Corrosion

C

Crapaud62

Guest
I managed to do 3,700 in first few months of ownership last summer and bike was never used on salted roads. Despite this the left hand side fork lower is badly corroded and looks like a ten year old bike. Harley have decided that this not a warranty issue as it is caused by stone chips which must have pieced the lacquer causing the alloy to corrode.
This is complete bollocks. Firstly, the right hand side fork leg is fine and secondly there is only one spot where the lacquer is pieced. The rest is simply where it has not been lacquered properly in the first place!
I love this bike when it runs but the build quality and after sales experience is dreadful.

I can understand why Harley sales are falling.
 
Re: Corrosion

They all do that sir.
Every harley ive had was the same.
Get some plasticote paint on it.
 
Re: Corrosion

My experience of Harley Warranty is it's down to the dealer to decide if it's a claim or otherwise.

Failing a satisfactory outcome, I would take detailed photo's and send to HD UK with an account of mileage etc and suggest you would be happy for the item to be re-finished rather than replaced, as they use local spray shops all the time for warranty work.

Not having seen any photo's but a badly corroded fork leg in that limited mileage is shockingly poor and suggests the paint finish from the factory was not fit for purpose.

My 2012 Fat Bob had done 35,000 miles through all manner of weather (no salted roads though) and whilst there were the inevitable stone chips up the fork legs, as would be found on any motorcycle that has covered some miles, there was no evidence of any corrosion.

If it's serviced by HD I would also ask the question why was it not raised earlier and further corrosion prevented (ie. sort the alleged stone chip).
 
Re: Corrosion

Evening.

Never had a Harley where I haven't had to strip the lacquer off and polish the legs. Luckily I like a brushed finish so a quick wipe over with some red scotch brite now and again is fine for me.

There is no excuse for corrosion at this mileage and usage mind, all my bikes were well used before the lacquer needed removing.
 
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Clear finish on bare cast aluminium never works, remember Jaguar alloy wheels in the 80s.
IMHO It should never be done on for components used outside.
My FatBoy legs look shit and will be stripped and chromed at some stage.

I think HD now clear powdercoat the legs to make the process cheaper but powder coat is more prone to corrosion creaping under the surface.
 
Re: Corrosion

Pretty much any potential issue / concern I may have raised at the H-D dealership seems to be met first with 20 questions as they search for anything non-standard about the bike and then is followed by the "they all do that sir" responseE.G. "you mention a tappety sound sir? I notice you have Avon tyres fitted - those aren't recommended by Harley-Davidson and may contribute to unusual noises. What about your crash helmet or brand of earplugs - they might explain the noise? Brand of oil? I notice you've changed the seat... But we didn't find anything unusual, and if we did nobody saw us find it and there is no evidence but they all do it anyway, would sir care to discuss upgrading to a newer Harley-Davidson?" I exaggerate only slightly..My 2013 SG did go through all weathers (bar snow) and did suffer cosmetically. With my 2015 I've tried to avoid salt and it's fared better but I've had to replace timing and derby covers due to corrosion. Years ago when I bought a brand new BMW R1100RT I rode it through all weathers (including snow) and after a year or so and 18k miles or so there was some corrosion to the rocker covers and a couple of other places - I just put it down to being used in all weathers and cleaned infrequently. But the dealer decided that it wasn't good enough and put in a warranty claim to replace the corroded items. Overall I'd say from my experience with bikes and cars that how a warranty claim is dealt with is more down to the dealer than the brand.
 
Re: Corrosion

mightytharg said:
Pretty much any potential issue / concern I may have raised at the H-D dealership seems to be met first with 20 questions as they search for anything non-standard about the bike and then is followed by the "they all do that sir" responseE.G. "you mention a tappety sound sir? I notice you have Avon tyres fitted - those aren't recommended by Harley-Davidson and may contribute to unusual noises. What about your crash helmet or brand of earplugs - they might explain the noise? Brand of oil? I notice you've changed the seat... But we didn't find anything unusual, and if we did nobody saw us find it and there is no evidence but they all do it anyway, would sir care to discuss upgrading to a newer Harley-Davidson?" I exaggerate only slightly...
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That made me laugh it was so on the mark.

I took my first Harley (883 Iron) for Warranty work as the paint was literally flaking off on the front and rear mudguards and a certain dealership not too far away told me the Warranty starts from the build date, not the date of registration so my Warranty was out of date and there was nothing they could do. A quick call to HD UK to convey the level of BS being conveyed to customers and the certain dealership was back on the phone within the hour asking when I could book it in :highly_amused:

I have also been advised, "We feel you rode all the way back from Spain on the failed wheel bearing to cause this much damage to the wheel as never seen this before". And this was after showing them car hire receipts, proof the bike was brought home from the point of failure and numerous posts of other Fat Bob owners complaining of the same issue on-line.

Nothing short of tragic.
 
Re: Corrosion

mightytharg said:
Overall I'd say from my experience with bikes and cars that how a warranty claim is dealt with is more down to the dealer than the brand.
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Yes.... and no. I used to negotiate warranty terms for component manufacturer that supplies the car industry. It goes something like this.

Customer has a problem and goes back to the dealer under warranty.
In high value claims the dealer contacts the vehicle manufacturer to get approval to replace the part or otherwise repair the vehicle
If approved the dealer replaces, or repairs the part and passes ALL the costs back to the vehicle manufacturer including fitting costs
If it is a failed component the vehicle manufacturer passers ALL the cost back to the component manufacturer (depending on their supply agreement)

But not all dealers are entirely honest and warranty is a BIG money earner to them so some vehicle manufacturers tend to try and keep them on a tight leash.

