Chopper Shop Scratched My Bike!!!

[Dlandbob]

I went to a car and Motorcycle Show yesterday and noticed when I took my seat off there was a BIG Scratch on that starts under my seat and goes passed it about a inch out and it is deep!!! I had them replace the battery a couple of weeks ago and that is only the second time it had been off since I got it. It looks like whoever took the battery out pulled it out and hit the fender on the way out! They didn't say a word to me about this, what should I do? I went to my first show yesterday and took Best in Show, plus I won the 50/50 which paid 150 bucks. It was a great day but I was pissed all night over the scratch.. What should I do?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[Pops]

Aren't you the guy that was awarded $25 million bucks Give me the POS and go but some new ones for yourself

 

[K9Anniv]

I went to a car and Motorcycle Show yesterday and noticed when I took my seat off there was a BIG Scratch on that starts under my seat and goes passed it about a inch out and it is deep!!! I had them replace the battery a couple of weeks ago and that is only the second time it had been off since I got it. It looks like whoever took the battery out pulled it out and hit the fender on the way out! They didn't say a word to me about this, what should I do? I went to my first show yesterday and took Best in Show, plus I won the 50/50 which paid 150 bucks. It was a great day but I was pissed all night over the scratch.. What should I do?

Thanks,
Bob

I'd take it back to the dealer and show it to the owner. IF he agrees to fix it (good luck!), make sure it'll be a bonafide bodyshop or bike repair shop that does it and not his goon in the back shop who's probably the one who put the scratch there in the first place.

I ALWAYS let these guys know UP FRONT, especially the assigned mechanic, how meticulous I am and will point out any previous defects. I even look to see if the mechanic's wearing a rodeo belt buckle, wallet chain, watch and decorative rings...these are all big time scratch items. If he is I ask him to be extra careful, making him aware of them, then in private let the owner of the shop know your concerns.

Who cares what they think??...it's your bike! Bottom line...nobody cares as much about your bike as you do...that's your expensive 'pride & joy', but to that shop guy it's $15 bucks/hour (give or take), and 'it all pays the same' for him whether he's working on a rat bike or a custom chopper.

Sorry for the long rant, but this is a major pet peeve of mine as well!

 

[erldawg]

... I also am very meticulous about my bike and it irritates me even to see finger prints on it after a service (which is very rare now I do all my own). This come back to Gas man's signature "Why pay someone else to F'up your bike" it certainly applies here!

Take it back and talk to the owner......

 

[jimizee028]

Honestly,I have a shop and if someone comes back after a few weeks and says i scratched their car or that dent wasnt there before,well it comes down to whether or not i think theyre busting my balls and do i even believe them...cause if they were all about their vehicle ,they'd have noticed that nite or a day later,not awhile after getting the car back,i try to go around each vehicle to record any other damage the vehicle has just in case this happens...and there is allways someone that comes back once in awhile with frivalous complaints when i am not on my Ps and Qs...just yesterday a guy came back and said all of a sudden his key lock pad that locks and unlocks the doors and opens the deck lid no longer works ..and of course it worked before the accident...he was adamant so luckily it was only a day later and ran it through the existing insurance claim...
but let me tell you this IF anyone came into my shop and questioned or was irritated or had a problem with one of my men were wearing and the possibilities it was gonna damage their vehicle i would turn down the job because of the great potential of never ever being able to satisfy them either way or them finding some issue that all of a sudden becomes mine now.......
IMO you should have asked to see the battery they replaced out of curiosity while you were there...it really seems as though you are and have dealt with people that are only taking advantage of you because i will bet my bottom dollar you let the cat outta the bag with them about your windfall.......
we detail every car after we are finished and get nice compliments just for doing so....i have never understood taking my bike to a place to get worked on and they dirty it up and dont even clean it before giving it back.....but then again the workforce just isnt what it used to be anymore....

 

[KaptinAmerika]

Haven't we gone through this with you once already Dlan when you bought the bike?
You have a "Custom" bike that you love.
Just like these other folks have stated treat it that way.
I walk in to a shop I speak with the mechanic who will be working on my bike, doesn't happen anymore because I do all my own work now buuuut. I let him/her know right up front that I thoroughly inspect my ride with the shop manager before I drop it off and if anything gets damaged it will be found before I leave the shop and the shop will be paying to fix it.
WIth that said, if I owned a shop I would be thoroughly inspecting rides before they came in and before they left. Once the ride left my shop it is highly unlikely I would take responsibiliity for any damage found at a later date. Customer service is a tough game, been there and done that, and you want to take care of your customer's but they WILL take advantage of you if you let them, just as a shop may take advantage of you "If You Let Them".
Don't leave your ride with anyone with out doing a "Documented" thorough inspection before you leave. If they refuse to do that with you then take it somewhere else.

