Was Sick of my Blackjack...Now It's Fixed

[kcscooterfan]

I've had enough. I've had a Blackjack since June and it has never had power or good gas milage like my Wife's does. It's all ways been 20 to 30 mpg less, no matter what we do, change riders and all other possible solutions. The dealer took at least 2 or three months to take my complaints seriously. We've been there inumberable times and each time either nothing has been accomplished or the scooter runs worse. The other day I inspected the air filter and discovered that the mechanic drilled holes in the breather canister with cheap gauze to filter out junk. The gauze was at the bottom of the breather canister. He ordered a new one and installed it today. I tried many times to have him check the air/fuel mixture screw and he kept saying there was no adjustment. Finally he found it today and tried a quarter of a turn.



At first I thought it was running better, but after heading home at 55 mph, the thing started mis-firing like a jack rabbit. I came back and he adjusted it again. Each adjustment produced no consistancy. He finally disconnected the air filter and it smoothed out. He disconnected one of the vacuum hoses (putting a gauze filter over each end and said to try that). His last idea of a solution was to drill holes on the outside of the breather canister and glue on a filter for more air intake. Clearly he has no idea what to do, except maybe a bad CDI
Now I get 43 mpg, instead of the original top of 61 and I jumps so bad above 45 mph that I can hardly stand to ride it.

The mechanic changed our rear tires and he tore my wife's gasket that's between the exhaust pipe and the engine so now her gas milage is lower. He said he'd have to order another one of those, which means another trip.

I had previously called Vespa Holland (their mechanic seems to know more), but he said he would have to charge $80 to tune it up.

Why should I have to pay any money to get a machine to run properly when it's only a few months old. My wife's runs like a top and gets 77 to 83 mpg with no hesitation and excellent acceleration.

I guess I'm going to have to try the difficult task of contacting a Genuine Rep to ask him if they will authorize Vespa Holland to fix it under warranty. The whole reason to buy a scooter was to have lively acceleration and save on gas.

This has been very frustrating and I've spent so much more in gas then I should have.

[Portland_Rider]

Basing this on your statement, what about contacting your State's office of consumer affairs? If you used a credit card, does it offer you any protection against the purchase of a defective product?

I realize that the dealer who sold your scoot should take full responsibility for their part. At this point, if it was me, spending $80 to get the problem fixed would be worth it.

BTW, if the scoot is advertised as getting X-mpg then you should be in that general range not out of the ball park.

I'm not an attorney. Personally, I would start to very carefully document your spending on gasoline and the miles driven for both scoots and then let the other rider ride the other scoot continuing to document it.

[Kaos]

Why the hell would drilling holes in things fix ANYTHING???? I'm sorry, but that dealer needs to go! Find ANY other dealer! If the bike needed holes in those places to run right IT WOULD HAVE COME WITH THEM!

At this point your air/fuel ratio is probably hosed, and you need someone with some good tuning skills to get it back in balance. This dealer doesn't sound like that person!

[Portland_Rider]

It stinks that you have to go through this stuff.

I do not know the mechanics of scoots such as Kaos and several others do. Going on Kaos's strong response, my possible course of action would be to carefully, factually, and calmly document everything you can using dates and numbers whenever possible. Gather any email and/or receits.

Again, I'm not an attorney. Still, if you are going to make a case to Genuine directly or your State's Consumer Affairs Office, you need to be organized and have evidence to back up your case.

I wish you the best.

[kcscooterfan]

I'll just call Vespa Holland (not the original dealer) and see if they will help me and call Genuine to let them know.

[rajron]

Hope you get your scooter running properly soon, it’s a good scooter – like above said, the dealer should not be drilling

[Sailboat13]

Sorry this is happening to you. It causes me to remember the trouble I had with a persistent gear oil leak. I recall I felt like throwing my scooter through the dealers window. Hope you get it running right soon.

