Sticky Post Listing Service Bulletins?

[BitSlayer]

This is a follow-up to another posting that I had earlier. Would it be beneficial for all here to have a sticky post listing all of the service bulletins, by year, for both the sport and tour versions? I have seen a lot of posts about bulletins, but have no idea if I would be interested in them. Also, as a newbie to the Spyder, I am not sure I fully understand how BRP lists them. I assume one that carries a number of 2011-11 would mean the 11th bulletin for the 2011 RT, but does it cover both the RT and the RS or only one of the two?

I guess the more I have though about this, the more I believe being an informed consumer when I go into my shop would be a good thing. This is not to mean I do not trust my shop, I just want some information I can use, if needed, to 'help' the tech service my investment.

I see this being a user based list and to be updated when one of us finds out about a service bulletin that is not listed. I would think one that lists the service bulletins, and then a second for discussions might be best so the listing does not get lost in a myriad of posts.

Comments????

 

[M109Dreamer]

:agree: I think a Sticky with all of the Service Bulletins would be a great idea...

 

[Y Rider]

On the Homepage of this web site at the bottom of the page is a special section listing service bulletins. However, it doesn't look like it's up-to-date with the current bulletins.

 

[NancysToy]

All the bulletins are not listed comprehensively anywhere, so it would be kind of difficult to make a sticky note pointing to them. I'm not sure if anyone outside the dealerships or factory has ever even seen them all...I know I haven't. Wishing for this isn't bad, but it is an exercise in frustration. If I were BRP, I sure wouldn't release them wholesale. Too many ways for owners to misinterpret them and drive the dealers nuts...needlessly. Develop a good relationship with your dealer, and trust him to perform the needed bulletins or tell you if you ask if any are necessary for your particular Spyder.

 

[Mr. White]

With little to do this afternoon, I throw this idea into the circle. BRP could make update information available to Spyder owners that are required by the VIN of their machine. I think this is easily available from the BUDS system. You enter your VIN to a BRP web site and it tells you the updates which have been performed and which should be...highlighted by the priority of the update, recall, etc. If it is important, such as the throttle body, it would be indicated as such. This would not be a bother to dealers as they would not be involved unless an update was indicated for your VIN.

It could list mileage, etc and remind you of oil and filter changes due, etc, if this service was done by your dealer. Service done by the owner would not be on the system.

Micosoft seems to be able to keep track of my laptop software updates, sending me a notice that one or more is available and its importance to my machine...BRP could too, with little effort. I believe that if you buy a used Spyder and take it to or call a dealer, they can give you all maintenance info on the scoot.

When Honda discovered cracks in some of the 2001-2004 Gold Wing frames, they posted the affected VINs on the Honda web site. I looked mine up and it was not on the list and did not bother my dealer.

Scotty, have I missed something? I will bet you a cold drink of your choice BRP already has this capablity with about 20 minutes of intensive programing of their server. :clap:

:spyder2:

 

[NancysToy]

George,
I think your idea has merit, although it would not be as simple as it seems. Many of the auto manufacturers have sites that have you register your VIN, mileage, etc., then post applicable recalls, oil change reminders, and so forth. The Ford truck site even has a record of the maintenance or repairs performed...as soon as they are entered on the dealer's computer. I'm sure a similar program could be developed for BRP's products.

The idea would also work for some of the warranty campaigns, like the throttle body and parking brake spring, but not for some others, which apply only if your Spyder exhibits certain symptoms. An example is the early GS parking brake ratchet. Some were incorrectly stamped, and had to be replaced, but not all Spyders in the VIN range had the defect. If you had it, it was horribly obvious, so dealer inspection was not needed. I'm sure you can see how easily a case of Spyder hypochondria could result if you told every owner they may have a defective widget, but not all widgets were defective.. In addition, sometimes the dealer's computer doesn't even list the warranty campaign under your VIN#. We had to look up the hard copy for one for Nancy, after her Spyder showed the symptoms, but the work was automatically denied. Owners don't seem to be too tolerant of flawed systems, so any program would have to be a bit more robust than it was then.

This could be a nice enhancement for BRP to introduce in the future. It is not a substitute for a good relationship with the dealer, and regular dealer visits...if only just to talk to the service advisor once in a while, but it could help get some people to the dealer that need to go. An example is the DPS recall. Only a fraction of the recalled Spyders have been repaired to date. Maybe a reminder on a Web page dedicated to an owner's personal Spyder would remind the owner that some service was needed.

