Kelowna Yamaha not the place for an oil change

[Yama]

I took a trip form Montreal to Vancouver 14,000km over 28 days. What a trip nice ride, people, weather and scenary.Only one glitch in the trip The Yamaha dealer in Kelowna.

 

We were three couples, two riding Honda's, and us with the Venture. We all needed an oil change so off we went my friends to Honda and me to Yamaha. Guess what? The dealer did not want to change my oil that day even if I mentionned I was leaving early next morning:bang head:. He said all was taken and their policy is not to take walk ins. They have two sites so the other one wanted me to leave the bike for the day and they would maybe fit me in. What should I do in the meantime with no ride????? not their problem.

 

I ended up in a Victory :clap2:bike shop with great service and a friendly atmosphere, even if I was riding a Yamaha. Bought gloves while I was there, one hour later I was out and ready to ride.

 

My message to the Kelowna dealer is he might be good in boats and four wheelers but as a bike shop he is unworthy of giving sevice and should not sell motorcycle. If they can't help the riders to continue their journey they are not a bike shop.

 

Oh and talk about all the ribbing I got from my Honda friends.

If I had a Harley, Victory, Honda, I would have had service but the Kelowna Yamaha dealer:thumbdown:, no sir.

 

I had to pass this on and I am sending an email to their offices so they know how I feel.

 

Thanks for reading.

[Rocket]

I had to pass this on and I am sending an email to their offices so they know how I feel.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Send it to Yamaha Canada too, as they should be interested.

[Yama]

good idea!!

[Greener]

Ya!!! I guess the 15 min. job was too much them.

[flb_78]

As a former service manager, Im on the side of the shop. If they had customers booked up and are 2 weeks behind, why should they put off regular customers who are patiently waiting and made appointments?

 

Maybe if it was a blown out tire and an emergency repair that would leave one stranded, but for regular routine maintenance that should be planned?

[Greener]

If someone who is on the road and needs assistance, its called courtecy.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I have been amazed at the attitude of some of these shops. If they sell motorcycles for traveling, they should service the travelers riding those motorcycles, while traveling. If its a lawnmower shop, or 4wheeler shop, then no reason to drop what they are doing unless the rider throws some extra green your way. ( and that WILL get the job done sometimes!)

 

Any HD shop I have stopped at and needed service, they try to get 'on road' HD riders, in, serviced, and out, as quick as possible. Local jobs dont get delayed, much, if at all. And anyway locals who have the bikes in normally have no set time to pick the bike up. In fact, I know one HD service manager who either kept the shop open late if you called ahead and needed a tire, sparkplugs, parts, oil change, or any other minor job, and even came in and opened the shop on Sunday to get a stranded rider rolling again. In fact. this same HD shop and others too, tells its local customers that during the 2 weeks or so of Sturgis riders coming through, that the shop is extra busy and the riders that are on the road WILL get priority service. The locals are told that it may take a bit longer to service local bikes.

 

Now THATS service, and it sells BIKES!

 

With the internet and public forums you would THINK that these people would 'get it'...but they just dont care.

 

Edited August 2, 2010 by tx2sturgis

[Yama]

As a former service manager, Im on the side of the shop. If they had customers booked up and are 2 weeks behind, why should they put off regular customers who are patiently waiting and made appointments?

 

Maybe if it was a blown out tire and an emergency repair that would leave one stranded, but for regular routine maintenance that should be planned?

I agree with you on regular maintenance when you are in your enviroment but 4,000 miles away from home and your regular dealer you need service not rules and regulations.

I ride 14,000 miles a year from coast to coast US and Canada Never never happen to me before.

[Mel]

QUOTE:

As a former service manager, Im on the side of the shop. If they had customers booked up and are 2 weeks behind, why should they put off regular customers who are patiently waiting and made appointments?

 

Maybe attitude is why former? I also see from your profile that no VR assistance is offered.

 

When on the road away from home, the brotherhood of motorcycling would dictate that making exceptions for the traveler's needs would be providing service.

 

Oil and filter, new tire, or major repair, the dealer should try to accomodate the traveler. Word of mouth for good deeds can bring rewards, plus the servicer can go home for the evening feeling good about his day.

 

My $.02

[skydoc_17]

Well FLB78,

Seeings as how you won't even put your name in your "About Me Page", you said "NO" to VR Assistance, and out of over 9,000 VR.ORG members not a single one of them has had the nerve to sigh up on your friends list, It wouldn't surprise me if YOU were the Service Manager of that dump, Kelowna Yamaha. I dare say that I have yet to meet someone that would not do all in their power to help a fellow VR.Org member while that were out on the road, weather it be parts, a tow, lodging or food, perhaps I have finally met the "missing Link".

