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DEALER SERVICE

keithg

keithg

Moped
How many of you take your C14 back to the dealer for service?
I am debating on the first(600 Mile) service as it looks to be an engine and rear drive fluid change with a filter for about $250?
 
Sometimes I go to the dealer and sometimes I go to an independent.  The service department where I bought the C-14 has not overwhelmed with me with great service so far.  Fortunately I have other options.  Unlike Honda, there are still some Kawi dealers still in business that are close by.
 
I normally take it in for the 600 mile. Probably a waste of money. But at least I have proof it was supposedly done!
 
Kinda what I think also........
We do our HD's and other bikes as I have a Kendon lift to make old guys life easier.............
 
I will be ready for my 600 mile service soon.. The guy that sold me the bike said it like so important to get done or else he cant warranty it.. Hum was that a threat?? lol 250 for oil changes  wow...
 
johnnieg said:
I will be ready for my 600 mile service soon.. The guy that sold me the bike said it like so important to get done or else he cant warranty it.. Hum was that a threat?? lol 250 for oil changes  wow...
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I don't think they can do that. If you have receipts to prove you did the work (oils, filter, etc.), IIRC, they cannot deny warranty coverage. But I don't like to take any chances. SO I normally pay the extortion for the 600 mile!
 
Hey its a Japanese bike its not supposed to need any service!!!  Its so funny i went from a all American garage to a  all metric garage.. From a vett to a z car.. from a caddy to a ....prius 50mpg baby!! and lets not forget from a hd to a C14! :))
 
as i spend all my time at work fixing or certifying aircraft and feel  i am capable, i do all my own maintenance on my  c14  with  the  kaw  shop manual its not  that difficult, from  what i have heard  from other owners, the  c14  seems to have so  little in the way of problems  the  kaw  mechs  don't get  to touch  them  much,  is this  a good  thing  or  when  they  work on  yr  bike is it  ojt at  yr  expense    just my thoughts    cog9178
 
GVmerle said:
Sometimes I go to the dealer and sometimes I go to an independent.  The service department where I bought the C-14 has not overwhelmed with me with great service so far.  Fortunately I have other options.  Unlike Honda, there are still some Kawi dealers still in business that are close by.
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So funny,I feel the same about my local dealer.
 
Ouch ... $250 is double what i was quoted for my 600 mile first service.

they told me $125 and this is the first purchse from this dealer.

Almost to the 600 mile mark.
 
BAD NEWS-$279 GIVEN TO THE DEALER FOR CHANGING OIL AND DRIVE SHAFT OIL.
GOOD NEWS-BIKE IS BROKEN IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
gPink said:
mtc1966 said:
I was told 125 130 today he also recommended going synthetic so i only need to do a once a year change.
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Hopefully he was talking about the final drive and not the engine when he said "once a year".
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Now that just might depend on mileage wouldn't it. IIRC the recommended oil change interval is every 7,500 miles (and that's on conventional oil).  ;)
 
Cap'n Bob said:
gPink said:
mtc1966 said:
I was told 125 130 today he also recommended going synthetic so i only need to do a once a year change.
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Hopefully he was talking about the final drive and not the engine when he said "once a year".
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Now that just might depend on mileage wouldn't it. IIRC the recommended oil change interval is every 7,500 miles (and that's on conventional oil).  ;)
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But oil breaks down with time as well as mileage. In my 2nd vehicle that I only put on less than 1,000 a year I had the oil change every 6 months.
 
That still sounds like a waste of oil to me, unless the engine is running idle for a lot of hours in those miles.  I'd change that once a year with a good synth and be happy about it.  But hey, some people LIKE to waste oil. It's all good.  :)
 
Necron99 said:
That still sounds like a waste of oil to me, unless the engine is running idle for a lot of hours in those miles.  I'd change that once a year with a good synth and be happy about it.  But hey, some people LIKE to waste oil. It's all good.  :)
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I agree. If I only put a thousand or so miles on the bike in the year. I will still change the oil when I put her away for the winter. But I would never consider 6 months on little mileage.
 
I just got mine back from it's first service. $235 was just labor. The total bill was $287.95! I am quickly going to learn how to service my own bike. I thought that was way out of line for putting air in the front ( i was down 3 lbs) and a few quarts of oil with a filter. They said they adjusted the throttle cable; but i felt nothing different.  My brother told me I was crazy going to the dealer; but I figure it's the first 600 miles. why not go there and have them look it over. As of today I'm past 1000K as I took a 350 mile loop for the day to pull me over the top. I am seriously going to bone up on my service and get comfortable working on my own bike.
 
