Wilsons Sandbox

It's pretty clear that you over paid for the bike, but don't let that sour you on it. It's a great machine and you'll have tons of fun riding it and you're certain to get your money's worth out of it. Now it's time to stop the bleeding. Find an independent shop or another dealer that's willing to do work for reasonable rates. Better yet, do the work yourself at least once so you know what's involved. There's tons of info in the FAQ, including links to sites that have step-by-step instructions on things like valve maintenance that sound scary but are really pretty easy. Any questions, just post 'em here. There's always someone willing to help. You might even find a fellow Lister in your town or be close enough to join one of the Tech sessions held periodically around the country. One thing you might want to do is change the oil and filter at 200 miles or so. Someone posted recently that their bike was assembled without an oil filter, so it never hurts to check. Also, you'll get rid of initial contaminents early and get some hands-on experience with the KLR. And don't let them sell you a new oil filter cover O- ring, those things last for years if don't pinch them 8~) __Arden P.S. We'd all love to know what your dealer is going to do for his 5 bills (besides make a boat payment).

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Jeff Layton" wrote: > OK, so we've established you're getting screwed. Now I want to know why? So > I looked in the owner's manual. At 500 miles, here's what they recommend: > > (note: check = check & adjust if necessary) > -Check Idle speed > -Check Throttle grip play > -Check Valve Clearance > -Clean Air filter > -Check evap emissions control (California only) > -Check Battery electrolyte level > -Check Brake lite switch > -Check Brake Fluid Level > -Adjust Clutch > -Check Steering > -Adjust balancer chain tension > -Check nuts, bolts, and fasteners tightness > -Change engine oil & filter > -Check Radiator hoses & connections > > With that as the total list, I think everything except the valves is maybe > 45 minutes or so. Valves should be an hour or so? > > Jeff Layton > A15

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Todd Johnson" wrote:

> , I have never had to contend > with the factory warranty issue. I was lead to believe that by doing > these maintenance check myself would somehow void the warranty. Is > that true?

Ask the dealer -- each has their own policy on this. Some say "just keep records" if you do it yourself.

It is against the law for a vehicle manufacturer to deny warranty claims based on the fact that the owner performed maintenance themself. HOWEVER... If the manufacturer's rep (dealership) can prove that you did harm by performing your maintenance, they may be justified in denying your claim. At least that's what I've been told... Scott Todd Johnson wrote: Thanks for all of the great advice. To clarify a couple of things, the bike itself was only about $5,400. The total I spent that day included some accessories too (helmet, jacket, gloves, saddle bags) plus the extended warranty ticket. So I don't feel screwed on the cost of the machine. I build competition Jeeps in my spare time so I am not remotely intimidated by maintaining it myself. Being the first brand new vehicle of any type I have ever owned, I have never had to contend with the factory warranty issue. I was lead to believe that by doing these maintenance check myself would somehow void the warranty. Is that true? Archive Quicksearch at: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html Yahoo! Groups Links --------------------------------- Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Update. After all of the sound advice from all of you, I called a few other Kawa dealerships in the southeast US. They all agreed that something wasn't right. The most expensive was about $275 and they assured me they would be checking valves and providing me with clearances after the fact. I marched into my local dealer armed with all of this and confronted my sales rep. He looked very puzzled and said it didn't sound right either. He took me into the service manager's office who seemed equally surprised. Long story short, the service manager chewed the ass of the guy that quoted the $500, the sales rep apologized profusely and they agreed to do the full maintenance check including valves and all needed parts for less than $200. they agreed to provide valve clearance info to me for future reference. I am honestly not sure if they were sincere and the service dude just f'ed up, or if they realized they got caught and were backpedaling. I guess I'll never know. Thanks for all the advice. Next time, I'm coming here first Todd Johnson A19

Bravo. Good for you Todd. Glad it worked out! Rick A17 Todd Johnson wrote: Update. After all of the sound advice from all of you, I called a few other Kawa dealerships in the southeast US. They all agreed that something wasn't right. The most expensive was about $275 and they assured me they would be checking valves and providing me with clearances after the fact. I marched into my local dealer armed with all of this and confronted my sales rep. He looked very puzzled and said it didn't sound right either. He took me into the service manager's office who seemed equally surprised. Long story short, the service manager chewed the ass of the guy that quoted the $500, the sales rep apologized profusely and they agreed to do the full maintenance check including valves and all needed parts for less than $200. they agreed to provide valve clearance info to me for future reference. I am honestly not sure if they were sincere and the service dude just f'ed up, or if they realized they got caught and were backpedaling. I guess I'll never know. Thanks for all the advice. Next time, I'm coming here first Todd Johnson A19 Archive Quicksearch at: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html Yahoo! Groups Links __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Personally, after what they've done to you, I wouldn't trust them PERIOD! I'd go elsewhere...you have NO assurance they're going to do it all or do it right... Just my .02 Scott Todd Johnson wrote: Update. After all of the sound advice from all of you, I called a few other Kawa dealerships in the southeast US. They all agreed that something wasn't right. The most expensive was about $275 and they assured me they would be checking valves and providing me with clearances after the fact. I marched into my local dealer armed with all of this and confronted my sales rep. He looked very puzzled and said it didn't sound right either. He took me into the service manager's office who seemed equally surprised. Long story short, the service manager chewed the ass of the guy that quoted the $500, the sales rep apologized profusely and they agreed to do the full maintenance check including valves and all needed parts for less than $200. they agreed to provide valve clearance info to me for future reference. I am honestly not sure if they were sincere and the service dude just f'ed up, or if they realized they got caught and were backpedaling. I guess I'll never know. Thanks for all the advice. Next time, I'm coming here first Todd Johnson A19 Archive Quicksearch at: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html Yahoo! Groups Links __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Todd Johnson" wrote:

> Thanks for all of the great advice. To clarify a couple of things, > the bike itself was only about $5,400. The total I spent that day > included some accessories too (helmet, jacket, gloves, saddle bags) > plus the extended warranty ticket. So I don't feel screwed on the > cost of the machine. > > I build competition Jeeps in my spare time so I am not remotely > intimidated by maintaining it myself. Being the first brand new > vehicle of any type I have ever owned, I have never had to contend > with the factory warranty issue. I was lead to believe that by doing > these maintenance check myself would somehow void the warranty. Is > that true?

Federal law prohibits them from requiring you to get scheduled maintenance done at the dealer. Google "Moss-Magnuson Warranty Act" for more information. The dealer may try to mau-mau you, but just say the magic words (in quotes above) and show him your maintenance log.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Todd Johnson" wrote:

> Update. After all of the sound advice from all of you, I called a few > other Kawa dealerships in the southeast US. They all agreed that > something wasn't right. The most expensive was about $275 and they > assured me they would be checking valves and providing me with > clearances after the fact. I marched into my local dealer armed with > all of this and confronted my sales rep. He looked very puzzled and > said it didn't sound right either. He took me into the service > manager's office who seemed equally surprised. Long story short, the > service manager chewed the ass of the guy that quoted the $500, the > sales rep apologized profusely and they agreed to do the full > maintenance check including valves and all needed parts for less than > $200. they agreed to provide valve clearance info to me for future > reference. > > I am honestly not sure if they were sincere and the service dude just > f'ed up, or if they realized they got caught and were backpedaling. I > guess I'll never know. > > Thanks for all the advice. Next time, I'm coming here first

"Valve clearance info" in this case means clearances before and after adjustment, and shim sizes as found and after adjustment. This allows you to: 1. Be sure they actually did the work; 2. have an idea about what has been going on in your valve train; and 3. help you estimate what shim sizes you need on hand for the next valve inspection.