Modern Buddy

What has everyone been paying for oil changes? I've pd btwn $34 and $40 and that was w/OUT filter! My dealer charges for shop-time and parts (oil), not a "set" rate. Heck I only pay $17 for my car WITH the filter!!!

Specify what you've pd and whether it included a filter. And YES I know it is easy to do yourself (I have).

I took mine in for the first service a little while ago, and I was surprised by the cost. I can't tell what the oil change was, but the filter and oil were $27. Changing the gear oil, and "checking" various nuts and bolts and the tire pressure brought the total to over $120. I'll be doing my own oil changes from now on.

At the scooter shop they told me it would be around $100 for the first service. After that I'm going to try to learn how to do my own oil changes and just bring it in for major stuff.

My husband just got his first service on his motorcycle and it was over $200

I paid something like 62 dollars out the door like this:

Labor 42.50
Filter 9.00
Oil 4.00
Disposal 7.00
---------
Total 62.50

You all HAVE to be joking with these prices?!! Are you serious? Do you all have Maybach scooters or something??? How are those prices justified?

I guess when there's only one shop in town that services your scooter, they can pretty much charge whatever they want.

mine was about 65

I paid over $100 for my first Blur service, which is theoretically an oil change and valve alignment. I paid $90 to have my car valves (all 16 of them vs. 2 in a Blur, ha) aligned a week later.

Dealers make a lot of their money on service, the markup on bikes isn't that good, so parts, accessories and service pays a good share of the rent. If you like your dealer and want them to be around for you when gas prices go back down, kick up the bucks and support them. Building a good relationship with your dealer is beneficial to both parties. And for important services like valve adjustments and other mechanical work, it makes sense to pay a bit extra for the training and experience, often a job that would take you hours and a couple trips to Pep Boys is a no-brainer for them.

But for regular oil changes, if you think you can do it yourself, go for it. Usually it's pretty easy, but make sure you use the proper tools and dispose of the waste oil properly. Some warranties specify that the dealer must do the service, and/or that there must be records of service (which you can do yourself.)

Bb.

After I purchase a vehicle the dealer doesn't get any more money from me unless its for factory only parts.

illnoise wrote:I paid over $100 for my first Blur service, which is theoretically an oil change and valve alignment. I paid $90 to have my car valves (all 16 of them vs. 2 in a Blur, ha) aligned a week later.

I got mine for $0.00

I didn't realize it when I bought the Blur, but my dealer included the first oil change/warrantee service in the deal. After the work was done I asked what I owed ... "it's covered."

-Mark

Am I buying crap oil? I pay $8.00 per bottle. I change it myself, and I'm off. I also bought a motorcycle jack for the job that cost me $60. Either I'm incredibly lucky, or incredibly stupid.

The place I went quoted $50 for the 50cc and $75 for the 125cc.

I'm not sure I understand the question, Mark, but I change my own oil as well. I don't pay eight bucks a quart for it, though. Motorcycle specific oil tends to be formulated to operate well with wet clutches. We don't have wet clutches on our scooters, so if you are paying the extra for that, you are probably wasting your money. Any good quality synthetic in the proper weight will be just as effective and can be had for under $5.00 a quart.

I'm too cheap for a motorcycle lift...I just squat down. The ten minutes required to change the oil probably won't hurt me any.

--Keys

Keys wrote:I'm not sure I understand the question, Mark, but I change my own oil as well. I don't pay eight bucks a quart for it, though. Motorcycle specific oil tends to be formulated to operate well with wet clutches. We don't have wet clutches on our scooters, so if you are paying the extra for that, you are probably wasting your money. Any good quality synthetic in the proper weight will be just as effective and can be had for under $5.00 a quart.

I'm too cheap for a motorcycle lift...I just squat down. The ten minutes required to change the oil probably won't hurt me any.

--Keys

Actually, I pay 4.95 for a qt, but was to embarassed in case I was buying shit . Also, I got the lift, because I can loan it out to all the scooterists in the 'hood, and I'm to lazy to try to deal with the funky manuevering for the draining .

I'm planning on doing my own oil changes from now on, and I bought an oil pan that can be sealed up so I can take the oil to be recycled. But I'm not sure where to take it. Do places like Jiffy Lube accept oil? Or Autozone?

I believe at least in CA here that Jiffy Lube does take the oil. Not sure if they charge for the disposal or not. Obviously double check with them.

Here you can take it to an oil place. I take mine to the pep-boys, because they're always nice to me.

Our shop rate is $35 per half hour.