 

[Little-Boo]

You should have looked at it at the dealer before you rode off. I don't think the dealer or owner is going to agree to fix it for free. Get ready to fork out about 350.00 to get it done right. I would just take the fender off and send it to Ed. He will make it look like new again. I should know he did mine about a year ago. :2thumbs:

Carlos

 

[TheDeadOne]

Aren't you the guy that was awarded $25 million bucks

Send it to Airbrush Ed to fix. :2thumbs:

I'm sure he'll only charge you a couple of million to fix you right up! :2thumbs:

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

Good Luck! :2thumbs:

dead

 

[Mickeetwo]

Fix it and move on

 

[Five Five]

Bob.....let it go buddy..
I'm going to teach you to wrench your own bike....at no charge..
Congrats on your winning best in show.

"55"

 

[coach]

A battery replacement is one of those basic/simple jobs you need to become familiar with anyway. A routine about as often as an oil change. Batteries have lasted me about two years no matter how well I care for them or quality I purchased. It is also an opportunity to inspect for corrosion/rust, clean things up, check out wiring, etc. You also become better aquanted with a part of the bike that could leave you stranded on the road for nothing more than a loose connection.......Good Luck

 

[Biker Babe]

Any time you take your bike into the shop, you and the Service Writer should look it over and make note of any damages...then if you check it over before leaving the shop with it, they can't deny any damages that they personally caused.

Best of luck on the whole thing, I know that's frustrating.

 

[Thumper]

Aren't you the guy that was awarded $25 million bucks Give me the POS and go but some new ones for yourself

:2thumbs:

 

[Dlandbob]

Aren't you the guy that was awarded $25 million bucks Give me the POS and go but some new ones for yourself

So what if I have money, that has nothing to do with someone scratching my bike. I just wanted to see what all you thought about it and how I should approach this issue with them. Someone knew they did it, they tried to cover it up. I have insurance but that isn't not the issue at all. I paid them to rejet it and not I am headed over there so they can get it right this time and after that I will cut all ties. I wouldn't ever go there but I paid them already to jet it. He said it was fine and when i left I noticed a issue but I had to pick up my son from school so I couldn't go back..

Thanks All,
Bob

 

[Dlandbob]

Oh,
I know they did it because before they came and picked my bike up I took 20 pictures of the battery because I have never seen one melt and in the pictures, there wasn't any scratches.

 

[K9Anniv]

Oh,
I know they did it because before they came and picked my bike up I took 20 pictures of the battery because I have never seen one melt and in the pictures, there wasn't any scratches.

Well, there's what you show the owner and discuss with him. Forget the comments about your "money" and "just let it go"loony and read the other legitimate suggestions about what to do...that was the purpose of your post, right? Anyway, good luck! Keep us posted!

 

[Dlandbob]

Well I talked to them and they were not surprised that there was a scratch and someone tried covering it up with a sharpie... The guy who worked on it was fired Monday because he had done this to a bunch of other bikes and the owner was tired of having to pay to have peoples bikes to get painted etc.... Like I have said in all my post, they are by far some great people there who go out of there way for me. I was just upset thinking someone tried to cover it up, which was true but no one else knew but the guy who did it so they are not at fault. I guess he did it so many times that he wouldn't want to say he did it to my bike too... D'oh!

 

[Dlandbob]

A battery replacement is one of those basic/simple jobs you need to become familiar with anyway. A routine about as often as an oil change. Batteries have lasted me about two years no matter how well I care for them or quality I purchased. It is also an opportunity to inspect for corrosion/rust, clean things up, check out wiring, etc. You also become better aquanted with a part of the bike that could leave you stranded on the road for nothing more than a loose connection.......Good Luck

There isn't anything I can't do, I called them after my bike started to smoke and the battery was fried, they said I needed to make sure the electronics weren't friend and they would test it for me so I didn't cause anymore damage.
Thats the only reason I didn't replace it myself, I love to wrench on things, there isn't anything I can't do.

Thanks for all your suggestions..
Bobby

 

[barhopper]

Bob.....let it go buddy..
I'm going to teach you to wrench your own bike....at no charge..
Congrats on your winning best in show.

"55"

Well then help me put in my wire plus. Fridge is fully stocked of beer. After were done.

 

[OrangeSkullz]

I had this happen with an SUV at a dealership when they added a supercharger. I noticed it the day I took it home. Called them the next morning on my way to work and left a message explaining what I saw.

They had me bring the vehicle back that next evening to look it over. Took about a minute for them to agree that it was in fact THEIR falt. They paid for a respray on my front fender and gave me a Toyota Land Cruiser as a loaner.

What I'm trying to say is if you would have let them know that day OR early the next I don't think you'd have any isues.............waiting a few days will more than likely cause you grief.