Worn valve guide woes

[He Man]

Had an appointment with a semi-local dealership. Called in, scheduled an appointment and made sure that i have everything ready to go so i could just swing by and drop of my bike to get the valve guides replaced. Known warranty issue. So today in the pouring freezing rain, i ride the 1 hour trip to the dealership. (this might have been the 2nd worst ride ive ever had) i show up, and get all my paperwork done, and the mechanic comes up and says, i cant do it. We are swamped and cannot work on any bikes until mid july, and we will not take a bike that someone else has touched.

I sat there and after some talk about who determined the valve guides were worn, he said, he could do it for me, but he still doesnt know if DNA will warranty the guides and still wont be able to squeeze me in until august. Even though i specifically stated the problem over the phone and set the appointment up.  . The guys were cool an sincere, but they need to get their stuff sorted out before they start making appointments with people.

Their mechanic said as long as the 600mi service was documented then i can ride the bike until the engine blows up. its at 6400 miles now. I need my valves adjusted, but theres no point in doing it if my valve guides need work anyway.

Its either ride it as is, and wait until they can fill me in July, or give Ducati Soho a call and see if they can squeeze me in, however there were rumors of how terrible that place is. Eitherway, this sucks.

On an angered note, they had 2 six foot subs that were for the new unveiling of the 696, and since no one was there, they were still in the clear wrap. they didnt even offer me any even when the guy was standing next to it. . And on the way back, i basicly hit a semi truck. i was on the right side and he was making a right turn right into me. I emergency break, downshift and try to make the turn with him, an my foot ends up on his door, and i ride it out. then when he comes up behin me he blows the horn and says sorry, i waved him of (it was my own fault i was so close to him in his blind spot) and im so cold that as soon as i turn my head back, my legs are locked and i cant shift my weight and i gracefully "fall" of the bike and i grab the trellis frame and i saved it.

What a crappy day.

[Ducatiloo]

Thats BS about the sub 
Way to save the bike

[johnster]

Holy Crap....Nothing about that story is cool   (I'm talking about what happened to you, not the story itself... )

Knowing all of the bugs that 2001 S4's are infamous for, I'm knocking on wood every day that mine isn't one of the runts of the litter!!   

[He Man]

Holy Crap....Nothing about that story is cool   (I'm talking about what happened to you, not the story itself... )

Knowing all of the bugs that 2001 S4's are infamous for, I'm knocking on wood every day that mine isn't one of the runts of the litter!!   

when that time comes, its going to be hard to decide between a 999 transplant or brand new rockers. Or maybe a 1098 transplant 

ive saved my bike from going down so many times. Usually its always the same reason, i hop of for whatever reason, and just grab a hold of the frame  and hope for the best. twice ive had my jeans caught on the bleeder valve of the slave clutch. I no longer wear boot cut. 

[printman]

Sorry to hear of the woes. Can not believe that it has to wait til july or august. that is rediculous.

[clubhousemotorsports]

Pulled from Ducshops web site
   

WHAT ABOUT MY WARRANTY?

We are frequently asked, "Will having my bike serviced at the Ducshop void my factory warranty?"

Relax, like any quality motorcycle workshop, Ducshop stands behind its work and will warranty any labor work done on its premises. Both Ducshop technicians are Ducati certified (one is also Aprilia and Triumph certified) and have more than 17 years of combined Ducati experience. If that's not enough, Federal Law specifically prohibits manufacturers from requiring that service work be performed by their dealers only. In any warranty situation, you only need to demonstrate that factory required maintenance has been performed.

Faulty OEM or aftermarket parts on your bike are the responsibility of the manufacturer of that part. In short, you can have us service your Ducati, Aprilia or Triumph without worrying about your manufacturers factory warranty.

The following excerpts from the Federal Trade Commission might give you further insight.

