7,500 service Open wallet surgery

[Jayos]

OMG!

The MOT is due for my 09 M1100s so I thought with just under 7,000 miles on the clock and being laid up for winter I would treat her to a full service.

I normally do the servicing on my bikes myself but as this is the first Ducati I have owned I thought the local dealer should be the best option for the first service.

My first quote was expensive at £350 but was told this includes changing the belts (a normal service is £180) However, they couldn't do it this week so I called the next nearest dealer.

Shock isn't the word, I fell off my chair!
The customer service from the second dealer was much better and a really nice guy called me back with a price within 20 mins.

£800

When I asked why so much he explained well it's combining two services in one and includes the belts and the valve clearances. We only work with Ducati recomended prices.

A quick google found Glasgow Ducati with very transparent pricing:
£220 for a major service
No additional charge for belts as tension checked anyway
£165 for valves
Total = £385

What a difference!
Glasgow is way too far for me as I live in East Anglia but wow, it would be cheaper for me to take the bike to Glasgow.

How can a dealer justify £800?

Now I just don't know what to do.........
Might just have to have a crack at it myself.

Any recomendations on what and where to get the parts required?

Most dealers charge per the hour. However some dealers will Taylor the service depending on what needs to be done at a 7K service. This is usually agreed between you and if there are other faults to be repaired they should call you to confirm costs etc.. If I recall correctly a major service inc belts will possibly include a front fork service also. This cost isaround £2-250 depending on what's required/ needed. So £7/800 could be the norm here, particularly if valve etc needed replacing. I would simply have a standard service with Belts and check valves for the mileage. Forks usually need doing every 10-12000 miles from memory based on a 749 style service. Will be a little longer on the newer water cooled bikes I guess.

I had my Monsters front forks checked recently and the cost was approx £230 inc. £3/400 is about right as you've discovered. Why not ask the £800 dealer to explain what's involved?

So it's out of warranty .....
Pm me please ....
I'm about 20 mins from you .
I can guess where it's come from hardly rocket science.
If you would be kind enough to inbox me
There's no need to be paying that up by me !

Big service and belts yup it costs but honestly ?
Both my 2 valve boys need the works this year
I know mine are old 2valves but with the full Monty on both its nowhere near £800!

I'm just interested in who it was but dont think its fair to slag someone off that I've never used..
Your in a good place to have your bike looked after .
Granted you can't always walk in and get a service ( I know they need a decent cool down)
But you'd not have to wait too long .
Besides hardly any bikes out up here as its fair weather Harley country now
Only idiots like me out and the GS adventure bikes

I paid £345 recently and use an Independent Ducati Specialist in North Notts - www.bigboyztoyzducati.co.uk. Belts changed etc. Bike was collected and returned - and steam cleaned - looks amazing and is ready for some warmer weather now! Makes a difference - Pete loves Ducati's and refurbished my other half's bike when he crashed it at Mallory!

Parkinson's in Colchester quoted me £250 to do belts and valve clearances on my S2R, worth giving them a shout if they are not 1 of the 2 you tried.

Pete

Looking at your location I'm guessing they were first port of call sorry.

Out of warranty and you have done servicing before. Definitely do it yourself. I bet at 7k the valves won't need adjusting, just check for piece of mind.

[Grumpy]

I assume Parkys was one of the two prices.
The only other people I would recommend in East Anglia are Carl Harrison.
He has an extremely good rep.

UNIT 1, 52 LONDON ROAD
IP20 9BZ HARLESTON, NORFOLK

Phone: 01379 852020

[utopia]

Seconded.....what Dunlop sez.
Also note that a quote for "valve clearances" will possibly only cover checking them anyway, with additional charges per shim or whatever if any adjustments are needed.
Since the adjustment is the tricky bit, and you'll probably not need any after 7k anyway (as Dunlop sez), I'd be inclined to check them myself first. You'll not damage anything by just checking.
Can't speak for the later type monsters, but my early, air-cooled 2-valver is a breeze to work on, and adjusting the desmo clearances is the only tricky bit. Even that is ok if you take plenty of time and double check your work before starting the motor.
My bike was my first Ducati too, and I was seriously daunted, but they're actually surprisingly easy to service if you have reasonable mechanic.ing skills.
There are good video guides too....I like those by Ducatitech.

It all helps with the bonding process too.

Surely nobody thinks adjusting the openers on a 2V are tricky? - the closers need a bit of care though.
I would rather do the valve clearances on a Ducati 2V than a jap 4cyl with shims under buckets.

[Nickj]

Does that mega price include, as well as the service, free coffee and buns?

[utopia]

Originally Posted by zhango

Surely nobody thinks adjusting the openers on a 2V are tricky? - the closers need a bit of care though.

But, quoting from the factory workshop manual for my M750.....

"It should be remembered that on desmodromic valve timing systems, any increase in opening clearances will automatically decrease the closing clearances, and vice versa. If you change the opening shim you must therefore also change the closing shim."

Its a while since I did mine, but as far as I remember my results bore this out.
Have to confess I haven't thought it through in detail lately.

[Dukedesmo]

Originally Posted by utopia

"It should be remembered that on desmodromic valve timing systems, any increase in opening clearances will automatically decrease the closing clearances, and vice versa. If you change the opening shim you must therefore also change the closing shim."

If the clearances have changed due to wear/carbon build-up etc. this maybe the case as the system, as a whole, may have moved but simply changing an opener shim won't affect the closer clearance.

Originally Posted by utopia

But, quoting from the factory workshop manual for my M750.....

"It should be remembered that on desmodromic valve timing systems, any increase in opening clearances will automatically decrease the closing clearances, and vice versa. If you change the opening shim you must therefore also change the closing shim."

This statement is not wrong but can be misunderstood. The opening and closing clearances are independent because there is an opening cam and a closing cam so can be adjusted separately.
However,if wear takes place at the valve seat, so the valve is further into the head, then the opening clearance will reduce and the closing clearance will increase but this does not mean that you have to adjust both.
Let's look at an example:
Service Opening Valve Clearance = 0.002" - 0.006"
Service Closing Valve Clearance = 0.00" - 0.008"

You check the valve clearances and find that the Opening Clearance is at the bottom limit of 0.002" and the Closing Clearance is 0.001"

You decide to adjust the Opening Clearance to the mid-point of 0.004" but the Closing Clearance is well within tolerance so you leave it.
Changing the opening shim during service has no effect on the closing clearance
(Any racers on here will tell you that the Closing Clearance should be zero for best performance and I'm not going to argue that but for road use a couple of thou is ok.)

Dukedesmo - you posted while I was typing but we agree!