I am wondering if anyone has experience with 22+ bikes and both rocker cover gasket leaks? At Mugello this month I/we noticed oil sprayed over the exhaust heat shield around both sides. The rear was the worst and looked like it was spraying over the tyre. We let the bike cool, checked the oil i knew it wasn't overfilled as i'd been over the bike thoroughly after it's yearly oil service by the dealer. It's not the first time it has come back with an oil leak and I sometimes loathe to take it to the dealer for a service just to retain the warranty...but it is what it is. The bike is still in warranty until November and i have said to the dealer it is leaking, showed in pics and he said it is not enough to put a claim through. You can let it idle and the front cover will show the tiniest of leaks, rear doesn't even though you can see the oil spray pattern on the rear hugger. Sent more pics which now show the obvious signs and no response. However the front rocker cover you can see oil stains on it. So i am wondering firstly, are Ducati a pain to deal with when it comes to warranty or is it a dealer thing? I mean it shows obvious signs of leaking to me anyway. Lastly anyone changed the rocker cover gaskets? I have done RSV4s before...that was a ballache but doable. wondering how much worse the Ducati can be? Cheers Gav
Sounds like the dealer. Ducati have always been very good in my opinion. Insist. Any oil leak should be covered.
This is what I also thought. Do you know if i have to take the bike back to the dealer i bought it from or can i go to any dealer?
I did the rear rocker cover gasket on my V4r in around 90 minutes. The gasket costs around £10 and is easy to replace but you need to remove the tank and rear subframe to gain access to it. Mine had a slight weep and was leaving spots of oil on the hugger. No more issues now. Never done the front one so cannot comment.
Ah cool, this sounds similar to the RSV4 when i did that. The front was airbox off and part of the loom etc. I would assume the V4 isn't too different in the amount of "gubbins" needed to be removed.
Also fire off an email to Ducati Italy stating what your dealer has told you. Politely ask them is your local dealer correct when saying it’s not worth putting it through the warranty system.
It sounds very much like they are trying to fob you off. If they are local I would try them again and mention specifically safety concerns - don't feel safe riding it when oil could get on the tyre and cause a crash. Suspect that will get things moving but you can use any dealer... if another is relatively close I would use them. Sounds like their workshop is full with jobs and they don't want the work or hassle of having to do it. Whilst its in the warranty period I would not accept the next try on which will be they pay for the gaskets if you want to do it yourself. Let a dealer do it in case there is something more serious going on when they open the cylinders up to do the gaskets
Thanks guys for all the input, it is much appreciated. Obviously i would want the dealer i bought the bike from to do the work rather than another dealer but being so close to the end of the warranty (it ends in November) I do wonder if another dealer would even look at it. And typically i am away until early October with the bike so that doesn't help with cutting it close. I will chat with Ducati Italy and get their feedback. But the below is what the dealer said. I should add i sent even more videos and photos showing the front leak. The rear will need to wait until i am home as it has a little silicon over it to stop it leaking while on track (which worked) or it would spray the rear wheel. I'll remove that when home and run it up again to show the rear. " I had a look at the pics and unfortunately based on previous cases is not enough evidence to put a claim through, so if you have a chance to use the bike or run it up to temperature to show a more significant leak that will be essential for the success of the claim"
Quick update, the dealer has actually put the claim in with Ducati! Waiting to hear back with their response.
To get to the front one it requires the rads being drained and removed, it’s also easier, access wise, if the front wheel is removed and the forks although you can work around the forks if needs be but they’re easy enough to get out.
I had the same thing happen on my R at Brno recently - tiny bit on the engine case but spray on the rear hugger and chain guard - I felt it on track but fortunately was a couple of turns before coming in anyway. The dealer fixed it under warranty and said he has seen several with this issue. They used a different gasket but that might simply have been due to availability locally. I also had the gasket fail on the sump on my SP2, again fixed under warranty. I don't care what anyone says - oil coming out of the engine is not normal or acceptable these days - maybe back in the 90s... For the dealer to suggest that you ride the bike in the hope of having a more significant leak... are they going to pay for the damage if doing that makes you crash? I sent my dealer pictures from the track and they said not to ride it and to bring it straight to them.
This is exactly what mine has done, tiny leak and sprayed over the hugger. Not sure if it sprayed over the wheel because i was also having a nightmare with the rear tyre. The right side of the SC3 rear started to disintegrated but that is another story and Pirelli want to have a look at the tyre. I agree with what you are saying about a significant leak. I said the only real way it is replicated is when very hot on track. Something i don't and can't replicate. Sometimes i feel dealers don't want these big warranty jobs because of the work involved but also they're the ones responsible if it happens again.
I agree, any oil leak. Not quite the same but I had an oil leak on my previous Multistrada. Not much but it was apparent. Dealer (Ducati Worcester/DMC) went to lengths to investigate and found that the oil seal behind the bottom belt pulley was leaking. No quibble warranty job. It's your dealer.
Quick update. So Ducati wouldn't accept the photos and video taken (escalated to Italy). So now the bike has to go back to the dealer next month where it will spend two days in the workshop and "ran through various heat cycles" that the factory has set. I will say at this point the dealer has been way better and even he said it was a bit frustrating as does look obvious from the photos. (I'll upload them) The sceptic in me does wonder if Ducati are trying to wash their hands with it as it so close to the end of the warranty.
Hold your ground. If you first raised the issue while still in warranty you’ll be covered. Even if the investigation/work goes beyond the end date of said manufacturers warranty period.