"Tie-In Sales" Provisions
Generally, tie-in sales provisions are not allowed. Such a provision would require a purchaser of the warranted product to buy an item or service from a particular company to use with the warranted product in order to be eligible to receive a remedy under the warranty. The following are examples of prohibited tie-in sales provisions.
In order to keep your new Plenum Brand Vacuum Cleaner warranty in effect, you must use genuine Plenum Brand Filter Bags. Failure to have scheduled maintenance performed, at your expense, by the Great American Maintenance Company, Inc., voids this warranty.
While you cannot use a tie-in sales provision, your warranty need not cover use of replacement parts, repairs, or maintenance that is inappropriate for your product. The following is an example of a permissible provision that excludes coverage of such things.
While necessary maintenance or repairs on your AudioMundo Stereo System can be performed by any company, we recommend that you use only authorized AudioMundo dealers. Improper or incorrectly performed maintenance or repair voids this warranty.
Although tie-in sales provisions generally are not allowed, you can include such a provision in your warranty if you can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FTC that your product will not work properly without a specified item or service. If you believe that this is the case, you should contact the warranty staff of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection for information on how to apply for a waiver of the tie-in sales prohibition.

This information was taken from A Businessperson's Guide to Federal Warranty Law http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/warranty.htm

[printman]

So would http://www.blackdiamondvalves.com/Default.htm  be able to be used at Ducati's expense according to that statement?

Or are factory parts only to be used?

After waiting a month for factory ones, yes on an older not in warranty bike, the ducshop put these in for me.


Maybe you can send your heads to them, if time is a problem, back in a week or so.

[mitt]

That sucks.  I am afraid my guides might be getting loose too, my bike is being a pain to start this spring.  Might have to try some new plugs first though...

mitt

[clubhousemotorsports]

My .00002$ if ducati is footing the bill let them put in anything they want to warranty. If I am paying I will search out a better option than what just wore out.

[Howie]

If Ducati is paying the dealer to fix the bike under warranty Ducati is the paying customer, not you, so it is their choice on parts.  On the other hand, if you can work out an agreement with the dealer, great!

[He Man]

If Ducati is paying the dealer to fix the bike under warranty Ducati is the paying customer, not you, so it is their choice on parts.  On the other hand, if you can work out an agreement with the dealer, great!

The hard part about getting outside parts is compatibility. If the outside parts have not been tested and casues damage to your engine. Whos really at fault? DNA for using non OEM parts? or the person who built them?

Luckly, mid 2006, ducati made new valve guides that are less prone to wear as the ones in our bikes now. (Mid 2006 they also invented the giant pain in the ass sproket nut too.) My bike is an 06 model, so its very likely that my 06 engine was built during the m1000 era. So hopefully the new guides will not wear out as quickly.

I was doing some research at TOB, and it seems that alot of people have gotten their valve guides replaced and their MPG shot up. I was seeing 25mpg with 93, and i then changed to 87, which shot my mpg up to 30-35. Now i cant get it past 28mpg. I shut of my engine at stop lights, and im getting 38mpg. But you should be getting around that number without shutting of your engien shouldnt you?  This totally blows.

Do you think poor gas mileage is a good excuse to get my bike in the door? Said dealer at first, would not touch the bike since someone was in it. I told him it was Steve and Jay at ECS, and all they did was pull the valve cover and before they started adjusting shims, they noticed the valve guides were loose, so they just closed it up at my request. After a while they realize it was Steven who was apparently Ducati technician of the year, and they all knew him. So they said they would take me in. Great guys, but i may need an excuse to bring it to another dealership if they can squeeze me in earlier. Im really hesitant to bring it to DucSoho.

[clubhousemotorsports]

Here is another thing to ponder do you take it to a shop you trust with known competent mechanics.
Or do you take it to where you get the job done for free?

There are plenty of aftermarket guides out there that are better than what ducati is using. This is not a new problem to ducati (or kawasaki,honda,suzuki) so theere are years of experience with the aftermarket.

Steve and jay are top notch mechanics, I would have no problem with either working on any bike of mine. As I posted above ducati can not refuse to warranty your bike if it is in warranty still. that appears to be illegal. Try another dealership if that one gives you a hassle.

[duc996]

Oh man....what a horrible day you had,sorry to hear about that.