Also the manufacturer of the component gets the part back to inspect and if they deem it to be customer damaged and not faulty in the first place they can bounce the claim, this then gets bounced back the the dealer (or cand do).

With overseas operations it is harder to get parts back to the component manufacturer so often its alls done on percentages based on the domestic market (percentage successful claims) so nothing actually gets checked. In that case its down to minimising the amount of claims as much as possible to reduce the overall losses to the vehicle manufacturer.

If it seems confusing that's because it is. Warranty is a very murky world and subject to a huge amount of abuse, particularly by the main beneficiaries, which are the dealers. The only want to process claims when they are absolutely certain they will get all the costs covered by the vehicle manufacturer.

It requires a certain amount of honesty for the warranty system to work properly but with so much money involved that is in short supply with component manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers and dealers all trying to fleece each other.

In this particular case its an odd one. I do not honestly think the finish on the fork legs is in any way viable as just about every bike I have seen has a problem in this area to some extent. Its not down to a manufacturing defect although there may be a big variation in how long it lasts depending on controls of the process. Any claim would be a total loss to Harley as there is no one to pass it on to. Plus if they started accepting claims it could open a floodgate which could cost them a fortune. So I expect the dealers have been told to push back on it.
 
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Reply from Harley UK:

"The decision that this is not a warrantable item still stands and we will not be able to assist further. The forks are considered as a manufactured part with focus on its purpose. Thus, replacement would not be covered through warranty as the functionality of the forks has not been compromised."

What utter, utter nonsense!

I really wish I had never bought this unreliable, badly built, extremely poor quality piece of shit!
 
Re: Corrosion

Crapaud62 said:
Reply from Harley UK:

"The decision that this is not a warrantable item still stands and we will not be able to assist further. The forks are considered as a manufactured part with focus on its purpose. Thus, replacement would not be covered through warranty as the functionality of the forks has not been compromised."

What utter, utter nonsense!

I really wish I had never bought this unreliable, badly built, extremely poor quality piece of shit!
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That is poor.

So the fact the protective coating that is applied at the factory to prevent corrosion and thus ensuring their long term reliability has been compromised is deemed to be acceptable.

Slightly ironic, but applying the same logic, I guess this goes for all painted and plated finishes then?

Did you ask them if they can be re-finished locally as a compromise rather than replaced?
 
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What does the warranty document you have for the bike actually say regarding corrosion. It's usually mentioned somewhere.
 
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I took the lacquer finish off my forks and now just use alloy polish on them they now look like chrome.
 
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BaZa said:
I took the lacquer finish off my forks and now just use alloy polish on them they now look like chrome.
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Never had a nearly new Harley so the ones I've had that's what I did / do.
 
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Just heard back from Jersey dealer. They tell me that despite the severe corrosion, the bike is still "perfectly reasonable" so not a warranty issue.
They then told me to not bring the bike back to them and not to expect a refund!
I suppose my best bet now is to cut my losses and sell the piece of shit before it corrodes any more and becomes worthless.
 
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If you like the bike just paint or polish the fork legs.
Acf50 is your friend. Coat the bike in it. It will stop it rotting away.
 
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Modern bikes, and Harleys in particular, are built for cruising into the sunset down Malibu way. They are seen by manufacturers as discretionary purchases now rather than a necessary means of transport we had to use to avoid puking on the bus, and are therefore made to withstand a little light rain. My late lamented Starfire was used 12 months of the year in the 70s and was as good when I sold it as the day I bought it. My 81 Shovel is obviously made of proper metal as it has signs of use not signs of being immersed in a salt bath.

I don't know how I managed it but I had a successful claim with HD when the paint on the front rocker cover of my '17 FLSS bubbled. Yes, I used it in the winter twice, but only after it had been "Winterised" (ACF50) by the dealer. I was told to leave the ACF50 on the bike until the winter was over then rinse it off along with the accumulated crud. When the paint came off too I took it back and they sorted it after running it by HDUK. Good dealer? Possibly, I've never had a moment's trouble with them. Maybe that's the answer - the dealer makes a good case on your behalf and you succeed or they can't be arsed and you don't.
I didn't use the Slim this winter...
 
Re: Corrosion

Gizmo said:
What does the warranty document you have for the bike actually say regarding corrosion. It's usually mentioned somewhere.
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I've checked the warranty document and it clearly states that corrosion caused by manufacturing defects is covered. However, both Harley UK and the Jersey dealers are being pathetic and telling be the bike is still rideable and the claim is rejected.

My next step is to talk with Trading Standards.
 
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What a fucking headache Sid. You'd think HD would be keen to protect its brand and reputation for iconic, quality luxurious motorcycles that are made to the highest standard. If I were in the market for a new M8 and saw such low mileage models looking ropey I'd think again.
In 2002 I had a brand new R1100s BMW. The forks suffered terrible corrosion within 8 months, and yes it was used through winter - Allan Jefferys in Bradford from where it came replaced both bottom stanchtions without question and gave me a like for like bike to piss about on whilst they did the work. The after sales service I received from Jefferies gave me the confidence to buy a new R1150GS from them 3 years later.

Hodgie.
 
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Re: Corrosion

Crapaud62 said:
I've checked the warranty document and it clearly states that corrosion caused by manufacturing defects is covered. However, both Harley UK and the Jersey dealers are being pathetic and telling be the bike is still rideable and the claim is rejected.

My next step is to talk with Trading Standards.
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Time to talk to trading standards. If cosmetic defects due to manufacturing defects are covered there is no defence. You may be able to get it fixed and send the bill to the dealer.
 
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