3 blooming weeks.

[alan29]

In for the MOT and service on the 1st. That took almost 2 weeks, and cost £200. On the way home, I stopped to pop into a shop. Back to bike after 15 mins - battery flat as a pancake. Got another shop to pick it up. Alternator and battery gone - another £200. A week or more later it is ready and I get it back.

Now then,

On the original service I told the bloke that I am a mechanical dunce and its my first bike. He was to thoroughly check, adjust etc for me. As he handed it back he said "The battery goes a bit flat, doesn't it. Bloody alarms - sheesh!" Should he have done something about it during the week or more that he had it? I reckon so.

Second, so bike shops aren't like car dealers then, when work is generally done that same day, or after a couple of days at the most. Do you normally have to be without your bike for a week or more?

Its a 2005 Bonneville, 11000 miles - dead alternator ..... acceptable?

Feeling done over by the industry.

[Guest]

Not acceptable at all.

I mean, its a good thing he didn't just fix it without you asking, cos then he'd charge you more probably, but he could have stuck it on an optimate for you...

Not fair to leave you in a situation where you break down just after leaving garage.

[Decor58]

Sounds like a pretty crap garage to me!

My mum took her bike for same last week, was only there three days I think and one of them was only because she was unable to pick it up due to work and had to wait a day.

I'm assuming you left your contact details there with him? If so he should really have phoned you up and asked if you wanted it changing (obvs at extra cost) as they can't do any work you don't ask them to do.

£200 for the actual MOT and service doesn't sound too bad though.

As for the life of the alternator, I have no idea how long they should last but I've done 12k+ on my bike in two years and it's been fine, so I'd like to think a considerably newer one would last at least as long.

[Ingah]

A couple of facts and opinions - i'm not making a strong judgement on the service as i'm fairly undecided (i can tell you that's hardly amazing service though), just giving you some info really:

I use my bike as sole transport, so i'd never take it to a place i expected would keep it for a week. That said, i have helped myself along by picking a common-as-muck Honda, for the greater potential sources of readily available parts. But hell, i wouldn't take it to a place that doesn't have the time to do it either today or tomorrow (why should it sit at a garage collecting dust when i could have a go at doing it myself, today!). Then again, it's rare i need/want to use a garage, and i know the bike mechanic at my local garage for when i do, so it gets done when i'm said it will.

Motorcycle parts almost always need to be ordered in, they are almost never off the shelf like car parts (too few, not generic enough, too many varieties etc etc). This takes time (so no Kwik-Fit style in and out). In the case of Honda, if the parts need to be ordered in, they can arrive at the dealership itself either next working day from within Honda's UK network, or the day after from within Europe (this is as fast as it can be done to be honest, i can imagine other brands could be slower, but certainly not faster). That's assuming they're not on the shelf already of course. But then they'll probably need at least one day further no matter what to get to the independent garage from the local dealership. So 2-3 days, with many Honda parts (not many dealers have a good selection parts on the shelf, which is a shame). No idea about your exact brand's timescales, of course. Wouldn't really expect an alternator to be on the shelf at my local dealer though, it'd be a part they'd have to order in.

And from Dans Motorcycle Repair guide ( http://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm ): "Good, fast and cheap... Pick two."

I'd wager few garages bother to do things like blow up tyres and maintain the batteries of the bikes they have sitting (unless it's for an extended period, in which case i'd hope more think to do it). As long as it starts for the customer to take it away they'll largely be happy with leaving it be. I don't find this impressive, but i do expect it unfortunately. If i was paying alot of money, it might concern me. If i wasn't, i'd accept that my bike isn't the only one they're dealing with

It is possible he was simply trying to save you money by not replacing the battery as you could get some life left out of it (and he was wrong). Equally, on the other extreme, it's possible he wanted to get it back soon to replace your "broken alternator" and "dead battery", and in fact all he's done is plonk in a new £30 battery (5 minutes, much profit, and no need for him to do any actual work). Personally, i feel if the battery went flat quick (especially as you'd asked him to be thorough), it's the sort of thing he should've at least asked you, unless you told him you'd be using the bike every day so he had enough information to make the decision for you.

