[Spyderjockey]

I have always been a staunch supporter of BRP and bragged them up to everyone that asked me about the Spyder and raved about what a great machine it is. After the way they have ignored me especially Carlo, I no longer have any enthusiasm for them or their customer support. For several weeks I have been trying to get my issue resolved with me having to pay over $1000 to have my sprockets and belt replaced. Carlo would not return my phone calls or emails that have been sent to him and there were plenty of them. He finally called while I was not home after I really got nasty with him on another email that was sent to him. He told my wife he had been trying to get us by phone and we were never at home. Funny thing is we have voice mail, never was a message left, I also of course have caller ID on my home phone and no number from him or from anyone at BRP showed up on that phone. I also had no call from him on my cell phone which of course shows all calls. I never received any email in response to all my emails to him. Also my wife told him to call me on my cell phone and that I was in a good service area and she said I know he wants to talk to you. He said he would call me as soon as he hung up with her....he never did. I don't know.... what do you think...was that an UNTRUTH when he said he had been trying to get a hold of us.

I know of several people that have had the same work done on their Spyder and some paid nothing and some only paid for the deductible. I am wondering why I am not being treated the same as these people were. One person had no warranty at all...no original or extended warranty and they took care of him and he only paid for .7 of an hour for labor. This also brings me to another sore subject I was charged 3.5 hours of labor for basically the same work being done except they didn't replace his rear sprocket. On that note my dealer said if 1 component was changed then all components had to be changed...IE: my front sprocket needed replacing so they replaced the rear sprocket and the belt. I don't believe they needed changing and took the rear sprocket and belt to another dealer and they agreed and said they would have replaced the front sprocket and all I would have paid would have been the $50 deductible. A third dealer agreed and would have handled it the same way. My dealer maintains that BRP insists that all components need to be changed even though these other 2 dealers say there is nothing in the shop maual to that effect. At any rate I paid over $1000 and now BRP issued me a check for $50 to...I guess to appease me.....to me it was a slap in the face!!

I would like to hear from other people that have had to have a sprocket, or both sprockets and/or all components changed and if it was covered by BRP and if not if you had to pay for that kind of labor (3.5 hrs.)

As I said I have always been enthusiastic about BRP and the Spyder and have had 2 parties buy a Spyder on my recomendation and who knows how many others were influenced by my enthusiasm for the Spyder. BRP sent me another package with dozens of little pamphlets to hand out, which I have always been really happy to do before. This time I am tempted to send them back and tell BRP to get another sucker to distribute them. I still like the Spyder....but BRP has made me lose any confidence that all are treated the same. I have come to the conclusion that BRP really doesn't care enough to even respond to a person's complaint.

I know this wasn't expressed as well as it could of and should have been.....but I am so p----d off I can't think straight.

[wingie]

I'm only hoping that they sell enough Spyders that independent shops open. wingie

[spyder-dude]

BRP needs to get this customer taken care of! This same crap has happened with friends of mine with their skidoo sleds and can-am 4 wheelers.....They need to look at Honda or Yamaha how they handle customer service. I would rate BRP at 2 out of 10 for their customer service level! I have been an avid BRP/Skidoo/Can-am for over 6 years and have spent over $50,000 in the past 6 years with them and I guess I will have to look at other manufactors for my future motorcycle/atv/sled purchases because of their bad customer service.

[SpyderMan990]

I for one had the same issues with the front sprocket coming completely off and the drive belt dragging on the ground. It had to be towed to my dealer and reinstalled. I told Kurt Otteson at the Spyder Homecoming in Chicago about the problem and he got in touch with my dealer. Then before I took the spyder in the front sprocket was worn so bad that made the belt wear into the motor. The belt, front sprocket , bolt and washer was covered under warranty and I only had to pay for seven tenths of an hour labor. I think everyone should be treated the same and not singled out as such with the same issues. BRP better get on the stick and get their customer service people to treat everybody the same. Just my two cents!!!