If the dealers ever start their own forum where they can brag how they stuck it to some poor guy with a flat tire or that poor smuck that needed his oil changed, or overcharged some guy from out of town, just because...he was! Oh yea, but you would have to MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO JOIN THAT FORUM! We can't be cuttin' you any slack just because you are a major contributer to this site.

Yama, I'm sorry your trip turned a bit sour,

Earl

[RedRider]

I have had trouble on the road and have generally been well taken care of. However, one thing I have noticed is that the HD dealership network is, by far, the broadest and they WILL get you back on the road if you are travelling.

 

Service is the only reason I would ever go to HD (unless they finally came out with a bike I thought was a better value for the bucks).

 

RR

Edited August 2, 2010 by RedRider

[RedRider]

I took a trip form Montreal to Vancouver 14,000km over 28 days. What a trip nice ride, people, weather and scenary.Only one glitch in the trip The Yamaha dealer in Kelowna.

 

This is also a good reason to take your VR.org member listing with you. I expect you could have found a member locally that would have gladly taken care of you. An oil change takes about 15 minutes and you can get the needed supplies at Walmart or Canadian Tire (at least I assume you could get it at CT - you seem to be able to get everything else there).

 

RR

[Guest tx2sturgis]

An oil change takes about 15 minutes and you can get the needed supplies at Walmart or Canadian Tire

 

RR

 

Good point. Assuming most riders are able to lay down beside the bike, and turn a wrench, he ( or she) can carry or buy a 17mm wrench, a small filter wrench, a small funnel, and a little plastic catch pan, buy the oil and filter, and change it at a rest area or even in the lot adjacent to a recycling center, and dump the old oil right there. Might run you $30 all total.

[flb_78]

Good point. Assuming most riders are able to lay down beside the bike, and turn a wrench, he ( or she) can carry or buy a 17mm wrench, a small filter wrench, a small funnel, and a little plastic catch pan, buy the oil and filter, and change it at a rest area or even in the lot adjacent to a recycling center, and dump the old oil right there. Might run you $30 all total.

 

No no no...

 

Can't ask anyone to be self reliant.

[friesman]

Good point. Assuming most riders are able to lay down beside the bike, and turn a wrench, he ( or she) can carry or buy a 17mm wrench, a small filter wrench, a small funnel, and a little plastic catch pan, buy the oil and filter, and change it at a rest area or even in the lot adjacent to a recycling center, and dump the old oil right there. Might run you $30 all total.

 

Yep that works not so well when travelling sometimes,,,,ask Mother about it sometime,,,

 

 

Brian

[Yammer Dan]

Well FLB78,

Seeings as how you won't even put your name in your "About Me Page", you said "NO" to VR Assistance, and out of over 9,000 VR.ORG members not a single one of them has had the nerve to sigh up on your friends list, It wouldn't surprise me if YOU were the Service Manager of that dump, Kelowna Yamaha. I dare say that I have yet to meet someone that would not do all in their power to help a fellow VR.Org member while that were out on the road, weather it be parts, a tow, lodging or food, perhaps I have finally met the "missing Link".

If the dealers ever start their own forum where they can brag how they stuck it to some poor guy with a flat tire or that poor smuck that needed his oil changed, or overcharged some guy from out of town, just because...he was! Oh yea, but you would have to MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO JOIN THAT FORUM! We can't be cuttin' you any slack just because you are a major contributer to this site.

Yama, I'm sorry your trip turned a bit sour,

Earl

 

 

:sign yeah that::sign yeah that::sign yeah that:

 

 

 

What Earl said!!! Put that on my list of places to avoid. Like Domm's Yamaha in Charleston WV.

[OldBear]

While I am most definitely NOT and HD fan, I gotta tell ya the HD dealers I've been around do a MUCH better job of taking care of travelers than most other brands. While there are certainly exceptions, it seems to this old boy that an awful lot of dealers of other brands (not just ours!) simply don't seem to care about the "service" portion of the equation. I've got a buddy who rode cross country a few years ago on a Victory (not many Vic dealers in those days) and he was able to get service at HD dealers without any hassle at all....His buddy, on a Wing, had a couple issues with two different Honda dealers......Weird!

[wizard]

HD dealerships have changed a lot over the years. In 1985, coming back from a run I had cracked the intake manifold. The shop manager told me to take the bike to the dealer I bought the bike from for the warranty work. I broke the bike down in his parking lot by the front door and used bailing wire and duct tape to make a temporary repair.

