Nc750x Valve Check

[walespete 54]

I must have a sign on my forehead saying gullible idiot!

I was booking my Nc750x in for a service at my local Honda dealership. They asked have the valves been done? I didn't know. I asked how much? £1000 quid they said. It's a lot of work they said. Lying B*******! 

It's an easy straightforward job. The radiator needs to come off, but access is easy afterwards. It takes about an hour. 

[Andy m 26,801]

It's what us salesmen call a **** off price. Rather than tell the customer the service people are clueless or the product is no good you quote so high the customer says "**** off". Avoids the world of pain when the quote is accepted and **** off turns into **** up.

 

Find a good independent or DIY.

 

Andy

[MatBin 5,721]

They probably think it's a 4 pot double overhead bucket and shim job. Either that or try quoted a price for a CBX 😁

[walespete 54]

24 minutes ago, Andy m said:

It's what us salesmen call a **** off price. Rather than tell the customer the service people are clueless or the product is no good you quote so high the customer says "**** off". Avoids the world of pain when the quote is accepted and **** off turns into **** up.

 

Find a good independent or DIY.

 

Andy

Good independent shop found. The Honda dealer can do one! 

[steelhorseuk 2,235]

My independent Honda trained guy quoted around £400.00 for a valve check and adjust if necessary.

That was last year If that helps to give you a benchmark.

TBH, I doubt they need doing!

  

[MatBin 5,721]

On 19/09/2024 at 11:52, steelhorseuk said:

My independent Honda trained guy quoted around £400.00 for a valve check and adjust if necessary.

That was last year If that helps to give you a benchmark.

TBH, I doubt they need doing!

  

Ouch.

[Jamesc 4,760]

1000 quid they are having a laugh. 400 still sounds like a lot for what it is but I don't know the labour changes now. Local Enfield dealer quoted me recently the equivalent of 30 quid to do the valves on the Himalayan...

[dommiek 145]

On 19/09/2024 at 09:15, walespete said:

I must have a sign on my forehead saying gullible idiot!

I was booking my Nc750x in for a service at my local Honda dealership. They asked have the valves been done? I didn't know. I asked how much? £1000 quid they said. It's a lot of work they said. Lying B*******! 

It's an easy straightforward job. The radiator needs to come off, but access is easy afterwards. It takes about an hour. 

 

The NC is one of the easiest bikes to check and adjust valves on.

A Honda dealer shouldn't be quoting you that price, personally I'd report them to Honda UK if they're a main dealer,  that's shocking.

[Grumpy old man 4,862]

The Honda service plan for 3 services is about the £400 mark  that includes the 16000 mile service which includes valves.🤔

[MGJ 2]

The annual service plan at £399 only covers yearly oil/filter changes and a safety check no valve clearances. The scheduled plan at £639 covers the services at 600, 8000 and 16000 miles so I assume the valve clearances will be checked at the 16000 service

[Grumpy old man 4,862]

11 minutes ago, MGJ said:

The annual service plan at £399 only covers yearly oil/filter changes and a safety check no valve clearances. The scheduled plan at £639 covers the services at 600, 8000 and 16000 miles so I assume the valve clearances will be checked at the 16000 service

Not how I read it!? It says covers for 3 services including valve check but not for adjustment of valves with bucket and shim, and we know that doesn't apply to the NC,

It even.includes brake fluid replacement. 

https://brochures.honda.co.uk/motorbikes/motorcycles-fixed-price-service-plans/?page=8.

 

Happy to be corrected. 

[MGJ 2]

I have just bought a new NC and the £399 annual plan, it only covers yearly oil change and safety check.  The £639 scheduled plan aimed at high mileage users ie doing the 8000 miles a year, does include the 16000 service

[Grumpy old man 4,862]

8 hours ago, MGJ said:

I have just bought a new NC and the £399 annual plan, it only covers yearly oil change and safety check.  The £639 scheduled plan aimed at high mileage users ie doing the 8000 miles a year, does include the 16000 service

Ahhh! I see what you mean but £639 for 3 services including valves, air filter, brake fluid is a lot better value than £1000 the OP was quoted. 

[Taileron 997]

1k….absolutely mental. I asked the dealer I bought my nc from for an approximate price for the valve job when I bought it, he said about £500, they charge £85 per hour labour. 

[MatBin 5,721]

On 22/09/2024 at 18:28, Taileron said:

1k….absolutely mental. I asked the dealer I bought my nc from for an approximate price for the valve job when I bought it, he said about £500, they charge £85 per hour labour. 

So they are going to take 6 hrs at that rate, I assume that's on a Friday when they go down the pub for 3 hrs and still book the time to your job 😀

[Taileron 997]

3 hours ago, MatBin said:

So they are going to take 6 hrs at that rate, I assume that's on a Friday when they go down the pub for 3 hrs and still book the time to your job 😀

Not defending him as I no longer own a Honda, that was the price for the full service with oil/ filter/ coolant Etc

[Andy131 1,743]

Service plans still look to be a bargain. 

Proper service which includes oil and both filters £220 and whatever is included in the 8,000 miles 1.5 hours labour. 
 

Really don’t see the point in charging the oil and not both filters. 
Wanted the swinging arm pivot stripping and greasing, but was advised that it took 3 - 4 hours @ £102 an hour and that it was too late in the day. 
Good news is that if I wait until November the labour rates are lower. 
Not that long ago stripping the rear of the bike would have been an enjoyable way of spending a Saturday, metal knee precludes that now. 
Hanging around in the dealership was expensive £527.55 spent on Oxford spotlights and side panel (that I broke a week into ownership) !

But at least I didn’t buy a Goldwing - yet

[MatBin 5,721]

6 hours ago, Taileron said:

Not defending him as I no longer own a Honda, that was the price for the full service with oil/ filter/ coolant Etc

Sounds much fairer price.

[MatBin 5,721]

5 hours ago, Andy131 said:

Service plans still look to be a bargain. 

Proper service which includes oil and both filters £220 and whatever is included in the 8,000 miles 1.5 hours labour. 
 

Really don’t see the point in charging the oil and not both filters. 
Wanted the swinging arm pivot stripping and greasing, but was advised that it took 3 - 4 hours @ £102 an hour and that it was too late in the day. 
Good news is that if I wait until November the labour rates are lower. 
Not that long ago stripping the rear of the bike would have been an enjoyable way of spending a Saturday, metal knee precludes that now. 
Hanging around in the dealership was expensive £527.55 spent on Oxford spotlights and side panel (that I broke a week into ownership) !

But at least I didn’t buy a Goldwing - yet

3 to 4 hours seems a bit excessive, as Andy is always saying, they priced it so you said no. I did mine, and I am no super mechanic in a lot less time.

[RoyG 238]

I am sitting here with a contented smile on my face seeing how much money I have saved by not letting my bike anywhere near these thieving toe rags . YouTube doesn’t charge 80 pounds an hour, and the bloke in Australia shows how do do all the service  jobs for free.

Edited September 27, 2024 by RoyG

[Andy m 26,801]

11 minutes ago, RoyG said:

thieving toe rags . 

A little harsh maybe.

 

My rate for service work is £250 per hour. It's because no one with any sense wants me doing it. There are other things I should be doing so it's simple supply (1) and demand. I have sent an invoice well into four figures for changing a fuse (we charged 52p for the part) because a senior manager at a fleet decided he wanted to throw his toys out of the pram instead of taking advice over the phone and letting a service guy change said fuse. No idea if he paid, they'll have gone legal if he didn't.

 

The skill set in dealerships is now firmly on the "technician" model. They get a low wage because they don't know a vast amount beyond lefty loosy to get the drain plug out and righty tighty to put it back. You don't want them changing shims on your CB1000. Telling you this isn't in their interests as you won't trust them to change oil. I don't know why, we don't insist on consultants giving us the flu jab, we let a pharmacists assistant do it. The mechanic equivalent of a consultant lives in an independent workshop more often than the main dealers because he doesn't need sh1t.

 

The pricing model also reflects their desire to sell bikes. £1000 to adjust those nasty valves or £200 a month for a nice shiny new one SSSSssssirrrr?

 

The service packages are interesting. They must really help get people on PCP. £200 a month is great until in month 35 they want a grand to adjust the valves and you aren't allowed to use an independent. No one would sign up so they offer a better deal.  The money is up front which helps cashflow and they love anything along the likes of the Apple marketing model where the consumer is tied in so they can borrow against certain future income for their stock exchange spiving. If the oil change monkey breaks the bike on PCP you should get a new one, not so sure about your own property.

 

If they don't want to do it though why not just walk away? Would you consider yourself less of person if I offered you £1.89 to juggle running chainsaws while dancing the lambda and your refusal would upset me? Whoever has this skill can charge the going rate.

 

Andy

[Rocker66 37,521]

54 minutes ago, RoyG said:

I am sitting here with a contented smile on my face seeing how much money I have saved by not letting my bike anywhere near these thieving toe rags . YouTube doesn’t charge 80 pounds an hour, and the bloke in Australia shows how do do all the service  jobs for free.

Thats fine for those of you that can do the work yourself. Some of us are no longer fit enough through a combination of injuries band old age to get down to work on the bike so there is no need to rub it in. Before anyone says get a work bench we have no room for one with 4 bikes in the garage.

[Slowboy 24,484]

Interesting discussion. I’m with @Andy m by the way. I have a beautiful BMW R50 (1955) in the garage which I’ve spent over a year putting right the previous owners enthusiastic but utterly incompetent maintenance. 
Not all home maintainers are created equal, and many of them aren’t as good as they think they are.

Skill is trained, not born 😜

 

And £80 an hour is pretty good, when you consider the overheads of premises, wages, equipment you have to carry, parts you’ll need, insurance just to name a few. No-ones getting rich off the back of that.

 

I used to be much more expensive than that when leased out for consultancy work.😎

[MatBin 5,721]

£80/HR is probably reasonable, but surely 2 or maybe 3 hours is more than long enough, no shims required, so no parts required, other than maybe fluid or a gasket? I would think £200  to £250 should cover it easily.

[Homdefer 1]

Hello.  I did this job outside on the front drive and I have to admit that whilst it is really not complicated for a mechanically competent person, I had to make several attempts.  The first time I got the radiator off and the rocker cover off only to find I could not remove the inspection covers because the 30mm one had been butchered and so I couldn't get it off.  I had to order a new plug and washer and refit everything to keep it safe.  I then had to heat the generator cover gently with a heat gun and then freeze the centre of the plug with pipe freezer before removing the plug with a cold chisel and a club hammer - carefully of course, damaging only the plug.

 

The bike had only been serviced by a Honda dealer to my knowledge, so they were surely the ones to over tighten the plug with a nut gun.  They had done the same thing with one of my fork caps.  I am sure that they are far more knowledgeable about maintaining the bikes than I am and know all the shortcuts which enable them to get the jobs done properly and quickly, but I'm afraid that there are nut-gun enthusiasts everywhere!  I prefer to do the work myself whenever possible, torque things up and generally make a proper job of it.  It also means that if I spot other jobs that need doing along the way I can do them too.

 

My other bike is an NT700VA-7 and though I have done a lot of work on her, I haven't yet worked up the courage to check and adjust the valve clearances, because it means removing fairings, petrol tank, air filter and it's box, inlet valve, etc. and even once you get to the valves access to the adjusters is really difficult.  The NC is so much easier to work on :-)