[Marc]

SpyderMan990, on 03 September 2010 - 10:14 PM, said:

I for one had the same issues with the front sprocket coming completely off and the drive belt dragging on the ground. It had to be towed to my dealer and reinstalled. I told Kurt Otteson at the Spyder Homecoming in Chicago about the problem and he got in touch with my dealer. Then before I took the spyder in the front sprocket was worn so bad that made the belt wear into the motor. The belt, front sprocket , bolt and washer was covered under warranty and I only had to pay for seven tenths of an hour labor. I think everyone should be treated the same and not singled out as such with the same issues. BRP better get on the stick and get their customer service people to treat everybody the same. Just my two cents!!!

I know BRP ends up getting the black eye in situations like this, but it often is the dealer that drops the ball when representing the customer on warranty items. It's often "a do it right the first time or it's hard to overcome" kind of situation.

I hope you get a favorable resolution Jim. You have been a great ambassador of the Spyder for sure.

[ken]

Marc, on 04 September 2010 - 07:18 AM, said:

I know BRP ends up getting the black eye in situations like this, but it often is the dealer that drops the ball when representing the customer on warranty items. It's often "a do it right the first time or it's hard to overcome" kind of situation.

I hope you get a favorable resolution Jim. You have been a great ambassador of the Spyder for sure.

What is troublesome to me is the fact that the dealer can interpret what "warranty" means. If that is true, then all of the warranties we have aren't worth anything. We assume when we buy a warranty -- or when the product has a company warranty on it when purchased -- that the COMPANY will stand behind it. None of us would tolerate this situation on any other product we bought. Imagine buying a washing machine or flat screen tv; both have a year's warranty. The tv quits working and I take it back to the dealer. The dealer says that, yes, you have a warranty but I've determined that you broke the tv and am not going to fix it. You, then, take the tv to another dealer in a nearby city and that dealer says, yes, the tv doesn't look abused and the warranty is in effect, so we will replace it.

It would be untenable and chaotic if dealers could determine what a warranty covers or means.

How is it right, then, that the dealer Jim bought his bike from and has dealt with for two years, says that the repairs aren't covered by the warranty and another dealer 50 miles away says that the repair IS covered. How is this fair -- or even legal?

Jim also has questions about the time it took to fix the bike. I'll leave those for the dealer and Jim to work out. But all of us know that dealers have approximate work times written down for each repair they do. Those don't vary from dealer to dealer.

Finally, Jim is not just a casual owner of a Spyder. He and Nancy have been at Gatlinburg for the past two years, were at Chicago earlier in the summer, and are well known in central NY as Spyder ambassadors. We all should get fair treatment from dealers but Jim most certainly should.

C'mon BRP, man up and make this right.

ken tompkins

[Marc]

ken, on 04 September 2010 - 07:34 AM, said:

It would be untenable and chaotic if dealers could determine what a warranty covers or means.

ken tompkins

I don't want to hijack Jim's thread or minimize his issues because I think he deserves support from BRP...but, I want to comment on the statement above.

We buy our cars, bikes and Spyders from dealers. It would be impractical and impossible for the manufacturer to determine what is covered in every warranty situation...it has to be the dealer that takes the lead on that. It is a fact that some dealers are better at "working the system" than others. I also know some dealers that will eat the cost themselves for questionable warranty work and/or give free labor, etc.

The point of all this is that once the situation gets escalated to the point of having to work with the manufacturer directly, it rarely gets resolved quickly. It also usually turns into a situation where the dealer points at the Mfg'er and the Mfg'er isn't happy with the dealer. I've learned a lot about the dealership model over the years and it's a pretty complicated relationship for sure.

[Spyderjockey]

[quote name='Marc' timestamp='1283606917' post='104285']

...it has to be the dealer that takes the lead on that. It is a fact that some dealers are better at "working the system" than others. I also know some dealers that will eat the cost themselves for questionable warranty work and/or give free labor, etc.

