IS THE DEALER RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR?

[belowme29]

:agree: . . . it didn't "just fall off" . . . and, had the mechanic been aware of the propensity for that part to fail, which he should have been, he should have taken precautions . . . this is on the dealer.

I agree that it didn't just fall off, and that the mechanic may have been a little rough on it. But one has to think that if he had not been too rough on it, to the point that it failed - would this have happened when the Spyder was on the road and it could have left the rider stranded on some back road? Just a thought. The shop should know if that particular mechanic is hard on his repairs, they should limit him to filling out paperwork - but I guarantee that the shop will not want to own up to it.

Good luck.

 

[bruiser]

When I was working, our company covered damage done by the service reps. Granted, the charge came out of the reps bottom line, but it was covered. Another aspect, we had our car in for service at the dealership. The mechanic caused some minor damage to the left rear quarter panel while driving off the lift. They brought it to my attention and repaired the damage at their cost.

Bottom line... if it's the mechanics fault, the shop needs to repair it. regardless of warranty.

 

[2Paw]

I don't see any statement anywhere in here where you actually stated you asked the dealer to take care of it. If you didn't, maybe you should and then go from there. Never hurts to ask, if they say no your no worse off that you were if didn't ask.

 

[bikeguy]

Just my opinion. It doesn't sound to me like the mechanic actually did anything wrong even though it may have been better to drain the radiator by pulling the lower hose off. Mechanics don't always have time to read every service bulletin especially in multi-brand dealerships where there may be a jillion of them. Neither will they spend a lot of time reading Spyderlovers like many of us do. I'm often more aware of things going on with Spyders than either the mechanics or the service writer at my dealership and I have often asked them to check certain things before they work on mine. They are always happy to do so and thank me for letting them know about things that they haven't had time to keep up on. I really don't think it's fair to think that every mechanic who works on Spyders should have known about the drain plug issue.

Having said all that, if I were the dealer, I would want to try to keep the customer happy and my offer would be to replace the radiator at dealer cost. Basically, this would mean splitting the difference with the customer or replacing it at half price. In my opinion, that would be a fair resolution for both parties.

Cotton

 

[Bob Denman]

Mechanics don't always have time to read every service bulletin especially in multi-brand dealerships where there may be a jillion of them.
Cotton

:shocked::hun:
It's part of their job responsibility to know how to work on the bikes that are brought to them...
Make the time; or go to work at McLunches...

 

[bikeguy]

:shocked::hun:
It's part of their job responsibility to know how to work on the bikes that are brought to them...
Make the time; or go to work at McLunches...

Most GOOD mechanics work, at least to some degree, on commission. If they took the time to read ALL the service bulletins that come out, they would make more money working at McLunches. Let alone the fact that their bosses would fire them because they were reading instead of working. They know how to work on the bikes that are brought to them but that doesn't mean that they know every single quirk or the fact that a radiator drain may come apart because of a delayed factory defect. It's unrealistic to expect. It's more realistic to expect that Can-Am (BRP) would step up and replace it but we know that won't happen because there has to be a limit as to how long any manufacturer can continue to replace failed pieces.

Let's just say that a dealer sells and services 4 different brands (most have more in my experience). And let's say that each brand has 10 different models (again, most have more including Can-Am when you count 4-wheelers, side by sides, snow machines, boats, etc.). That would be 40 different models (and that's not counting year model changes). How many service bulletins would a mechanic be able to stay up with? Or a service writer? In my opinion, it's just unrealistic to expect. Again, I think a fair resolution would be for the dealer to split the cost with the customer.

Cotton

 

[bluestratos]

Has BRP acknowledged this problem and changed the procedures for draining the rad? If not, the mechanic would follow the procedure per the book and I could not hold him/her accountable. If there is a bulletin from BRP advising that removing the drain plug is no longer the correct procedure than the dealer would be responsible. Basically, the dealer should follow the correct procedures and if the rad drain plug fails (it is the female side that comes loose or breaks away) the issue would be with BRP, not the dealer. If the dealers mechanic was aware of the propensity for this part to fail then yes, the customer should have been contacted prior to the work being undertaken.

 

[ARtraveler]

I would suggest trying to work out a compromise with the servicing dealer. The damage has been done and needs to be repaired regardless. :thumbup:

 

[SpyRyd]

I cannot understand why anyone would think the customer should pay for something the tech broke! It is the dealers responsibility to fix/repair, not break. If they break something even while following procedures they are still responsible to make it right. The dealer could always go back to BRP for reimbursement if they felt the part was defective or the procedures were wrong but in no way should the customer be charged.

What at am I missing here...?

 

[bikeguy]

I cannot understand why anyone would think the customer should pay for something the tech broke! It is the dealers responsibility to fix/repair, not break. If they break something even while following procedures they are still responsible to make it right. The dealer could always go back to BRP for reimbursement if they felt the part was defective or the procedures were wrong but in no way should the customer be charged.

What at am I missing here...?

Sorry, but I have to disagree. I don't think the dealer is always responsible to fix something that breaks even when they follow correct procedures.