Yes its more than it should be for our perception of what they did BUT when you think about the WHAT IF's and we just spent $15K on a bike...................
I have had HD's for 20 years and dirt bikes forever and maintaining them isn't hard at all.  I work for Snapon so tools aren't an issue. We have a Kendon portable lift in the garage to keep me off of the floor. These bikes have more computer crap on them than we could imagine 20 years ago. BUT the 600 mile service had NOTHING to do with the wizardry of the computers...... So changing oil isn't ROCKET science............
 
I think the 600 mile is supposed to be a full lookover of the bike. This is to include removing some of the tupperware to check the torque specs on various key parts. So, it is to be a lot more than oil and filter. The idea is that any problems from the factory will shake loose during the first 600 and get fixed during the service. It is also somewhat of an investment if there are any warranty claims later on down the road.

Again, all of this is supposed to happen. Depends on the quality and integrity of the dealer for sure. The experience I have had with the dealer here in OKC has been uniformly positive so I elected to have them take care of the 600 mile on the C14.
 
MKorn said:
I hope they do go over things well.  I have a clunk in the front end when i hit bumps.
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I did too. And mentioned that they better check the steering head bearing. They did and of course it needed tightening!
 
I am surprised at some of the costs I am seeing here for the 600 mile service.  I had the 600 mile service at the dealer I purchased from in Sacramento and it cost me $139.00.  They didn't reset the clock to DST, but I managed to do that myself.  Probably would have been an extra hour of labor for that.
 
Cap'n Bob said:
I agree. If I only put a thousand or so miles on the bike in the year. I will still change the oil when I put her away for the winter. But I would never consider 6 months on little mileage.
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Put away.....
Winter.....

:D
 
Necron99 said:
Cap'n Bob said:
I agree. If I only put a thousand or so miles on the bike in the year. I will still change the oil when I put her away for the winter. But I would never consider 6 months on little mileage.
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Put away.....
Winter.....

:D
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Yeah it's a fact of life up here. Riding in the Snow and salt may not be concussive to ones or the bikes health! But I don't really miss roasting the twins off in the Texas summer heat either!  :))  Not that it's cool up here, but a lot better!
 
Cap'n Bob said:
MKorn said:
I hope they do go over things well.  I have a clunk in the front end when i hit bumps.
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I did too. And mentioned that they better check the steering head bearing. They did and of course it needed tightening!
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that is what i am thinking it is too ... BUT ... i loosened the shiney lil cap to mount my GPS to ... and of coarse i couldnt retighten it to what it was.
i sure hope it is just a jsut cover and not the actual head bearing tension nuts.  it looks to me like they are under the upper triple clamp. so i should be safe. :)
 
Is there anyone with a shop manual that can tell me (besides the oil/filter and rear differential oil change) what is supposed to be adjusted and or inspected at the 600 mile service? i was quoted 195 plus parts for this service. I have already changed the oil and filter and will do the rear diff oil change myself. 

thanks,

Bill
2011 abs
 
I had the initial service done on my '09 last week by my local dealer.  I bought the bike used with 500 miles on the ODO.  The ODO read 1600 when I dropped it off and they said that was perfectly fine (no threats about the warranty, or anything else)

I'd made a short list of stuff I knew needed adjusting before dropping it but didn't share the list with the dealer.  A little test so I can decide how far I can trust 'em.  They did a great job and picked up everything I knew about (which wasn't much) and took care of everything on the initial service list.  I also provided magnetic plugs that they installed and returned the originals in a ziplock baggy.

They estimated 3.5 hours and called it about $180+tax depending how long it actually took.  After tax the total was ~$200 well spent.  Now we've built a little trust and I'll likely give 'em more opportunities.

Side note on synth oil - I like to wait until the engine has 3k to 5k miles before I start using synth.  The moving parts of an engine are engineered to "wear-in" a little during the first few thousand miles.  If they aren't able to do that then you may end up with tolerances that are tighter than is optimal.  Just my 2¢...
 
orangewingnut said:
Is there anyone with a shop manual that can tell me (besides the oil/filter and rear differential oil change) what is supposed to be adjusted and or inspected at the 600 mile service? i was quoted 195 plus parts for this service. I have already changed the oil and filter and will do the rear diff oil change myself. 

thanks,

Bill
2011 abs
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This is the 600 mile Periodic Maintenance out of my 2008 service manual, so it may not include everything for the 2011. What might be different, I am not sure of!


