Shoutout for Matthews Fun Machines

[JayBros]

On a ride Friday I gassed up at a routinely busy but rural Marathon station. Got exactly 0.8 miles down the road when the Spyder threw a P0131 code and stalled. Could restart but it ran rougher than a corn cob and wouldn't shift out of Neutral into First so there was no limping home. I immediately suspected a bad load of gas despite list of maladies the code showed in the My Spyder app. BRP roadside assistance sent a AAA rollback tow truck although there was some delay in the vehicle actually arriving. Nearest dealership was only 14 miles away, not my first choice but more than the $200 allowable to get it to my favorite and purchase dealership. Arrived at Matthews Fun Machines just 30 min prior to closing. Assistant service manager, Matt, went out of his way to assure me it didn't matter where I had purchased the Spyder, they would get me back on the road as quickly as possible but probably not Saturday. He put it in the queue and I got the call it was ready mid-afternoon today (they're closed Monday) -- running like a top. If you saw the sample of the tank contents it's a wonder how the Spyder even made it out of the gas station. Bottom line out of the dealership, Matt said MFM wants my service business -- very encouraging given its proximity to home. The corporate owner of the gas station/C-store apologized profusely for my inconvenience and agreed to cover the complete cost of repair without even so much as a copy of the service invoice. Here's big shout out for Matthews Fun Machines and a compliment too for Stegall Petroleum Company of Monroe, NC.

 

[TommyBwell]

Glad that worked out for you. MFM had a trailer at Spyders in the Smokies and I got a $300 jacket for half off. I was happy with them too .

 

[Deer Slayer]

I did the jacket deal, also at Fontana. Great folks.:cheers:

 

[pegasus1300]

I do think it is amazing that the station owner stood behind his fuel.Most I think, would just tell you to be on your way.

 

[JayBros]

I do think it is amazing that the station owner stood behind his fuel.Most I think, would just tell you to be on your way.

It's a corporate ownership but I was pleasantly surprised at their response. I kept my telephone demeanor calm and professional which I assume helped too. The onsite manager was about as hostile as a cornered cobra when I returned to the store Saturday to get the ownership specifics. I didn't mention her 'tude to corporate because I didn't even discuss the issue other than telling her I was quite certain the gas was bad. No reason to light the fuze until the verdict was in.

 

[Grandpot]

Good to know

That's good to know about MFM. I don't live too far from them. I have bought parts from them and they were very helpful then.

 

[Ex-Rocket]

I'm just wondering how many Spyder owners have fuel up, only to get a bad batch of fuel. It has only happened to me once. It wasn't on my Spyder but on a Triumph Rocket. After a day of riding I stopped at a gas station only about 1 miles from my home to fill up as I always do after a day of riding. I just like a full tank of gas in my bikes. Well about an half mile from the gas station my bike started to miss, back fire and almost died. Luckily I did make it home bearly. The bike was running perfect before the fill up. So I drained the gas tank and low and behold I had about 8 ounces of water after totally draining the tank. I replaced the fuel filter which was in the tank and filled up tank with good fuel and had no other problems. I went back to where I purchased the fuel and they agreed to buy for the repairs to the bike.


Here's a word of caution, NEVER, NEVER stop at a gas station that are getting their underground gas tanks filled. I didn't see the tanker truck when I did stop for fuel, or I would of gone somewhere else to fill up. When they fill their tanks it stirs up all the water and debris that is in the tank and can cause big problem for a bike or even our cars. Just a word of caution to all.

 

[Jim&Teresa]

Glad it worked out. :thumbup: When they serviced your RT, did they drain the tank and replace the fuel filter. If so, did the filter looked plugged - was that the cause of your stall? I am considering changing the fuel filter out on mine with a little over 26,000 miles on it. Probably will do before riding in the spring!

 

[jtoro1]

Fuel filter

If you need a fuel filter Napa has them #3095 for $4.00

 

[JayBros]

Glad it worked out. :thumbup: When they serviced your RT, did they drain the tank and replace the fuel filter. If so, did the filter looked plugged - was that the cause of your stall? I am considering changing the fuel filter out on mine with a little over 26,000 miles on it. Probably will do before riding in the spring!

The filter was not changed. I specifically directed them to replace the filter if there was any question. The tank had roughly 4.25 gallons of water in it, that's why the bike quit so quickly. I probably ran out the gas that was in the lines to the injectors and that's when it died. The sample bottle of fluid I was given showed easily 9/10th clear water with just a little gas floating on it. The shop flushed the whole system, test rode and repeatedly stopped and restarted the engine in the shop. It runs perfectly. The corporate fuel gent said the very heavy rains we've had here recently could have been a possible cause. I've 11.4K on the Spyder and have been very picky about where I refuel. Touch wood!

 

[missouriboy]

I do think it is amazing that the station owner stood behind his fuel.Most I think, would just tell you to be on your way.

I dunno... it happened to missourigirl's car about a dozen years ago at a chain C-store in mid-Mo. We knew not what was wrong, but the repair-shop luckily retained a jarfull of the wet gas they drained from the tank. When we complained at the store they requested proof that the gas was theirs, so we gave them the jar. Their corporate HQ actually lab-analyzed it, confirmed it was theirs, agreed it had water, and then reimbursed us for the $194 garage bill for a carburetor overhaul, plus spotted us another fill-up of gas for the car.

Like the OP, she got only a half-mile or so away from the station after buying the gas.