Void Factory Warranty??

[Randy G]

It will be time for my 4,000 mile service before long, my question is will I void the factory warranty if I have the service done by some else rather than a Suzuki Dealer? I would rather have the service done by an independent local shop.

Thanks

[steves]

You should be okay as long as the service is documented.

[Randy G]

Thanks Steve

[Mojoe]

You should be okay as long as the service is documented.

providing that if warranty is ever called upon, that it is not for something related to the service work that you had done by anyone other than an authorized suzuki dealership.

example....your cheaper mechanic uses cheap "non-motorcycle specific" oil and you screw up say a crank bearing. suzuki says it is the fault of your mechanic....your mechanic blames suzuki for the bad bearings. both tell you to get lost and you are left with an engine to rebuild out of your own pocket. bearing can "spin" with even the best engine oil going, but there is no way to tell one oil from the other once it has some miles on it. the dealership could still use the "not proper oil" excuse.

things like this can happen, so sticking with the dealership is the safest way to go until the warranty is up. once the warranty is up, take it where you like. just remember one thing....it is a suzuki warranty, but your dealership is the one who honors it. and if they are scorned by your choice to have someone else work on it, they can look for any way possible to weasle out of honoring the warranty.

[hardlydangerous]

NO

you can do the service work yourself and will not void any warranty.

[roosed]

Sorry to say!

providing that if warranty is ever called upon, that it is not for something related to the service work that you had done by anyone other than an authorized suzuki dealership.

example....your cheaper mechanic uses cheap "non-motorcycle specific" oil and you screw up say a crank bearing. suzuki says it is the fault of your mechanic....your mechanic blames suzuki for the bad bearings. both tell you to get lost and you are left with an engine to rebuild out of your own pocket. bearing can "spin" with even the best engine oil going, but there is no way to tell one oil from the other once it has some miles on it. the dealership could still use the "not proper oil" excuse.

things like this can happen, so sticking with the dealership is the safest way to go until the warranty is up. once the warranty is up, take it where you like. just remember one thing....it is a suzuki warranty, but your dealership is the one who honors it. and if they are scorned by your choice to have someone else work on it, they can look for any way possible to weasle out of honoring the warranty.

MoJoe speaks with great wisdom!!! During the warranty period...the few bucks you will save are FAR outpaced by the major bucks it might cost you in the end. Reality bites...thanks to lawyers!!!

[Mojoe]

NO

you can do the service work yourself and will not void any warranty.

I never said you can't. by law, you are allowed to have your vehicles serviced at the mechanic of your choice and the warranty is still valid. however, the issuer of the warranty has rights as well, and that is to refuse the warranty if they suspect the damage was caused by negligence or shawdy service.
let's say you want to do it yourself cuz you think you know everything you need to know....and you go dumping synthetic oil in your bike and your clutch starts slipping, and ultimately become toast cuz the are glazed over. do you really think Suzuki will want to cover that? They will rip it open, see WHY the clutch plates are finished (rest assured they have tested this and know the effects synthetic will have on clutch plates), and they will continue the work and bill you for it. when you try to refuse the bill, they will just toss the glazed over clutch plates on the counter and say, "we don't cover that". case closed.

so all I am saying is that it is VERY possible that some dealerships may look for any way possible to get out of it.

Yes...the warranty is still valid if you have the work done by another mechanic or do it yourself, but you better be 100% sure it is done by the book or you could face expensive consequences.

[Randy G]

I might as well have my dealership do all the service for the first year then take it where I want. We have a great local shop, the owner rides with most of the locals up at Deals Gap and all the other roads around here, he is highly recomended. I would rather him work on my bike than some kid in the back of the dealership. I have heard too many horror stories about stealership service departments.

[Mojoe]

I might as well have my dealership do all the service for the first year then take it where I want. We have a great local shop, the owner rides with most of the locals up at Deals Gap and all the other roads around here, he is highly recomended. I would rather him work on my bike than some kid in the back of the dealership. I have heard too many horror stories about stealership service departments.