[thecarver61]

This is the worst case I've heard, of a Buddy purchase. This should never happen. Genuine is a great company and will make it right. Unfortunately, it will take time and documentation. That dealer is incompetant and I'd get the work done at another dealer, if possible. Embarrassing to the Buddy scooter community, for sure!

[rajron]

I don’t think this is the worst; still having no idea what happened to Corsair – anybody know?

[Kaos]

I don’t think this is the worst; still having no idea what happened to Corsair – anybody know?

Yeah, what ever did happen to Corsair? Not seen him(her?) on for a while.

[thecarver61]

I have no idea what you guys are talking about?

[Dooglas]

I don't hear anything here that tells me Genuine is the problem. I hear plenty that says your dealer is the problem. I would certainly report that to Genuine and go to a different dealer that has a better reputation. Getting permission from Genuine to have warranty work done at the Vespa dealer is one choice. Heck, if it were me, I'd have long ago taken that scoot to the Vespa mechanic and (for $80) let him see if he could get running right. IMO the $80 isn't the problem, the $3500 for a scooter that is not running right is the problem.

[ericalm]

If Vespa Holland is a Genuine dealer (looks like they are), they should be able to perform warranty work without problem. Contact them and explain the issues.

You should also document everything the original dealer has done. Take photos and collect receipts.

I don’t think this is the worst; still having no idea what happened to Corsair – anybody know?

Yeah, what ever did happen to Corsair? Not seen him(her?) on for a while.

Corsair left the forum; he's not been here for over a year. AFAIK the issue with his scooter was resolved. I never got the full story and don't want to make any assumptions about who may have been at fault or what may have happened. I'm not trying to blame him for anything; just saying that in many of these instances we only get part of the story and don't know when things have been fully resolved or how.

[Quo Vadimus]

Corsair is the one who delivered my scooter.

[TVB]

Getting permission from Genuine to have warranty work done at the Vespa dealer is one choice. Heck, if it were me, I'd have long ago taken that scoot to the Vespa mechanic and (for $80) let him see if he could get running right.

Vespa Holland is also a Genuine dealer, so they're fully authorized.

[KCScooterDude]

I'll just call Vespa Holland (not the original dealer) and see if they will help me and call Genuine to let them know.

Who was your original dealer?

[Lostmycage]

Going from what you've said... I'd never take it to that dealer again, at least not until their mechanics are flogged and sacked! Tuning a single cylinder 149cc engine is about as easy as it'll ever get.

You might have a lemon (it's not unheard of) but more likely, they botched the prep. I'd have the new place order new parts for anything that the previous shop touched. There's absolutely no need to modify any of that stuff to make a stock Buddy run just fine.

I wish you luck, you've already got more patience that I would have.

[kcscooterfan]

I was contacted by two Genuine reps who assured me that they would stand behind the warranty and I dropped it off to Vespa Holland. It was a long 40 mile ride because I had to ride it like a 50cc and keep it at about 45 mph, so it wouldn't mis-fire quite as much. The Mechanic at the Holland place was appauled at how the other mechanic dealt with the issues.
I am excited to have finally someone who acts like they know what they're doing.
I got a call from the owner of the previous dealer and he said he would work with us, but didn't seem to have any answers. I like the people at the dealer, but liking and trusting them is two different issues.

I am pleased with how Genuine contacted me so quickly and their helpfulness. I'll update this forum when I hear from Vespa Holland on their progress.

[DennisD]

I like Genuine more all the time.

[chloefpuff]

Aaron, the mechanic at VespaHolland, is a good mechanic from everything I've heard. And yes, they're a Genuine dealer. They sold me both of my Pinkies. I certainly hope you get satisfaction from them.

