Stella 4T first service

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Wed May 09, 2012 11:27 pm

I was wondering what the 500 mile service cost everyone for their Stella 4T. I was a bit surprised when I picked up my scooter and got the bill.

Tack One. · Post by **Tack One.** » Thu May 10, 2012 12:49 am

I'm getting close to mine, what did yours cost?

JPL · Post by **JPL** » Thu May 10, 2012 1:06 am

I had mine done in the Fall and if I recall, it cost about $90-$100. I had about 800 miles on it.

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Thu May 10, 2012 1:54 am

Tack One. wrote:I'm getting close to mine, what did yours cost?

Just shy of $200! 2 hrs of shop time at $85 an hour plus oil, disposal, filter etc....

Tack One. · Post by **Tack One.** » Thu May 10, 2012 3:44 am

I know my shop is 80/hr, so I guess I'm in for the same range.

I want to replace the tires as well and figure that'll cost about 300 bucks as well. shit ads up, I guess that's why everybody is so keen on fixing things themselves.

I looked into changing the oil myself, but wasn't sure how to do it entirely. anybody got a step by step?

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Thu May 10, 2012 1:07 pm

Tack One. wrote:I know my shop is 80/hr, so I guess I'm in for the same range.

I want to replace the tires as well and figure that'll cost about 300 bucks as well. shit ads up, I guess that's why everybody is so keen on fixing things themselves.

I looked into changing the oil myself, but wasn't sure how to do it entirely. anybody got a step by step?

I actually would have liked to do it myself, but according to the warrenty you have to get your 500 mile service done at a genuine dealer. After the first one you can do it yourself.

Post by **ericalm** » Thu May 10, 2012 5:32 pm

Maximus53 wrote:
Tack One. wrote:I know my shop is 80/hr, so I guess I'm in for the same range.

I want to replace the tires as well and figure that'll cost about 300 bucks as well. shit ads up, I guess that's why everybody is so keen on fixing things themselves.

I looked into changing the oil myself, but wasn't sure how to do it entirely. anybody got a step by step?
I actually would have liked to do it myself, but according to the warrenty you have to get your 500 mile service done at a genuine dealer. After the first one you can do it yourself.

That requirement is a little squishy when it comes to warranty laws, but most people should have the first service done by a dealer even if they'll do subsequent services themselves. First service (when properly done) is much more thorough and will alert the mechanic to any possible issues with the scooter and engine.

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Fri May 11, 2012 10:58 am

Regarding the cost of the first and subsequent service......it should be kept in mind what is being done for that fee.
After reading up a bit, the 4T versions are due for their first valve adjustment at the 500/1000 mile point.
That one is quite important as the valves finish seating in and the rocker arms take a initial 'set'.
So, this verifies the that clearance is correct.
If the engine were to operate with too little clearance a valve will burn and at very least the power will drop off.
This engine has a oil strainer and a oil filter.
The strainer is easy to remove and clean during the oil change but the oil filter replacement requires rear wheel removal.....these are both serviced at the initial service event as well as the oil change itself.

These proceedures are not performed on a 2T.......no valves, no crankase, no oil filters.

Beyond the aformentioned proceedures, the services become similar for both version machines.
Trans oil change, shift, throttle, clutch, rear brake cable adjustment, lubing various friction points. checking steering head bearing pre-load and verifying all the various fasteners that could be out of torque spec, retorqued.

So, two hours of labor and filters, seals, lubricants, seems quite reasonable to me.
BTW, my background is that of a retired service manager and mechanic for a area big three motorcycle dealer and I am accustomed to this 'first service expense' discussion.

What I did to help my client understand the expense was to make photocopies of the service manual maintenance schedule page.
We would use highlighter pens to mark each step of the service called for at that mileage once it was completed.
This would be attached to the service invoice for the clients records.

By seeing all the steps taken to perform the service, the client rarely had a problem understanding the fees involved.
Over the years I found this to be one of my most valuable, 'customer satisfaction' tools.

Rob

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Fri May 11, 2012 1:05 pm

Well put.

Gotta stop comparing it to the car.....

jimmbomb · Post by **jimmbomb** » Sun May 13, 2012 8:22 pm

For my first service...
I changed my own oil and filter,,
Did all the checks and tweaks..
Then took it to the shop & paid them 1/2 hour labor to adjust the valves..
(it took him all of 10-12 minutes)
40 bucks and all done..
good luck

Post by **ericalm** » Mon May 14, 2012 11:49 pm

jimmbomb wrote:For my first service...
I changed my own oil and filter,,
Did all the checks and tweaks..
Then took it to the shop & paid them 1/2 hour labor to adjust the valves..
(it took him all of 10-12 minutes)
40 bucks and all done..
good luck

Falls in the category of, "If you really know what you're doing…"

jimmbomb · Post by **jimmbomb** » Mon May 14, 2012 11:54 pm

I agree... I mis-read the original post and the intent...
sorry, my bad...