There is no such thing as a $20 oil change in the world of scooters.
I don't get my trucks oil changed at those $20 places either, too many loose filters and lost drain plugs for my taste. My wife had to spend $280 on a new air filter housing because of the hamfisted nature of a Jiffy-Lube "technician / chimp". Of course, he didn't mention he snapped off the hardware, she just drove away and wondered why her car ran like crap a week later. But she did save $40 over having it done at the dealer.

We treat each and every scooter like it was our own when it goes up on the lift. That means we check your air pressures, brakes, suspesion, tires, lighting, starting and even road test each bike. Usually doing a oil change / tune up takes just under an hour with the road test rounding it out. If we find anything that needs attention or replacement we will call the owner immediately.

We don't suggest or recommend that EVERYONE bring their scooter to us for ALL their service. We even tell folks how to do their own maintenance as part of our new owner orientation. For a growing percentage of the population there is great peace of mind in knowing their scooter is getting a complete check up everytime it goes in.

Sure, you can change your own oil for about $15 in your driveway, I encourage it, but did you clean the sparkplug too? Are your shocks leaking? How does your brake fluid look? Is there anything in the tread of your tires? Where will you recycle your oil? Did you make a mess? How long did it take?

For most folks, their time and safety is worth the extra $$$.

My Van is at the dealership getting new rear brakes installed and L.O.F....they just called, my bill is $380.

I didn't flinch.

MrNatural wrote:What has everyone been paying for oil changes? I've pd btwn $34 and $40 and that was w/OUT filter! My dealer charges for shop-time and parts (oil), not a "set" rate. Heck I only pay $17 for my car WITH the filter!!!

Specify what you've pd and whether it included a filter. And YES I know it is easy to do yourself (I have).

I don't change my oil. I let the shop do it on my cars and on my scooters
I take scooters to the dealer [because they are good] and I take cars
to shops that work on my model vehicle [aka "independent shops"]. I
DO NOT take my cars to the dealer for work.

As to scooters, it's worth about $75 for me because they check other
stuff. They don't just change the oil.

Moreover, I don't want the hassle of disposing of the oil. It's a PITA.
If one factors in the time to take the oil to a recycle/disposal facility,
changing the oil is a two hour process in this town. [get the oil and tools,
setup, do the job, put everything away, cleanup, then take the oil to
the proper disposal place].

For me, I like taking my scooters and motorcycles to shops that know what
they are doing. For example, on one of my Ducs it was in the shop to get
"tuned-up." While doing the work the experts spotted that the frame was
cracked at the head tube. That has to be welded. Had it not been
detected, at high speed that frame could have split in two. Had I
not taken it to the specialty shop, that crack would have never been
detected.

I duly note that DIY [do it yourself] oil changes on a Buddy are about
as simple a task as one could ever have to perform. Guess all I am
saying is that there are hidden benefits to having the job done at
the dealer where you bought the Buddy.

By the way, when I drop my scooters off for an oil change I always tell
them to check out the entire scooter.

captaintg wrote:I'm planning on doing my own oil changes from now on, and I bought an oil pan that can be sealed up so I can take the oil to be recycled. But I'm not sure where to take it. Do places like Jiffy Lube accept oil? Or Autozone?

In the Autozone here, the used oil is in the back of the store. You just walk in and dump it in. Easy.

It's all relative. Major service on my Porsche 911 is about $1200 and that doesn't include the 3 gallons of Mobil 1 and filter that I change myself. Pep Boys down the street take my oil. I just decanter it back into the empty oil containers and drop them off when I'm going that way.

I do all of the service on my older cars and bicycles. It's all part of the hobby. If you want it done right, do it yourself.

This topic addresses one of my pet peves. If you pay someone a living wage to do a good job then you deserve a job well done. If you pay someone less expect less, also expect to pay more in social services because someone is going to pay the bills.

I know little about economics but i do know if you're not paying full price for new product someone is not being paid enough for what they do. It affects us all. In a world of wally world price expectations throw away is king and low wages are putting too many in dire straights. We have obligations to people and landfills.

My dad aways said, if it sounds too good to be true, then it's not true. He died in 1970 but i imagine he would be blown away by the price too many Americans expect to pay for stuff.

Philpoc,
you said, "We even tell folks how to do their own maintenance as part of our new owner orientation. For a growing percentage of the population there is great peace of mind in knowing their scooter is getting a complete check up everytime it goes in".
What a wonderful service you provide at your shop. Rock on.

The first service on the Buddy includes more than just an oil change and, according to the warranty, must be completed by an authorized dealer. There's good reason for this—checking the valves, etc. is a little more complex than changing the oil. And if there are any other issues at the time of first service they can easily be dealt with under warranty. Yay.
$70-$100/hour for labor is not an unusual or unreasonable rate for this kind of service.

