Don't talk to me about being ripped off, I currently have a letter of complaint at Aprilia UK due to being charged £300 to have a brake switch fitted and the original problem still occuring.

every time i have some work done by anyone but my normal person i feel ripped off

400 quid for new pads and discs on the maj when i had it because they couldnt get a nut off as it was rusty

its 6 inchs above the road it will get wet/rusty he would of charged about 100 all in

200 quid for tyres on the vespa once as it took longer to take the exhaust off then thy thought it would and even though i said fit anything but avons they fitted avons just had michalins fitted 130 quid all in both wheels

service from one place on my runner was 230 quid

was a 20,000mile service so didnt mind and i needed pads fitted and it was on a monday

until i took it to him to have the 30,000 sevice done before i sold it and found the brake fluid that i had been charged for was about 3 years old

also the pads failed the mot a few weeks later as the garage glued the new pads onto the old backing

Sounds like you were using an idiot to service the bike then! Outrageous way to carryout work, and very unsafe.

at the time i had no choice as needed the bike for a cbt on the tuesday and the pads were too low to let me ride and my normal person doesnt work mondays

the tyres and service were by two different places both because my normal bloke wasnt available for some reason the only others within 20 miles

he went bump as all he was doing was mots and services so couldnt pay for the massive unit he had

he is now hidden away in a tiny unit and is busyier then ever

ive learnt to do things myself

to service my car. peugeot 307 hdi cost me £39 including oil and all filters.

i even fixed my abs sensors while i was there

Your story is the reason all my bikes have been serviced by me, some i fu**ed up as i was leaning the ways, after teaching my self with help of a good friend who know more then i every will about bikes, Every aspect of my bikes i do my self now, after so many dealers used to charge so much and rip me off.

This scooter i have has been in bits down to the frame wheel off frame off forks off everything i can think of has been off, engine in 1000 bits, and all rebuilt up, so i always know my bikes now inside and out.

I think we should all be like this, knowledge is power, once you know it, you don't need dealers or garage to do it for you, and they cant rip you off or over charge you.

I striped down and rebuilt my last X9, and sold it for good price, and know the guy emailed me saying that he riding it around the world, leaving England and heading back to his home town of Italy.

remember knowledge is power.....learn to do it, and you will be 100 times better off for it.

That's plus one Solo! And if for whatever reason you cannot do it yourself, ask around amongst your mates to find who the best dealers are in your area. There are some good one about that don't rip you off.

i do most myself now but some things i can not do tyres electrics ect ect

I too worked as a Motorcycle Mechanic for 17 years in a busy workshop at a small main dealers.We were always fair when we did routine work or repairs.We always felt that if you treat people fair they will come back.

I still work there only part time and no longer in the workshop due to ill health unless they need "old" knowledge on stuff in my era.I find there are less true mechanics now and more fitters as things depend more on diagnostics and therefore replace rather than repair,sadly it is the world we live in.

Scootaboy...

Every minute at a german official Piaggio Dealers workshop costs 2,15 Euros ( 129,00 Euros per hour ), thats what I call legal robbery