[kcscooterfan]

Well I got my Blackjack back today and I'm still discouraged. I paid $114 to get the belt, rollers and sliders replaced (which I know is required maintenance). I was hoping he got to the bottom of the poor running and dismal gas mileage, which was why I dropped it off in the first place.
I started from Vespa Holland and got down the road and noticed the scooter was missing at top speed. I rode back and Aaron replaced the spark plug. He said if that didn't fix it, maybe the exhaust gasket had to be replaced. (My tire was replaced at the other dealer, which means the exhaust pipe has to be removed) The scooter didn't miss as badly, only occasionally at high speed. Acceleration was not too bad, once in awhile it would stumble upon hard takeoff.
However the gas milage was only 42 mpg. Incredibly bad. So since the tire was replaced at the other dealer, the mpg has gone down from a poor 55 to 61 mpg to now the low 40's. Something is still wrong. I hope it is the gasket issue. Otherwise Aaron said it would require some serious testing (something I was hoping he would have all ready done).
I need Genuine or someone to figure this out. I can all most see the gas gauge go down. I rode my Wife's Blackjack to Holland to have her gasket replaced. Man, I wish mine was like that. Great acceleration and still had plenty of gas in the tank when I got there.
If one Blackjack runs like that...why doesn't mine?

[Lostmycage]

I wonder if it's the rings.

You could just have a dud...

[broke]

If one Blackjack runs like that...why doesn't mine?

Sorry to hear about all the hassle, but I do appreciate you posting your experience. I hope they find a solution for you.

[ericalm]

This is a problem I've not heard about before and may be a new one for your dealer(s) and even Genuine.

Really, there's not much Genuine can do about this other than advise the dealer on possible causes. The dealer's the one with the scooter in front of them, able to examine it and test it. As I said earlier, determining the cause is the hardest part. They could theoretically replace the whole engine and find it's still happening. All they can do is follow a progression and narrow it down. They should also be test riding it, though, to make sure it's definitely fixed and problem free.

I've never heard of any (stock, relatively new) scoot burning through fuel like that. I'm not even sure how it could happen without some type of sign or clue—leaking, erratic firing, super high revs, etc.

[Ray Knobs]

I wonder if it's the rings.

You could just have a dud...

I wonder if they have checked the compression on it.

[kcscooterfan]

I talked to Ryan, a Genuine rep and I asked him if the jet could be wrong. Then I remembered that during one of my many visits to the original dealer, the mechanic said the I had a "modified" 92 jet from the factory. He showed me the jet and it looked like it had been bored out a bit, when I compared it to a stock 92. I asked him if the factory did it and he answered yes. He tried putting in the stock 92 and it ran terrible.
When I told Ryan this, he reminded me that there were holes drilled in the breather box when the stock 92 was put it. He also said that Genuine would not have messed with the jet. That means the original mechanic lied to me and that he must have bored it out and drilled holes in the box right from the start, probably before I bought it. I base this on the fact that the scooter had 70 miles on it and the dealer admitted they used it to pace some race event. That means they sold me a altered and slightly used scooter at a new price. If this problem is solved, I will go back to the dealer and demand some sort of payment for my trouble and the fact that the scooter was messed with.
Putting a stock 92 jet would cause less gas and more air (with the holes in the box) and probably cause a lean condition, according to Ryan. I never had a stock 92 put in after the holes were covered. I talked to Aaron at Vespa Holland and he said he hadn't heard that the jet had been messed with. He agreed that any increase in the size of the jet would cause more gas to be used and probably would cause hesitation in the high end and when I start off hard.

Once the gasket on my wife's Blackjack is replaced, I will ride mine and drop it off to have a stock 92 put in. I certainly hope this theory works, because I am about at my wit's end. If this works, I don't know how much I should demand from the original dealer? I have spent so much more in gas and I made at least 20 trips (20 miles each) to the dealer about this issue.

As to regards to the compression, Aaron didn't check it with a tester, but he said that the power was such that he didn't think that was an issue. If the latest theory doesn't work, then I'll have to insist that very detailed tests be done.

I would appreciate feedback on rather a bored out 92 jet and holes would cause the original problem of 55 to 61 mpg. Also rather filling in the holes (less air) with the bored out 92 would cause hesitation at high speed (too rich) and stumbling at start-up and very poor gas mileage.