 

[granpa in Cincy]

An example is the DPS recall. Only a fraction of the recalled Spyders have been repaired to date.

How do you know? How large / small a fraction ? You have inside scoop ?

 

[BitSlayer]

Scotty,

I respect your knowledge of the Spyder. You seem to have a deep understanding of how BRP works and the Spyder mechanics in general. However, on this one point, unwillingly, you seem to be helping me make my point. You stated "We had to look up the hard copy for one for Nancy, after her Spyder showed the symptoms". How did you know where, or how, to look up the hard copy? There has been a lot of talk about the throttle body update on this site. Without digging through a TON of posts, and performing some serious searches on this site, what are the symptoms that require this "important" update to be performed?

I think as a whole, the Spyder community is an intelligent one; just look at all of the custom mods that have been posted on this site. True, there will be some that will become hypochondriacs about the bulletins, but I have to believe the majority of the community would look at the symptoms in earnest to determine if they apply to their situation or not. If they do, then visit their tech and talk to them about pursuing the update.

On the home page of this very site, there is a partial listing, with a caveat, of the bulletins for the 2010 model. I was hoping that we could have a similar listing for the 2011 model year as well. I also like the idea of the BRP site allowing you to enter your VIN to obtain a listing of both recalls and service bulletins, but not sure that will happen; or at lest happen for some time.

Anyway, just my $0.02 worth... :chat:

 

[NancysToy]

How do you know? How large / small a fraction ? You have inside scoop ?

BRP is required to submit quarterly performance reports to the NHTSA. These are available on the Internet. As of the July 2011 report, 10,516 of 16,296 Spyders (65%) had been repaired.

 

[Mr. White]

George,
I think your idea has merit, although it would not be as simple as it seems. Many of the auto manufacturers have sites that have you register your VIN, mileage, etc., then post applicable recalls, oil change reminders, and so forth. The Ford truck site even has a record of the maintenance or repairs performed...as soon as they are entered on the dealer's computer. I'm sure a similar program could be developed for BRP's products.

Scotty, I sure can not question your Spyder knowledge and your willingness to share it. I appreciate that. However, you do make a good point with your Ford truck. I have a 11 year old Ford truck and get regular reminders for oil changes etc. It might take BRP a little effort, but could be done easily. Many companies keep records of their equipments by VIN and log all maintinance information on that particular piece of equipment.

The airlines and USAF keep records on everything requiring periodic maintance. Yes, it takes some effort, but not a big problem.

The idea would also work for some of the warranty campaigns, like the throttle body and parking brake spring, but not for some others, which apply only if your Spyder exhibits certain symptoms. An example is the early GS parking brake ratchet. Some were incorrectly stamped, and had to be replaced, but not all Spyders in the VIN range had the defect. If you had it, it was horribly obvious, so dealer inspection was not needed. I'm sure you can see how easily a case of Spyder hypochondria could result if you told every owner they may have a defective widget, but not all widgets were defective.. In addition, sometimes the dealer's computer doesn't even list the warranty campaign under your VIN#. We had to look up the hard copy for one for Nancy, after her Spyder showed the symptoms, but the work was automatically denied. Owners don't seem to be too tolerant of flawed systems, so any program would have to be a bit more robust than it was then.

I would think BRP would have specific VINs of Spyders which had defective parts installed, not a shotgun for all models. You had to look for a hard copy to get Nancy's Spyder fixed and BRP denied it! I find this unacceptable for a large company like Bombardier....I accept NO excuse for this lack of support....

This could be a nice enhancement for BRP to introduce in the future. It is not a substitute for a good relationship with the dealer, and regular dealer visits...if only just to talk to the service advisor once in a while, but it could help get some people to the dealer that need to go. An example is the DPS recall. Only a fraction of the recalled Spyders have been repaired to date. Maybe a reminder on a Web page dedicated to an owner's personal Spyder would remind the owner that some service was needed.

A good relationship with your dealer is very important. Some of us live long distances from our dealers...200-300 miles in some cases. (one way) All I am saying is that when a dealer sells a Spyder, he enters the information (they do this now) in the BUDS and if I wish I could enter my VIN in a "BUDS type" system and it would tell me the maintenance record and any needed upgrades by my BR1 VIN number...not a shotgun thing. BRP has a long way to go. JMHO ​

 

[NancysToy]

.....You stated "We had to look up the hard copy for one for Nancy, after her Spyder showed the symptoms". How did you know where, or how, to look up the hard copy?