You can do subsequent oil changes yourself. Just be sure that they're done at reasonable intervals and that you retain receipts for parts, etc. to show that the work was done. This is in case a warranty issue does arise and you need to show some proof.

I pay 35.50

15 For Labor
12 for oil
7.50 for disposal

MrNatural wrote: Heck I only pay $17 for my car WITH the filter!!!

Remember that a car dealership actually loses money on those $20 oil changes. They only do it to keep your business so when you need the $1200 repair you are more likely to take it to them. Jiffy Lube is cheap because they dont pay thier guys well and they use dirt cheap product. You get what you pay for there.

Your local scooter shop cant afford to stay in business and offer services for less than it costs to provide them. Figure their guy doing the service makes $10/hr (Im pulling that out of my butt BTW) and it takes 1 hour to do the oil change, and adjustments on the scooter. Then you have materials, which is probably $5 for oil (hopefully they are using quality oil). Right there is $15. Then there is overhead (building, tools, lift, etc....) and training for the guys. The owner would then hopefully like to get a profit out of the deal. So in my mind, $35 is completely reasonable. 1 hour of labor at a car shop will run you 2x that...and that is just labor!

Judging from the posts I see I’m paying the lower end of the oil change spectrum. Altho I’ve watched all 3 of my oil changes and the shop is changing the engine oil, gear oil and not looking at anything else. They did pull the spark plug this last time however. The scoot is not getting the “once over” but I didn’t ask them to either so I’ve nothing to complain about there.

I understand in a service field $70-$85/hr is the norm.

ITEM OF INTEREST:
At my first change I asked them to change the filter and was told it doesn’t need it this early. Well they’re the experts I figured. The 2nd time I let them do what they needed, again no filter change. This last time I asked if they were going to change the filter. The mechanic said there really isn’t any filter, just that little thimble-shaped screen by the plug. WHAT THE HECK???!!!
I have 2200 miles on Ebsen and to my knowledge the filter (if it exists) has NEVER been changed.

MrNatural wrote:
ITEM OF INTEREST:
At my first change I asked them to change the filter and was told it doesn’t need it this early. Well they’re the experts I figured. The 2nd time I let them do what they needed, again no filter change. This last time I asked if they were going to change the filter. The mechanic said there really isn’t any filter, just that little thimble-shaped screen by the plug. WHAT THE HECK???!!!
I have 2200 miles on Ebsen and to my knowledge the filter (if it exists) has NEVER been changed.

MrNatural wrote: At my first change I asked them to change the filter and was told it doesn’t need it this early. Well they’re the experts I figured. The 2nd time I let them do what they needed, again no filter change. This last time I asked if they were going to change the filter. The mechanic said there really isn’t any filter, just that little thimble-shaped screen by the plug. WHAT THE HECK???!!!
I have 2200 miles on Ebsen and to my knowledge the filter (if it exists) has NEVER been changed.

According to the maintenance schedule, the oil filter is supposed to be replaced after the first service, and then "Clean it per 5000km or replace it if required" - hmmm ... I've never heard of 'cleaning' an oil filter.



The Coarse Oil Filter (mesh on oil draining bolt): "Clean it per 3000km or replace it if required"

Step by Step Oil Change Instructions courtesy of mlstephens.

-Mark

$10 on top of oil and oil filter! That is worth it to me. Plus it is the same place that sold me the scooter, so I like to give them my business.
As far as a scooter jack goes. Just take a two by four piece of wood and put it under your stand pegs and pull back. It give you just enough lift to put your head under there and cost nothing.

I pretty much meant the “if it exists” comment about the filter as tongue-in-cheek. I did go back and view the above post with the oil change pics to make sure I wasn’t in some kind of parallel universe.

I had first oil change at about 500 mi. I asked for the filter to be changed and was told it doesn’t need to be. Second oil change was at about 1300mi and then had the 3rd last wk at 2100mi. That’s the time I was told it only had that screen filter.

Just called the dealer who said oil filter can be changed at about 3000mi. I realized this is contrary to virtually EVERY thread regarding oil changes. Not sure if I’m now being told that because it just happens to coincide with the mileage I’ll be at when my next change is due.

MrNatural wrote:Just called the dealer who said oil filter can be changed at about 3000mi. I realized this is contrary to virtually EVERY thread regarding oil changes. Not sure if I’m now being told that because it just happens to coincide with the mileage I’ll be at when my next change is due.

Wow. I change the filter more often than that. I mean, couldn't hurt (right?) and it's cheap and relatively easy to do...

I have a local shop here...well, kinda local, they're only 40 miles away, but they sell the HiFlo version of the Piaggio filter for only $7.75.

www.epfguzzi.com

--Keys