Eisbein
Bachelor Dog
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2007
- Messages
- 12,501
- Reaction score
- 313
- Location
- Kraaifontein
- Bike
- BMW R1200GS Adventure
Hi there.
I don't like these 'this workshop is crap' posts most of the times, however I just thought that I might want to share my experience.
I needed to get a new front tyre for a while now, but there was some other work that I needed to do on the bike that I only got to do late last week.
So Saturday I went to my usual spot (Trac Mac) but they were closed, so I headed on over to Patmiccor in Okovango Junction.
They were open and had the right tyre so I paid, took the GS through to their workshop and then went next door to MotoJunction to check out what they had on their floor.
Didn't take long, but as I came back I heard a sieriehaas hammering coming from the workshop.
There were no other bikes there at the time, so I immediately grew suspicious.
Now I know enough about these bikes to know that if you feel the need to use a hammer while seperating/removing anything on the GS from something else you are probably doing it wrong.
My 1st thought was that he was trying to get the front axle out (on the 11xx the front axle comes out normaly after loosening everything, but on the 1200 the axle itself bolts into the one side).
I went to the back and lo and behold there's the guy busy with a 5 pound hammer and an impact driver.
Busy moering an allen key bit into the torx securing bolt.
Naturally I'm not impressed and the guy gets greeted with a 'WTF are you doing ?!'
Turns out he stripped the torx (probably using the wrong size) and then thought it a good idea to change the torx bolt into an allen key type one.
The only thing I could get out without losing it was to tell him to step away from the bike and take the hammer with (if I got hold of the hammer he would probably have a couple more breathing holes today).
I took the bike from the workshop, parked it in front of the desk, demanded my money back (telling the woman there that if I have engineering costs to rectify this that they would hear from me again) and left.
Now the guy would probably give me the 'the bolt was stripped to start off with' and all the rest, but I put it there the previous time and I looked at it that morning deciding if I wanted to take the wheel off and have the tyre replaced, or if I would ride the bike to have them do it, so I know the condition of the bolt head and how tight it was.
I'm not saying to boycott them - they do have well priced tyres over there.
I'm just saying that if you have a semi out of the ordinary bike in terms of how (or with what types of screw heads) things are put together you might want to reconsider having their 'cap the wrong way on his head workshop dude' lay his little itching-to-pick-up-a-hammer paws on your pride and joy without you being there.
The story ended up with a little upside with me and a friend actually getting the bolt out with a little effort and some WD40 and not seeing any damage, so tomorrow it is me and Trac-Mac over lunch time.
I don't like these 'this workshop is crap' posts most of the times, however I just thought that I might want to share my experience.
I needed to get a new front tyre for a while now, but there was some other work that I needed to do on the bike that I only got to do late last week.
So Saturday I went to my usual spot (Trac Mac) but they were closed, so I headed on over to Patmiccor in Okovango Junction.
They were open and had the right tyre so I paid, took the GS through to their workshop and then went next door to MotoJunction to check out what they had on their floor.
Didn't take long, but as I came back I heard a sieriehaas hammering coming from the workshop.
There were no other bikes there at the time, so I immediately grew suspicious.
Now I know enough about these bikes to know that if you feel the need to use a hammer while seperating/removing anything on the GS from something else you are probably doing it wrong.
My 1st thought was that he was trying to get the front axle out (on the 11xx the front axle comes out normaly after loosening everything, but on the 1200 the axle itself bolts into the one side).
I went to the back and lo and behold there's the guy busy with a 5 pound hammer and an impact driver.
Busy moering an allen key bit into the torx securing bolt.
Naturally I'm not impressed and the guy gets greeted with a 'WTF are you doing ?!'
Turns out he stripped the torx (probably using the wrong size) and then thought it a good idea to change the torx bolt into an allen key type one.
The only thing I could get out without losing it was to tell him to step away from the bike and take the hammer with (if I got hold of the hammer he would probably have a couple more breathing holes today).
I took the bike from the workshop, parked it in front of the desk, demanded my money back (telling the woman there that if I have engineering costs to rectify this that they would hear from me again) and left.
Now the guy would probably give me the 'the bolt was stripped to start off with' and all the rest, but I put it there the previous time and I looked at it that morning deciding if I wanted to take the wheel off and have the tyre replaced, or if I would ride the bike to have them do it, so I know the condition of the bolt head and how tight it was.
I'm not saying to boycott them - they do have well priced tyres over there.
I'm just saying that if you have a semi out of the ordinary bike in terms of how (or with what types of screw heads) things are put together you might want to reconsider having their 'cap the wrong way on his head workshop dude' lay his little itching-to-pick-up-a-hammer paws on your pride and joy without you being there.
The story ended up with a little upside with me and a friend actually getting the bolt out with a little effort and some WD40 and not seeing any damage, so tomorrow it is me and Trac-Mac over lunch time.
