Hello all, I'm new to the this board and am planning to buy a new 2009 Monster 696.
The dealer shows me a maintenence schedule of every 7500 miles or so, but what really shocked me is the $800+ maintenence cost as it was explained that the valves will need to be adjusted and belts replaced often.
Give me the truth to this all. Will a new Ducati Monster 696 really need to require such extreme and costly maintenence each time I bring the bike in for service every 7500 miles compared to a regular oil, filter change which most bikers I know with other kinds of bikes usually get by with.
I owned a Harley Sportster and Kawsasaki ZX6R and those bikes did just fine with just regular oil changes.
The dealer wanted to sell me some deal where 6 services for the 696 would cost $2000, instead of paying $800 each time. They said that just a oil and filter change would cost $250
The dealer also said that if I don't get the maintenence done as scheduled, then the 2 year Ducati warranty is voided which I can't believe because I never heard of any vehicle warranty being voided out because the owner didn't have his engine torn apart and checked by a certain schedule.
Is the Ducati dealer I went to just trying to make extra money by recommending such expensive services.
Please don't recommend for me to do the maintenence myself, because I cannot for many different reasons.
BTW, this would be a bike I'd just ride for pleasure on the weekends. It wouldn't be used as a track bike, rode at very fast speeds or anything like that.
It's all true. The only thing I don't know about the price. I do all my own work. But I have seen others pay anything from 600-900 bucks for the service. Ducati engines are very different from their Japanese counterparts. Cam belts are used instead of cam chains and the tensions required are much tighter. Also the valves are set up so that both the opening and closing action are done via shimmed rocker arms. The valve assemblies do settle in with time but first the first few service intervals they need to be checked if not adjusted. If the schedule is not followed Ducati will void the warranty. If my bike was still covered by the warranty I would have save all my receipts just in case I needed to prove I had followed the proper schedule before they would cover any kind of warranty issue. All that being said Ducati makes a wonderful machine that makes all this pain in the ass worth it. And in my case working on the damn thing makes me as happy as working on it. I have problems :)
If they are charging $250 for an oil and filter change then you need to find a better dealer and tell your current dealer where to shove it.
As far as the valves they are required to be checked and adjusted as necessary every 7500 miles and that is just the nature of desmodromic valves. It is rather expensive but the dealer near me would want $450 for a valve inspection/adjustment then I would have to add the cost of the belts to that plus an oil filter and the oil for the 7500 mile service. They should not be charging extra to change the belts when they adjust the valves b/c they have to take the belts off already to adjust the valves. The only additional cost should be the belts themselves.
Hey Duki, I hope your service guy was at least going to kiss you first...
Duki09, A couple of years ago Ducati realized that they were losing a lot of sales due to the high Ducati maintenance costs relative to other bikes. So they started an ad campaign that said "50% Lower Maintenance Costs" I think starting with the 2008 models. What they did was extend the service interval from every 6,000 miles to every 7,500 miles. They also published a list of "suggested" scheduled maintenance prices that their dealers should stay within. These prices were fairly reasonable. I don't recall what they were but you may be able to find them by searching this board or by calling Ducati North America. It seems like many dealers are really taking advantage and abusing their maintenance charges. If your dealer shows you Ducati's maintenance schedule again, you should ask him to also show you Ducati's estimated cost for the schedule maintenance work.
About warranty, first, you should follow the scheduled maintenance schedule, whether a dealer or an independent shop or your uncle Joe does the work. The prices the dealer may charge are unreasonable but the schedule itself is reasonable. If someone else does the work, you should document it and save all the receipts. I'm not a lawyer, but I think there are a few members here who are and if I'm misguided I hope they will step in and correct me. If, for example you do not get the oil changed on time and your voltage regulator fails during the warranty period, then Ducati still has to honor the warranty and replace the voltage regulator since oil has absolutely nothing to do with voltage regulator failures. If you fail to change the oil per the maintenance schedule and you have excessive wear in your valve train, then Ducati can say that the warranty is not valid because dirty and broken down oil may have contributed to the problem. The warranty issue needs to be directly related to your failure to follow the maintenance schedule in order for them to claim you have violated the warranty. And the required schedule maintenance work does not have to be done by a dealer.
I hope you don't let the dealer discourage you from buying a Ducati and I think you can find a better dealer or get Ducati North America to lean on your dealer you are talking to now.
I just bought an S4. I've heard the nightmare horror stories. You know what, I'm going to go for it, and do it myself. What's the worst that can happen? F_ck it up? I'll just do it again until I get it right.
IMO, there are two ways to look at MC maintenance. An expensive PITA, or a rare treat to spend some quality time with your favorite inanimate object. $2,000 buys A LOT of tools, manuals, filters, and oil. The reward you get from KNOWING your baby is maintained like the factory intended: Priceless.
