Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

[Bash On!]

Mine was £73 + VAT - near £80. And they were on the job less than 30 minutes!

They can't possibly have done a full 600 mile service in that time.

Takes a good bit of that time just to remove the body panels, I would think.

[fish]

Mine was £73 + VAT - near £80. And they were on the job less than 30 minutes!

They can't possibly have done a full 600 mile service in that time.

Takes a good bit of that time just to remove the body panels, I would think.

And the engine has to be stone cold to do the valves correctly.
On the Forza, the spark plug access panel is easily removed with one screw - then the spark plug and valve cover is visible. We could easily mark the edge of the valve cover with some whilte-out type paint to make a 'seal' which would show that the cover has indeed been removed.
Is this possible on the PCX?
Fish

[you you]

Takes a good bit of that time just to remove the body panels, I would think.

And the engine has to be stone cold to do the valves correctly.
On the Forza, the spark plug access panel is easily removed with one screw - then the spark plug and valve cover is visible. We could easily mark the edge of the valve cover with some whilte-out type paint to make a 'seal' which would show that the cover has indeed been removed.
Is this possible on the PCX?
Fish

It doesn't we tested it in the late 70s. It doesn't make a fags fart of a difference. Engine just needs not to feel warm to the touch. Even then we couldn't measure any difference from setting the valves, before and after.

More difference was from technique on using feeler gauges. Anyhoo it wouldn't make any difference to your anxieties. None of my four stroke motorcycles have had their valve clearances checked since the last century, sorry millenium. One of them has just under 120k on it.

It's deaf ears isn't it?

[mtheall]

And the engine has to be stone cold to do the valves correctly.

My service manual says 95°F or cooler. Which would be exactly in line with 2you's "not warm to the touch" since it would have to be higher than 98.6°F to be warm to the touch.

[iceman]

Oh come on - not sure about the US but here in the UK I doubt many dealers do the valve check on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd service unless they hear something is wrong or you ask for it (even then . . .). Maybe on the 12,000 service where the service costs starts getting just above £210+VAT (from two London dealers - they all seem to charge more or less the same).
The manual says inspect the valves at every service - your lucky if a dealer actually does one on a 2 yr service.
They probably change the oil, check brake/throttle and some other bits such as lights and that's about it.
My receipt showed a few oil changes (engine and rear drive - yep, not sure why that was!) and some other crap - such as oil disposal charge (in these green times and something they always did but now charge for). No mention of valve check.
Be honest, do you really believe they did it or your 1st service if they charged £70-80?

[itcaptainslow]

I can never be 100% as I didn't watch them do it. However they made a point of saying they did it and have noted on the invoice words to the effect of "Carried out first service to manufacturer's schedule". They also asked for the bike for at least half a day.

Not conclusive but certainly reasonable-if anything had gone pop as a result of the clearances not being done, I'd be knocking at their door. Irrelevant now as I don't have the PCX anyway, and the Forza's clearances aren't due until 4,000 miles.

[ScooteringAbout]

£69 first service £99 for all services afterwards. Not that bad.

[iceman]

£69 first service £99 for all services afterwards. Not that bad.

That's much better than I got quoted (prior to purchase) from two London dealers and one ourside London. Then I found out they did not include VAT on the prices either.

[Honda cub]

Dealer has quoted me £70 to do the first 600 mile service and told me it is pretty much just an oil change, no mention of valve check as per Honda schedule!

How does one stand warranty wise should in the unlikely event something go wrong with the engine and the valve check has not been performed by the Honda dealer?

Stephen

[maddiedog]

Dealer has quoted me £70 to do the first 600 mile service and told me it is pretty much just an oil change, no mention of valve check as per Honda schedule!

How does one stand warranty wise should in the unlikely event something go wrong with the engine and the valve check has not been performed by the Honda dealer?

Stephen

Dealer would still be liable if you have a papertrail.

The engine is fairly resilient. If the valves are out enough, you'll have starting issues, ticking, or issues at high RPMs, but it is unlikely to drop a valve unless you ignore the issue entirely for a long time. Regardless, I'd open the owner's manual, show them the page with the maintenance schedule showing a valve adjustment at first service, and see their response... Then I'd take it to another dealer.

[Tom192]

£69 first service £99 for all services afterwards. Not that bad.

That at Rochdale Honda drew?

[ScooteringAbout]

£69 first service £99 for all services afterwards. Not that bad.

That at Rochdale Honda drew?

Yeah, got it from their services department.

[dergav]

Ok... From reading comments I "think" I know the answer to my question...BUT really need confirmation from those in UK who REALLY KNOW..thanks.
My Forza is due its first 12 months annual service......so its half way through its 2 year UK warranty period. Local Honda dealer I bought from is experiencing problems with mechanics...I suspect they only have one mechanic... ( long term sick they say) so are not taking in any servicing of bikes and cannot say when that will change or even if it ever will!
The 12 month period is on 28June and they say there is a one month period after that date when the bike can be serviced and stay within the warranty...so inferring I should just wait....but without any idea if they will have resolved their problem even by 28 July so really not good enough... Taking the Forza to Edinburgh or Glasgow to a Honda dealer for a service is just a pain so I need comfort/confirmation from those in the UK "who know" that getting serviced by one of the independent local bike shops in Stirling definitely keeps the Forza with in the warranty terms in UK?...and if so are there any issues I should ensure are particularly covered by a non Honda dealer service?...Will a non Honda service shop have the necessary information re the Forza for carrying out the service...I have the full Honda Forza service manual book so should I offer them a use of that?...or would they think that cheeky?
Thanks..

[dergav]

sorry!!.just noticed I posted this in wrong section...numpty...should have been in Forza general...if anyone wants to move the post I would not object!
thanks

[gn2]

You definitely can, but original Honda parts and recommended lubricants must be used, the service schedule followed precisely and all parts and lubricants used need to be documented on the receipt.

[wangsuda]

Just had my 1000 km service done at my local Honda dealer. While everything was signed in the book, the receipt shows charges for motor oil and gear oil (both changed). No mention of a valve adjustment. I do know the service dude hooked a computer thingie to it and made a few adjustments. I also had a couple of scratches buffed out. Total time was a little over an hour and the cost was 290 baht (almost USD $9.00). Runs great too.

[iceman]

Wonder what they tweak with the probe - rather than just check things. Surely they don't alter the Mapping do they?

[wangsuda]

Surely they don't alter the Mapping do they?

Apologies, I have no idea what that means. What I do know is that my PCX idles smoother and is quicker in mid-range pick-up than before the service. It feels peppier.

[Jge64]

I doubt the mapping was altered, that would be a service update/TSB that surely would be discussed here. Most likely the valves and oil just brought it closer to OEM operational specs.

[Honda cub]

Just had the first 600 mile service done by the supplying Honda dealer. Including the valve check (confirmed on the service bill) it came to £132. I didn't think that was too bad. The technician also confirmed that the valves were within spec.

Stephen