On that note do I have to accept how "the dealer" has wronged me with a very very costly repair that should have been covered under warrnaty? When I go to a dealer I'm not just going to a dealer I'm going to a representative of BRP and BRP needs to realize that when I have been wronged by "the dealer" I have been wronged by BRP. I was hit hard by "the dealer" replacing the rear sprocket and belt that did not need to be replaced at a cost of over $600 just for the parts and then a double whammy of inflated labor hours. They charged me over 2 hours more than what two other dealers would have charged for the same work. The sad thing is that if I had gone to either of these other two dealers they would have fixed the problem under warranty and it would have cost me only $50 for the deductible saving me over $950. If only I had known!!!

[Marc]

Spyderjockey, on 04 September 2010 - 12:40 PM, said:

On that note do I have to accept how "the dealer" has wronged me with a very very costly repair that should have been covered under warrnaty? When I go to a dealer I'm not just going to a dealer I'm going to a representative of BRP and BRP needs to realize that when I have been wronged by "the dealer" I have been wronged by BRP. I was hit hard by "the dealer" replacing the rear sprocket and belt that did not need to be replaced at a cost of over $600 just for the parts and then a double whammy of inflated labor hours. They charged me over 2 hours more than what two other dealers would have charged for the same work. The sad thing is that if I had gone to either of these other two dealers they would have fixed the problem under warranty and it would have cost me only $50 for the deductible saving me over $950. If only I had known!!!

No, I wouldn't accept it...but you didn't mention being wronged by the dealer in your original post about BRP being unfair. Part of the problem is the dealer is your representative to BRP as well, so if you are wronged by the dealer you can't have much confidence that they are working on your behalf with the manufacturer. That's why it's such a complicated situation when you have three parties involved and only the middle party usually talks to the other two sides.

If Carlo ever steps up and contacts you like he should, then I would have a heart to heart with him regarding your entire dealer experience.

[Spyderjockey]

No, I wouldn't accept it...but you didn't mention being wronged by the dealer in your original post about BRP being unfair. Part of the problem is the dealer is your representative to BRP as well, so if you are wronged by the dealer you can't have much confidence that they are working on your behalf with the manufacturer.


[/quote]
I made mention of how the dealer inaccurately told me if you replace one of these components then you have to replace all of them. Also I talked about how the dealer charged me an exorbitant amount of labor hours. I guess I didn't use the word "wronged" in the original post, but I believe that is the conclusion we would have to come to by my description of the actions that was taken by them. That was my whole point they were not working on my behalf and then if BRP reps (like Carlo) will not talk to me what hope do I have for any justice on this whole matter. I say again how many times I tried to contact him and with absolutely no success. I'm sorry if I seem argumentative but I still feel that not only did the dealer do wrong here but so did BRP thru their reps. by ignoring my requests to call or email me and by saying that they had been trying to get in touch with me when I can prove that Carlo only called once and talked to my wife, because I was not at home. He never called me that day either on my cell phone even though he promised her he would call me as soon as hung up with her.

[Marc]

Monday is a holiday in Canada like in the US...hopefully you will hear from Carlo on Tuesday.

[Spyderjockey]

Marc, on 04 September 2010 - 07:34 PM, said:

Monday is a holiday in Canada like in the US...hopefully you will hear from Carlo on Tuesday.

I hope so, Marc. Thanks for your help.

[Arthur---Mexico City]

With a letter like yours you should have included your name, model of the Spyder that gave you the problem, the number of miles or kilometers on your Spyder; things like that. I would like to know this: Why was it neccessary to change the driver sprocket? When there is wear on a sprocket drive the belt wears and the two sprockets also wear changing their teeths' profile. If you change a belt only the changed profile on the sprockets will wear the new belt to coicide with the sprocket's worn and damaged profile. This is more true on the smaller driving sprocket. Consquently the new belt takes on a defective profile and that usually results in a noisey drive and the new belt wears out much faster. This is overly true on a roller chain drive. If you tell me the answers to the questions I asked I might be able to give you the correct answers. I have 56 years of experience in making 100s of thousands of roller chain sprockets and toothed sprockets used with belt drives. I have designed many installations of both these types of transmissions. There are many people that think that a gear, a sprocket, or a toothed belt is useable if it still has teeth. This is not so. A used roller chain changes its pitch and roller diameters making it not usable with a new sprocket even if it looks good.
Arthur---Mexico City, <xe1ll@prodigy.net.mx>