Let's suppose that I change the oil in my Spyder, pickup, wife's Taurus, whatever. In replacing the drain plug I manage to cross-thread it. I go ahead and tighten it up cross-threaded and everything is fine. Chances are there will not be a leak and if there is it will be pretty small. But I know that when I remove the drain plug, the threads will be stripped and if I put it back I will have a significant leak. What do I do? Simple, I just take it to the dealer for my next oil change and when the mechanic removes the stripped plug, it's his fault and my dealer pays to fix it. We all know that would not be right. This may not be a perfect analogy but from the mechanic's viewpoint it is. In either case, the mechanic did nothing wrong. The problem was caused in BRP's manufacturing process but, as I've said before, there is a limit to how long BRP or any manufacturer should be held responsible for failed pieces. And that limit is usually restricted to the warranty period.

Cotton

 

[rcturner]

Seeing as this is a known problem, has anyone asked BRP if they will pay for all or some of it ? Maybe they will surprise everybody and step up on this one.

 

[jcthorne]

I cannot understand why anyone would think the customer should pay for something the tech broke! It is the dealers responsibility to fix/repair, not break. If they break something even while following procedures they are still responsible to make it right. The dealer could always go back to BRP for reimbursement if they felt the part was defective or the procedures were wrong but in no way should the customer be charged.

What at am I missing here...?

You are missing that the radiator was defective. IT WAS ALREADY BROKE, it just became apparent during the service. No difference than if they are doing a tune up and discover you need new wires in addition to the spark plugs you anticipated. Even if they were working before the service, disturbing them made the defect apparent. Same is true for the radiator drain fitting.

 

[SpyRyd]

Sorry Bikeguy and Jcthorne...don't buy your arguments. Guess I'll leave this as "agreeing to disagree". I will say I would refuse to pay for something that the dealer broke following procedures or not. I don't think the OP's radiator was broken when he took his bike to the dealer. Had he not taken it to the dealer to have the coolant replaced his radiator would probably still be functioning as designed. Had the tech known about the issues with removing the drain plug and had instead removed the hose to drain the radiator, the OP's radiator would not have been "broken" and he wouldn't be out the $$$$ he was charged for a new radiator.

This is is one of those situations where everyone has an opinion and I respect each and every one posted...just don't necessarily agree with some of them .

 

[Rd_Runner]

Repair the radiator?

​The dealer was doing service on my 2010 RT. I do not have any factory warranty left. The mechanic was changing my coolant in the radiator and when he tried to remove drain plug he said it just fell of:duh: I would think that a Can Am mechanic would know about this problem. Anyway, do you think the dealer is responsible for the repair of the radiator?

Having read through all of the posts, unfortunately, I have to agree that the dealer should not be expected to fully pay for a new radiator that is well out of warranty. But, since the tech did render the radiator unserviceable, during a normal maintenance event for which they are charging the customer to perform, the dealer should only charge the customer their cost. Alternatively, if it is possible, and cheaper, the dealer could have a radiator shop replace the lower tank as I believe the they are plastic and not repairable like a copper tank on older cars.

 

[crw8781]

IS THE DEALER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR

Ok here's the final result.

I talk to the mechanic and he said he never heard of problems with the radiator. When he put a wrench on the drain plug it just fell off and he been working on Spyder since they came out.
The manager stands by his mechanic and saids he the best mechanic in the area and he will not hold that against him.
We try to get him to pay for it, He said the dealership was not liable for drain plug falling off. The repair was removing the radiator and bringing it to the radiator shop for repair. So the total cost for the radiator was $288.40

 

[Magdave]

Ok here's the final result.

I talk to the mechanic and he said he never heard of problems with the radiator. When he put a wrench on the drain plug it just fell off and he been working on Spyder since they came out.
The manager stands by his mechanic and saids he the best mechanic in the area and he will not hold that against him.
We try to get him to pay for it, He said the dealership was not liable for drain plug falling off. The repair was removing the radiator and bringing it to the radiator shop for repair. So the total cost for the radiator was $288.40

Call BRP and open a case

888.272.9222

http://www.brp.com/en-us/customer-service

Obviously the dealer does not know squat about Spyders the radiator issue is nothing new. BRP is responsible for the defective radiator and I am sure they know that this problem has occurred many times before.

 

[Spyder4Tess]

Call BRP and open a case
Obviously the dealer does not know squat about Spyders the radiator issue is nothing new. BRP is responsible for the defective radiator and I am sure they know that this problem has occurred many times before.

Unless there a service bulletin regarding faulty radiator bungs,I don't think the dealer is responsible.



Would the dealer be responsible for replacing a seized axle/axle nut during a tire change?

 

[Magdave]

Unless there a service bulletin regarding faulty radiator bungs,I don't think the dealer is responsible.



Would the dealer be responsible for replacing a seized axle/axle nut during a tire change?

If there isn't one there should be and calling BRP is the only way they will look at the failure rate. I am betting they have paid for some under warranty.

 

[Spyder4Tess]

I am betting they have paid for some under warranty.

I'm willing to bet it is up to the dealer's discretion.

 

[MouthPiece]

Ok here's the final result.

I talk to the mechanic and he said he never heard of problems with the radiator. When he put a wrench on the drain plug it just fell off and he been working on Spyder since they came out.
The manager stands by his mechanic and saids he the best mechanic in the area and he will not hold that against him.
We try to get him to pay for it, He said the dealership was not liable for drain plug falling off. The repair was removing the radiator and bringing it to the radiator shop for repair. So the total cost for the radiator was $288.40

Pay the $288.40 and move on. You'll come out better (I didn't say what you wanted) on all counts.

Chris