[Skootz Kabootz]

Man, if that original dealer sold you a scooter that they had messed around with before you bought it, they should just give you a whole new scooter. No questions asked. It is totally bogus that they would sell you an altered scooter without disclosing it to you first. I'm sure the folks at Genuine would feel the same way about this. I'm sure the state/city Attorney General might feel the same way as well... it's just wrong for a dealer to do that. No way you should be having to go through all this with a brand new scooter.

[Kaos]

I talked to Ryan, a Genuine rep and I asked him if the jet could be wrong. Then I remembered that during one of my many visits to the original dealer, the mechanic said the I had a "modified" 92 jet from the factory. He showed me the jet and it looked like it had been bored out a bit, when I compared it to a stock 92. I asked him if the factory did it and he answered yes. He tried putting in the stock 92 and it ran terrible.
When I told Ryan this, he reminded me that there were holes drilled in the breather box when the stock 92 was put it. He also said that Genuine would not have messed with the jet. That means the original mechanic lied to me and that he must have bored it out and drilled holes in the box right from the start, probably before I bought it. I base this on the fact that the scooter had 70 miles on it and the dealer admitted they used it to pace some race event. That means they sold me a altered and slightly used scooter at a new price. If this problem is solved, I will go back to the dealer and demand some sort of payment for my trouble and the fact that the scooter was messed with.
Putting a stock 92 jet would cause less gas and more air (with the holes in the box) and probably cause a lean condition, according to Ryan. I never had a stock 92 put in after the holes were covered. I talked to Aaron at Vespa Holland and he said he hadn't heard that the jet had been messed with. He agreed that any increase in the size of the jet would cause more gas to be used and probably would cause hesitation in the high end and when I start off hard.

Once the gasket on my wife's Blackjack is replaced, I will ride mine and drop it off to have a stock 92 put in. I certainly hope this theory works, because I am about at my wit's end. If this works, I don't know how much I should demand from the original dealer? I have spent so much more in gas and I made at least 20 trips (20 miles each) to the dealer about this issue.

As to regards to the compression, Aaron didn't check it with a tester, but he said that the power was such that he didn't think that was an issue. If the latest theory doesn't work, then I'll have to insist that very detailed tests be done.

I would appreciate feedback on rather a bored out 92 jet and holes would cause the original problem of 55 to 61 mpg. Also rather filling in the holes (less air) with the bored out 92 would cause hesitation at high speed (too rich) and stumbling at start-up and very poor gas mileage.

Yes, and yes. If he cut up the airbox and drilled out the jet, who knows what size it ACTUALLY is now. You've now got two options. Try to find the right size jet(Likely in the 110-120 range if no other mods) and make the best of a modded airbox, or repair the airbox and go back to the stock 92. Either way, there's a good chance this is your problem. Incorrectly tuned carburetion can potentially cause ALL the symptoms you've described.

[Lostmycage]

You need a new air box and a new 92 main jet. The air box is designed for a specific purpose. Once new holes are introduces, so are extra sources of turbulence and pressure changes. Drilling out a jet should only be done in a race tuned carb. There's plenty of choices of jets available (92, 95, 100, 102, 105, 115, 120). Drilling a jet should only be done when it's being tuned for a specific altitude and temperature, or if something larger than 120 is needed - both instances should not apply to you.

At the very least, they need to get you a completely new stock airbox and jet. I'd seriously consider pushing for a lemon replacement. They should have disclosed (and discounted) a demo bike before signing it over as a new vehicle. That's not cool.

[bluefox]

yeah.... Make sure to PM me the original dealership that sold u the altered lemon that they bastardized so I can steer clear from them!

