Ducati Monster Forum

Today I took my 04 S4R to Houston MV Agusta to have some dyno work done on it.  It was misfiring at 3500 to 4500rpm at 35 to 45 mph.  After about 4 hours of working on the bike the owner/tech figures that the problem is in the power commander and leaves it at that and we settle the bill.  When I get home I see that the lower carbon fiber Arrow silencer has deformed and there is black goo coming out the front seam.  I am sure the melting is do the continual running on the dyno.  I wasn't in the dyno room but from what I heard, he did a lot of running of the bike at high rpm.  He also ran it hard after pulling the power commander when it was running lean (read hot exhaust).  I am going to call the shop next week and speak to the owner.  Ideas on what I should expect or ask for, if anything?   I spent a lot of money today and will have to spend a lot more to replace that silencer and my bike is not fixed.  Fortunately, I called dynojet, and they were great.  They said they would work with me to figure out the problem with the power commander.  So  [thumbsup] for dynojet.   

call the shop now, the more time you let pass the easier it is for tech/owner to blame the problem on you.  Good luck!

Here is an update.  I called the MV shop this morning and got hold of the owner.  We had a friendly conversation.  When I told him about the exhaust problem he stated that he had seen the problem right away and had attempted to cool the muffler with a fan.  He said it stunk badly.  I kept my cool and said, "I would have preferred that you would have stopped at that point and let me know about the problem."  He said that he would contact Arrow and see if a replacement part was available.  Nothing was said about who will pay for the part but I'm pleased that we are making progress.  Comments on how responsible the shop is would be appreciated, because I'm not sure myself.  I know that as a customer we assume some risks when we have dyno work done.

Doesn't seem like the owner knew how to properly tune. 4 hours on a dyno?! Jebus. I would expect him/his shop to foot the bill. If push comes to shove then you always have small claims court. Make sure you document everything and take lots of pictures.

red hot exhaust isn't exactly a great method for tuning.

Sorry to hear it Bill. For a minute there I thought maybe it was one of the shops I recommended.

Keep us posted. BTW, I think I may have a brand new extra Arrow CF can from an ebay auction purchase. Let me know if the shop doesn't come through for you.

Great, thanks for the offer!  I should know soon. 

How old were the cans?

How many miles on the packing?

Since I purchased the bike second hand and the exhaust system came with the bike I can't answer your questions.  The bike had 18K on it when I purchased it and it now has 23K.  I can still contact the original owner and I'm sure he could give a general answer. 

The only reason I ask is packing wears/burns out and if it was 8 ish years and 23K ish old it may have already been done. The factories have never been very picky about packing.

I'm not saying the dyno tuner shouldn't have stopped as soon as he noticed the problem, he absolutely should have. I don't necessarily think his work caused the packing to fail.

DB killers in those, or no?

No DB killers,  I'd like to get some.  Sometimes it is too loud.  I have learned how to make ear plugs work better since I've owned this bike.

IIRC, the Carbon Arrows weren't available with DB killers, as the factory was concerned about excess heat.

A few folks here have 'em, and haven't had any problems, though.

But a dyno is a unique situation.

I just learned that Arrow uses Stainless Steel rivets which suggests the user is not expected to repack the mufflers.

I guess they expect user to replace the muffler.  ;D

j/k

Any word from the shop? Is he going to foot the replacement cost?

I had to get a replacement highmount arrow exhaust awhile back, and the one I got came with a removable dB-killer.  I removed it because even if I wanted it - the other side not only didn't come with one but had a slightly different shape inside of rear cap, so you couldn't put one in if you wanted.   [this is me shrugging]


btw, the guy i worked with at Arrow in the USA was very helpful.

I tried calling Arrow USA in NV today but there was no answer.  No voice mail, just rang and rang.  If you have info on who you talked with please PM it to me. 

j/k Sent ya a PM.  Doesn't sound like he takes responsibility.  I have yet to directly confront him with it.  I'm waiting until I have an idea of what it will cost me to fix it.  He did call Arrow and he said they will not replace the unit nor will they supply a tube to replace the melted one.

PM on its way, then!

AK,
Any updates on the exhaust fiasco?
Inquiring minds want to know.  [coffee]





 ;D

Sad that they didn't even call you and, from what it appears, tried to pass it off as "not me"
Small claims court?    [evil]

After the shop owner told me that the part was not available and that Arrow expected the consumer to purchase a replacement exhaust I contacted Arrow and found they would replace the tube for $200 (thanks to a tip from J V).  I called the shop to let them know.  There was no answer to several calls so I left a message.  My calls were not returned.  I emailed the owner of shop and with the info from Arrow and requested that he pay for the part.  There has been no answer to my email.  So my remaining option is small claims court.  As I recall, here in Texas, that begins by sending the shop owner a certified letter describing the complaint. 

Not good. Not good at all.  >:(

You should post the shop name and owner/operator name. It would benefit those in your area to know the business ethics of this shop.

Sorry AK. Hope you get this sorted soon.

Just looked them up and noticed that they're Metric Cycles (bought a MV Agusta dealership license), which historically had good reviews from others here.

Yep. I recommended that shop to AK.  :P

Andy should make this right.

Sending a certified "demand letter" is a good first step prior to legal action.  It can avoid legal action all together, which is a win/win/win. (i win, you win, we all win some ice cream). Send it certified + read-receipt-requested.   Be articulate, use short sentences.

good luck.  keep us posted.

I nominate j v to write this demand letter pro bono.
He's good with words.   ;D

Anyone want to second that vote?  [cheeky]

i can do that (but a single letter would be it - i got a mountain of other work to do).  while i am a TX attorney, i no longer live or have an office in Texas so you may be best served with some local counsel. I would need to review what's been posted here and get a bit more information to see what "needs to happen" and what "could happen".  To the OP, if that's the way you'd want to go, PM me to get my work email address - no more posting info here until the matter is resolved.

hush hush [thumbsup]