I understand your concerns, but look at it this way....it is only a servicing they will be doing and not repairs. it consists of what? an oil change, valve adjustment and an inspection, maybe? they would have to be quite incompetent to screw that up. and you can save yourself some bucks if you remove all the fairings yourself and take it in naked. probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.5 hrs labor, and you are sure some kid isn't going to toss your plastics on the floor and scuff them up.

[blkkat06]

+1 Removing your plastics is a good tip. Did that with my busa, but not the Kat. Cost difference for 1st service on each? $100

[hardlydangerous]

sorry my NO answer was actually to the first question not to your replay



Read the fine print on your paper work

Having worked as a mechanic for Yamaha and now running my own dealership I know for a fact the can not deny you warranty for ANYTHING unless it is specifically stated in your contract/paperwork.
If the clutch slips and an approved oil was used synthetic or not, they MUST cover it, even if you decide to adjust your own valves and something happens and it drops a valve they can not deny you warranty even if the wrong oil is used.
They can try to tell you they won't cover it, but call the head office and watch how fast things get done.
That's why most of these things are outlined in the owners manual because they can rightly be done by the owner and if the owner decides to do so they can not deny them warranty.
hell even if you decide NOT to do anything except drive it until it breaks they can't deny you warranty if in the window of time allowed.

Fact is people just don’t read the fine print and are not aware of their rights. Dealers tell them they have to do this or that avoid voiding their warranty and so on. This so they get $$$ for the service work etc because after all MOST dealerships survive because of the high shop rates not motorcycle sales.

[The CyberPoet]

In the USA, there is a law called the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act which covers questions like these. Note that Magnuson-Moss does not apply in Canada nor Europe, and rules there may well be different.

Under Magnuson-Moss (i.e. - in the USA & US Possessions) anyone can do the labor, and any part or supply that meets the stated requirements of the manufacturer can be used (i.e. - owners manual says to use API SF/SG rated 10w40 oil for most weather; as long as you do that, you can use any brand of oil). For your warrantee purposes, you can do the labor; all you need is to document that the required materials were obtained (oil in this case, since the 3500 mile service is an oil change).

There is also an upgrade stipulation in Magnuson-Moss; if you change a part for a non-stock/non-specified part, and something else on the bike fails, unless Suzuki can show that the subsequent failure is directly related to the new part or faulty installation of it, they must cover the repair. Thus, if you install a different exhaust and your intake valve fails, they must still cover the intake valve repair & parts (but if installing the aftermarket exhaust causes the exhaust valve to overheat & crack because it drives the fueling too lean, that's on you -- provided they can prove it as the basis). Dealerships often try to scare you into believing that they must provide all service, and that any modifications done elsewhere will invalidate your warrantee -- and that's pure BS under the law (period).

Hope that clears it up some more. HardlyDangerous is right -- unless they can prove something you [or an outside mechanic] did was outside their specifications AND the mechanical failure is directly related to that, you can not be denied warrantee coverage.

Meanwhile, my advice is to order a fumoto valve, get a batch of good motorcycle oil, an oil filter wrench & filter, and do your own oil change. It's a simple operation, and with the installation of the fumoto valve, you eliminate the single pitfall of doing oil changes forever (potentially stripping out the oil pan drain bolt receiver).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Mojoe]

Hope that clears it up some more. HardlyDangerous is right -- unless they can prove something you [or an outside mechanic] did was outside their specifications AND the mechanical failure is directly related to that, you can not be denied warrantee coverage.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

ummm, actually, I was more right than he was. he said you could basically drop a valve, being totally your fault, and they would still honor the warranty. which basically means you could do ANYTHING outside their warranty and still be covered.
Where as I said that if they could prove you DID anything outside their warranty specifications, they could refuse you.

but whatever.....

[TheWrightKat]

Meanwhile, my advice is to order a fumoto valve, get a batch of good motorcycle oil, an oil filter wrench & filter, and do your own oil change. It's a simple operation, and with the installation of the fumoto valve, you eliminate the single pitfall of doing oil changes forever (potentially stripping out the oil pan drain bolt receiver).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

Oh great wise one how much are those valves? Do you sell them? I hate doing oil changes because my #$^%&*@ wrenchs keep walking away. I spend 4 times the time it takes to do the oil change looking for tools.

[The CyberPoet]

They run about $27 delivered. No, I don't sell them.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet