600 mile service & warranty

[Killer_kaw]

Just bought my first new bike. Do I need to let The shop do the first service or two or just do the work myself and keep receipts and records? The Vaquero has a 3 year warranty and I wouldn’t wanna cause any warranty issues down the road. 

[Gixxus Christ!]

Wondering this myself, just passed 500 miles on the gsxs1000f today. 

[jschaf]

Change the oil & filter, keep the receipts.

[JustinNck1]

Do the service yourself. Better yet invest in a service manual and never use the dealer other than warranty.

[cOoTeR]

Get the service manual and if you can do the work yourself and have all required tools do it yourself and keep the receipts (especially for the manual and any specialty tools). Just make sure you can explain everything you did for the service. That way if a warranty issue comes up you can prove you actually did the service.  If the first service includes inspection or adjustment of a component and that component fails under warranty and you tell them you just changed the oil and filter they can deny your warranty claim based on improper maintenance. But if you have the service manual that outlines the inspection you can tell them how it was done properly and they can't deny it. 

[Gixxus Christ!]

7 minutes ago, cOoTeR said:

Get the service manual and if you can do the work yourself and have all required tools do it yourself and keep the receipts (especially for the manual and any specialty tools). Just make sure you can explain everything you did for the service. That way if a warranty issue comes up you can prove you actually did the service.  If the first service includes inspection or adjustment of a component and that component fails under warranty and you tell them you just changed the oil and filter they can deny your warranty claim based on improper maintenance. But if you have the service manual that outlines the inspection you can tell them how it was done properly and they can't deny it. 

If they ever try to say that you have to have service done at a dealer they are lying to your face. The magnuson-moss act states that you don't need to use a dealer and the burden of proof is on the manufacturer to prove something you did caused the failure. 

[Killer_kaw]

1 hour ago, JustinNck1 said:

invest in a service manual

Already on its way. 

[Tonik]

Sam is 100 percent correct right down to the name of the actual law.

[cOoTeR]

9 hours ago, CrazySkullCrusher said:

If they ever try to say that you have to have service done at a dealer they are lying to your face. The magnuson-moss act states that you don't need to use a dealer and the burden of proof is on the manufacturer to prove something you did caused the failure. 

I never said you had to have the dealer do the service. If you just change the oil and filter as the third post in this thread says to do and you ignore all other adjustments and inspections it won't be hard to prove you didn't properly maintain the bike if you don't know what all is involved in the service. 

For example: If the service you are doing calls for an inspection and adjustment of a throttle cable but you just change the oil and filter because you didn't get the service manual with the specs on the throttle cable.  Now down the road the throttle cable snaps under the warranty period (I know not a likely scenario but it's an easy hypothetical scenario). You take it in to get it repaired under warranty. The dealership asks where you've been taking it to get the scheduled service done because they know you haven't been paying them to do it. You say you've been doing the service yourself. They ask what all you did for the 3,000 mile service (we'll say this is the service the throttle cable was supposed to be inspected and adjusted on). You say I changed the oil and filter. That's failure to properly maintain the bike. 

If you're going to do the maintenance yourself make sure 1. You can do it properly, 2. You have the tools to do it or your willing to get them and 3. That you know what all is involved in the service. 

[Killer_kaw]

Ability ✅

Tools ✅

shop manual✅

Thanks fellas but let’s face it. I’ll most likely end up doing something to this thing a warranty department won’t like anyhow 

 

[serpentracer]

Poor guy brought us his 557 mile kawasaki z900 bought 4/20 for its 1st service noting an oil leak.  Oil leak is litterally coming out of a crack in the head.  

[durk]

16 minutes ago, serpentracer said:

Poor guy brought us his 557 mile kawasaki z900 bought 4/20 for its 1st service noting an oil leak.  Oil leak is litterally coming out of a crack in the head.  

What did Kawasaki do for him?

[Gixxus Christ!]

30 minutes ago, durk said:

What did Kawasaki do for him?

Better have replaced his bike. 

[cOoTeR]

14 hours ago, Killer_kaw said:

Ability ✅

Tools ✅

shop manual✅

Thanks fellas but let’s face it. I’ll most likely end up doing something to this thing a warranty department won’t like anyhow 

 

As long as the modification isn't directly linked to the warranty issue you'll be fine. If your that worried about it hold on to the stock parts. 

[Gixxus Christ!]

My 5 year extended warranty is roughly half the reason I'm not modifying my gsxs past some sliders and aesthetic mods. I'd love for it to howl through aftermarket headers and a yoshi pipe instead of the corked up stock system, but that would require an ECU flash or a PC5, both of which I believe would void the warranty. Also, the performance gains are not that impressive and it would cost over a grand for exhaust alone. 

[Pauly]

I was a tech for Nissan in my previous life. I saw Nissan warranty an engine that had a rod knock at 60k miles with a customer that had one service ticket from her first oil change at less than 10k miles. She admitted that was the only time the car saw a service department. Nissan didnt even fight her on warranty. Turns out, per case precident, a single oil change is a "sufficient attempt at maintenance" and she would have cost more in litigation than the reman'd VQ35 that I installed.

Edited May 21, 2018 by Pauly

[TimTheAzn]

14 hours ago, Pauly said:

I was a tech for Nissan in my previous life. I saw Nissan warranty an engine that had a rod knock at 60k miles with a customer that had one service ticket from her first oil change at less than 10k miles. She admitted that was the only time the car saw a service department. Nissan didnt even fight her on warranty. Turns out, per case precident, a single oil change is a "sufficient attempt at maintenance" and she would have cost more in litigation than the reman'd VQ35 that I installed.

Lets see her try that with anything other than an econobox.

[Steve Butters]

Nissan sucks 

[flashesbuck]

Its a brand new bike, with only a 1 year warranty. If you service it properly, its not going to fail. If something does fail, its likely its a minor part. Anything thats going to fail internal to the engine will most likely fail outside of the warranty, and its your problem anyway. 

Although keeping records does help with resale. If I see a stack of paperwork, and/or a service manual (that looks used) when i buy a used bike, my offer goes up. 

Edited May 22, 2018 by flashesbuck

[serpentracer]

On 5/19/2018 at 9:43 PM, durk said:

What did Kawasaki do for him?

Guy decided to ride it for the summer and bring it back in the fall.  Right away the kawasaki tech on the phone i was calling about the situation told me to submit a warrany claim.  Im sure it will be a new head only.  The owner wasnt even upset over it.  Its not a major leak.  It weeps out of a spot in the exhaust opening.  And its not the valve cover leaking in the spark plug holes.  So the tech said its a defective casting.

Edited May 23, 2018 by serpentracer

[Tonik]

I have had really good luck with Kaw warranty.

[jschaf]

I have no experience with warranties on any Japanese bikes (no Suzukis though). I've had (4) in the past 15 years, with over 100,000 miles (ridden at moderate pace of course) & have had no issues.  Never even had to take one back to the dealership for anything.  Oil the chain, change the oil & filters, brake pads, brake fluids, chain & sprockets, check the valves at recommended intervals (or not, even though checked, never had one out of spec) take pictures, keep receipts, no problems. Enjoy the new bike, don't get any speeding tickets.

[ped]

Like everyone said the manual will have a list of what to check, replace, adjust at what service interval. Just follow it to cover your butt. First service is usually an oil change and a check of everything else; chain, cables, some torque specs, pair valve, etc.