[kcscooterfan]

The original dealer did install a new breather box after I discovered the holes in it. I think, (I'll find out soon) that if the mechanic would have covered the holes and installed the 92 jet, it would have run right. The Genuine rep said that he was going in the wrong direction. Using a stock jet with holes would lean out the scooter way too much, causing it to cut out.
If this works (I'll probably find out Friday), I'll then go back to the owner of the original dealer and lay out my beef on the table and see what he will do for me. If the fix doesn't work (I hate to think about that), then I'll have to call Genuine and see if they can send a tech to look the whole thing over or give me a new scooter.
Thanks for the feedback of those who said my scooter symptoms are consistent with a bored out jet.

[LisaLisa]

The good news is that Genuine WILL make it right. That's my experience. As soon as they are aware of a problem they bend over backwards to make it right. Genuine is a way-good company, will be the importer of my next scooter. (Blur 220? new tourscoot?)

I am buying a new scoot next year and it will have over 200cc and it will have a Genuine badge.

[kcscooterfan]

Aaron at Vespa called me and informed me that not only did not original mechanic ruin my Wife's exhaust gasket when he changed the tire, he cracked the lower exhaust bracket. The good news, Genuine replaced the whole Prima exhaust for us. (cheers to Genuine!)
I called the original dealer's owner and told him that I was going to expect at least $500 for selling me a used, modified scooter that has never ran properly. This was also because all the trips I made (18 miles one way) and that the scooter ran worse after the mechanic worked on it. He said that $500 was unreasonable and that the scooter was not used and it came out of the box with holes in the air box (can you believe that?) I told him that was a lie, that two Genuine Reps told me they would never drill holes in the airbox and bore out a jet.
The owner got off his high horse a bit and told me to bring in the modified jet and he would "do something". I am picking up my Wife's scooter today and dropping off mine, awaiting the new jet to come in. I've sent an email to Genuine summarizing the whole affair with pictures of the holes in the airbox.
This was to get Genuine's feedback I rather I deserve some sort of reimbursement from the dealer.
Once again, I am thankful to the Genuine folks for their help and covering the parts to get our scooters right.
I feel bad that things have turned out this way with the dealer, because they are nice people. But that doesn't excuse the haphazard way that their service department has handled the situation.
I am anxious to get the new jet in to see if this finally fixes my problems.[/i]


I don't know if I'm boring everyone, but here is the letter to Genuine. It may fill in some of the details surrounding this little adventure:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this to give you a record and as detailed as I can about my experience, so you can assist (the dealer) in the future to correct their service issues and for your advice on rather they should reimburse me some way.

We originally purchased two 50 cc scooters from (the dealer) on May 16, 2009 and just one month later traded them in and bought two Blackjacks.
In case you are not familiar, every since I purchased it, it has not run properly and had poor gas mileage (51 to 61 mpg) while my Wife's Blackjack has consistently had 77 to even 100 mpg. It constantly backfired upon deceleration and stumbled when I started out fast. Hers has always had more pickup compared to mine, even when I rode it. This has seriously degraded my enjoyment of the scooter.

I complained over and over to the Mechanic, who for the first 2 month laughed off my concerns by saying, "Yea, your Wife paid me $20 to make yours run slower". We went there at least 15 times during the summer for various issues, but mainly about my scooter's poor running. This is a 18 mile trip one way. Since we try to ride together for safety, this meant that both scooters had to make the trip. When he finally took me seriously he gave me various suggestions. First he told us to switch riders. We did and there was only a 5 mpg difference and her scooter was faster even though I weigh more. Then his next theory was that my gps unit was taking too much power. I checked the power consumption and it was very minimal and made no difference when I unplugged it. I asked him several times if it needed an air/fuel mixture adjustment and he repeated several times there were no such adjustments. I asked him about whether the jet was messed up and he finally tried putting a stock 92 jet in and it ran terrible (the reason for this later). He showed my Wife and I the jet that was in it and it was drilled out bigger than the stock 92. I asked him who did that and he said that Genuine did that at the factory. He said in about August that he ordered several different size jets to try. As of last word, the jets never came in and I question whether he actually ordered them.

