So I got my bike serviced this week...

[MarkH]

Tools? .... are they like screw drivers and allen key thingys?

You'll be needing a socket set too.

Develop a relationship with a mechanic you know and trust. Realise he is human and has good days and bad. He is not trying to screw you. More likely you are trying to screw him for his labour (some familiar?).

I like to do as much myself as I can, but for tyres & WOFs I go to Haldane's and I never try to screw them for their labour. I don't think that they have screwed me either, they charge what they charge and I pay it - after all I did choose to go to them. I'm certainly not going to pay someone to drain oil, change a filter and fill the oil, but I'm not going to try to change a tyre myself.

I do have a workshop manual and many jobs aren't that hard to do myself. I was a little nervous about changing the drive belt, but that was actually a very easy job. It didn't hurt to have a rattle gun & air compressor though.

[nsrpaul]

Anyone else had issues like this?

there was a guy called barry

[notme]

Had an interesting few years providing specialist servicing of equipment for other companies - one thing that really helped us win repeat business and quelled any and all arguments when it came to the bill was that we took photos of the equipment before, during, and after.

Digital photos cost buggerall, they are easy to keep on file under that serivce job, and if the customer wants to know for example why it took 3 hours to replace a 20 cent part, you can show them the photos of the 3 million screws and covers and so on that you had to disassemble to get to the part.

Also helps with the "That wasn't scratched when I left it with you" type of issues.

I'm surprised bike shops don't implement a similar system...any service managers out there listening?

[miloking]

Henderson Yamaha did a service/dynotune on my r6. got a k+n filter which they didn't line up properly and broke one of the tabs off, broke the locators of the side of the tank cowling, lost 3 of the those push in clips, failed to give me the usb cable and instructions for my new pc3, made a shitarse map and all for the low sum of $1400. Unfortunatley I only recently pulled it apart and noticed all the broken shit after they have shut down. Henderson Yamaha you are cocks.

They havent shut down, they merely moved to Wairau rd, Glenfield (makes me wonder why)......so hop on your R6 and go to give them some bollocking!