Servicing by myself or dealer?

Discussion in '848 / 1098 / 1198' started by simiansmythe, Dec 22, 2013.

  1. Ok I've had my 2009 1198 for a year and it's service time again. Just after I bought it I decided to have an interim service done by the dealer and all was good, ie good service and reasonable price. This year it's belts so I thought shall I do all the service myself (pretty good with spanners and service all my previous bikes) or some myself ie oil/filter/air filter/ brake fluid/coolant/plugs and let a dealer / mechanic do the belts with the possibility of stamping the service book? Would you buy a ducati without a dealer stamped book but with receipts to say the parts have been fitted? I have priced the belts at around £85 and seen plenty of good videos on fitting. I think the air filters are quite expensive ie £50 but Moto rapido on ebay do a service kit for £225 with belts, air filter, oil filter, fuel filter, plugs, washer, gasket so seems decent value? Also I have the termi end cans with ecu and race filter that was supplied as a kit when new so do I need a different filter or will a k and n do? Thanks for any advice.
     
  2. I'm afraid an unstamped service book will definitely affect the used value, regardless of how good you are with the spanners.
     
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  3. I wouldn't buy it unless it was a steal
     
  4. What figs says is the truth.

    Theres plenty of other opportunities with spanners other than servicing.
     
  5. Plenty of independent Ducati service places around. I like to do all my own spannering however I would rather have someone far better than me to do the valve clearances and belts. So why not do everything but the belts and valve clearances. You'll save a few quid and also get the book stamped
    If you have a trailer or van you could always take your bike down minus fairs etc so they don't spend time getting to the engine
     
  6. +1 Figaro
     
  7. I don't know the answer to this but one of you guys will.
    Suppose you get Louigi Moto to service your bike ,they aren't an official Ducati dealer , but as we know a specialist , do you get your book stamped , i.e. are they authorised to stamp , if not why use ?
     
  8. for me u only really need 'authorised dealer' stamps during a bikes warranty period, after that the stamp (or better still the actual receipt detailing what was done and the parts fitted ) of a established, ideally ducati specialist independent would be good enough for me.
     
  9. Only a real anorak is going to check each stamp is for a Ducati main dealer. It's not required, what's important is that you have a record to prove the bike's been serviced on time, proof that the bike's been looked after by people who know what they're doing. It's fair to say that many owners would do a better job of looking after their bikes than a main dealer would. Of course the previous owner may be a Ducati trained mechanic who's perfectly capable of looking after it - or he could just be saying that...That's the risk, and it's not a risk many are happy to take, hence why an unstamped book affects values.
     
  10. I use Louigi Moto and my book is stamped. Personally it would carry more weight than the dealers near me.

    The Race filter is cleanable unlike the oem.
     
  11. I'm an Audi Master tech & could service mine without any issues, but I wouldn't dream of it!!!

    I wouldn't entertain purchasing a Duke without full dealer/specialist service history!!

    Infact my bike is down at JHP Ducati Coventry as we speak for it's yearly service......you make your own mind up.....each to their own!!
     
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  12. Ok guys thanks for the advice. I have got prices from my local mechanic who does a few ducatis and is well respected so Ive got prices from him to fit the belts. I will also get a price from Moto Italia in Lincoln who are also doing winter service rates. If they will stamp the book to say the belts have been done then I will do the oil/filters etc and then provide receipts on sale.
     
  13. I have to service my own bikes purely through lack of money, but then I generally buy older bikes where the need for a full service book is less important. However I feel your pain. It's one of the pitfalls of Ducati ownership I'm afraid; buying a Honda with the odd missing stamp is seen as being less of a risk, whereas any review of used Ducatis is always punctuated by the words 'full service history essential'.
     
  14. There was some EU ruling a few years ago regarding main dealer servicing vs independent and the rule was something along the lines of that as long as OEM parts and the servicing is done to the manufacturers recommendations you will still covered by warranty. Im sure the garage also has to be VAT registered as well
     
  15. Yep, we get our company vans serviced by an independant mechanic, and they're still warrantied.
     
  16. This sounds right to me based on info from a couple of local garages but I have also been told that any actual warranty work needs to be done at a registered dealer of the brand.
     
  17. Yes, but then it's free, so it doesn't matter.
     
  18. Correct, this is my understanding also as long as there is proof that all OEM parts were used and the dealer is VAT registered.

    Ref the service book stamps, I and many other people would consider a book that is full of stamps from JHS Racing, Luigi Moto etc just as good if not better than some of the main dealers; these places have been going for decades and had consistantly high re-pore with their customers.

    I spoke to JHS for example about the Ducati while they were servicing my Daytona 675 and they were really knowledgeable and did a much better job on the Triumph than the main dealer had the year before (you shouldn't have to bleed the air out of your brakes after they do a fluid change!)....
     
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