quote name='Spyderjockey' timestamp='1283477170' post='104224']
I have always been a staunch supporter of BRP and bragged them up to everyone that asked me about the Spyder and raved about what a great machine it is. After the way they have ignored me especially Carlo, I no longer have any enthusiasm for them or their customer support. For several weeks I have been trying to get my issue resolved with me having to pay over $1000 to have my sprockets and belt replaced. Carlo would not return my phone calls or emails that have been sent to him and there were plenty of them. He finally called while I was not home after I really got nasty with him on another email that was sent to him. He told my wife he had been trying to get us by phone and we were never at home. Funny thing is we have voice mail, never was a message left, I also of course have caller ID on my home phone and no number from him or from anyone at BRP showed up on that phone. I also had no call from him on my cell phone which of course shows all calls. I never received any email in response to all my emails to him. Also my wife told him to call me on my cell phone and that I was in a good service area and she said I know he wants to talk to you. He said he would call me as soon as he hung up with her....he never did. I don't know.... what do you think...was that an UNTRUTH when he said he had been trying to get a hold of us.

I know of several people that have had the same work done on their Spyder and some paid nothing and some only paid for the deductible. I am wondering why I am not being treated the same as these people were. One person had no warranty at all...no original or extended warranty and they took care of him and he only paid for .7 of an hour for labor. This also brings me to another sore subject I was charged 3.5 hours of labor for basically the same work being done except they didn't replace his rear sprocket. On that note my dealer said if 1 component was changed then all components had to be changed...IE: my front sprocket needed replacing so they replaced the rear sprocket and the belt. I don't believe they needed changing and took the rear sprocket and belt to another dealer and they agreed and said they would have replaced the front sprocket and all I would have paid would have been the $50 deductible. A third dealer agreed and would have handled it the same way. My dealer maintains that BRP insists that all components need to be changed even though these other 2 dealers say there is nothing in the shop maual to that effect. At any rate I paid over $1000 and now BRP issued me a check for $50 to...I guess to appease me.....to me it was a slap in the face!!

I would like to hear from other people that have had to have a sprocket, or both sprockets and/or all components changed and if it was covered by BRP and if not if you had to pay for that kind of labor (3.5 hrs.)

As I said I have always been enthusiastic about BRP and the Spyder and have had 2 parties buy a Spyder on my recomendation and who knows how many others were influenced by my enthusiasm for the Spyder. BRP sent me another package with dozens of little pamphlets to hand out, which I have always been really happy to do before. This time I am tempted to send them back and tell BRP to get another sucker to distribute them. I still like the Spyder....but BRP has made me lose any confidence that all are treated the same. I have come to the conclusion that BRP really doesn't care enough to even respond to a person's complaint.

I know this wasn't expressed as well as it could of and should have been.....but I am so p----d off I can't think straight.
[/quote]

[widowmaker2011]

wingie, on 03 September 2010 - 08:35 AM, said:

I'm only hoping that they sell enough Spyders that independent shops open. wingie