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Tue May 15, 2012 12:06 am

jimmbomb wrote:I agree... I mis-read the original post and the intent...
sorry, my bad...

I dont think I really had any particular intent and actually found your post quite insightful. Why didnt you do the valve adjustment yourself?

jimmbomb · Post by **jimmbomb** » Tue May 15, 2012 1:44 am

Maximus53 wrote:
jimmbomb wrote:I agree... I mis-read the original post and the intent...
sorry, my bad...
I dont think I really had any particular intent and actually found your post quite insightful. Why didnt you do the valve adjustment yourself?

well.. I thought it would be beyond my capabilities...
BUT if someone would show me how to do it and explain..
then Im sure I would grasp it and do it and show others...
I couldnt get that from watching the set up video that Genuine put out.
thanks for asking...

talindsay · Post by **talindsay** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:14 am

I just had my service done, at 384 miles, and it was $175 including two hours of shop time, a quart of oil, a new filter, and some odds and sods. It definitely feels better now than before, I suspect the valves had drifted a ways in the initial break-in.

Anyway, $175 seems steep to me but then I probably won't pay the dealer to do service again other than the valve adjustments, so it's a one-time cost. And really, given that it includes the valve job, it's not bad.

jmer1234 · Post by **jmer1234** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:06 pm

Just had my first done at 580 miles. ~$80 with a new spark plug. 1.5 hours of waiting time. Definitely feels a little more peppy after the service.

desmolicious · Post by **desmolicious** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 10:53 pm

jimmbomb wrote:For my first service...
Then took it to the shop & paid them 1/2 hour labor to adjust the valves..
(it took him all of 10-12 minutes)
40 bucks and all done..
good luck

The valves need to be adjusted with the engine stone cold. Most mechanics like to leave it over night to completely cool off.
If this was not done, your valve gaps will be incorrect.

desmolicious · Post by **desmolicious** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:54 pm

desmolicious wrote:
jimmbomb wrote:For my first service...
Then took it to the shop & paid them 1/2 hour labor to adjust the valves..
(it took him all of 10-12 minutes)
40 bucks and all done..
good luck
The valves need to be adjusted with the engine stone cold. Most mechanics like to leave it over night to completely cool off.
If this was not done, your valve gaps will be incorrect.

Bueller? Bueller?

jimmbomb · Post by **jimmbomb** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 11:41 pm

well..... I reckon mine are incorrect then... it sat at the most.... 30 minutes..... before he started in on it..
good info though... thanks for reporting that.
a heads up to other 4t owners

SockyTX · Post by **SockyTX** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:04 am

I have about 350 miles on my Stella 4T so far and I'm loving her. Last night I noticed the seal wasn't aligned on this component. I don't know what this component is, it is to the rear of the kick starter.

1-Can someone tell me what this is?

I will reach that 500 mile mark in about a week and will be taking her in for her first service.

2-Is it ok to wait the week to have this fixed and aligned or should I get moving on it? I haven't seen and pools of liquid where I park.

Thanks,

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:13 am

SockyTX wrote:I have about 350 miles on my Stella 4T so far and I'm loving her. Last night I noticed the seal wasn't aligned on this component. I don't know what this component is, it is to the rear of the kick starter.

1-Can someone tell me what this is?

I will reach that 500 mile mark in about a week and will be taking her in for her first service.

2-Is it ok to wait the week to have this fixed and aligned or should I get moving on it? I haven't seen and pools of liquid where I park.

Thanks,

There is a lot of stuff behind the kick start lever. Are you talking about the bulge behind it? That is the selector box. If the selector box is loose you will be leaking gear oil and it looks like you may be from the photo.

You don't want to run low on gear oil as it can lead to burning out your clutch.

jimmbomb · Post by **jimmbomb** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 12:43 pm

the 4 strokes have no seperate gear oil.
the transmission shares regular motor oil with the engine.
keep your oil level correct untilled you go into service.
good luck

desmolicious · Post by **desmolicious** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:12 pm

jimmbomb wrote:well..... I reckon mine are incorrect then... it sat at the most.... 30 minutes..... before he started in on it..
good info though... thanks for reporting that.
a heads up to other 4t owners

They have not been set correctly then.

This is not Stella 4T specific, ANY motor that gets valve adjustments needs for them to be done stone cold.

