V7 servicing, did I just get hosed?

[drawnverybadly]

Alright, so my dash on my 2013 V7 starts flashing MAINT when I first turn my bike on a little after 3000 miles so I ride over to the MG dealership and the shop guy says that it's time for my 3000 mile service, they change my oil, spark plugs, transmission oil, and final drive oil. I pick up my bike the next day $500 poorer and ride home. I download the service manual for my bike and find out it doesn't have a 3000 mile service interval! It has the 1000 km break in service, and then service intervals every 10,000 km after that. Why did my dash show MAINT? Is there a new update that does include servicing every 5000 km? Or did the dealership just do extra work for the sake of extra work?

[earemike]

Alright, so my dash on my 2013 V7 starts flashing MAINT when I first turn my bike on a little after 3000 miles so I ride over to the MG dealership and the shop guy says that it's time for my 3000 mile service, they change my oil, spark plugs, transmission oil, and final drive oil. I pick up my bike the next day $500 poorer and ride home. I download the service manual for my bike and find out it doesn't have a 3000 mile service interval! It has the 1000 km break in service, and then service intervals every 10,000 km after that. Why did my dash show MAINT? Is there a new update that does include servicing every 5000 km? Or did the dealership just do extra work for the sake of extra work?

G'day mate I can understand how you feel.

I can't speak to your V7 for intervals however I know the V11 was at 6000miles/10000km. That said I've religiously changed my oil every 5000km.

The (obvious?) caveat is time intervals may come up before km intervals, eg you should change oil & filter at 10000km OR after one year, uni joint lube every 2 years.

It'd be worth checking your service schedule for the next time these things need to be done again in case any items are not yearly but it sounds legit.

So I figure your dash MAINT light was triggered by 1 year passing and it's really up to you when you take it in for a service. On the up side your bike should be feeling like one sweet ride right now!

 ;-T

[Kev m]

Hosed.

The dash Maintenance monitor only tracks miles on mine.

And not all those items were needed based on time anyway.

Though I don't know that the dealership was trying to screw you. It just did like they blindly accepted Maintenance light. Though still, you'd think they'd have questioned the mileage (I would have).

FWIW, I've got an early Stone (at least for US delivery) and they never reprogrammed the dash from the shorter maintenance intervals of the previous V7C. So my light goes off early, but not THAT early. No idea why yours would illuminate so soon.

[rbm]

The Maint warning first shows at startup and extinguishes,  if the service interval is approaching.  Once the maintenance interval is reached or exceeded, the Maint warning remains until reset manually  My V7R has a 7500km service according to the station manual so maybe yours was for this interval, although 2500km  ahead of the deadline is strange if true.

[Vasco DG]

Up until very recently there were no indicators to tell you your machine had reached a service interval. You did it by time or off the odometer.

The smallblocks have no dash displayable OBD so the fact that you are getting a 'Maint' alert is odd but a brief squizz at your owners' manual should of told you it doesn't coincide with a scheduled service interval.

Essentially you did the right thing. You were worried and you took it to your dealer. Has it been serviced on time? Rather than distance? Or were you working on the principle that miles were enough? Regardless of any argument to the contrary if you haven't fully met the service criteria then your dealer did the right thing by returning the bike to a 'Fully Serviced' state.

BUT

Cost? It's more than I would charge for a basic service but the bike came in with a 'Problem' so perhaps a bit of diagnostic time was warranted. That aside if I had someone who was a regular customer appear at the shop with a bike with a 'Maint' warning but no other symptoms I'd just run a diagnostic tool over it and if nothing was current or wasn't saved and cleared when asked I'd just re-set the service icon and put it down to a dashboard brain-fart. At that point I'd probably adjourn to the pub, let the owner buy me a beer, chat for half an hour and send them on their way with a suggestion that they read their handbook and get their bike serviced accordingly, preferably by me!  ;D

So? 'Hosed'? 'Ripped off'? No, I don't think so and if you haven't adhered to the service scedule re time or miles.....? Grounds for complaint are thin to the point of translucence.

Pete

[Perazzimx14]

It always better to ask what the cost of something is before you purchase it. Its like the guy who buys a new bike and then ask if he got a good deal. After you bought it is really doesn't matter.

[Cam3512]

It depends.  Did you ever have the 600 mile break-in service done?

[sib]

Two costly take-home lessons:

1.  If you had learned about your bike by reading the user's manual, you would have learned that spec engine oil change intervals, after the first 1000 km (621 mi) service, is 10,000 km (6214 mi), and the gearbox and final drive oil change intervals are double that.  Also, you would have learned that the MAINT signal is only distance based, and doesn't monitor any engine performance parameters.  Dealers aren't angels and you were a sitting duck.  Ignorance is expensive.

2.  If you had been reading this discussion group, you might have learned that there is a technical problem with the MAINT indicator system on the '13 V7s; the dashboard wasn't updated when the these V7 models were released and the indicated MAINT intervals are actually intended for the older models that had shorter service intervals, 7500 km (4660 mi) for oil changes, for example.  I'm not sure if/when MG fixed this problem, but I know that the part number for the dashboard wasn't changed in the '14 models and it's still the same even in the V7II models that won't be seen in the USA until this fall.