I was unsure if I was going to drop in here but I guess now that I am typing that answers the question. For a little background I have been in a Director level role within the Automotive industry for the last 20 years, overseeing 18 multi franchise dealerships that sell about 25,000 new vehicles a year. My true passion lies in motorcycle industry and I have been involved at various levels in powersports business and have been consulting to the powersports industry on and off , with some deeper involvement in the last 12 months . Let me say this- Your BRP Dealer "IS" largely just an independent dealer. Your local Chevy Dealer is also an independent dealer. Yes they sell a manufacturers product and agree to follow a set of rules with regards to selling the product and performing warranty work for the manufacturer , but in the good ole' USA , every dealer , be it car or motorcycle is an independent business. Unfortunately I don't see any specifics here with regard to time and mileage , but I am assuming this repair happened beyond the warranty period. Knowing that there have been some people that had similar issues and got some assistance from BRP when you paid the full boat can be frustrating but there are numerous factors and underlying information we as the readers of the forum do not have. In an "after" warranty adjustment, most manufacturers look at time , mileage , maintenance etc. BUT, this is largely dependent on the dealership to actively get involved . In many instances , a dealer is the one who makes that call , not BRP. In many cases , the customer is asked to participate a portion , the dealer a portion and the manufacturer a portion. Some dealers view this as a hassle and expense and don't end up "helping" a customer. Why they do not do it is beyond me but again, they are the business owner and if they choose not to , well its a business decision. A poor one it sounds like in your case but none the less, its a decision. This decision cost them a customer it sounds like. I have found in my dealings with BRP , a good dealer is worth more than any call to Quebec. The dealer should be making that call for you . Once they informed you what was wrong , I am assuming you voiced your displeasure and before any repair was done I would have requested they call BRP , ask for assistance for you and then proceed from there. As for if they should replace the belt and rear sprocket at the same time I do know that depending on sprocket wear and belt tooth inspection that if the technician feels there is appreciable enough wear to have damaged the belt and there are some rounded teeth on the rear sprocket too, then it is advisable to replace all 3. We don't know your mileage , nor do we have images to see showing the wear so I certainly can't answer is your particular spyder needed all of that or not. Certainly you could have got a second opinion but now its a tad late.
I'll leave you with this- A BMW LT Touring bike or my favorite , the GS 1200 Adventure costs in the low $ 20,000 range much like the RTS and well more than the base Spyder. They are known for sporadic final drive bearing failure ( see this list- http://www.bmwfinald...ailure_list.php ) Many of these occur just out of warranty and guess what, some get assistance some don't. Do they all fail? Nope. (Just like our sprockets) Should BMW fix them all, we could all debate that for days. Point being BMW is known as one of the premier Motorcycle Manufacturers in the world, they have things happen just like the Spyder. As humans we must remember as long as MAN builds things they will break and as long as MAN is involved in running a business and determining how to resolve an issue, there will be let good stories and bad.
Carlos is typically very responsive but he is one man. Buzz him again Tuesday and work with him towards a resolution. I am not judging your dealer but if they already didn't do this homework for you and press BRP for assistance , then thats a dealer that has lost your business.
Good Luck!

Brad

[IWN2RYD]

widowmaker2011, on 05 September 2010 - 12:35 PM, said:

I was unsure if I was going to drop in here but I guess now that I am typing that answers the question. For a little background I have been in a Director level role within the Automotive industry for the last 20 years, overseeing 18 multi franchise dealerships that sell about 25,000 new vehicles a year. My true passion lies in motorcycle industry and I have been involved at various levels in powersports business and have been consulting to the powersports industry on and off , with some deeper involvement in the last 12 months . Let me say this- Your BRP Dealer "IS" largely just an independent dealer. Your local Chevy Dealer is also an independent dealer. Yes they sell a manufacturers product and agree to follow a set of rules with regards to selling the product and performing warranty work for the manufacturer , but in the good ole' USA , every dealer , be it car or motorcycle is an independent business. Unfortunately I don't see any specifics here with regard to time and mileage , but I am assuming this repair happened beyond the warranty period. Knowing that there have been some people that had similar issues and got some assistance from BRP when you paid the full boat can be frustrating but there are numerous factors and underlying information we as the readers of the forum do not have. In an "after" warranty adjustment, most manufacturers look at time , mileage , maintenance etc. BUT, this is largely dependent on the dealership to actively get involved . In many instances , a dealer is the one who makes that call , not BRP. In many cases , the customer is asked to participate a portion , the dealer a portion and the manufacturer a portion. Some dealers view this as a hassle and expense and don't end up "helping" a customer. Why they do not do it is beyond me but again, they are the business owner and if they choose not to , well its a business decision. A poor one it sounds like in your case but none the less, its a decision. This decision cost them a customer it sounds like. I have found in my dealings with BRP , a good dealer is worth more than any call to Quebec. The dealer should be making that call for you . Once they informed you what was wrong , I am assuming you voiced your displeasure and before any repair was done I would have requested they call BRP , ask for assistance for you and then proceed from there. As for if they should replace the belt and rear sprocket at the same time I do know that depending on sprocket wear and belt tooth inspection that if the technician feels there is appreciable enough wear to have damaged the belt and there are some rounded teeth on the rear sprocket too, then it is advisable to replace all 3. We don't know your mileage , nor do we have images to see showing the wear so I certainly can't answer is your particular spyder needed all of that or not. Certainly you could have got a second opinion but now its a tad late.
I'll leave you with this- A BMW LT Touring bike or my favorite , the GS 1200 Adventure costs in the low $ 20,000 range much like the RTS and well more than the base Spyder. They are known for sporadic final drive bearing failure ( see this list- http://www.bmwfinald...ailure_list.php ) Many of these occur just out of warranty and guess what, some get assistance some don't. Do they all fail? Nope. (Just like our sprockets) Should BMW fix them all, we could all debate that for days. Point being BMW is known as one of the premier Motorcycle Manufacturers in the world, they have things happen just like the Spyder. As humans we must remember as long as MAN builds things they will break and as long as MAN is involved in running a business and determining how to resolve an issue, there will be let good stories and bad.
Carlos is typically very responsive but he is one man. Buzz him again Tuesday and work with him towards a resolution. I am not judging your dealer but if they already didn't do this homework for you and press BRP for assistance , then thats a dealer that has lost your business.
Good Luck!

