Lemon Law Rockets

[stingray]

In partial defence of dealers.....

Two issues affecting dealers are that firstly, they receive a very low rate of remuneration for warranty work, and secondly, they receive NO remuneration at all for their time and work in diagnosing a problem. If they spend hours chasing down a problem, another hour preparing the report to the factory, then ten minutes fixing it, they are paid for the ten minutes, and at a low rate.

So dealers are "expected" to know instantly what is wrong with a vehicle. Sadly, it doesn't work that way.... and never will. And believe me, the "technicians" at the factory are mostly just as much in the dark.

The combination of this and the factory attitude creates the almost universal trouble with warranty difficulty with ALL vehicles.

If you read your warranty carefully, you will probably find that the definition of warranty is "the replacement of faulty parts."

Think about that.

So it can easily boil down to how much time and expense the dealer is prepared to donate to (a) his customer and (b) the factory.

Been there, done that... 25 years of it.

Isn't that what the thousands of dollars of profit and franchise agreement are for when they agreed to sell it for X amount?

 

[Journeyman]

Isn't that what the thousands of dollars of profit and franchise agreement are for when they agreed to sell it for X amount?

Exactly- this is how every legitimate honorable business works (builder, plumbers, carpenters, mechanics.....). For the most part you make a profit, but there are cases where you have to eat it in order to keep the customer happy and you REPUTATION in tact. Factor in the majority of sales that never require any warranty work, very generous charges for routine work that is required under warranty, and you end up with a profitable business.

If it were me, I'd keep @stingray happy because he's going to make a hellofa lot more noise about the new Rockets, Triumph, and that dealership in particular than half a dozen satisfied customers. If you want to look at it from a purely economic perspective, it makes good financial sense to keep ALL of your customers happy, despite occasional losses here and there.

@stingray been following your ordeal and really sorry you've had such a bad ride. Thinking of what I would do in your situation.....
Go to every review site starting with Google and Yahoo and blast the dealership. Believe me, a scathing review on Google is NOT something any business wants. Next, contact the BBB and file a complaint on the dealership. That is definitely not a place they want to appear to have blown you off and that may be the final straw that breaks the camel's back. A ding there is way bad and even corporate Triumph may have an interest in that not happening. All pretty easy to do. Keep us posted, whatever you decide and good luck.

 

[Jagster]

The problem is obvious, (codes, CIL, etc...) they don't seem to want to repair it. Kick the can down the road...

I'm not familiar with how consumer law works in the US, but I would assume that if you have bought a new product and it doesn't do what it was supposed to do due to quality/reliability failure that you highlight to your dealer, at the earliest opportunity within the first few weeks/months, if the dealer can't fix the problems then you should be within your rights to reject the product and request a new replacement or to take the bike back and give a refund. The amount of refund might be subject to negotiation depending on how much use it had before the failure occurred, but the main point is that you shouldn't be stuck with a bike that doesn't function as one.

One other thought is that perhaps the dealer is trying to stall in order to give themselves time to get better tech support from the factory. If that were the case, though, it would surely be better to be honest with the customer.

 

[Journeyman]

What's the name of this dealership?

 

[stingray]

The problem is obvious. It's been throwing P16A2 and P1640 since it was new. Page 742 of the service manual. Seems the IMU is part of the ABS motor and an expensive part to eat.

 

[stingray]

What's the name of this dealership?

I'm going to give them a chance. Might be Triumph stalling, they've done several downloads on it already saying it just needed the newest software. But the problem persists. I went and got it about 6 weeks ago and brought it home, Six hours, seventy five dollars of gas per trip, rode 5 miles and went into fault again. Disgusting. Back to them again now.

 

[Whylee]

I really hope I made the right choice buying mine. After working for Land Rover / Jaguar for a couple years, I came to realize that thier electronics were not ready.
They want all the high tech, but they just were not there yet. Some had no issues, while others just were a nightmare. It was a real crapshoot, it either worked or it was a endless continuation of issues.
I think Triumph may be in the same boat. I figured since I love the Rocket I will try it, if issues pop up, its gone.
I wont play the endless trips to the dealership game.

 

[Journeyman]

I'm going to give them a chance. Might be Triumph stalling, they've done several downloads on it already saying it just needed the newest software. But the problem persists. I went and got it about 6 weeks ago and brought it home, Six hours, seventy five dollars of gas per trip, rode 5 miles and went into fault again. Disgusting. Back to them again now.

Seems the IMU is part of the ABS motor and an expensive part to eat.

You, sir, are very patient and generous fellow. You're even protecting their reputation, I guess afrraid to alienate them while waiting for them to finally do the right thing.
I'm a nice guy too, but I've been following your ordeal (many other posts, not just here, multiple issues) for some time- how many months now, or am I confusing you with someone else? Seems to me that, so far, you're eating the cost of that ABS motor along with the cost of a new Rocket3, not the dealer, not corporate Triumph, plus your time, gas, aggravation...

It's simply not acceptable- in my humble opinion. I really wish you all the best.

 

[Frans]

with these two error codes both pointing at the IMU you would expect them to replace the IMU sensor/unit with a working one and see if the problem persist. No idea where that sensor unit sits in the new R3 but would think that's an rather easy job.

PS and reading the "action" remarks i would think that the IMU data is available in the freeze data, so rather easy to determine if it is correct.

How A Motorcycle IMU Works

The IMU (Internal Measurement Unit) is perhaps the most important part of a motorcycle’s electronic package. But how does it work?

www.visordown.com

 

[stingray]

Thanks guys. I do want a working Rocket. I think it's part of the ABS unit now. I guess it would cost a couple of grand out of warranty w/ labor & tax.

It's part #1 in this internet view of one for sale. Not my dealer.
ABS System. Triumph Rocket 3 | Cross Country Triumph, Metuchen NJ
Triumph Rocket 3 Modulator, ABS, IMU, Wet. System, Brakes - T2021606 | Cross Country Triumph, Metuchen NJ
Modulator, ABS, IMU, Wet
Part Number: T2021606