Dealer selling new 1100 w/ replaced parts?

[Triple J]

I want my new Ducati assembled in Bologna, on Ducati's assembly line, by Ducati's employees/techs who are hired, trained, and paid for that purpose and rubber stamped by Ducati's quality control process. Is that really so unreasonable and irrational of me, even before we begin discussing the amount of incompetent dealers out there? Seems legit to me.

Rejecting the bike because it had a rear wheel changed is unreasonable IMO. Pretty much anyone can swap out a rear wheel. It's not like they swapped a motor or a swingarm or something. It's a rear wheel...something that will be taken on and off again dozens and dozens of times. C'mon...QC process...really?? 

You realize that dealers have to do some prep. work to bikes before they are delivered, correct?

[SDRider]

I guess I'm in the minority here but I don't think the bike with replaced parts should be sold as new without full disclosure, and I feel refusing it for this is not unreasonable. Reason being pretty simple...I want my new Ducati assembled in Bologna, on Ducati's assembly line, by Ducati's employees/techs who are hired, trained, and paid for that purpose and rubber stamped by Ducati's quality control process. Is that really so unreasonable and irrational of me, even before we begin discussing the amount of incompetent dealers out there? Seems legit to me.

When you have to disassemble the bike to this point just to adjust the valves and replace the belts you'll have to excuse me when I chuckle at what you just posted.



You probably won't want to buy my bike.  I did this work myself and I'm not a "hired, trained, and paid for" Ducati tech. 

[Rudemouthsky]

When you have to disassemble the bike to this point just to adjust the valves and replace the belts you'll have to excuse me when I chuckle at what you just posted.



You probably won't want to buy my bike.  I did this work myself and I'm not a "hired, trained, and paid for" Ducati tech.  

That logic doesn't compute unless the dealer has to adjust the valves and replace the belts as soon as it's removed from the crate .

 It's not even to be nit picky, when you buy a brand new bike you're paying a premium for a brand new bike. otherwise, if one follows your logic, buy a used bike and save $3000+.

[Rudemouthsky]

Also...there's a LOT of home mechanics I trust more than my local dealer and the "trained" Ducati "techs" that get paid to "work" there.

[SDRider]

That logic doesn't compute unless the dealer has to adjust the valves and replace the belts as soon as it's removed from the crate .

 It's not even to be nit picky, when you buy a brand new bike you're paying a premium for a brand new bike. otherwise, if one follows your logic, buy a used bike and save $3000+.

Meh, if they can't remove a wheel and reinstall it correctly they have no business selling motorcycles in the first place.

[Rudemouthsky]

Meh, if they can't remove a wheel and reinstall it correctly they have no business selling motorcycles in the first place.

Oh it was just a wheel? I was lazy and didn't investigate the thread before posting.

[SDRider]

Also...there's a LOT of home mechanics I trust more than my local dealer and the "trained" Ducati "techs" that get paid to "work" there.

Funny you mention that.  A friend of mine ordered a set of brake lines for his Sport Classic from a Ducati dealer (I won't mention any names-it wasn't Moto Forza though) and when they came in he rode down to have them installed but the lines they got in didn't fit so they ordered another set, which also didn't fit so they tried to modify them to make them fit by trying to bend one of the fittings which promptly broke off.  Needless to say, my friend was less than impressed with their attention to detail and attempts at making a critical part like a brake line work on his bike.  He decided to do all his own work on his bikes from then on.  

[SDRider]

Oh it was just a wheel? I was lazy and didn't investigate the thread before posting.

That was one of the latest response in this thread, guy said he refused to buy a bike because they had removed the rear wheel from a bike he had put a deposit down on and installed it on a customer's bike.  The parts removed from the bike in the original post were the ECU and the throttle bodies.

ECU is no big deal, it is pretty easy to remove and they're all loaded with the same map from the factory anyway.  The throttle bodies?  I can kind of see where you wouldn't want them messing around with that but as long as the bike runs fine it probably wouldn't put me off buying it.  What would concern me more would be the problem they were trying to cure on the customer's bike... is this going to happen to my bike?

[hbliam]

Also, rationalizing treating a customer's bike who puts a deposit on it any different than one whose bike is paid in full isn't ethical at all. Defeats the whole purpose of leaving the deposit in the first place. That's a demonstration of good faith on the customers part and it needs to be reciprocated.

I agree. A deposit mean's it's sold until the buyer declines the bike for whatever reason. I just bought a car that someone else had placed a deposit on. The dealer wouldn't even drive it out onto the front lot to show it to me until the buyer lifted the deposit and said he didn't want the car. They considered it sold and untouchable once that deposit was placed.

[Speeddog]

Before you guys get all excited putting the factory up on a pedestal.....

I bought my '02 S4 brand new.
Nobody went inside the motor before I did.
I found a stray half-ring on the drainplug magnet when I did the 2nd oil change.

[Curmudgeon]

I agree. A deposit mean's it's sold until the buyer declines the bike for whatever reason. I just bought a car that someone else had placed a deposit on. The dealer wouldn't even drive it out onto the front lot to show it to me until the buyer lifted the deposit and said he didn't want the car. They considered it sold and untouchable once that deposit was placed.

Interesting. Car sales may be very strictly governed in some states. Not sure the same restrictions apply to bikes, boats, etc. Where I sold expensive cars for 40 years, a valid deposit held the car based on the terms of the pro forma sales agreement. Technically they were non-refundable although we never exercized that except for special orders. By the same token, I could not refuse to sell a vehicle in my inventory if you were willing to pay the asking price UNLESS it had a valid deposit. If the deal were shaky though, pending credit, flaky buyer, etc., I'd have been happy to take a back-up deposit and the local law allowed that.

I'd have been OK showing you a sold vehicle. Given Murphy's Law, I'd have never let you drive it nor would we drive it either except for PDI and for fulling the tank. Even doing THAT, Murphy would occasionally strike!  Enough can "go south" without giving Murphy a shot! 

[Howie]

Before you guys get all excited putting the factory up on a pedestal.....

I bought my '02 S4 brand new.
Nobody went inside the motor before I did.
I found a stray half-ring on the drainplug magnet when I did the 2nd oil change.

Nothing wrong with spare parts

[Speeddog]

Nothing wrong with spare parts

True that.

Would have been less distressing if they had presented it in a plastic bag at bike purchase, but you take what you can get.