Dealer Integrity Question

[PompeyRocket]

Hi,

Recently purchased the RIII Touring (2009) after waiting 17 years since I first sat on the model at the UK Bike Show at the NEC in 2008.

Having. Just completed a complete renovation on my Dragstar of 20 years and converting it into a bobber I can handle a spanner but wouldn't describe myself as a mechanic by a long shot. I took a 2 year warranty with the bike and within a week found that the rear light had failed and on closer inspection the wiring harness had worn the red wire all the through. Having spoken to the dealer they asked me to get a quote from a local mechanic to fit the new part ( i had picked a complete rear light unit for the cost of the wiring harness) on eBay . My friendly local mechanic suggested the local triumph dealer so I called them up and I was quoted an hour and a half to two hours work with a total cost of around £280 after taxes.
The cost was going to be borne by the dealer - though at that price they may have pushed back as a good chunk of their profit would have been gone ( the bike was also given an MOT the day before I collected.).

So I looked at the manual, seemed straightforward as seat off, rear fender off, replace harness, rear fender on, seat on. So for someone who had never worked on the bike, had some experience maintaining my bikes, I took me about 45 mins to complete the operation from the service manual. Whilst I had the fender off I did take the time to give it a good clean, but the job itself was 45 minutes.

My concern is that if I need to take the bike to the dealer for work in the future it sounds like the costs will be inflated. I'm happy to speak to the dealer and ask why I was quoted twice the time it took me to do the job, but wanted to know if anyone thinks the time quoted was reasonable and why.

Many thanks

 

[MIG]

Morning. My experiences w/ Triumph dealers in the USA has been mostly positive. What I've seen is they always add extra time to ensure they don't exceed the quote price (in time) they give you and, of course, it's about making money. They also take that entire time so you feel like you got your money's worth. Costs at a dealer will always be inflated. When I can't do the work myself, I try and find a 3rd party mechanic shop and often save 25-50% off of the dealer price.

How are you enjoying your R3T? Here's my girl...

 

[TURBO200R4]

Hi,

Recently purchased the RIII Touring (2009) after waiting 17 years since I first sat on the model at the UK Bike Show at the NEC in 2008.

Having. Just completed a complete renovation on my Dragstar of 20 years and converting it into a bobber I can handle a spanner but wouldn't describe myself as a mechanic by a long shot. I took a 2 year warranty with the bike and within a week found that the rear light had failed and on closer inspection the wiring harness had worn the red wire all the through. Having spoken to the dealer they asked me to get a quote from a local mechanic to fit the new part ( i had picked a complete rear light unit for the cost of the wiring harness) on eBay . My friendly local mechanic suggested the local triumph dealer so I called them up and I was quoted an hour and a half to two hours work with a total cost of around £280 after taxes.
The cost was going to be borne by the dealer - though at that price they may have pushed back as a good chunk of their profit would have been gone ( the bike was also given an MOT the day before I collected.).

So I looked at the manual, seemed straightforward as seat off, rear fender off, replace harness, rear fender on, seat on. So for someone who had never worked on the bike, had some experience maintaining my bikes, I took me about 45 mins to complete the operation from the service manual. Whilst I had the fender off I did take the time to give it a good clean, but the job itself was 45 minutes.

My concern is that if I need to take the bike to the dealer for work in the future it sounds like the costs will be inflated. I'm happy to speak to the dealer and ask why I was quoted twice the time it took me to do the job, but wanted to know if anyone thinks the time quoted was reasonable and why.

Many thanks

from a shop owners perspective
you have the time searching for the part to get a good buy
you have the time checking it out and talking to customer before work and when they pick it up and answering questions.
you also have the possibility of the customer coming back that with that front left blinker (which you can avoid by checking everything before you go to work on the bike and then call the customer) is not working after u work on my bike so now its another appointment with checking it out and talking to customer.

yes i think that two hours is a bargain.​

 

[PompeyRocket]

from a shop owners perspective
you have the time searching for the part to get a good buy
you have the time checking it out and talking to customer before work and when they pick it up and answering questions.
you also have the possibility of the customer coming back that with that front left blinker (which you can avoid by checking everything before you go to work on the bike and then call the customer) is not working after u work on my bike so now its another appointment with checking it out and talking to customer.

yes i think that two hours is a bargain.​

Thanks for your reply and I would say that on a more complex job where other factors can come in to play that there could well be other things that may mean the time is extended. But this particular replacement required the panniers to come off - 1 minute., 3 bolts for the seat removal 2 bolts for the panniers rail link and 6 bokts for the fender. Unplug wiring harness at both ends plug in new wiring harness at both ends and put back the 11 bolts and the panniers back in on. I had already sourced and acquired the part. Having done the job once I could do the same thing again in 30 minutes.
I have other Triumph dealers within 50 miles and having run my own businesses I understand that the customer isn't always aware of the costs from labour to rates to utilities to capital expenditure and so on. But I'm not querying the price, just the time and given that I could do this simple job in 30 minutes.
Thanks for the reply Turbo