Inspections:


Fuel System

Throttle control system (play, smooth return, no drag) - inspect
Idle speed-inspect
Fuel leak (fuel hose and pipe) - inspect
Fuel hose and pipe damage-inspect
Fuel hose and pipe installation condition-inspect

Cooling System

Coolant level - inspect
Coolant leak (radiator hose and pipe) - inspect
Radiator hose damage - inspect
Radiator hose installation condition - inspect

Evaporative Emission Control System (CAL)

Evaporative emission control system function - inspect

Clutch and Drive Train

Clutch operation (play, disengagement, engagement) - inspect
Clutch fluid level - inspect
Clutch fluid leak (clutch hose and pipe) - inspect
Clutch hose and pipe damage - inspect
Clutch hose installation condition - inspect

Brake System

Brake fluid leak (brake hose and pipe) - inspect
Brake hose and pipe damage - inspect
Brake hose installation condition - inspect
Brake operation (effectiveness, play, no drag) - inspect
Brake fluid level - inspect
Brake light switch operation - inspect

Steering System

Steering play - inspect

Others

Bolts, nuts and fasteners tightness - inspect


CHANGE/REPLACEMENT

Engine oil
Oil filter
Final gear case oil






 
The only way these services can be required to keep the warranty going is if the services are free and provided by the dealer. Otherwise, they try to scare you, btu thats it.
 
The 600 mile service is where they let one of the younger mechanics check the work of the teenager who uncrated the bike. Personally I do that service myself. I also prefer to run the engine to about 7500 miles before switching to synthetic. Just something an aircraft mechanic friend told me that makes sense about allowing for a thorough break in, but I'm sure there are folks who will disagree with that. So my thought would be if there are no specific problems to address, just change your oil and filter, drain the rear hub and go for a nice long ride with the $150 to $200 you saved.
 
I have never taken a bike in for a 600 mile service...or any service for that matter. It only goes in if their is a problem. I cant pay that much for an oil change when it is so simple.
My local dealer charges $25 for the first service if you bought the bike new from him. In that case I probably would but I didnt buy it new.
 
Most of the tech's are paid by the job and every job has a certain number of hrs. or flat rate for that job,they are not paid by the hour.The faster they get it done the faster they can get to the next job.Taking their time and checking every little thing can take a back seat.
 
Phil said:
How many of you take your C14 back to the dealer for service?
I am debating on the first(600 Mile) service as it looks to be an engine and rear drive fluid change with a filter for about $250?
Click to expand...

In my opinion, the 600 mile service is a waste of money. Instead, I would suggest you do it yourself. This is a great opportunity for you to get to know your bike a little, and get it set up the way you want. Check/tighten the battery cables, change the oil and filter, and check various fasteners on the bike and familiarize yourself with it's mechanicals. Adjust the throttle free play, idle speed, headlights height, and set the front and rear suspension settings to your liking and go over the whole bike and learn where everything is.

Use the money you save to buy the Kawasaki service manual.
 
I did my 600 myself,  took a few hours only because I really went over the bike top to bottom.    Found that the front wheel axle and pinch bolts were WAY WAY overtightened, the brake caliper bolts felt like they had  been tightened by a gorilla with an airgun and the center stem nut was very loose...  Re torqued all to spec and all was good until. 8k miles later when my center nut loosened up on me again (Hmm need to keep an eye on that)

I did make a checklist and recorded what I did/found as well as kept the receipts for the oil and filter.  I did use Kawasaki branded Oil/filter etc for the change even though it wasn't really necessary just to avoid any potential gotchas down the road
 
I did the 600 mile service (actually at 400 miles) and agree with Fred that it was a good opportunity to learn the mechanicals.  I also stuck with the Kawasaki oil just to play safe.  I purchased the Concours 1400 maintenance videos in Fred's tag, and that will go a long way towards helping with other maintenance and will supplement the manual.  For me, I would spend more time dropping off and picking up the bike at the dealer, than actually doing the work.  Plus I know it's done right.
 
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