On September 19, I decided I should check the air filter to see if it was dirty or not. Upon inspection I discovered to my dismay that there were several holes drilled into the breather box and a filter media (looks like sink scrubby material) laying on the bottom. Some of the holes had been taped up and apparently the "filter" was laid up against the holes in an attempt to filter it. I checked my Wife's Blackjack and hers had no holes of any kind. I was very upset that this had been done and that dirt was allowed to enter the engine. I concluded that this was done before I purchased it because it always had poor running characteristics and they told us they took the scooter for a pace vehicle for some race. I called up (the mechanic) and asked him why he had modified it. He said he was "experimenting" on it. I said I was concerned about engine damage and he said it wouldn't hurt it. He said he would order a new breather box. I covered up the holes and noticed that the scooter ran even worse than before and that the gas mileage had consistently dropped to the low 50's mpg.
The last experience with (the mechanic) was when we had new rear tires put on and had the breather box (without holes) put on. I also repeated that there was an air/fuel mixture adjustment, he again said there wasn't. I told him that I had read that there was a special tool that he could get to do the job. He had never heard of the tool. He replaced the tires and told us that he had ripped the gasket on my Wife's exhaust and would have to order a new one. He said hers would sound funny for awhile. We discovered later, that he cracked the lower exhaust bracket, which Genuine fortunately replaced the whole exhaust pipe.
(the mechanic) also said he discovered the air fuel adjustment screw and had adjusted it with needle nose pliers. I test drove it and I thought it had a little more power...but wasn't sure. He adjusted it again and It ran worse. He adjusted it a third time and thought he had it better. I started out for home, got a few miles away and had to return because the engine was missing so badly.
Now his solution was to disconnect the hose from the manifold to the air intake. His reasoning was that it ran a little better that way. I asked it dirt would get sucked in, so he installed some of the same gauze type stuff over each end of the hose. He said try that for awhile until he figured something else out. I rode it home and it was missing badly and the mpg was now down to 42.
On a Sunday I called the owner, at his home and told him I had reached my wits end. I told him about the holes in the breather box, the altered jet, the broken gasket (this is before I knew about the broken bracket) and he said he would figure something out.
On the next Monday, I called Aaron at Vespa Holland and he said he would look at it. Aaron was appalled when I told him about the mechanic putting holes in the box. He tuned it up, but it still missed at high speed and stumbled on acceleration. Aaron replaced the spark plug and I rode home, the engine still was missing, but not as bad.
I called Aaron the next day and told him the mpg was still a dismal 42. I told him about the modified jet that Genuine supposedly put in it. Aaron was not aware of this, perhaps I forgot to tell him. He said he was sure that this was the problem all along.
During that time, I also called Ryan in the technical dept. at Genuine. I told him about the modified jet and said that (the mechanic) had put a stock jet in and it ran even worse. Ryan reminded me that I didn't know at the time about the holes in the breather box and that a smaller jet and more air would make a too lean condition for the engine. (The mechanic) never thought about covering up the holes and trying a stock 92 jet.

As of this writing, I am still waiting for the jet to arrive to Vespa Holland to verify it is the problem, but Aaron is very confident that this is the culprit.


I contacted (the owner) and told him I feel like I was sold a used scooter. I explained that ever since I had it, it had been modified and damaged through the incompetence of the mechanic at the dealer. I told about the holes and the modified jet and he said, "That's the way it came out of the box". I told him that was not true, that two Genuine reps assured me that the company does not drill holes in the box and in the jets. I said I thought $500 would be reasonable for the fact that I was sold altered used merchandise (modified and taken to a race event with 40 more miles than my Wife's), the many many trips to the dealer, and the fact that the mechanic's fixes made the scooter run worse. He said that was not reasonable, but said to bring in the modified jet and he would "do something". Have you ever had a dealer do this to a customer and do you think it is unreasonable of me to expect some kind of reimbursement from the Dealer? This should not be something that Genuine should have to pay, unless you would charge (the dealer) to reimburse you. The folks at (the dealer) are good people, I don't enjoy this situation, but my patience has reached it's limit.

