Recommended Dealers????

[BUSGO]

I got a PM from a member today about recommended service centres.
Here is the question and my response.

Leviathan Wrote:
G'day Bugso,

Just wondering as you are an administrator, if you could make a sticky for recommended mechanics / service departments, maybe in the Technical section. Seems to be alot of forum users out there (inc me) who aren't happy with the quality of work some of the dealerships are passing off.

Cheers,

I answered:
Hi,
You're right. It's a common question on the board about where to go for a good service.
The board has discussed it a few times before and the feeling amongst the administrators is that we should encourage the discussion but not officially endorse any particular dealers as club preferred.
This is because each customer seems to get a different experience from even the best of workshops and when a few guys recommend one, someone else comes along and complains bitterly.
Even if a good dealer appears for a while, the good mechanic may move on to another workshop and the recommended dealer may continue to get business from unknowing members.
It would be good to be able to rely on a good place in each area and I think local "word of mouth" may be the best solution.
Here in Newcastle, we have at least a dozen workshops and only a couple of them are reliable.
I know that I have made it known where I take my bike for service, but I don't use the same dealer exclusively. I go to other places for accessories and yet another place for tyres.
I'm sure that you probably have a similar situation over in the West.
You are quite welcome to start a new discussion about service centres but be careful about claiming that one is "the best or another is the worst". It could cause issues with other members.
END QUOTE:

Should we, as a club, have a recommended list?

We are not a sponsored club and I think we are better off being unswayed by financial investment from promoters.
As I have said in my reply above, I reckon local word of mouth is probably the best way to support our members in each area and share our experiences whether they are good or bad without having to name dealers here on the board.

[andw]

+1 for local word of mouth.

For WA, I would recommend: http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/forum/

[Rev004]

Well Bugso you make some very good points and yes you would be correct in the sort of conversations that could start happening with a Thread.

If we were to go down that path maybe we mention the Mechanic of the selected dealer as they are the ones doing the work but anyway that was food for throught.

Leviathan would be correct in what he is asking I have quizzed a number of people on exactly the same issue as I'm relatively new to the Perth area myself. Some dealers are great for some issues and then others are wankers. The same issue that you mentioned about people agreeing.

andw I have read several threads on the PSB Website as well but I know from my own experiences I wouldn't agree with some of those guys which brings us back to what Bugso has mentioned.

I spose when all said and done yes you have to rely on word of mouth and then give it ago, I always ask who is the mechanic so if they move to another shop and I like that particular mechanic I will follow.

[jas1340]

I've noticed that with PSB, you can't post a bad opinion of a dealer or mechanic. Word of mouth via a forum will only work if the bad can be posted with the good.

[andw]

Point taken Rev004.

The conclusion I draw, rightly or wrongly, from psb is that specialised tuning places are preferred over dealers.
Which implies that if a tuning house also runs busas at the local drags then they should also do a good job on street machines. I'm not so certain.

The question of accessories is easier for me to answer, where possible get the best price and fit it yourself.

Perhaps that's "the" answer?

[Rev004]

Point taken Rev004.

The conclusion I draw, rightly or wrongly, from psb is that specialised tuning places are preferred over dealers.
Which implies that if a tuning house also runs busas at the local drags then they should also do a good job on street machines. I'm not so certain.

The question of accessories is easier for me to answer, where possible get the best price and fit it yourself.

Perhaps that's "the" answer?

Yes you would think that a specialised tuner would be the better option but I have also had experiences with a well known Perth tuner when I had some motor work done to my GSXR1100 when I had it and I wasn't happy with the quality of the work so you still haven't got any guarantee with them neither. But hey we have to go somewhere I Spose and I know it is easy to be critical.

[Leviathan]

Thanks guys (especially Bugso) for your time & opinions, I must admit I didn't consider the negatives a thread like that could create. I was just looking to find a good mechanic who cares for their customers bikes like it was their own and has an eye for detail.

So I am still looking for a good mechanic (& tuner) in Perth. If anyone has someone that they use and can recommend I'd appreciate it if you could send me a PM with the details.

Thanks
Troy

[Rev004]

Leviathan I'm in the same boat, Ive only been in the Perth / Peel region a few years and still yet to find someone that I'm completely comfortable and happy with.

Some of my mates have had been to one or two guys and thought they were pretty good but then on following visits they weren't happy so haven't recommended them.

I"ll just have to keep looking and giving people ago but if you do hear of someone the feedback would be much appreciated and likewise I will send any info onto anyone else as well..

[busakid08]

Always dangerous recommending, and anyway people can get swayed by others and mates rates etc etc, as B said mechs move on, sales guys move on - I have found good dealers in the past while I know someone in the shop but as soon as they move on so does my service and usually get treated like shit. Most dealers are only out for the sale and even though they act like they will look after you in teh after-sales this rarely lasts even when buying full ticket. Goos mechs arnt nec smaller workshops either as sometimes they dont have the access to the latest (or time) information etc or work on older bikes etc. I usually try and talk to the service manager or if you can the mech themselves (just be friendly) and you can usually get a guage on their attitude and the way they handle questions will give you an idea if they know what they are doing etc. Its a crap shoot and sometimes you are lucky as I was recently and sometimes you get f#$ked over as I was recently

[TimF]

Good points.

I recently went to a workshop for a tyre change. The workshop in particular I have frequented and recommended to others as the senior mechanics are brilliant in my opinion. However, I was forced to reconsider my opinion when an apprentice/work-experience kid wheeled my bike back out to me, with marks on my wheel and a shitload of chain slack.

[Louwai]

Regardless of which workshop you use, do the Environmental thing & ask to see their environmental license or certificate if it's not displayed.
This ensures that the workshop is registered & licensed & they are (should be) doing the right thing environmentally.

You can pretty much bet that if a workshop is particular enough to do the right thing in this area, they would also be putting out pretty good work as well.

I persnally wouldn't use the services of a workshop that was dumping used oil in the creek, no matter how good their work was.
And don't laugh at that. Last yr there was a workshop in Moss St (Qld) that was caught with a direct drain pipe from their oil drop pan into the stormwater down pipe.