[plucas_78]

Yeah I am ****ed about the whole situation. I am going to call the shop today and get some kind of update. Greater Boston Motorsports in Arlington. They are a "reputable" place I guess. It remains to be seen what kind of sub-surface level damage they uncover when the bike is examined. I just want the damn thing back but I suppose I will be waiting for a while.

[Enjay386]

I would mod it like everyone said. Never the stock replacement.

[plucas_78]

8 days later and still no call from the shop. This seems like an eternity.

[The CyberPoet]

Are you waiting for a written estimate, or are you waiting for the actual repairs?

If you're waiting for the estimate, go park your arse on the service writer's counter (bring a six-pack). If you're waiting for the repairs, call the service-writer and ask the status, and if he says "waiting for parts", call parts' manager and ask him/her for the status on the parts -- 90% of the time, if the parts take more than a week (other than painted fairings), it's actually miscommunications between parts and the service department, and the parts are "lost" in the building (typically in a neutral area of the parts department). You need to "elevate" yourself above a typical client somehow -- beer bribe, or pain-in-the-butt -- to get elevated service levels.

And while you're at it, find out if the bike is rideable until they get the parts in No reason for it to sit if you can ride it during the mean time...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[plucas_78]

Are you waiting for a written estimate, or are you waiting for the actual repairs?

If you're waiting for the estimate, go park your arse on the service writer's counter (bring a six-pack). If you're waiting for the repairs, call the service-writer and ask the status, and if he says "waiting for parts", call parts' manager and ask him/her for the status on the parts -- 90% of the time, if the parts take more than a week (other than painted fairings), it's actually miscommunications between parts and the service department, and the parts are "lost" in the building (typically in a neutral area of the parts department). You need to "elevate" yourself above a typical client somehow -- beer bribe, or pain-in-the-butt -- to get elevated service levels.

And while you're at it, find out if the bike is rideable until they get the parts in No reason for it to sit if you can ride it during the mean time...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

Well I am waiting for the estimate first. Supposedly they will call when it is ready, (I think it is a friend popped by and asked) but no call yet and they never answer when I call. I think tomorrow I am going to elevate my status to huge pain in the a$$. The appraisal was for $1200 but I have a feeling the shop will estimate closer to $2k. Just want this sh!t to be over with so I can ride!!

[The CyberPoet]

Well I am waiting for the estimate first.

An estimate should be an under-one-hour task for any Suzuki dealership. Period. There's no reason they should be able to do it while you wait -- after all, it's in their interest to over-estimate it (it's not like you're paying for it, and if they come across something later they missed before, they can use the extra padding to cover it).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[plucas_78]

An estimate should be an under-one-hour task for any Suzuki dealership. Period. There's no reason they should be able to do it while you wait -- after all, it's in their interest to over-estimate it (it's not like you're paying for it, and if they come across something later they missed before, they can use the extra padding to cover it).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

Really? That puts things into perspective. Since they have had the bike for 9 days I think maybe it's reasonable to expect that they've at least looked at it. This is my first experience with a bike shop. I expected them to suck, quite honestly but this is really getting old. I shudder to think how long it's going to take to fix if the estimate is this slow.

[The CyberPoet]

Really? That puts things into perspective. Since they have had the bike for 9 days I think maybe it's reasonable to expect that they've at least looked at it. This is my first experience with a bike shop. I expected them to suck, quite honestly but this is really getting old. I shudder to think how long it's going to take to fix if the estimate is this slow.

Yup, about an hour is typical... service writer with a clipboard walking around, writing down everything that is scuffed, bent, broken, damaged or questionable, then walking over to the computer to look up the part numbers, prices and then walking over to the time-book (or still at the computer if it's automated) to look up the time-specs for installing all those items. It's not even mechanic's time normally -- it's the service-writer's time.

Off-brand dealers have a longer process, because they normally have to call the actual Suzuki dealer to get their pricing on parts once they figure out what they need (unless they use someone like RonAyers.com to look it up), and they may have to manually calculate the amount of time (instead of using a reference to get it).

Now, if your dealer had already quoted it and were bickering with the insurance company (or waiting for the parts to arrive), that might be a different story, but if they haven't written it, I'd sure as @$%# be down there and "expediting" some action on it -- or taking the bike to a better Suzuki dealer via whatever method was reasonable (friend's pick-up truck for example).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[plucas_78]

Ok so I finally got the estimate today. $3,000 which effectively totals the bike.
really sad about this. :'(

My first Kat.... hardly got to know you and now you're gone.

[The CyberPoet]

Ask the insurance company how much they want for the buy-back...

You'd never be able to carry comprehensive on it again, but it'd basically already have been paid for...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet