Service costs, update, too pricey?

[Guest chickenflaps]

Hi everyone

 

just thought I'd let you know the service costs quoted for a 700X from my local Honda dealer as at October 2016:

 

8k, £250

16k, £365

24k, £320

32k, £400

 

Now is it just me or does  £400 sound a bit pricey for a straight forward twin cylinder motorcycle at a 32k service?  And will that add a penny to the trade in value ("FSH sir!"), nope.

[Slowboy 20,576]

I was offered the opportunity to pay £500 plus parts for the 32k service at my nearest Honda dealer. The genuine service manual was under 45 quid and now I do the services myself. It's actually pretty straight forward and a full service with airfilter, oil filter, oil and valves with new coolant cost me under £100 and took about 5 hours including brew breaks.

To answer your questions

Yes

No

[larryblag 14,236]

Yep.

 

Nope.

 

And if they don't sort out their pricing - they'll have a very quiet workshop. The point you raised about it affecting the resale value is valid too and something I've thought about for a while now.

[Guest Mac750]

Hi guys I was speaking to a small independent motorbike shop near me and he said he can service any make machine and so long as he is using original parts he can stamp the book and your warranty is valid. Something to do with a change in the motortrade unfairly effecting the small garages and motorcycle shops. Sorry I don't know more than that but may be worth checking out as they are half the cost of a full on dealership .

[Guest Mac750]

Sorry I mean all independent motorcycle garages not just the one near me . Oops .

[djsb 493]

The resale value of my bike has been reduced by at least a grand anyway after it was written off (Cat C) last November. So i'm going to ride this bike into the ground and do ALL my own servicing after I've repaired the accident damage (ongoing).

[RussB644 379]

Has anyone got some advice on valve checking clearance? I reckon I could do all of that barring being sure about the process of checking the valves. I did that sort of thing a long while ago on older cars but am a bit reluctant on the bike

[Dunnster 1,650]

Hence why I service my bike myself.

Why the price increase for the same service but later on? 24k vs 8k and 32k vs 16k

[Dunnster 1,650]

Has anyone got some advice on valve checking clearance? I reckon I could do all of that barring being sure about the process of checking the valves. I did that sort of thing a long while ago on older cars but am a bit reluctant on the bike

Have a search through the forums loads of info and it's quite straight forward. I did it for the first time ever this year, if you've had experience in the past you should have no trouble. :-)

http://www.nc700.co.uk/index.php?/topic/7744-valve-clearance-info/?hl=%2Bvalve+%2Bclearance

[Rofbox 331]

750x DCT 8000 mile service at Kent Motorcycles. Parts £48.88, 1 hour labour £55, VAT £20.78, Total. £124.66. I know I always bang on about this dealer, but credit where credit is due.

[ted 5,744]

Hi guys I was speaking to a small independent motorbike shop near me and he said he can service any make machine and so long as he is using original parts he can stamp the book and your warranty is valid. Something to do with a change in the motortrade unfairly effecting the small garages and motorcycle shops. Sorry I don't know more than that but may be worth checking out as they are half the cost of a full on dealership .

 

Don't forget, if you do this they MUST be vat registered and use genuine parts (keep receipts)! Otherwise Honda tell you to "do one" if you make a warranty claim.

[Guest Mac750]

Yep sorry he is vat reg, but it is correct then ? If so that's well handy as for years I have been buying my own Honda parts from a parts list for the particular bike I had, ether from David Silver Nos or Honda dealers all over the country via post. Then doing all the work myself as the bikes were 20 or 30 years old . The up side was I saved a fortune in dealership bills. Thing is now I am getting to the stage where I no longer want to twiddle spanners and just want to ride when I get the time and pass most jobs onto a tech.

My independent is half the service prices of a dealer and has helped me out in the past lending bits and bobs so I could finish a job. It would be nice if I could say here look after this please and give him something back for his kindness in the past.

[Guest aldmannie]

Where that Honda dealer gets those prices from is anyone's guess, I reckon hallucinogenic drugs may be involved...

 

To put it in perspective, I have a small car, 2010, its a Japanese brand, three door, four cylinder 1200cc.

Last month it had four new tyres, plus its annual service (which was a major one this year) and MoT test.

There was change from £400

[Guest bonekicker]

Use a dealer who as been proven to do the job properly for a reasonable cost--or do it yourself --- do not pay this stupid prices as posted 

[larryblag 14,236]

Don't forget, if you do this they MUST be vat registered and use genuine parts (keep receipts)! Otherwise Honda tell you to "do one" if you make a warranty claim.

 

I think the "MUST be vat registered" is a bit naughty. This would mean a servicing dealer has an annual turnover exceeding £83,000 (current vat registration threshold) which might rule out a small independant. A bit of a blunt instrument - I'll bet it's Honda's way of making sure the repairer is likely to have the proper skills and equipment but it's a bit discriminatory?

[ted 5,744]

I think it's more like Honda don't want anyone else but them ripping you off!

[nelmo 563]

There will always be people prepared to pay those prices and dealers have to survive - even with those prices, they don't make huge profits.

If you can afford it, do it - leaves you more time for other stuff and it will keep your bikes value higher. But it is the more expensive option, don't expect otherwise.

[Slowboy 20,576]

I don't buy the "gives better residuals" argument, when I tried to trade my NC X a couple of years ago, when it was two years old with full Honda SH, I was offered 2500 take it it leave it against a new VFR800 and I did try to negotiate, but they weren't having any of it. They had one on the floor in worse nick and higher mileage for 4500. Pointing this out didn't help. I decided to keep the NC for good, one of my better decisions as it turned out.

[larryblag 14,236]

I was ripped off for my first service by our local dealer. He had the cheek to charge a premium because I didn't buy the bike from him. (He actually said that the price he quoted initially was for a bike sold by them and "discounted" - but nope I still feel it was a premium he charged me).

 

Shame, because I might have taken it to him other services - but I won't get burned twice no Siree.

 

Why did I not buy the bike from him you may ask? Well that's because I couldn't get the essential test ride I needed that ultimately helped me decide DCT

[nelmo 563]

I don't buy the "gives better residuals" argument, when I tried to trade my NC X a couple of years ago, when it was two years old with full Honda SH, I was offered 2500 take it it leave it against a new VFR800 and I did try to negotiate, but they weren't having any of it. They had one on the floor in worse nick and higher mileage for 4500. Pointing this out didn't help. I decided to keep the NC for good, one of my better decisions as it turned out.

Sure and if it had no SH, it would have been 2000, not 2500.

I'm sure you know, but normally, dealer part-exchange's are the worst deal - you should always get more privately.

If you were looking to buy a bike and had a choice of 2 identical bikes except one was 10% more with a FSH, which would you take? Much as we moan, we'd probably all go for the FSH bike... no? There is your extra value...

[Guest Mac750]

So is using an independent motorcycle mechanic who is Vat registered and uses genuine Honda parts and stamps your service book a viable option ? Would joe public buy your bike with the service book stamped Under The Arches Motorcycle Co. Or would they still buy one with Expensive Coffee Machine Dealer stamps ?.

Personally I have never had a motorbike with a full service history as most of mine had been through a few owners before I got my grubby mits on it.

[Slowboy 20,576]

Sure and if it had no SH, it would have been 2000, not 2500.

I'm sure you know, but normally, dealer part-exchange's are the worst deal - you should always get more privately.

If you were looking to buy a bike and had a choice of 2 identical bikes except one was 10% more with a FSH, which would you take? Much as we moan, we'd probably all go for the FSH bike... no? There is your extra value...

We agree to differ then. By the way, how's the kit build coming along, haven't taken a look recently, hope it's coming along well.

[nelmo 563]

We agree to differ then. By the way, how's the kit build coming along, haven't taken a look recently, hope it's coming along well.

Thanks - moving forward slowly. Recently started the engine (video evidence available on my blog http://zerokitcarbuild.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/a-beating-heart.html) and hope to finish in the spring.

Edited October 19, 2016 by nelmo

[DB1965 224]

I don't buy the "gives better residuals" argument, when I tried to trade my NC X a couple of years ago, when it was two years old with full Honda SH, I was offered 2500 take it it leave it against a new VFR800 and I did try to negotiate, but they weren't having any of it. They had one on the floor in worse nick and higher mileage for 4500. Pointing this out didn't help. I decided to keep the NC for good, one of my better decisions as it turned out.

+1    Complete Bullsh*t 

[Guest New]

Hi guys I was speaking to a small independent motorbike shop near me and he said he can service any make machine and so long as he is using original parts he can stamp the book and your warranty is valid. Something to do with a change in the motortrade unfairly effecting the small garages and motorcycle shops. Sorry I don't know more than that but may be worth checking out as they are half the cost of a full on dealership .

this is not true.  The law was only changed for cars. It's debatable if Honda would deny your warranty claim, but legally they could, if you did not have full Honda SH.