Honda dealer shop gouged my frame

[QUINTtastic_imp]

I would be very upset also. I pulled the engine out of my 1976 CB750F and reinstalled it twice, both times by myself, and did less damage than that.

I took my VW Golf to the dealer to have the window repaired under warranty and the mechanic scratched the interior, painted surface of the door using a screwdriver to pry the door panel off. It wasn't even noticeable with the door closed, but it upset me because my car was only a few weeks old. I talked to the service manager about it and they agreed to pay the bill for me to take it to a shop to have it repaired (it was around $200.00). I had to be quite stern with the service manager, but I was persistent and got the results I expected.

Was the dealer you took your bike to the one in Spencerport? I grew up in Rochester, and bought my 1974 Honda XL250 and 1976 CB 750F from Hennen Honda, but they're both closed now.

Exactly! My friend who fixes bikes as a hobby knows enough to cover the frame. Heck, I knew that.

The point that some shops don’t get is that if something happens to our bikes.. it’s OUR mistake to make.

And I took it to Canandaigua Motorsports. The only other Honda dealer is Cycle Stop in Henrietta and I’d trust them even less. I figured being a dealer shop with a main line to Honda would make things more satisfactory. I guess not.

I also have a 78 cb750k. Love those old carbureted bikes with character


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Thank you for your explanation.
It looks like you've had bad luck with this beautiful bike from the very beginning...
Do not know how far away from your place is any other Honda dealer, but looking at your situation, I would not take this bike back to the same dealer again (if you have this option?)

My opinion: I know it hurts, but since these scratches look more cosmetic, I would use very fine sand paper, water it + frame, sand it down and repaint the frame by using semi gloss or gloss TREMCLAD Rust Paint, C$10.
ix your other things first, route electrical harness properly and then paint. I would not take the engine out to do the painting.
Small Claim Court would be too much of a headache, I guess ????
Canadian link for illustration purpose:
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/tremcla...1000406007

Home Depot USA, similar paint:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-S.../202315069

Wish you good luck, get over it and have safe, trouble free riding.

Hey thanks! I screenshotted your suggestion for painting. Honda is now getting involved so we’ll see what I think is best in the end. Small claims court is less than 50 bucks to file, might be worth the hassle. Weeeeee, all the fun!!


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[max]

Quintastic again sorry to hear the "woes" but here are two pictures that show the cables in question, it may be that they can be unplugged, slid out from in between the frame and re-routed as shown, they are the o2 sensor and ignition sensor.



and the lower part of the clutch housing;



All the best wishes and thanks for the updates, we were wondering what had happened but can fully understand the situation. max

[pekingduck]

QUINTastic, hope the ongoing problem with the engine is resolved. Is it as smooth now as it originally was? Did they say conclusively what the cause was, or if it could re-occur?
Pulling an engine out usually means it's way beyond the top end and into the crank, rod, or counter balancer area. And when you described a squealing sound....

As regards the scratches, if the areas are sanded, prepped and masked off, a professional painter can touch up those spots easily. Their paints will have a hardener mixed in that spray cans won't have.

[QUINTtastic_imp]

QUINTastic, hope the ongoing problem with the engine is resolved. Is it as smooth now as it originally was? Did they say conclusively what the cause was, or if it could re-occur?
Pulling an engine out usually means it's way beyond the top end and into the crank, rod, or counter balancer area. And when you described a squealing sound....

As regards the scratches, if the areas are sanded, prepped and masked off, a professional painter can touch up those spots easily. Their paints will have a hardener mixed in that spray cans won't have.

It’s not as smooth as it was, but I’m getting used to it. It’s okay now, but not insanely smooth like these bikes are supposed to be. The vibes are an unusual frequency which is more bothersome than a vintage bikes typical vibes. But, oh well.

They don’t know why the carbon built up on the pistons. But I’m guessing that’s why an exhaust valve hit and why the cylinder walls were gouged up. So yeah it could reoccur but.. I just drew the short straw. They didn’t replace rods but they replaced a bunch of bearings, reset the balancers, replaced the cam Shaun tensioner, and trued the crankshaft. Although there was DEFINITELY some shady business when they measured the crankshafts specs. And some info Honda didn’t want me to know as it apparently wasn’t my business. I believe the crankshaft was worn or damaged but Honda did not want to pay for a new crank. So, it is what it is. Maybe one day I’ll buy another CB1100. I don’t like any other modern bikes!

Thanks for the paint tips. We shall see what Honda wants to do and if I have to go to court..


