I can’t see many people owning theirs for six years though. Makes more sense to give free servicing for three years, which how long a lot of people seem to finance for.
I’ve noticed a lot of manufacturers are now offering 4yr warranty, either free on for a nominal payment at first service (kawasaki). I think it’s part of the whole price rise/pcp merry-go-round. As the sink hole continues to widen due to the depreciation getting bigger and rrp getting higher pcps will get more expensive and to combat that terms will get longer and pressure on manufacturers to warranty the length of those terms will extend. See a future of 5/6/7yr manufacturers warranties?
Maybe. I’ve always bought my bikes outright, been stung on some come resale time, so I sort of get the PCP thing, as you know exactly where you stand at the end.
“All bulletins and repair instructions provided on DCS, Web Academy, and through YouTube are confidential and not to be republished or shared or transferred outside of the service operations of the dealership” Oops.......
I’d be having a go for the £1500 on top of the swap, argument that residuals might not be what you thought and therefore it’s compensating you for a potential loss down the line !
Personally I'd be worried about 'dealers' swapping out engines after seeing the mistakes they have made in the past on a simple service.
So bought my V4s a month ago, got 200 miles on it now and being recalled. I was ok with that...until I saw the service video. What are the chances of that all going right? All the connectors and pipework being re-fitted and routed correctly and the bolts tightened properly? Does not inspire much confidence when you are hammering down the motorway. Think Ducati should just replace the bikes completely - eliminates the risk of the re-fit going wrong. Also, I don't want to be in and out of the dealers getting things fixed afterwards. If you look at the videos, the engine is the bike. They should return the bikes and replace with new ones. Use the rest of the returned bikes for spares. Also, dealer told me ok to ride, but Ducati tell me not to ride it, except to go to dealer for swap, then ride it slowly.
I'd be going for the rejection of the bike if I were in your position. Get something else while they iron all the bugs out.
Massive undertaking to swap the v4 over and not end up with the odd washer left over or forgotten to talk a bolt etc. They must have trained the techs up
I've said it before and I'll say it again, never ever buy a first gen Ducati, let some other mugs go through all the pain and recalls. Wait 12-18 months for the bugs to get sorted.
The only issue is that I have ridden it for 200 miles....I don't want another bike. I came from a GSA, the V4 is a much better bike, (in my limited opinion) - apart from fuel consumption. The motor is amazing and the handling is better than the motor. I have not had any issues, but understand its a recall, so have to put up with it. BUT...removing and replacing the complex engine is a huge undertaking. It just needs a bolt left loose or a connector snagged to cause an issue. Ducati should just replace the bikes completely. Looking at the video the Ducati mechanic clearly knows what he is doing, but it takes 2 hours or more to remove it. I think it's a confidence issue - you are putting your trust in the mechanic to get it right. If it ducks up at 90 you are the one going home in a bin bag.
From what I have been told this is batch issue, so it could have affected a bike built now or at some time in the future - if the ones made then had a faulty batch. It does not appear to be a defect with the bike, it's with the supplier. The issue is the work involved. I think some dealers are returning bikes to Ducati to get the engines swapped.
Mechanics take bikes apart and back them together all the time, I can't see this being an issue, plus it will be under warranty anyway. The chance of a major serious safety issue from the rebuild are incredibly low.
BUT.......I'm a pampered twat who can afford an expensive bike Ok, I can't really afford it, but lock me in my house for almost a year with no trips to the pub, then let me out...I'm like a crackhead who's found a tenner in the street. It's my fault for watching the video. The dealer told me it's nothing, a few bolts and a couple of connectors
I wouldn't be worried about the swap in the factory. They will have detailed instructions and testing after the swap. They will also have an area set up specifically for the swap with the same workers doing the swaps. Tools and jigs set up for the swap. So if I owned one of the suspect new bikes I would insist on the factory swap.
Had a full engine pack change on my GS. No problems whatsoever. 2 years on and it hasn't folded in half
