Help from Lamonster

[Captain Fin]

Lamonster if you help with my alignment I would be most grateful. I really dont think the south Miami dealer will get it right on the next attempt. I used to live in your neck of the woods, and had a honey bee farm in Hayesville N.C.. My spyder is not safe to ride now but after the dealer puts the new tires on, I may be able to get to your shop. My e-mail address is [email protected]. Thanks

 

[CyncySpyder]

Ummmm............... just a suggestion

You may get better results if you were to send this to him in a PM (Private Message)

 

[Lamonster]

Right now I need to do my own RS and can't seem to find the time. It's not a hard job, just takes time. I'm sure there are dealers closer than I am that can get the job done right.

 

[BajaRon]

The post I made about Lamont and I doing an alignment on my RS was not to encourage anyone to find more work for Lamont! :yikes:

He does not have a 'Shop'. He has a garage where he works on his stuff (when he has the time). He'd have Spyders back up down the driveway to the road if he started trying to fix everyone's issues.

My point was that a dealership, with supposidely 'Highly Trained' specialized Spyder mechanics should be able to do what 2 shade tree mechanics, (Lamont and I) were able to do.

The truth is, there are very good maintenance people at many dealerships. Everyone references Cowtown because they perform at a level that every dealership would like to attain and they set the bar for excellence. But there are others.

The trick is to find the right dealership and the KEY is to know enough about what needs to be done so that you, the customer, can make an informed evaluation of the service capabilities of your service department.

Obviousely, if they are really bad, anyone can figure it out. But if you are armed with accurate information you can ask meaningful questions and get an idea of what you're going to receive before you have the work done.

You can make the point that this is not the way it should be and I would be inclined to agree with you. But dealing with the realities of the situation will get you closer to your goal of good service.

 

[ornerydog7]

He does not have a 'Shop'. He has a garage where he works on his stuff (when he has the time). He'd have Spyders back up down the driveway to the road if he started trying to fix everyone's issues

That's alot of Spyders that would be lined up, cuz that's a long drive way !!!!

 

[Kratos]

I understand....

I understand the OP in this though. When you in a mess, and no one can help but the King himself (at least that's how you feel in the moment), you take a risk in asking anyway, even knowing what the answer will be.

Been there....

 

[BajaRon]

I understand the OP in this though. When you in a mess, and no one can help but the King himself (at least that's how you feel in the moment), you take a risk in asking anyway, even knowing what the answer will be.

Been there....

Understood, and I feel for the OP and many others out there that have alignment issues. I saw a lot of bad tire wear at the owners event this year. People are told that it is normal, just to live with it and expect 8-10k from their front tires.

This is bad information. Tires on the Spyder should wear just like the tires on your car (assuming it doesn't have alighment issues as well). 20K from the front tires on the Spyder is not asking a lot.

 

[Spy+]

Try Broward Motosports

Captain Fin, you may want to try the folks from Broward Motosports in Davie http://www.browardmotorsports.com/custompage.asp?pg=location
4101 Davie Road Ext. Davie FL 33024
Phone: (954) 436-9905 Fax: (954) 433-0663

They have great mechanics specialized in Spyders.. given a try... they are in South Florida... closer than TN..

 

[Kratos]

Understood, and I feel for the OP and many others out there that have alignment issues. I saw a lot of bad tire wear at the owners event this year. People are told that it is normal, just to live with it and expect 8-10k from their front tires.

This is bad information. Tires on the Spyder should wear just like the tires on your car (assuming it doesn't have alighment issues as well). 20K from the front tires on the Spyder is not asking a lot.

If I could get 15K from the fronts, I'd be happy.....

 

[Sny]

16k on my fronts and they look great. I'm terrified to mess with the alignment for fear it'll never be the same.

There are good mechanics out there, but finding them can be very hit or miss. It's definitely better now than 3 years ago, but BRP has a long way to go in improving customer perception of the technical professionals that they consider their front line.

 

[NancysToy]

Even a good tech can be intimidated by alignment. It is not hard, but it is different from anything else on the Spyder. My tech went to school at Wausau, and still had to call BRP dealer tech support for help the first time. Even then, he was a bit unsure until Kurt walked him through it in person. Call the dealership suggested, and ask the person in charge of service, or the tech himself, if they have ever done an alignment and if the have the tools. If they say "Yes," ask them to describe the process if you are still unsure. If they mention centering the steering, the aluminum angle, and the magnetic laser level, they are likely experienced. If you strike out, call around to other dealerships. Someone closer than Tennessee is likely to have done it.

 

[Captain Fin]

Thanks for the good advice

I

Right now I need to do my own RS and can't seem to find the time. It's not a hard job, just takes time. I'm sure there are dealers closer than I am that can get the job done right.

I do not wish to bash BRP or their customer service department. BRP has stepped to the plate with this dealer and will have furnished new tires and paíd the labor 4 times to try and correct this problem. Next week the dealer will change the tires and align again. Today I purchased a tire guage to measure tread depth and pressure. I will keep everyone informed as I run the miles up on the tires. If I see a problem, then I will most likely try Broward Motorsports as several members have suggested them. I have thanked BRP for their support. I feel very sure that this problem is at the dealer tech level as I had 5100 miles on the spyder with minor tire wear on the outside left tire, but the steering was pulling left. It was at 5100 miles that the tech changed the tires and performed the adjustments at the tie rods. So BRP has stayed with
me even when im sure they know this problem is at the dealer tech level.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

MAYBE STUPID

This may tell you something fairly quickly....Paint a broad stripe across your tire and watch how it wears off....On your tires Capt. Fin, I'll bet the inside disappears very very quickly.....Mike

 

[NancysToy]

The pulling to the left was probably a sensor calibration issue. Even if it was a suspension problem, it would not have been able to be properly addressed by adjusting the toe-in. Now you have two problems, working against each other. Before beginning the work, The Spyder should be carefully inspected for play in the shock bushings tie-rod ends, and ball joints. Any parts with play should be replaced...no tolerance is allowed in the specs. The tie-rods should also be inspected for any bent or damaged rods. Once the suspension is sound, the Spyder needs to have the steering centered using the special tool BRP issued for that purpose (for the DPS replacement). Then the alignment needs to be done according to the procedure in the shop manual (unless the dealer has built a specal alignment rack). I'd shoot for the maximum toe-in the specs show...or a little more. Special attention needs to be paid to see that the two sides are adjusted equally to center, in addition to getting the toe-in adjusted. That should correct any previous mistaken adjustements. Finally, the steering sensors should be zeroed. Because of your previous promlem and the current one, I'd also recommend checking the camber with a magnetic protractor. The RT does not have a published spec, if I remember right, but the early GS had a spec in the manual, and should be about the same. If your dealer short-cuts or skips any of these steps, your problems are likely to continue.

 

[BajaRon]

If I could get 15K from the fronts, I'd be happy.....

Your front tires are wearing evenly and you're not getting more than 15K? My fronts went 24k before they started looking bad and it was only on the inside that the wear started.

My bushings were bad and the right outside tie rod end was bad and that is where my tire wear issues started.

We did an alignment just before the 6,000 mile California trip and my tire wear issue was cured. I've got 31K on the fronts now but most people would not have ridden them to the point I have.

But at 23K my front looked great!

 

[Captain Fin]

Paint

This may tell you something fairly quickly....Paint a broad stripe across your tire and watch how it wears off....On your tires Capt. Fin, I'll bet the inside disappears very very quickly.....Mike[/

I like that idea. I think I have a can of white paint that will be perfect for this. I sure miss my spyder.