[ediddy]

Being in a business that deals with the public, I am getting a bad attitude. If you knew you were going on a trip why would you wait until the day before to get your bike serviced? In my insurance agency I have people that are going to start a business and they will come in the day they need liability so they can get their business license and expect me to drop what I am doing to quote their coverage. I stay extremely busy and can't put off other customers for someone that has know for at least three months they were going to start a business but wait until the last day to get insurance. With the dealer I could understand if it was an emergency but if I had promised service to other people I couldn't see making them wait to do an oil change. As far as harley dealers there are just as many bad ones as good ones. Two friends of mine were riding in Texas last April. The shifter came loose on the ultra classic and it started sleeting. They stopped at a harley dealer and the guy with the shifter problem pulled up to the door of the shop and asked if they could help him get his shifter back on. They said no they were booked. He then said he had wrenches and lock tite in his saddlebag so they could just let him pull in and get out of the sleet and he could fix it himself. The service manager said no, he didn't have room for him. My other friend was inside the dealership and had over $200.00 worth of harley clothing he was just starting to pay for when my other friend came in and told him to put it back they weren't going to buy anything from them. I have a friend that works for motorola corp. Our sheriff's department bought a harley as an experiment and was going to buy more if it worked out. The sheriff's department asked my friend with motorola if he would meet the deputy at the harley dealership to help them install the radio. My friend met the deputy the next day and said he was shocked at how rude the service manager was to the deputy. He said the service manager talked to the deputy like he was a dog. When they had finished the radio installation and were leaving the deputy looked at my friend and said, If I didn't have my sheriff department uniform on I would whup the service managers ass. How stupid can a dealer be?

[RedRider]

Being in a business that deals with the public, I am getting a bad attitude. If you knew you were going on a trip why would you wait until the day before to get your bike serviced?

 

Please note in the OP, they were on a trip that was longer than the oil change interval. Thus, requiring an oil change while on the road.

 

RR

[Moped]

QUOTE:

As a former service manager, Im on the side of the shop. If they had customers booked up and are 2 weeks behind, why should they put off regular customers who are patiently waiting and made appointments?

Maybe attitude is why former? I also see from your profile that no VR assistance is offered.

When on the road away from home, the brotherhood of motorcycling would dictate that making exceptions for the traveler's needs would be providing service.

Oil and filter, new tire, or major repair, the dealer should try to accomodate the traveler. Word of mouth for good deeds can bring rewards, plus the servicer can go home for the evening feeling good about his day.

 

 

Well FLB78,

Seeings as how you won't even put your name in your "About Me Page", you said "NO" to VR Assistance, and out of over 9,000 VR.ORG members not a single one of them has had the nerve to sigh up on your friends list, It wouldn't surprise me if YOU were the Service Manager of that dump, Kelowna Yamaha. I dare say that I have yet to meet someone that would not do all in their power to help a fellow VR.Org member while that were out on the road, weather it be parts, a tow, lodging or food, perhaps I have finally met the "missing Link".

If the dealers ever start their own forum where they can brag how they stuck it to some poor guy with a flat tire or that poor smuck that needed his oil changed, or overcharged some guy from out of town, just because...he was! Oh yea, but you would have to MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO JOIN THAT FORUM! We can't be cuttin' you any slack just because you are a major contributer to this site.

Yama, I'm sorry your trip turned a bit sour.

 

 

 

Couldn't get this out of my mind. FLB78 made a legitimate comment about the thread. Agree or disagree, that's fine, but you don't need to get personal. Many here don't offer assistance and that's their choice, but I sure hope that's not a factor in posting. Surprised a monitor didn't comment.

[ediddy]

On a trip longer than the oil change interval. That's even worse. I would have the oil changed before I went on the trip, even if it wasn't time.

[Dave77459]

On a trip longer than the oil change interval. That's even worse. I would have the oil changed before I went on the trip, even if it wasn't time.

I think the point made, is that if you change your oil every 3000 miles, and your trip is 5000 miles, you can expect to change your oil during the trip.

 

Dave

[RedRider]

I think the point made, is that if you change your oil every 3000 miles, and your trip is 5000 miles, you can expect to change your oil during the trip.

 

Dave

 

Yes, exactly. The OP had the trip at 14,000 km (that's about 8400 miles). Some may go that long between oil changes, most will not.

 

Although, the Venture manual lists the oil change interval at 8000 miles, I rarely go over 5000 miles and usually change it after 4000.

 

RR

[FutureVentures]

Yes, exactly. The OP had the trip at 14,000 km (that's about 8400 miles). Some may go that long between oil changes, most will not.

 

Although, the Venture manual lists the oil change interval at 8000 miles, I rarely go over 5000 miles and usually change it after 4000.

 

RR

 

Really, it lists 8,000 mile intervals?! Damn, I better RTFM after all....

 

I also kind of agree that expecting a shop to drop other customers for an "emergency" oil treatment, is a bit much. Or course, it also depends on their attitude, but then again, I wasn't there to see yours either....

 

For me, if I were that worried, I would have pulled into wal-mart, bought necessary supplies and changed it in the parking lot. But for only 8k miles, I would have just changed when I returned home. IMO, miles are less important than the age of the oil.