Brad

[Spyderjockey]

I just thought I would clarify my feelings about where the problems are:

1) When I found out that BRP would not warrantee this work I immediately tried to get Carlo and got no response from messages I left on his voice mail nor from emails after weeks of trying to get him to respond. Then when he did respond finally when I was not at home he told my wife he had been trying to call us but could never get us. No message was ever left on my voice mail on the home phone and none on my cell phone. Caller ID never showed any number from him on either phone. . My wife told him that she wanted him to call my cell phone and he said that he would as soon as he hung up from talking to her....he never did! I also never received any emails from him. I do not like being ignored and/or, dare I say it, lied to.

2) Upon checking with others that had similar work done, I found out that I was the only one that had to pay for these repairs and again even though I had the 3 year extended warranty! Since my original post I still am the only one to the best of my knowledge that had to pay out of my own pocket. One person with no warranty at all neither the original nor an extended warranty had his repairs covered and all he paid was .7 of an hour labor.

3) Finding out that this person had only been charged .7 of an hour for labor and I was charged 3.5 hrs and the only thing that was done differently on my Spyder was that they replaced my rear sprocket. I can't believe that replacing the rear sprocket should have taken another 2.8 hrs. Since all of this has been transpiring I confronted the owner of the dealership of this huge difference he said that I complained to the mechanic about rough running and he said that was the difference. The mechanic had previously told me when I picked my up Spyder that he had test drove it for about 20 miles and to quote him " it ran flawlessly" and needed nothing to be done. I don't believe 20 miles of driving in the country should have taken 2.8 hrs. By the way I still have the rough running or surging between 3000 and 4000 RPMS.

There seems to be some confusion if I had an extended warranty, which I have just stated I do. I guess it wasn't clear when I was talking about how the other dealers would have only charged me the $50 deductible, that I did indeed have the extended warranty.

Another question came up about how many miles I had on it when this work was done, I had 33,000 miles on my Spyder at that point and now have over 36000 miles.

Another statement was made that if one sprocket has to be changed then the other sprocket and belt should be replaced to prevent "premature wearing out" of the new sprocket. I did a little cost analysis and figured that if I had to have this work done every 33,000 miles and both sprockets and belt were changed again at 66,000 miles it would have cost me $2030 at this mileage interval (using what it cost me this time as the constant). On the other hand if only the front sprocket was changed which is the only one that I feel really needed it at the 33,000 mile interval, it would have cost around $50 for the cost of that sprocket and .7 of an hour labor which is a little more than what BRP figures the flat rate should be and if you figure $80 an hour labor rate then the cost would have only been $106 for the part and labor. Then if you figure with "premature wear" I had to have the work done again at say 48,000 miles which would be only 15000 miles on the new front sprocket and I paid to have everything replaced(both sprockets and a new belt) at the same cost as I did this time paying $1015 (with what I believe is an inflated labor rate) then it still would have only cost me at the 48,000 mile interval $1121 and now all things being equal I am good for another 33,000 miles which would put me at 78,000 miles before I had to have another new front sprocket replaced. To me it is simple economics to only change what needs to be changed instead of changing all components every time.