You shouldn't need normally need to pay a garage to change a battery. Alternator and being a newbie, i understand entirely. But seriously, get a Haynes manual (it'll probably make it sound more complicated than it really is, but it's easier when you break it down, and usually - i don't pretend to know anything about the quirks of working on a Bonneville! - apart from hearsay that some jobs on it are harder than they're supposed to be - changing a battery is a case of lifting simply the seat, unscrewing a screw, opening the flap, and then just disconnecting the connections to the battery, taking it out, popping the new one in there, connecting it again, closing the flap, and putting the screw back in place! NB: Get a manual to do it correctly and safely. And do check over the instructions before attempting the job!)

Personally, i'd be disappointed (and annoyed) if an alternator failed so quickly, but wouldn't be likely to chase it. After all, 6 years is a long time, even if it's not as long as you'd expect such a part to last. I would however, not completely forget about it when choosing my next bike's manufacturer

[Chrissb6]

Wonder if your average car owner would eccept this kind of service? I think not. Tyres batterys and the like are must do's on any basic form of service. 3 weeks wait is a total joke. You need to complain.

[Ingah]

Wonder if your average car owner would eccept this kind of service? I think not. Tyres batterys and the like are must do's on any basic form of service. 3 weeks wait is a total joke. You need to complain.

 

Hold up... *re-reads the original post*

Bloody hell, i'm sure that wasn't there when i initially read it - it took them 2 weeks to service and MOT your bike!?!!!

What kind of mickey mouse business is that, that's bloody awful (unless you were warned in advance of course). I agree, it's poor. Very, very poor.

Even if they had to order in a load of parts from the other side of the world for the servicing, a week, no more. Literally even if you dumped the bike on them at 5.20pm on a friday afternoon, a week tops! Any more than that and someone should've at least have explained what the hell was taking so long!

[alan29]

Thanks for the replies. Have spent the day in North Wales on the bike, so feeling happier.

But it does seem that my years as a motorist have led me to set my sights too high when it comes to bike servicing.

[Guest]

I would have went back with a crowbar, some of these garage workers are just employed criminals. It's a black market industry.

[alan29]

Update ...........

New battery not reaching full charge and unable to start the bike after charging. It turns the starter about twice and then clicks.

I wondered if it was the old charger, so I bought a new one which shows volts and amps. Now according to this one the battery reaches 12.5 volts and 0.0 amps the charger goes into maintenance mode. When I try to start the bike and check the read-out again, it is still 12+ volts, but the amps are up. And the charging starts.

Anyway, it is booked into another garage on Wednesday. My neighbour( a lifelong biker) recommended them to me. More pounds, no doubt, but I don't want them to just whack in the 3rd battery in 12 months without going through everything with a fine tooth-comb. this thing is draining my pension faster than it is draining the frigging batteries!

[Ingah]

Reg/rect?

(easily checked with a multimeter)

[Tango]

Bonnevilles are made in the UK. I'm on my second Hinckley Triumph and Mandy on her first (Bonneville). Parts are nearly always next day delivery to Triumph dealer. So I think the guy who did the service and MOT was just a cowboy.

If you can start the bike and rev it and put a voltmeter across the battery to see what the voltage is.....you are looking for 13 - 13.5 volts normally. If it's higher than that you could have a regulator problem.

Another question would be what battery did you buy? I will normally go for a "branded" make (Varta etc) as some cheaper batteries are not so robust and also check the battery rating (Amps/Hour).

Good Luck,

Bob

[alan29]

Its getting picked up tomorrow. I expect it will cost another x hundreds of pounds to fix it.

I am sorely tempted to p/x it for something Japanese and more reliable. But I think that might cause a divorce after all this money!

[megawatt]

You could also consider doing your own servicing and maintenance???

[alan29]

I am clue less, though. I have looked around for local courses - there are none. I've got the Haynes manual - might as well be in Urdu.

[Tango]

Hey Alan.....I think you've been really unlucky there. But the same problems could have occured with any make of bike. You need to find a "proper" bike shop nearby. We are lucky that we have such a shop near us where the guy that runs it is a lifelong biker....and sometimes he is just too nice and helpfull!!!

My other half has a late 04 Bonnie from new and she loves it and, touch wood, it has given virtually no trouble at all.

You'll know the good bike shops as soon as you walk in them!!!!

Good Luck

Bob