Prospect Satisfaction Index

[JaimeC]

Very strange. In a recent survey, BMW was one of the worst in terms of brand reliability (only Can Am fared worse), and Yamaha was the most reliable brand.

Yet, in this survey, BMW Dealerships are above average for satisfaction, and Yamaha Dealerships are near the BOTTOM:

Ducati Dealers Top Pied Piper Rankings, Again

Thoughts?

 

[Edumakated]

Very strange. In a recent survey, BMW was one of the worst in terms of brand reliability (only Can Am fared worse), and Yamaha was the most reliable brand.

Yet, in this survey, BMW Dealerships are above average for satisfaction, and Yamaha Dealerships are near the BOTTOM:

Ducati Dealers Top Pied Piper Rankings, Again

Thoughts?

Dealership quality does not necessarily mean product reliability. The two can be totally unrelated. Generally, dealers that are selling higher end products tend to be nicer in my experience, but that doesn't mean the product is more reliable. For example, world of difference between a BMW car dealership and your run of the mill GM dealer, but that doesn't mean the GM car is less reliable than the Bimmer. I suspect the same is true with bikes.

 

[JaimeC]

The main reason I ditched my TMAX for the C650GT was due to the service from the local Yamaha dealers. The first time they gave it back to me after a service, the battery was dead and I couldn't even ride it off the lot. The second time, after they'd replaced the CVT belt, they didn't torque down the bolts properly and the belt jammed locking up my rear wheel about three blocks from my house (and thank GOD that didn't happen on the HIGHWAY!!!).

Like you said, it might've been a superior product, but with that kind of dealer service I didn't trust riding it anymore. I've never had an issue with the local BMW dealer, so once I had a chance to test ride a C650GT, the TMAX was GONE.

That BMW dealership is under new ownership now, though... and the reports I've been hearing from existing customers are rather disconcerting. They still have the same mechanics (thank GOD) but the new dealer principles don't seem to care about their clientele as much as the former ones...

 

[Edumakated]

The main reason I ditched my TMAX for the C650GT was due to the service from the local Yamaha dealers. The first time they gave it back to me after a service, the battery was dead and I couldn't even ride it off the lot. The second time, after they'd replaced the CVT belt, they didn't torque down the bolts properly and the belt jammed locking up my rear wheel about three blocks from my house (and thank GOD that didn't happen on the HIGHWAY!!!).

Like you said, it might've been a superior product, but with that kind of dealer service I didn't trust riding it anymore. I've never had an issue with the local BMW dealer, so once I had a chance to test ride a C650GT, the TMAX was GONE.

That BMW dealership is under new ownership now, though... and the reports I've been hearing from existing customers are rather disconcerting. They still have the same mechanics (thank GOD) but the new dealer principles don't seem to care about their clientele as much as the former ones...

My BMW dealer is ok. The facility is nice - clean, modern, coffee, free wifi, etc However, I found the service manager to be somewhat of a prick the two times I brought my bike in for service. The sale guy was nice after he figured I was ready to buy, but initially it seemed like I was being ignored on the showroom floor. Referred my co-worker who subsequently bought a c600 within a few days after I bought mine. Didn't even get so much as a thanks. The pricing was aggressive though.

I just chalk it up to be a scooter guy. There are only two dealers in my area. The one I go to is about 15-20 minutes from my house vs 1 hour or more depending on traffic for the other dealer.

Personally, I think dealer service would be better if there wasn't the owner cartel preventing the manufacturers from owning their own dealers like Tesla.

 

[Sparkrn]

My BMW dealer is ok. The facility is nice - clean, modern, coffee, free wifi, etc However, I found the service manager to be somewhat of a prick the two times I brought my bike in for service. The sale guy was nice after he figured I was ready to buy, but initially it seemed like I was being ignored on the showroom floor. Referred my co-worker who subsequently bought a c600 within a few days after I bought mine. Didn't even get so much as a thanks. The pricing was aggressive though.

I just chalk it up to be a scooter guy. There are only two dealers in my area. The one I go to is about 15-20 minutes from my house vs 1 hour or more depending on traffic for the other dealer.

Personally, I think dealer service would be better if there wasn't the owner cartel preventing the manufacturers from owning their own dealers like Tesla.

Take the trip up 294, those guys have been excellent in all areas!

 

[SteveADV]

My personal experience has been that on average, the nicest dealers I have dealt with are Harley dealers My BMW dealer (Spdrush....the one in Wooster) is also a Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Ducati dealer and is also a pleasure to do business with.

KTM on the bottom also suggests an emphasis on product and not customer experience. In the dirt/dual purpose world KTMs are at or near the top of the heap.

 

[wsteele]

We are the Bastard child of BMW after the sale I felt like a second rate customer Vs the Motorcycle customers

 

[Snowdog]

I bought from MAX BMW, and they have always been very nice. Of course I do most of my own work so can't comment on any service other then the TC recall.

 

[Skutorr]

The local BMW dealer, who sold quite a few C-series scoots, got rid of the last one over a year ago, while adding Aprilia and Moto Guzzi to his line-up. You can't tell there ever were any for sale...

 

[CTB63]

Hey Skutorr,

I was in there not too long ago looking at the Aprilia Mana, and saw they had a brand new 650GT for sale, looked like a 2015 model.

I'm planning to take my c600 there for it's 24k service...

 

[Skutorr]

OOH! Just got it in! I was there about 2 months ago. Good for them, I had hoped they were still selling them...

 

[TwoPort]

BMW SF has not had a GT for a while. Said they were "allocated" one 2015 but were unsure if they would get more. The 2016's should be out in October(?). Seems odd about how this is working.