I hope this wasn't too long to follow my reasoning. Even if you figure at a more reaonable labor rate of 2 hrs. @ $80 an hr. to change both sprockets and the belt I would still come out hundreds of dollars ahead by replacing only what needs to be replaced.

I tried to take a ride on my Spyder a couple of days ago and I was still so upset and outraged at all of this I just could not ride and felt very bitter and disgusted with this whole ordeal and felt like I would never enjoy riding it again. Today my wife and I took a ride and stopped to get something to eat and people came up to us asking questions about our Spyder, as people always do and to my amazement I still feel really good about owning the Spyder and answered all of their questions with almost the same enthusiasm that I did before all of this trouble began. The Spyder really is a great machine and is and will be part of our life in the future. I still feel that BRP customer service and their reps let us down and ignored us in the situation we find our selves with this dealer. To think that if I had gone to either other dealer...we would have only paid $50 and been covered under our extended warranty and saved over $950 sickens me. It just seems that BRP should have some kind of better standardization of what is covered and /or what is not. Instead, because I chose the wrong dealer in good faith that I would be dealt with fairly like the other people have been at other dealers, I have to pay dearly for that choice!!

Please excuse me for my long windedness......and thanks to all for all of the input into this matter.



Happy Spydering to all!!

[doctor]

Spyderjockey, on 05 September 2010 - 09:31 PM, said:

I just thought I would clarify my feelings about where the problems are:

1) When I found out that BRP would not warrantee this work I immediately tried to get Carlo and got no response from messages I left on his voice mail nor from emails after weeks of trying to get him to respond. Then when he did respond finally when I was not at home he told my wife he had been trying to call us but could never get us. No message was ever left on my voice mail on the home phone and none on my cell phone. Caller ID never showed any number from him on either phone. . My wife told him that she wanted him to call my cell phone and he said that he would as soon as he hung up from talking to her....he never did! I also never received any emails from him. I do not like being ignored and/or, dare I say it, lied to.

2) Upon checking with others that had similar work done, I found out that I was the only one that had to pay for these repairs and again even though I had the 3 year extended warranty! Since my original post I still am the only one to the best of my knowledge that had to pay out of my own pocket. One person with no warranty at all neither the original nor an extended warranty had his repairs covered and all he paid was .7 of an hour labor.

3) Finding out that this person had only been charged .7 of an hour for labor and I was charged 3.5 hrs and the only thing that was done differently on my Spyder was that they replaced my rear sprocket. I can't believe that replacing the rear sprocket should have taken another 2.8 hrs. Since all of this has been transpiring I confronted the owner of the dealership of this huge difference he said that I complained to the mechanic about rough running and he said that was the difference. The mechanic had previously told me when I picked my up Spyder that he had test drove it for about 20 miles and to quote him " it ran flawlessly" and needed nothing to be done. I don't believe 20 miles of driving in the country should have taken 2.8 hrs. By the way I still have the rough running or surging between 3000 and 4000 RPMS.

There seems to be some confusion if I had an extended warranty, which I have just stated I do. I guess it wasn't clear when I was talking about how the other dealers would have only charged me the $50 deductible, that I did indeed have the extended warranty.

Another question came up about how many miles I had on it when this work was done, I had 33,000 miles on my Spyder at that point and now have over 36000 miles.