SockyTX · Post by **SockyTX** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:07 pm

I just had my first service on my 2012 Stella 4T at 550 miles. I took it to the same dealer where I bought her from. Here is a list of the items found on my service receipt:
Oil
Check Electrical
Check Tires
Check Brakes
Check Fluids
Valve Clearance Adjustment
Other Accessories and Lights
All Nuts and Bolts Torqued

My receipt shows a 60% discount for returning to them for my first service for a grand total of $50 for my first service. I dropped it off on Friday after work and picked it up on Saturday around lunch. They asked that I leave it overnight so it would have time to cool off before any service was performed. They said this overnight cool down approach is preferred for any service more extensive than an oil change.

jason · Post by **jason** » Tue Nov 27, 2012 5:39 am

Sorry if I'm bringing up an old thread but I wanted to share what my shop said.

They told me that the first visit would be $268.

Needless to say, I'm much more inclined to try this myself. Everything seems straightforward except for the valve clearance adjustment (The Genuine video @ 7:52).

I know what they're doing, but it's the amount of torque they apply when they say: "back it off .002 of an inch"

What is that tool they are using? Is that something you can just find at an autoparts store?

79_Limited · Post by **79_Limited** » Sun Dec 02, 2012 3:05 pm

$268 is a bit much. I had an 88 Porsche 911 that required regular valve adjustments around the 10k to 15k mark. That with an oil change (it held 12 quarts!) the dealer service was about $800 bucks. You can bet I learned to do the valves myself after that first bill. That car was surprisingly affordable once I learned to do the basics myself.

As the others said the engine does need to be stone cold when doing the valves. This Stella looks to be a walk in the park compared to my 911 since it was difficult to get in the tight spaces. I remember the tricky part was to make sure you had top dead center lined up correctly as you cranked over to each valve. With the Stella you only have 1 valve so this should be easy.

Personally, I am taking mine into the dealer for my first service because I find a lot of value of things the dealer can recognize wrong with the bike that I can not. Since it it under warranty I would want it taken care of anyway.

phattirepilot · Post by **phattirepilot** » Sun May 05, 2013 1:13 am

I just had my first Stella 4T service at 600 miles and it doesnt sound like my dealer's idea of a 600 mile service is the same as what I expected. Reading from the manual, I expected them to check valve clearances, replace oil filter with oil change and check all torques and tolerances.

Instead, what I got was $175 (1.5 hrs labor and 19.95 for oil) for an oil change that didnt appear to include the filter. I'm not sure what they did with the rest of that hour and a half though. In fact, I asked them to make sure to check the torque on the head bearing / steering assembly because it seems very loose and is noticeable when applying the front break or when on turns that are downhill. (the whole front end shutters)

They didn't check it at all, the mechanic only left a note saying it was probably something rattling in the glove box (which was kind of insulting).

How does this compare to your first service everyone?

Also my clutch cable has about a half inch of play in it and while it won't be a problem for me to adjust myself, I'm just surprised that went by unnoticed.

magnato1 · Post by **magnato1** » Sun May 05, 2013 5:01 am

phattirepilot wrote:I just had my first Stella 4T service at 600 miles and it doesnt sound like my dealer's idea of a 600 mile service is the same as what I expected. Reading from the manual, I expected them to check valve clearances, replace oil filter with oil change and check all torques and tolerances.

Instead, what I got was $175 (1.5 hrs labor and 19.95 for oil) for an oil change that didnt appear to include the filter. I'm not sure what they did with the rest of that hour and a half though. In fact, I asked them to make sure to check the torque on the head bearing / steering assembly because it seems very loose and is noticeable when applying the front break or when on turns that are downhill. (the whole front end shutters)

They didn't check it at all, the mechanic only left a note saying it was probably something rattling in the glove box (which was kind of insulting).

How does this compare to your first service everyone?

Also my clutch cable has about a half inch of play in it and while it won't be a problem for me to adjust myself, I'm just surprised that went by unnoticed.

That sucks, that's what happened to me at my first service too. So, I found a better Genuine dealer about an hour away and had them do it right. It was worth it, after they torqued that head bearing down Stella rode like a different bike. I've heard that the SF Stella dealer is very good and knowledgeable.

http://sfscootercentre.com/

phattirepilot · Post by **phattirepilot** » Sun May 05, 2013 6:23 am

Thanks magnato1, good to hear from someone who also had a loose headset. I'm hoping a good torquing is all mine needs.

Stilts · Post by **Stilts** » Wed May 22, 2013 8:43 pm

Just for a data point, my first service cost $153.99 and that included a slight alignment adjustment.

Modern Buddy

Stella 4T first service

Stella 4T first service

What is this?

Re: What is this?

Loyalty Pays

Digging his thread up again...

Re: Digging his thread up again...