By "we", I mean the dealer's service advisor and I, at the dealership. An nwner does not have access to these bulletins. The dealer has computer access, and the good ones print out hard copies for their files. Each Warranty Campaign has a section at the back listing every model and VIN range affected.

There has been a lot of talk about the throttle body update on this site. Without digging through a TON of posts, and performing some serious searches on this site, what are the symptoms that require this "important" update to be performed?

The only symptom you need to know is that you own a 2011 Spyder RT. All of them need this update. If you have performance issues or a check engine light on starting, it is too late for the update alone. In addition to the update, you will then also need a new throttle body. Your tech determines this by looking for the error codes in BUDS, before the update is performed.

Please don't get me wrong, I'd love to have access to all the bulletins. I fully understand why neither BRP nor any other manufacturer I know of makes them readily available, however. The burdens on the dealers if they did so would be substantial. Intelligent or not, if a problem is mentioned, most riders, including myself would become sort of paranoid looking for the specified issues. Many do the same just because a person on this forum posts about a problem they had. Human nature, I guess. In addition, a lot of owners have worried on htis forum about specific fixes that were mentioned, even when those bulletins didn't apply to their year or model of Spyder. Publishing each and every service bulletin would open up a can of worms, IMO.

 

[Bob Denman]

BRP is required to submit quarterly performance reports to the NHTSA. These are available on the Internet. As of the July 2011 report, 10,516 of 16,296 Spyders (65%) had been repaired.

Scotty
:bowdown::bowdown::firstplace: You are DA MAN! :thumbup: :clap:

 

[NancysToy]

Scotty, I sure can not question your Spyder knowledge and your willingness to share it. I appreciate that. However, you do make a good point with your Ford truck. I have a 11 year old Ford truck and get regular reminders for oil changes etc. It might take BRP a little effort, but could be done easily. Many companies keep records of their equipments by VIN and log all maintinance information on that particular piece of equipment.

The airlines and USAF keep records on everything requiring periodic maintance. Yes, it takes some effort, but not a big problem.​

It is certainly feasible. We'll have to see if BRP picks up on the idea someday.

I would think BRP would have specific VINs of Spyders which had defective parts installed, not a shotgun for all models. You had to look for a hard copy to get Nancy's Spyder fixed and BRP denied it! I find this unacceptable for a large company like Bombardier....I accept NO excuse for this lack of support....

The Warranty Campaigns list a range of model and VIN numbers which may be affected. Not all necessarily will be. Some that may be, might not have developed the particular problem yet, so inspection up front would be futile. It depends on the issue. I agree that all these should show up as connected to the VIN#, but not all do. If it is not on the computer, it is automatically considered not applicable. A good dealer will question that, and look it up to make sure...although sometimes it takes a little prodding on the customer's part. This lack of listing on the computer most often happens when BRP publishes "All VINs" instead of a specific VIN range after the model in question.

A good relationship with your dealer is very important. Some of us live long distances from our dealers...200-300 miles in some cases. (one way) All I am saying is that when a dealer sells a Spyder, he enters the information (they do this now) in the BUDS and if I wish I could enter my VIN in a "BUDS type" system and it would tell me the maintenance record and any needed upgrades by my BR1 VIN number...not a shotgun thing. BRP has a long way to go. JMHO

I don't disagree in the least. I take full advantage of the Ford system that does this. That system does not list the TSBs, however, just applicable recalls and your service record. If BRP developed a VIN specific system for owner access, that did include TSBs, I believe it would be a first for the industry. I know of no other automotive or motorcycle manufacturer that currently does this. If there are some, I would love to hear about them.​

 

[Lamonster]

You guys may have missed my post when I got back from the dealer show but there are some major changes being put in place that will give us access to tons of information as an owner. I have previewed what they have going and it is killer. It's coming and it will be well worth waiting for and you can bet it will be linked here front and center when it goes live.

 

[Mr. White]

Great news. I will look forward to this release as others here will. Thanks, Lamont.

:spyder2:

 

[BitSlayer]

:agree:
I will wait to see what BRP implements. Sounds like it will be worth the wait. Thanks Lamont!!!
:clap:

 

[Bob Denman]

Mee too! :clap: :thumbup:

 

[Hawk]

You guys may have missed my post when I got back from the dealer show but there are some major changes being put in place that will give us access to tons of information as an owner. I have previewed what they have going and it is killer. It's coming and it will be well worth waiting for and you can bet it will be linked here front and center when it goes live.

Your such a tease!!! Actually, I guess BRP is being the tease!!!!