BMW S1000RR Forum banner

Did my dealer screw me?

6K views 38 replies 20 participants last post by  z00 
#1 ·
I haven't paid yet...but my dealer charged me $500 to install hotbodies rearsets (video online guy installs them in one hour), gb engine case covers, flush mount blinkers, frame sliders (which take just 2 seconds) , ram mount x-grip cell phone mount and easy pop in led parking bulbs (not headlights). I made them throw in my AR exhaust install for free when I bought the bike a few weeks ago and figured I'd have them do these little items but feel like they are really sticking it to me. Am I right? This is just basic stuff here.


Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
See less See more
4
#3 ·
Wow, 500 seems a lot.

I was gonna ask my dealership to install levers, woodcraft crankshaft cover and frame sliders during the 600 mile service next week but I should call & ask how much they'll charge before I go..

Edit: Also, I would do the ram mount & flush mount yourself. They're easy. I'm not a mechanical kind of guy in any way. I have my ram mount which I will be installing myself after the 600 mile service. It's pretty easy, I did it before on my R6.
 
#4 ·
People don't realize that dealerships have a higher labor rate per hour than do smaller independent shops because of higher costs involved. Always ask for an estimate before hand or ask a friend you trust to do the work. Or should I say sucker like me because I usually don't charge my buddy anything.
 
#5 ·
This falls under hourly labor rate charges, and seems to me, absolute max is 2 hrs. At my BMW Dealer in Dallas-area, labor rate is about $115/hr (not sure exactly, but this close). So max should be $250 for the work you have listed. You should definately ask your dealer how they got to $500--it doesn't seem right. I'd explain that you want to be fair and support them, but these charges seem excessive, and if they are, then you need to find a dealer you can trust and develop a relationship with. Good luck.
 
#8 ·
$500 for just the install alone. I was expecting to pay around $250 to $300 at most!

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
#11 ·
So you think $500 is reasonable? I could have done everything myself but the Rearsets... Just wasn't expecting to get hosed and had a strict timeline as I'm having the bike trailered out to Maggie Valley today. Couldn't find the time and they agreed to do exhaust for free when I bought it new. Figured I'd get it all done at once.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
#10 ·
Is the bike exactly how you want it? Did they screw anything up? I don't think they screwed you, they provided exactly the service you requested.



If it were me, I would just ask for an estimate before work is done--standard practice (but you don't know until you know)

YouTube and the great people on this forum have saved me quite a bit and I've only been here for a month. Use your non-monetary resources first next time if steep labor is a concern (it is for me).
 
#12 ·
How long did it take them to install these parts? What's their rate? My guess is they charged you four hours of labor at $125 per hour. Rearsets require removal of stock parts. Installation of signals require removal of fairings. Sliders and ram mounts are easy to do. I would say 15-20 minutes each max. They may charge in 30 minute increments.

Is it pricy, yes. Is it something I could have done myself, yes. Did the shop do the work as requested, yes. There are two lessons. One, learn to do the work yourself as @the_gooch suggested. Two, get an estimate prior to requesting the work.
 
#13 ·
I think the rearsets would be easier than running into trouble installing the levers with the micro switches.

I'm not a fan of the x-grip at all, I have one sitting in a drawer I'll never use again, many cases are made for exact fits
and will be more secure, and go and off the bike as or more easily than than with the x-grip.
I've learned I there's way too much glare to see my phone anyways, I can do turn by turn directions with it in my pocket and
using earbuds/com system better anyways.

Panels are easy to take on and off, and I suggest getting comfortable doing that yourself.
The studs going into the panels from the frame, and vice versa, are where you have to be careful.
Pretty sure there are write-ups here describing it in detail though, just do a search.

I've even started mounting my own tires as I'm trying to take some cost out of the use/ownership of the bike.
I had the initial break-in service done at the dealership, but I'm done paying them their ridiculous fees
($70 to mount a balance a rear tire, that I carried in with the wheel, what a damn joke)
plus I always find something they did wrong when I get it back.
 
#14 ·
OP: Yes, they gave it to you without lube. Those parts are really easy to install. Most of them have how-tos online. It would have taken you 3-4h max. Save the $$ for track days.


I've even started mounting my own tires as I'm trying to take some cost out of the use/ownership of the bike.
I had the initial break-in service done at the dealership, but I'm done paying them their ridiculous fees
($70 to mount a balance a rear tire, that I carried in with the wheel, what a damn joke)
plus I always find something they did wrong when I get it back.
Which tire change machine did you get?
 
