Shame! Name those traders and mechanics that have robbed you blind

Maybe it is because Im a woman but I went to Pole Position (Pole because they are from Poland) on The Highway near Tower Bridge last year, first they had my bike for a week because they said they had to order the shims. Never called to give me an update. All along they said to replace them and do a full service would be £350. Go get my bike and que'l surprise, bill is now £500! My bike ran like a sick dog after that so took it to some guys I do know and trust (PP was chosen for logistical reasons) and they said I had been had, not all the shims had been replaced, I was charged for 8, full service was definitely not done, air filter had not been replaced even though it needed doing and some other stuff, they were horrified to see the labour charge, 7 hours of labour! They said for 7 hours, you could rebuild the engine (sarcastically exaggerating Im sure). So muppet here forked out another £350 to get the work done that shouldve been done in the first place :-( Avoid!

 

Did you go back to PP and complain about the work done; cause that's downright lib taking!

 

Yes,

Yes, I wrote them a complaint, they didnt acknowledge it. I then put a thread on Londonbikers complaining about it, they then replied and said they had pretty much rebuilt my engine and thats why it cost so much. It was a complete lie, I have the invoice still, plus the fact that it ran like crap, it struggled to get over 120mph (dont ask) and even getting it to speeds above 80 it was taking strain. Everyone else on the thread said that I got a lot of work done for my money, my argument was that if so much was wrong with it, this was never communicated to me in any of the daily conversations I had with them nor was any parts for doing said work shown on the invoice. And the price did shoot up from £350 to £500 in half an hour between calling them and collecting the bike. Strange that. If they did that work, they wouldve known the correct cost when I called.

 

Sounds like a right dodgy bunch and then there is the problem of proving it and trying to get some sort of justice. You would need an engineers report from someone who corrects the work, and then pursue them with this. Unfortunately a very long winded and tedious process.

 

Small claims court all the way!!!

 

This is Why i always Use People i know - and trust .... We could have a Name a Same section in Bike Maitence to warn people about rouges like this

 

Given that info about multiple services, I'd definately be looking at a kinked breather hose as your oily boot cause.
If they're dropped the tank down and pinched the hose shut, crank case pressure will eventually push out a gasket, and oil.

As the bike's getting some attention, drop the fairing panel off, douse the engine in brake cleaner to get rid of the oil that's there, then rev the tits off it and see where it comes from.

Report back

 

I don,t have any Probs with bike shops, coz I don,t use em. Do all my own work and anybody elses that wants to learn.

 

STURDEY'S of Tonbridge. Sold me a 125 Kwak trials in the mid 90's with a duff reed valve, ( for top dollar) had it back 4 times and refused to find the problem ( would have cost a bit to fix ) I got shot after six months and lost 1k. I swore I would never buy another bike from them. Bought the beautiful Daytona from them with a bald front tyre (new MOT) and (working) Datatool alarm, only to find out that the said alarms box of tricks was in fact void of components. It took almost a month to get the alarm replaced, several phone calls and my last call to them gleaned the information that the bike had been ready for collection for 3 days. And last week my cousin had his SV serviced there and it broke down on his way home.

 

Jap and German in London: brand new battery died after 4 months and looked at the receipt and been charged for a primo brand, turns out they had put in some rubbish cheapie battery. Was cheaper for Nick from Revolution Bike Tech to pick it up and replace it with a new one than get it back to J&G for them to check and replace the existing one!

 

Bit late but I only just read this. I had some dealings years ago, mostly of a negative nature with Sturdey bros when they ran a bike shop in W Kingsdown. One on the brothers seemed ok but the other, who I think went on to open the shop in Tonbridge, was always evasive/'difficult' to speak to & certainly wasn't interested after making a sale. I'm surprised the shop survives for that reason alone. I vowed never to go back.

 

I had a bad experience with a local garage years ago when I first bought my GSXR, went in for a service and came back with no brakes! They took it back and charged for braided lines and new discs, still no brakes! Went back a third time and seemingly fixed it, then on the way to Norfolk that evening the new lines came loose at the m/c end, bolt literally unwound while I was riding along.

Don't trust anyone nowdays.

 

Was stung when I had my Varadero 125; only thing garages do now are the tyres and MOT's.

 

I know that it might sound a little simplistic, but I've always found that if a garage looks unprofessional (untidy workshop, low-rent premises, waste not properly cleared), they often turn out to have pretty poor service and little (or no) comeback. I know that this isn't always the case... but it does ring-true. I'm aware of PolePosition as I pass it on my commute home. Just by the look of the place, there's no way on Earth I'd ever take my bike there. Maybe compile a list of local-ish bike workshops, note the addresses and take a ride out to visit them one day? Have a chat and see how they converse with you. Do they make you feel comfortable and confident in their skills? Ask if they have customers who you can contact for references. If there are other people waiting, speak with them and ask how they feel about the service. Any good workshop with nothing to hide will be more than happy to assist.

The guys out at Jack Lilley Triumph were always brilliant with my Tiger. Not sure if they work on other brands, but may be worth a call.