And fwiw, there is a law in the US, I used to know the name, that mandated that a motor vehicle manufacturer could only insist on dealer service as a requirement for warranty coverage IF they provided it free of charge to the owner. That said, I won't say there aren't some unscrupulous dealers that won't try some scare tactics and some regional service reps that are trained in the "NO." The best bet is to keep receipts and a service log religiously. And find a buddy with a garage and some know-how.
that oil change price is way too high, full synthetic oil is only 3 quarts and costs retail at a store $40-50 and oil filter is only $13 retail and crush washer .25$, so that is around $50 for parts.
so they want to charge you $200 for labor for an oil change? basically 2.25 hours of service time? tell them either your bike is the space shuttle or their techs should go to school to learn about what a wrench is because the only way an oil change should take that long is if you have no tools at all to do it and they are using their bare hands.
Learn to do it yourself. My last oil change cost me $22. My last service that included belts cost me about $90.
JM
For a first service $800 sounds a bit high, though not unheard of. They don't necessarily have to adjust the valves but they do need to check them. It's likely a few will need adjustment at early service intervals. An oil change it easy to to yourself, only takes a shop a half hours, and $250 is way too high.
I do all the service on my 800 Dark myself. This has required me to collect some tools including $200 worth of software and some manuals. Still, even at more reasonable rates it all paid off on the first service. I've also spent many hours here learning the quirks of Ducati.
If you're handy I'd say get a manual and some tools and have at it. If your not and can find someone to coach you through it maybe you might want to learn. If not, bargain the price down or find another place to get it serviced.
I enjoy working on my bike and being able to do all the work myself is nice. If something seems wrong I can fix it myself on the spot. On the other hand I grew up doing this and it's second nature to me. Even if you don't intend to do the work yourself it's good to educate yourself so you don't get ripped off. This board is an amazing resource. Know what you need and get what you pay for. And if they're ripping you off go somewhere else.
Scott
belts and valves are pretty important for the ducs. valves will likely not need adjustment over the life of the bike, just the first few service intervals. belts need to be done every couple years.....as recommended by the manufacturer of the belts.
since you stated that you cant/wont do the work yourself, find a more reasonable place to get the work done.
To join the dog pile - that shop's prices are super high. Depending on their per hour rate one of the *big* service intervals where there's a long list of things to go over, like fork oil, fuel filter blah blah... ok I could see that going for $800. But if it's the your 1st 7500, that's a valve check and oil change. That service should be more like what they quoted you for and oil change. And that oil change price.. offa. If they are *super* slow one might drag out hte oil change to 45 min. If I've got my stuff at hand, I can knock out a change in 15 min.
last year I got:
Heads dissemble/Reassembled
3 hours port and polish work
Belts
Oil change
Quick disconnect fuel lines
Frame slider install
+ associated parts
For $950
Quote from: corndog67 on March 28, 2009, 10:17:01 PM
I just bought an S4. I've heard the nightmare horror stories. You know what, I'm going to go for it, and do it myself. What's the worst that can happen? F_ck it up? I'll just do it again until I get it right.
I can't believe that I'm going to be the first to make comment in regards to this post.
What's the worst tha can happen? If you screw it up you could destroy your motor. If you don't set the timing correct and a valve hits a piston....BOOM! Game over. It's probably not going to be as simple as, "gee, I messed up the timing and the bike is runnung a little strange." ???
Also, if your not familiar with some of the problems to look for on your specific model, you could very well be missing very important issues. For example, your bike has the 916 motor and the rockers tend to have a flaking problem. If you didn't know about it and didn't look for it you're asking for big trouble in the future.
Just last week at the 4V service seminar at Clubhouse Motorsports Eric found I think 4-5 rockers on Ducpainter's 996 with that problem. At $200 per rocker it adds up fast but neglecting it will cost you more in the long run.
MonsterMash, it was grave yard smash. I bet you've never heard that before. Ok, back on topic. I can see what you mean. But for employment, I have a highly technical job that really, really boils down to attention to detail. And I think I have that attention to detail in me. And also, although I am sure that there are some pretty good mechanics out there, I've met some real hacks that i wouldn't let change the oil in my old ladies Hyundai. I tend to look at like, I am sure I can do it as well as or better than anyone. That might sound a little big headed, but I think that I can do it.
And what's the worst I could do? Screw it up? It's just a motorcycle. #37 or so in a continuing saga. I could always buy another.
Quote from: corndog67 on March 29, 2009, 07:15:00 PM
MonsterMash, it was grave yard smash. I bet you've never heard that before. Ok, back on topic. I can see what you mean. But for employment, I have a highly technical job that really, really boils down to attention to detail. And I think I have that attention to detail in me. And also, although I am sure that there are some pretty good mechanics out there, I've met some real hacks that i wouldn't let change the oil in my old ladies Hyundai. I tend to look at like, I am sure I can do it as well as or better than anyone. That might sound a little big headed, but I think that I can do it.
And what's the worst I could do? Screw it up? It's just a motorcycle. #37 or so in a continuing saga. I could always buy another.
I second that. I was nervous when I bought the Duc, but I dove right in. I just finished my first valve service and I don't know what all the fuss was about. It's still a valve service don't get me wrong, but its not much different (in hardness or time) from doing the valves on my buddies Honda VFR. 'Course I say that after taking several days to do it, and asking a ton of questions. :D
Way to go Gimpy! Most jobs are like that, a few days the first time a few hours the next.
Scott