#15 ·
Well, I went the fully manual route first, I just have a set of the MotionPro bead breaking tools and a balancer, but I'm happy with the results.
Most of the sub $300 machines I've looked at seem to be mostly for bead breaking. Maybe that alone is worth it though, that is half the battle.

I do think I'll get one eventually though, but probably GS911 and Rapidbike/Brentune purchases will come first.
(and I really need to stop looking at CF parts, this slippery slope never ends!)
 
#21 ·
Are all of your tire swaps include taking them off the bike? $100 a tire seems right if they have to take the tire off the bike. If you are bringing in the rims then that's crazy.

If you dont mind elbow grease, then you can by a NoMar for $600 and change tires yourself. I've done 14 individual tires using my father's. He has done his own tires as well. Already paid for itself and will never have to pay someone to do tires ever again. Plus, I know that I'll treat the rims right.

To the OP, all that stuff would take me about 5.5 hours including the exhaust, and I'm just some joe shmoe. If they charge $100 an hour then the price is probably about right. I have 2 local bmw dealers; one charges 60 and the other charges something around 90. Guess which one gets all the business...
 
#26 ·
Are all of your tire swaps include taking them off the bike? $100 a tire seems right if they have to take the tire off the bike. If you are bringing in the rims then that's crazy.
As I mentioned..."service manager told me if I brought my wheels in, he'd swap tires for $100/wheel."

Indeed it is, it's also why I keep driving an hour round trip to use George's No-Mar.
 
#31 ·
Sorry OP yes you did get screwed, but if you were pressed for time and needed it done then I guess thats the price you pay.

Doing these little jobs on the bike yourself lets you learn how the bike is put together, how the fairings fit, how the rearsets all work, how the fiddly bits in the levers work.

Once you know all that its easy to see when something is not quite right, due to wear and tear or poor servicing.

As to that RAM mount, the rubber thing that goes in the head stem becomes next to useless after a while - after a year or so mine would wobble all over the place. I now have one of these for my Zumo mount:

Ultimateaddons Fork Stem Mount Kit - www.motogps.com.au | MotoGPS | Clamp mounts, GPS mounts, RAM mounts | motogps.com.au | Australia
 
#36 ·
UPDATE: They originally told me over the phone it was $499 for just the parts but I wrote them a very detailed email adressing my concerns and they called me up and said they made a mistake. The $499 includes my first service so my labor costs on the parts were actually $250 and first service was $250. Glad they were not screwing me and it was just a communication error on their end.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aminovisk and A B
#32 ·
You're not telling us a very important fact in this whole situation....what the shops flat rate is. If the shop charges 80/hr, then yea, you got hosed. If they're at $125/hr, then I'd say it's normal pricing, you didn't get taken advantage of and you didn't get a bro deal. I work in the service dept at a local dealer, and if you brought all that in and asked me for a quote, I probably would have been in the 3.5 hour range. We are $125/hour at my shop. So it all depends on the flat rate.
 
#35 ·
One other thing you might not realize. The shop is liable for any issues as a result of installing these parts for you. So they are going to proceed carefully, not scratching any paint, removing the side fairings for the slider and indicator install, looking up and applying the correct torque to every fastener, loctite where required, and rechecking all the work. They may have also had to change the "LAMPF" indicator, either on the left switchgear or using the computer to allow your indicators to flash at the proper rate. An hour for rearset install? Maybe if you've done 3 or 4 sets of the same brand. But first time? Not a chance IF you're doing it properly and torquing everything.
Just imagine, you're out for a ride and the shifter fall off. You're not going to blame Hotbodies, are you. You'll say the dealer did a bad job installing them. A lot of dealers around us won't install aftermarket items exactly for this reason.

I don't think the price is unreasonable at all. But for sure you could get an independent to do it for less, maybe with a few issues afterwards, or you could have spent some of that money on tools and started doing it yourself. It's nice to have choices.
 
#38 ·
Like I said... they originally called me and said verbatim: "Your bill is $499 for JUST the parts install". I then looked to this forum for a second opinion which I then received which allowed me to write a well organized email to them. Thank you to everyone who took the time to help me out.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
#39 ·
I don't think it was a mistake on their end. They tried to screw you, but when you expressed your concern they backed off. I had similar experiences with two dealerships when I was in Calif. Main reason I decided to do work myself except for 18k service.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top