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Ducati service stinks

Joined May 2015
54 Posts | 0+
st charles mo
I have been without my bike for over 1-1/2 weeks trying to get an oil leak fixed.. I am missing some great riding weather.. I called dealer and was told they are having issues with ducati warranting the fix. I think the dealer should just fix it and give me my ride
 
Possibily not of any help at all, but there it goes..
I have no clue how those argues are settled in the US, but in Europe (in the Netherlands) the first responsibility (liability? warranty?) of products are transferred to the last company who sells the product.

In short:
the DEALER sold you the bike, so THEY are the ones who should fix it (or have it fixed). Also, when the factory's warranty is over, then the seller still has his (partial) responsibilty.
We call it "consumer's rights".

As an example: a dishwasher has a factory warranty of 2 years.
Our (Dutch) government states that it has a "technical lifespan/operating life" of (for example) 10 years. So in 10 years it's completely written off.

This means that in the first 2 years, all damages (not caused by the user) should be paid by the seller (or producer, it's up to them who will fix it). After those 2 years, the responsibilty will gradually transfer to the buyer. After 5 years the costs, when it's a production fault, will be devided by seller and buyer (50/50). After 10 years, all costs are for the buyer/owner.

Bottom line: you have to hold them responsible and have your claim formally stated on paper (proof). Especially when the bike was new when bought.
Most dealers will cooperate when you say the magic word "legal liability". Well, that's how it works over here, at least.

Don't you guys have something similar?
I understood that in the US, liability is a much bigger issue than over here. :)
 
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I believe the main problem is that nobody really knows exactly where/how the oil is actually leaking out during use... if it was easy to fix it would already have been fixed.. Clearly a seal is failing somewhere, but where...
 
Possibily not of any help at all, but there it goes..
I have no clue how those argues are settled in the US, but in Europe (in the Netherlands) the first responsibility (liability? warranty?) of products are transferred to the last company who sells the product.

In short:
the DEALER sold you the bike, so THEY are the ones who should fix it (or have it fixed). Also, when the factory's warranty is over, then the seller still has his (partial) responsibilty.
We call it "consumer's rights".

As an example: a dishwasher has a factory warranty of 2 years.
Our (Dutch) government states that it has a "technical lifespan/operating life" of (for example) 10 years. So in 10 years it's completely written off.

This means that in the first 2 years, all damages (not caused by the user) should be paid by the seller (or producer, it's up to them who will fix it). After those 2 years, the responsibilty will gradually transfer to the buyer. After 5 years the costs, when it's a production fault, will be devided by seller and buyer (50/50). After 10 years, all costs are for the buyer/owner.

Bottom line: you have to hold them responsible and have your claim formally stated on paper (proof). Especially when the bike was new when bought.
Most dealers will cooperate when you say the magic word "legal liability". Well, that's how it works over here, at least.

Don't you guys have something similar?
I understood that in the US, liability is a much bigger issue than over here. :)

It's a little different when comparing 17 million population to 320 million. The warranty is as stated. The overall is 2 years. From there, most vehicle manufacturers will extend coverage on certain systems, like the powertrain. And in the US, there is a legal requirement to cover certain emissions components, like the catalytic converter. Outside of that, all you can do is fight the dealership or manufacturer to warranty repairs.

As for bikes, it's all about the shop and it's owner. A lot of the dealership nightmares I've read on here would not have happened at my (original...) dealer. They were very quick to eat the cost on questionable warranty repairs and handle Ducati after the fact. And you know what? I'll buy my next bike from them, regardless of what state I live in (Melillimoto Ducati, Ocala, FL).

I fought Honda tooth and nail on a faulty transmission just out of warranty. They basically said "not our problem" in the end.
 
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@gatdammit is right...it's really all about the dealer. Two Duc dealers 30 miles on either side of me, and both absolutely bend over backward to help in any way possible. Hell, I took my Hyper in for the 600 mile service (takes about an hour), and they handed me the keys to a new Multi to take out on a ride while they serviced my bike. Think your YamaHonKawaZuki dealer would do that? HA!!!
 
Wow, Bello. That's a pretty cool shop. My shop does throw large demo rides couple times a year. When my Strada was on order, I rode a Street Fighter, Strada and a Diavel (fell in love with that beast!). Pretty sure they try to limit it to preferred customers, though.

My examples of amazing service: 1. After 600 mile service, they handed me the keys and said, "Oh, your EVAP kit 'fell off'", 2. Went through 3 sets of rotors and finally bought me Brembo race units while hunting the brake noise problem.

They always let me hang out in the garage and talk to the tech's, too. I really like talking to those guys and they gladly share info on serving the bike myself.
 
Well I am still waiting on my bike... Said they think it's the head but not sure... I asked for a loaner... Nope... Still under the 2 year warrenty, plus I have the extended warrenty... This is crazy...
 

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Holy... that's quiete a lot of oil there...
And a nice service from your garage...not.

Not of any use (anymore), but if you spray the engine cover with water from (dunno how it's called in English) a plant/flower spray (mist) and cover it with chalk (baby powder? ) then you know where it's coming from.
An old trick used by air cooled Supersport owners.
 
That's after 26 miles... They tell me that are having a hard time finding the leak...
 
well I got a call today... said the leak is cam seals.. says it will be fixed tomorrow!!! I really hope this is it.. I am gonna take it on a trip this weekend...
 
well I got a call today... said the leak is cam seals.. says it will be fixed tomorrow!!! I really hope this is it.. I am gonna take it on a trip this weekend...

If it's just the cam cover seals then this is a good thing, as it's not structural :)

Also the hyper users a very light weight oil, it's all about low friction and fuel efficiency.....it does tend to find the smallest of places to leak from though.

Good luck with the fix and if I was going on a road trip I'd check for any leaks after 10klms...if it's not leaking then, it's likely that it won't leak again :)
 
Well I got it back and all is good!!! Did 60 miles and no leaks!! It was the cam seals
 
Well now that I got my bike back and fixed, I definitely think different(its such a blast to ride)... I will admit that when your bike is broke down and your waiting it gets a little frustrating. After talking to the mechanic and him telling me all the stuff he did trying to figure out where the oil was coming from I felt sorry for the guy. They put over 200 miles on it trying to figure it out.
 
Good to hear that they found the source of the oil leak. That can be quite tricky to isolate and frustrating for all involved, for sure.
 
I put almost 2000 miles since the oil leak fix.. Still no leak!! I really like this bike!!