So I am chatting to my authorised dealership today,as the MTS is in for the 15000 miler,ouch! And a very well respected longstanding dealership it is to. It doesn't have all that new fancy Ducati interior fittings and decorations that I see in the dealers I stay well away from. I speak from disastrous previous experiences. So the position is if he doesn't spend about a quarter of a million redoing the place as Ducati see fit,then hasta la vista baby. Now I choose these people to service my bike,and I choose carefully. They are fully booked for ages,and profitable etc. it is sheer business madness to spend that amount of money on a branding refit, and I won't shop in such a place that is all shiny ,but all the talk is BS and the mechanics know nothing of Ducati air cooled engines etc. I say enough is enough, keep the experts as your dealers,not some twat selling PCP,that's where their money is,not customer loyalty. What do you think.?
I disagree. If a place is a shit hole then it's more than likely the service you get there is too. There is a reason why it's a shit hole.
I somewhat agree, seeing fancy guys in suit doing nothing or almost and thinking that have to pay their salary also... Try to find one in the middle not too fancy not too shit hole
I know a few local garages that look like shit holes. But the mechanics there are time served and the service is second to none. Being all nice and shiny doesn't necessarily mean good service.
i disagree with both, it's often said that a clean workshop is a quiet workshop. why's it quiet? but personally speaking working in a shit hole drives me bonkers. there are lots of reasons why dealers are more expensive, the special tools that have to be purchased every model change, new model training cost a freekin fortune, bikes a catching up fast with car technology trust me it aint simple and where else are you gonna go when local guy cant fix it. a lot of work will be done under warranty paid out on book times often at a loss.
Where did I mention shithole. The place I go to is certainly not a shithole. However the shiny newly decorated Ducati dealers I have done business with were certainly full of shits. And the dealer I use has all the tools and diagnostic equipment required to service all the current bikes in the Ducati range.
As places to browse bikes and buy kit from I much prefer old-skool bike shops rather than the shiny branded dealerships. They just tend to have more interesting stock. On the one occasion that I have bought a bike from a dealer (a brand new 990 SuperDuke) it was all about the relationship with the staff. On that basis if I were ever to buy a brand new Ducati it would be from shiny Ducati Manchester - even though I live in Somerset.
Now I just heard of someone who was royally ripped off by a dealership in that part of the world,quite an incredible story,now no names mentioned. I would stay well clear too.
I like to see a tidy workshop with tools in clips on the walls, powered benches etc. Im not impressed with nasty porn on the wall and piles of rubbish lying about.
The most reputable dealers and race teams have clean workshops. It says that the workers are organised, professional, efficient, methodical, and attentive to detail. I like those qualities in the people who will service and look after my pride and joy.
i am gonna both agree and disagree with every thing on this thread. might have to sit it out. :smile:
"Nasty porn and piles of rubbish" ... me neither ... but when it comes to looking after my out of warranty Ducatis I'd take Louigi Moto's old skool workshop over my local shiny Ducati dealer any time.
You know what? I was just about to edit my post to say just that. I've never been to Nelly's but I know him by reputation and I imagine his place looks a lot more like Rich's than an authorised dealership.
for me it is simple,, if they have mechanics then it is a yes,, if they have technicians or ( even worse ) experts then it is a def NO !!
Buying a new Ducati - I'd use Ducati Manchester. Having it serviced within the warranty period - I'd use my local dealership (or JHP for my D16). Servicing of my older, out-of-warranty Ducatis - a good independent like Louigi Moto or Cornerspeed.
