a BRP ticket and replaced the DESS module. It only took four days to get the part. They knew we are leaving this week for Spyder Fest so they began working on the bike as soon as the part arrived. Thank you to their whole team and BRP. Apache will continue to get our two Spyders for service and I encourge anyone in the Arizona area to call them for service.

Tomorrow we leave for Missouri.