Another dead dealership

[belfastguzzi]

You may have seen a tale of woe in the CARC gang hut, about the 8V recall.

In more than a month I have not been able to get any response from my dealer regarding the recall. I haven't had much joy from the MG Customer Service web page either. The Contact form doesn't even work and it still doesn't acknowledge existence of the 8V models in its bike list.

 

It suddenly became clear that the motor parts have failed, so I can't ride the bike anymore. All the more need for an urgent response from the dealer. "Oh the owner will get back to you next week" I was told. Of course they still didn't. <_>

I phoned MG Customer Services, who would not give me a UK contact number.

So, thanks to info from Guzzirider, I phoned MG's PR company this morning. At last a response. She came back with the UK Piaggio guy's email address.

He's now replied to me. Apparently the dealership in question is 'currently in the transition of new business ownership, and is at the final stages of completions.'

Well it would have been good if the dealer had the courtesy to tell me that before, when I was urgently enquiring about the recall: and then I could have looked for another way to sort it... before the top end went up in smoke (or least in a puff of metallic dust).

 

My point here is that in the 5 or so years since I bought the V.11, there have been 4 local dealerships who have had Guzzi – and all dropped it. 4 in 5 years!

How can any knowledge, interest, experience be built up? Well obviously it can't.

[gstallons]

I wish there was something good to say.... hopefully it will get sorted out SOON. Keep us posted.

[Guzzirider]

So, dealer problem aside, what did the guy at Piaggio propose to do to resolve your problem?

 

Are they expecting you to wait for the dealer to change hands, or have they taken ownership and made an alternative proposal?

 

Guy

[antonio carroccio]

I rode my bike today. It was nice.

[belfastguzzi]

I rode my bike today. It was nice.

Then you will really enjoy a long ride in May.

Book your ferry ticket.

[belfastguzzi]

So, dealer problem aside, what did the guy at Piaggio propose to do to resolve your problem?

 

Are they expecting you to wait for the dealer to change hands, or have they taken ownership and made an alternative proposal?

 

Guy

He said to do it through a place in Coleraine. I spoke to the guy there on the phone and he was helpful. Said he has had a lot of people coming up there from that other 'dealer' (where I got my bike) in Lisburn. He has already done Stelvio and Griso recalls.

So that's progress.

[Guzzirider]

Good news!!

 

Hope you get it sorted now!

[Paul Minnaert]

He said to do it through a place in Coleraine. I spoke to the guy there on the phone and he was helpful. Said he has had a lot of people coming up there from that other 'dealer' (where I got my bike) in Lisburn. He has already done Stelvio and Griso recalls.

So that's progress.

 

Sounds better, and he has parts too?

[belfastguzzi]

Sounds better, and he has parts too?

He has ordered them now.

[Greg Field]

If the valve gear has grenaded, schrapnel will have been circulated through the engine. Insist that they inspect your oil pump and at leastthe rod bearings.

[belfastguzzi]

If the valve gear has grenaded, schrapnel will have been circulated through the engine. Insist that they inspect your oil pump and at leastthe rod bearings.

I said I wanted the sump dropped and cleaned out. They don't think it necessary!

[antonio carroccio]

Then you will really enjoy a long ride in May.

Book your ferry ticket.

yes dad...

[Greg Field]

I said I wanted the sump dropped and cleaned out. They don't think it necessary!

 

 

Erg. When the hydro-EV cams were failing, they'd ruin the oil pump, too, in many cases, since the pump gets unfiltered oil. In really bad cases (enough schrapnel to clog the filter), or on bikes that were ridden cold a lot (cold oil often means the filter is in bypass mode) the rod bearings were ruined and the sludge trap was full of metal.

 

If that were my bike, I'd be pulling the crank and cleaning the trap and looking at the main bearings. The front main bearing is only sold as part of the crankcase, so you want to make sure it is undamaged while the bike is still under warranty. If it has metal embedded in it, make them replace the whole engine.

[Skeeve]

I said I wanted the sump dropped and cleaned out. They don't think it necessary!

 

Telling them they're wrong isn't likely to win you any friends; you might want to mention that due to fact the oil pumps drink unfiltered oil, you're just looking to decrease the chances of further repairs being required down the road...

 

BTW, thanks for the geography lesson! I had to pull up Google maps to find out what distances were involved for you; seems like dealer #1 is about 10mi away, and dealer #2 is

 

Hope you're back on the road in a jiffy & experience no more mechanical woes.

[belfastguzzi]

Erg. When the hydro-EV cams were failing, they'd ruin the oil pump, too, in many cases, since the pump gets unfiltered oil. In really bad cases (enough schrapnel to clog the filter), or on bikes that were ridden cold a lot (cold oil often means the filter is in bypass mode) the rod bearings were ruined and the sludge trap was full of metal.

 

If that were my bike, I'd be pulling the crank and cleaning the trap and looking at the main bearings. The front main bearing is only sold as part of the crankcase, so you want to make sure it is undamaged while the bike is still under warranty. If it has metal embedded in it, make them replace the whole engine.

The more experience / advice that can be given, the better, because I and presumably others along the line will have to make a case. This sort of work isn't mentioned by the recall, so I suppose that's why a dealer is thinking only in terms of the specific work listed (i.e. 'flush oil through the engine to remove any debris').

 

Of course the tappets haven't been inspected yet. I'm assuming that there is damage, because of the huge gaps that have opened up. They wouldn't have just gone like that due to some other innocuous, coincidental reason? Certainly I have never seen gaps like that on anything.