I would like to thank you folks at Genuine for your help and for covering the exhaust pipe and gasket on my Wife's scooter and the parts for mine. I do not have any complaints about your conduct during this ordeal and have complimented your company to friends and on the Modern Buddy site for correcting the issues we've had and for sending us nice gifts for a problem concerning my Wife's shock failure.
I have included pictures of the holes drilled in the box.

[Skootz Kabootz]

Props to Genuine for stepping up to the plate. Not out of character for them at all

Now that Genuine has learned of the behavior of this particular dealer, I wouldn't be surprised if they are probing deeper and having discussions about possibly revoking the guys Genuine dealer license. After all, the dealer sure isn't doing Genuine any favors representing them in this way.

Glad this has taken a turn towards a long overdue happy ending kcscooterfan. Hate that you've had to go through all this. Just goes to show the huge difference a good, honest dealer makes. Props to all you good honest dealers out there! (You know who you are... )

[Portland_Rider]

In my opinion, if this dealer sold you a used scoot while misrepresenting it as new and then unprofessionally serviced your scoot then $500 is a very small price to pay to re-imburse you for it along with all the other hassles that you've gone through. I would imagine that your State's Office of Consumer Affairs or other such agency could make life more difficult for him.

[justscooten]

Aaron at vespa Holland dos great work and really seems to know hes stuff that and have you ever seen a scooter shop that in one of the nicest Mercury dealers around. i drove nearly 2 hours to have he tune the carb on my wife's buddy 150 (would idle right) now she perrrrs like a kitten

[Roose Hurro]

It seems odd to me that you refer to your original dealer as "good people" when they lied to you, and cheated you out of your money by selling you a used scooter as new. Then gave you all this hassle about making it right. No, not "good" people, I'd say.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Dooglas]

It seems odd to me that you refer to your original dealer as "good people" when they lied to you, and cheated you out of your money by selling you a used scooter as new. Then gave you all this hassle about making it right. No, not "good" people, I'd say.

+1

[kcscooterfan]

You are right. I shouldn't refer to them as nice people, they have been dishonest with me. I guess I was referring to what I had previously thought of them. Being friendly doesn't cut it, if you are cheated.
To update everyone, the stock jet finally arrived and Aaron installed it today. He inspected the old jet and yes, it was reamed out. He didn't have any measurement tools with him today, but he estimated it would be an equivalent of at least a 100 jet or above. No wonder it was taking so much gas.
I rode it home and boy...it has great pickup and no hesitation of any kind, no stumbling on startup and no backfiring. Gas mileage was 66, not bad, of course I was dreaming of in the 80's...but I can live with that. To be fair I ran it pretty hard testing it out. Considering the increase of my weight compared to my wife's...and our previous scooter swapping experiments...I could add 5 mpg if my wife rode it. That would make it 70 or 71 mpg.
I called Roy at Genuine about rather he thought the original dealer owned me some sort of reimbursement. I asked him if he ever heard of a dealer cutting holes and reaming out the jet. He said he had never heard of such a thing. He suggested rather than me going to the dealer and having a confrontation, to let him contact the dealer first to discuss the matter. He said he would contact me once he talked to the owner.

I told Aaron that several people had suggested that I try for a new scooter. He said my scooter was in good shape, once the right equipment was installed and said they owed me something for the pain of the whole experience.

At least the main hurdle has been cleared, the scooter is running better than it ever has. Now I just have to fight with the dealer for some compensation. I'll be glad when that's over to. Holland's a little farther to travel...but it's worth the trip when you got someone who knows what they're doing.

Thanks for all the imput and I'll update when I reach a settlement with the dealer.

[Ray Knobs]

How can you determine mpg on just a trip back from the dealer?