Another statement was made that if one sprocket has to be changed then the other sprocket and belt should be replaced to prevent "premature wearing out" of the new sprocket. I did a little cost analysis and figured that if I had to have this work done every 33,000 miles and both sprockets and belt were changed again at 66,000 miles it would have cost me $2030 at this mileage interval (using what it cost me this time as the constant). On the other hand if only the front sprocket was changed which is the only one that I feel really needed it at the 33,000 mile interval, it would have cost around $50 for the cost of that sprocket and .7 of an hour labor which is a little more than what BRP figures the flat rate should be and if you figure $80 an hour labor rate then the cost would have only been $106 for the part and labor. Then if you figure with "premature wear" I had to have the work done again at say 48,000 miles which would be only 15000 miles on the new front sprocket and I paid to have everything replaced(both sprockets and a new belt) at the same cost as I did this time paying $1015 (with what I believe is an inflated labor rate) then it still would have only cost me at the 48,000 mile interval $1121 and now all things being equal I am good for another 33,000 miles which would put me at 78,000 miles before I had to have another new front sprocket replaced. To me it is simple economics to only change what needs to be changed instead of changing all components every time.

I hope this wasn't too long to follow my reasoning. Even if you figure at a more reaonable labor rate of 2 hrs. @ $80 an hr. to change both sprockets and the belt I would still come out hundreds of dollars ahead by replacing only what needs to be replaced.

I tried to take a ride on my Spyder a couple of days ago and I was still so upset and outraged at all of this I just could not ride and felt very bitter and disgusted with this whole ordeal and felt like I would never enjoy riding it again. Today my wife and I took a ride and stopped to get something to eat and people came up to us asking questions about our Spyder, as people always do and to my amazement I still feel really good about owning the Spyder and answered all of their questions with almost the same enthusiasm that I did before all of this trouble began. The Spyder really is a great machine and is and will be part of our life in the future. I still feel that BRP customer service and their reps let us down and ignored us in the situation we find our selves with this dealer. To think that if I had gone to either other dealer...we would have only paid $50 and been covered under our extended warranty and saved over $950 sickens me. It just seems that BRP should have some kind of better standardization of what is covered and /or what is not. Instead, because I chose the wrong dealer in good faith that I would be dealt with fairly like the other people have been at other dealers, I have to pay dearly for that choice!!

Please excuse me for my long windedness......and thanks to all for all of the input into this matter.



Happy Spydering to all!!

This is one reason I got rid of my spyder. Also the labor hrs. that it takes to remove a rear wheel and take off the sprocket is about right, if you don't belive it try it yourself. At 33,000 miles I don't think a belt should be worn out if it was maintain right. I've seen 80,000 to a 100,000 miles on belts on Harley's. So good luck.

[SPYDEE OWNER]

Marc, on 04 September 2010 - 07:18 AM, said:

I know BRP ends up getting the black eye in situations like this, but it often is the dealer that drops the ball when representing the customer on warranty items. It's often "a do it right the first time or it's hard to overcome" kind of situation.

I hope you get a favorable resolution Jim. You have been a great ambassador of the Spyder for sure.

And BRP should get a black eye or two. I think in many ways it is up to them to keep their dealers in line. How many times have you heard someone say something like " I really like a Chevy truck(for example), but my dealer is terrible". People go with the product that has good service as well. But in this case, where BRP is the only show in town with this bike configuration, your pretty much stuck.

This post has been edited by SPYDEE OWNER: 06 September 2010 - 10:57 AM

[Spyderjockey]

doctor, on 06 September 2010 - 08:44 AM, said:

This is one reason I got rid of my spyder. Also the labor hrs. that it takes to remove a rear wheel and take off the sprocket is about right, if you don't belive it try it yourself. At 33,000 miles I don't think a belt should be worn out if it was maintain right. I've seen 80,000 to a 100,000 miles on belts on Harley's. So good luck.

I really think the belt and rear sprocket are fine. The front sprocket also looked fine as far as the cogs where the belt rides, the problem was where the spline shaft goes into the hub of the sprocket.....it was worn very badly on the side closest to the motor and less wear at the oustside of the hub.

Thanks for your wish for good luck it looks like I am going to need it!!

[Spyderjockey]

SPYDEE OWNER, on 06 September 2010 - 10:55 AM, said:

And BRP should get a black eye or two. I think in many ways it is up to them to keep their dealers in line. How many times have you heard someone say something like " I really like a Chevy truck(for example), but my dealer is terrible". People go with the product that has good service as well. But in this case, where BRP is the only show in town with this bike configuration, your pretty much stuck.

Thanks for your input and support!!