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[Cormanus]

Give the general reliability of Hondas, it amazes me that Honda is not more generous about fixing these sorts of problems. I know not every CB1100 owner is a member of this forum, but this is the only report of this sort of problem I've heard. I'm not sure why they didn't just bung in a new engine and send you away singing their praises. In the long run, it would have cost them less than the grief they're now going to have to deal with and given them a whole lot of excellent publicity.

[QUINTtastic_imp]

Give the general reliability of Hondas, it amazes me that Honda is not more generous about fixing these sorts of problems. I know not every CB1100 owner is a member of this forum, but this is the only report of this sort of problem I've heard. I'm not sure why they didn't just bung in a new engine and send you away singing their praises. In the long run, it would have cost them less than the grief they're now going to have to deal with and given them a whole lot of excellent publicity.

Amen to that. I tried. They told me I was lucky to get parts covered. I feel very sad as we own cars because we have to. We own bikes because we love them. They’re our pride and joy and give us such fun lives. Whatcha gonna do I guess.


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[Cormanus]

I've always remembered a story I heard back in the 70s about a bloke in the UK who realised his dream and became the owner of a Porsche. From the get go it had an intermittent problem which the UK dealers couldn't fix so, while on a motoring trip in Europe, he took it back to the Porsche factory. They took the car away and suggested he go for a walk for an hour or so while they looked at it. When he returned, they apologised to him and said the car wasn't ready. He was given a comfortable place to sit and a cup of coffee and eventually the car appeared. The Porsche employee apologised again for the delay and said, "We are so sorry you've had this problem. The car is fixed and we've written to the UK dealer telling them what the problem was so they can deal with it should it occur in another of our cars."

The bloke thanked them and reached for his wallet. "What do I owe you?"

The employee looked slightly shocked, "Why, nothing, sir. We like to see our machines running properly."

I've no idea whether the story is true or apocryphal, but it makes sense to me that people making a quality product in which they have confidence would behave like that.

Good luck.

[QUINTtastic_imp]

I've always remembered a story I heard back in the 70s about a bloke in the UK who realised his dream and became the owner of a Porsche. From the get go it had an intermittent problem which the UK dealers couldn't fix so, while on a motoring trip in Europe, he took it back to the Porsche factory. They took the car away and suggested he go for a walk for an hour or so while they looked at it. When he returned, they apologised to him and said the car wasn't ready. He was given a comfortable place to sit and a cup of coffee and eventually the car appeared. The Porsche employee apologised again for the delay and said, "We are so sorry you've had this problem. The car is fixed and we've written to the UK dealer telling them what the problem was so they can deal with it should it occur in another of our cars."

The bloke thanked them and reached for his wallet. "What do I owe you?"

The employee looked slightly shocked, "Why, nothing, sir. We like to see our machines running properly."

I've no idea whether the story is true or apocryphal, but it makes sense to me that people making a quality product in which they have confidence would behave like that.

Good luck.

Once upon a time, it was most likely true.


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[pekingduck]

Every new Honda bike sold in the US has a manufacturer's warranty, which is an obligation to repair a defect within a prescribed time period and/or mileage. In the US, American Honda buys all their motorcycles through Honda Motors Japan. And all Honda dealers are independents who buy from American Honda.

If there's a defect covered under warranty, the dealer repairs it, files a claim with American Honda, who pays the dealer, and then inspects it. If the claim is deemed not a defect, it denies the claim by the dealer, who ends up eating it

Likewise, American Honda sends a bill for the claim to Honda Japan, who pays it if legit, and denies it if not. Like it or not, motorcycles are a business, and it is all about the bottom line.

It is very generous for American Honda to be involved for a couple of reasons.
- The bike was bought from a private party. This means American Honda and the selling dealer made money from the original buyer, but nothing from the second buyer.

- The bike is years out of warranty, meaning American Honda can't collect anything from Japan. It's all just goodwill.

- It isn't a common, or normal failure (the cause, and the repair is still unclear), and the bike has been apart so many times, there's nothing to look at from a learning standpoint.

[Gone in 60]

Sad to see this. And it's the reason why I avoid the dealer unless absolutely necessary. I had no choice but to take my last bike to a dealer twice during its life, both times for recall work, and both times it came back with missing screws and small trim parts, but luckily no scratches.

Sounds like you didn't have much of a choice in your situation, and if you can't get resolution and just want to fix it, I had a scratch on my frame when I bought my CB - owner said a piece of truck tire slapped it, and I had to respray a section to make myself happy.

I do a lot of detailing and refinishing, and found that Eastwood Chassis Paint in gloss black is a great match for the CB frame, and lays down smoothly. You can mask carefully, sand with 400 grit to smooth out the scratches, and give it a shot.