[Major Redneck]

No two dealers are the same... I had some problems with the dealer i bought my rattler from
topic10004.html http://www.extrememotorcycles.com/ I checked this morning and they are gone 8 months later....

Not all dealers are the same... At Extreme motorcycles they did not have a clue about "scooters"... After all my problems with Extreme I went to the next closes Genuine dealer Vespa of Charlotte and these guys are great when it comes to knowing scooters...

[polianarchy]

How can you determine mpg on just a trip back from the dealer?

Good point. Sometimes it takes a few tanks of gas to accurately gauge mpg after a significant change in mechanics.

[kcscooterfan]

Fill up the tank just to the metal rim. Ride 40 miles, fill up to same spot. Granted the farther you ride the more accurate the average is. But that indicated that it had improved.

[Lostmycage]

Fantastic news!

[ScootStevie]

Nice to hear it all worked out. Keep us informed

[kcscooterfan]

The main thing is that the scooter is running right. In the end, the frustrating thing is that the solution was so simple.
1. don't put holes in the box and ream out the jet
2. If you do, put it back the way it was from the factory.

If any of these things would have been done, this could have taken no more than a week to fix, rather than several months of problems.



We had two phone conversations with the original dealer about some kind of reimbursment. The dealer's rep said we were extortionists for asking any money. We explained that we felt that selling us a unit that was tampered was wrong and probabably illegal. He said the mechanic denied altering it when I bought it, claimed I was standing right there when he drilled holes in the breather box and that he didn't ream out the jet, it just blew out. Even if I was standing there, doing something like that is not a Genuine authorized fix, even if a customer wanted holes in the box. I certainly didn't want the holes and remember the mechanic showed us the jet and claimed it was reamed out by Genuine. If this would have been done sometime after I bought it, the scooter's mileage would have drastically improved or degraded. It did not. It only degraded at the end, when the box was replaced and caused an even richer fuel mixture.
During my Wife's conversation, (after mine) she finally said, we could drop the whole thing if the mechanic would call, admit he lied and apologized for tampering with the unit.
Right now we're waiting for the apology.

[Lostmycage]

...and that he didn't ream out the jet, it just blew out...

Brass jets don't "just blow out". If they were made of pancakes, they would, but brass is just a little bit more durable than that.

You're a more generous person than I am if you're willing to let it go with a simple apology. Good for you. Your dealer's also more stubborn than I am for not calling. Bad for them, lol.

[Kaos]

...and that he didn't ream out the jet, it just blew out...

Brass jets don't "just blow out". If they were made of pancakes, they would, but brass is just a little bit more durable than that.

You're a more generous person than I am if you're willing to let it go with a simple apology. Good for you. Your dealer's also more stubborn than I am for not calling. Bad for them, lol.

Wow, seriously. I'd be furious about yet another obvious and blatant lie. Thats 100% impossible. There is no way in any scenario that could ever happen.

I really hope you come out of this with more than an apology. These are serious scum bag moves.

[DennisD]

Wow, seriously. I'd be furious about yet another obvious and blatant lie. Thats 100% impossible. There is no way in any scenario that could ever happen.

I really hope you come out of this with more than an apology. These are serious scum bag moves.

You should consider making this dealership your hobby and take some action.

1. Better Business Bureau
2. Chamber of Commerce
3. State Consumer Advocate
4. State Attorney.
5. Print Ads. (CALL ME BEFORE DOING BUSINESS WITH...)
6. Picket in front of their dealership.

You are probably not the first to have experienced this dealership's underhanded practices and won't be the last. Consider taking action.

[laxer]

...and that he didn't ream out the jet, it just blew out...

Brass jets don't "just blow out". If they were made of pancakes, they would...

Q-How many pancakes does it take to shingle a doghouse?

PS-have you talked to Genuine directly about this dealer. If they are a Genuine authorized dealer, I'd bet that Genuine would want to know the details of this...