Page 1 of 3

Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 7:49 am
by Honda cub
I've just bought a brand new Honda PCX125 which comes with a 2 year warranty. As you know the maintenance schedule insists that the valves are checked/adjusted at 600 miles and 2500 mile intervals thereafter.

Most Honda dealers seem to charge anywhere between £200 to £300 pounds to do servicing work if the valves are included. The PCX needs at least 3 services within the warranty period, so could cost another £900 pounds over 2 years!

I'm undecided if whether or not to buy a genuine Honda workshop manual and do the work myself and forget about the warranty or let the dealer do all the servicing and hold onto the warranty?

£900 seems a lot of money and in this day and age, what are the chances of the scooter failing dramatically to the sum of £900 within the warranty period.

I have a bike lift and already maintain a Honda C90.

Stephen

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 9:28 am
by iceman
In the UK it came to around £900 (inc VAT) for the five services over 2 yr's and that is without a valve check (or at least not until the 12,000). I purchased the manuals (two for UK model, original + amendment) but to be honest, with the tutorials on this site and videos on youtube (some good ones from members on this site) you do not need the service manual. The tutorials here and online videos are much easier to understand.

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 12:04 pm
by gn2
Option 3: have an independent bike shop do the servicing for half the cost and keep the warranty too.

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 12:11 pm
by WhiteNoise
.....and hopefully you can stand nearby while the work is being done. The mechanic will probably appreciate and need some input from you on removing the Tupperware (along with its assorted clips).
Do you have a service (shop) manual?

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 1:08 pm
by Alibally
Or he might tell you to bugger off out his way :)

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 1:09 pm
by Honda cub
WhiteNoise wrote: Do you have a service (shop) manual?
Not yet but should I decide to do the servicing, I would get one.

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 1:14 pm
by Alibally
It's worth it for the excellent bedtime reading if nothing else

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 3:54 pm
by Bash On!
"£900 seems a lot of money and in this day and age, what are the chances of the scooter failing dramatically to the sum of £900 within the warranty period."

That's pushing half the cost of a new one. And probably not much less than what it'd be worth after a couple years, anyway. I'd almost be tempted to have the initial service done and then, other than oil changes and anything needed for safe use, just ride it until it breaks. Bet that would be a long time.

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 4:24 pm
by tbln930
Honda policy at least in the US is not to let owners in the service area for insurance reasons primarily and it is pretty well enforced from what I have seen.

If you wire much the service manual is invaluable IMO.

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 6:22 pm
by you you
Alibally wrote:It's worth it for the excellent bedtime reading if nothing else

Oh don't. Every forum needs a google expert. Incapable of anything but being adamant about their opinion.

Which is fact obv...

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:18 am
by fish
Yeah, we all face this question with a new scooter.
I chose to do all my own servicing ... Honda and Kymco do not prohibit self servicing under warranty period (2 yrs for Kymco)....just must not screw it up!
With your pcx, I'd pay for first servicing.....then just do the routine servicing, without the valves....if it sounds and runs fine. Lack of valve attention leading to an engine failure has Never been reported here.....and it would seem especially safe if the scoot received that initial valve check !!
Fish

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:09 pm
by gn2
fish wrote:Honda and Kymco do not prohibit self servicing under warranty period (2 yrs for Kymco)
Warranty terms and consumer law vary from one place to another.

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:11 pm
by you you
gn2 wrote:
fish wrote:Honda and Kymco do not prohibit self servicing under warranty period (2 yrs for Kymco)
Warranty terms and consumer law vary from one place to another.

Which ones?

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 2:31 pm
by gn2
you you wrote:Which ones?
The red and purple ones.

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 2:43 pm
by you you
gn2 wrote:
you you wrote:Which ones?
The red and purple ones.

I'd always take the red one...

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 7:59 am
by itcaptainslow
My local Honda dealer charged £80 or so for my PCX's first service including valve clearances. It's worth shopping around.

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 8:15 am
by iceman
Mine was £73 + VAT - near £80. And they were on the job less than 30 minutes!

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 12:42 pm
by gn2
iceman wrote: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.

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 1:50 pm
by iceman
gn2 wrote:
iceman wrote: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.
Well, not sure what they did - they wrote lots on the paperwork. I left it and was back an hour later and it was ready to pay and go. Under an hour, maybe 40+ minutes. Most of the 1st service is basic.

Re: Warranty - Diy service or let dealer do it?

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 3:34 pm
by Mel46
On each of our pcx 150s we let the dealer do the first service (600 mile) along with making sure they did a valve adjustment. In both cases the valves were out of spec, so definitely get the first one done be them. I bought a service manual after that and now do my own maintenance. So far neither bike has needed any valve adjustments since that first one. Changing the oil takes maybe 15 minutes. What you are being charged for when they do the servicing is removing the plastic for the valve inspection and adjustment. Honda doesn't make it easy. Get a manual, change your oil regularly, and just ride it....after the first service.