Now would be a good time to read the manual.

[drawnverybadly]

Thanks all, I didn't know that the dash units might not have been updated from earlier models that had shorter service intervals, that's probably why the MAINT light showed when it did. I did get the 600 mile service done by the same place and I'm gonna go with an overabundance of caution on the dealer's part for the stuff that they changed. I have been reading the service manuals over the winter and I just ordered the Guzziology book to study too, so hopefully I'm going to be a more educated rider when it comes to maintenance on my scoot. Thanks again all!

[Kev m]

I still shouldn't have come on THAT early. I think the earlier models had 6000 km intervals.

So be on the lookout in case it comes on early yet again next time.

And of course, there was no harm done in replacing that stuff early, none but the lightening of your wallet.

RIDE SAFE!

[roadscum]

Needs spark plugs at 3K miles? Nah, can't be true....
I say hosed.


Can the maint. indicator be reset by the owner?

Paul

[Kev m]

Can the maint. indicator be reset by the owner?

Paul

It can be RESET as in "shut off", but not reprogrammed to different intervals.

[fotoguzzi]

But- YOUR MOTORCYCLE LOVES YOU! :bike

[LaGrasta]

I would recommend, buying the lubes and doing it yourself, so much cheaper ($100?) and even more so, satisfying. Read the manual on how to clear MAINT and you're off.

[Loftness]

OP, where do you live?  $500 was the fee for just the service?

[drawnverybadly]

I live in NYC, there are 3 MG dealers "in my area" and I went to the one closer to work. The cost was split pretty much 50/50 between parts and labor

[Loftness]

Ok, that's why I asked.  I was hoping to get back a 'San Fran' or 'NYC' for that kind of service cost.  I'd imagine your labor hours are much higher. 

[makarushka]

So these were US dollars? Mama mia...  :o :o Is their labor rate $200+/Hr? No valves done -- just liquids and spark plugs?! Cause the parts are circa $100, and that's retail, with premium brands...

[dilligaf]

Back in the day-a long time ago-a while back we would always change the sparkplugs and points as well as the oil and filter on the first, 500 mile, service. Should a customer DARE to question they were told the plugs and points were special "break in" use only installed by the factory.  What we didn't tell them was we got 10% of every part charged to the job as well as 60% of the labor.  A complete 500 mile service for any single or twin Honda was $25.00.  This service included the valves adjusted as well as an oil and filter change.  Today some of you are paying close to $25.00 for a quart of that special supper duper oil that your "play toy" just has to have.  ::) $500 bucks sound about right to me.   :BEER:
Matt

PS:  Speaking of hosed, do you know if they put a hose clamp on the oil filter.  ;D

[LongRanger]

Uh oh, all it'll take now is just a little nudge for this to turn into an oil thread...

If I recall, the 7500km service on my ex-V7C was about $600. That seemed rather steep considering the simplicity of the service.

[sib]

PS:  Speaking of hosed, do you know if they put a hose clamp on the oil filter.  ;D

This bike doesn't have that problem, thankfully.  It uses an oil filter that doesn't require engine disassembly to change.

[dilligaf]

This bike doesn't have that problem, thankfully.  It uses an oil filter that doesn't require engine disassembly to change.

So you haven't been hosed.   ;D  :BEER:
Matt

[pyoungbl]

Per my '13 V7 use & Maintenance book (came with the bike), page 199, total service time for periodic maintenance is:
600 miles...100 minutes
6200 miles...70 minutes
12400 miles...140 minutes

The $500 charge sounds pretty steep, even for NYC.  I could do the job in less than 2 hours and 2 beers...and I am deathly slow.

Peter Y.

[lucian]

Could a bum spark plug throw a service code?

[Kev m]

Could a bum spark plug throw a service code?

Perhaps it could effect something monitored by the ECM and throw the CHECK ENGINE light, but no it would not trigger the maintenance light which, by my understanding is not an ECM function and is strictly a dash/odometer function.

[Steph]

Yeah, good thing you didn't turn up on an out of warranty Cali1400!

[drawnverybadly]

Per my '13 V7 use & Maintenance book (came with the bike), page 199, total service time for periodic maintenance is:
600 miles...100 minutes
6200 miles...70 minutes
12400 miles...140 minutes

The $500 charge sounds pretty steep, even for NYC.  I could do the job in less than 2 hours and 2 beers...and I am deathly slow.

Peter Y.

This shop also quoted me $800 to buy and install a fender eliminator so yeah... everything is priced steep in this area though

[slopokes]

 :+=copcar  next time try Rockwell cycle--just across the bear mtn. bridge--- u could wait for the bike downstairs in the café  :BEER:

[dilligaf]

If I owned a motorcycle with a "check engine light" I would remove the bulb or cut the wire.   ;D Didn't hurt my car.  :BEER:
Matt

[Sasquatch Jim]

 It is like a high maintenance girlfriend.  Very expensive and you get screwed.