What will nix my warranty?

[tfdeputydawg]

While your "dealer" may in deed over look unapproved mods, especially if he did them, the problem lies in a failure happening while you are far from home.

Another dealer may not be so accommodating.

Also, there are "watchers", called factory reps, that might want to review things and nix a warranty claim!

[PosseRider]

I think I heard ," if you look at an Indian" it will void your warranty

[Texan]

Unless you are a lawyer , Or know one that will work for Gratis.....And don't mind having you trike sitting for months un=repaired, Lots a luck with that...And if you had the cat removed they can refuse to do any work.

Back in '02 bought my first windshield which was on a '02 Ultra Classic. Before buying in Chicago, where I was living at the time, I called a friend who was a salesman for a dealership back home in Texas . He advised me to buy it where I was living, so I did. Maybe 6-8 months later the company I was working for sold out to a larger group and I was given a lead parachute and shown the door. Moved back home to Texas.

Fast forward a couple months....I'm sitting in my friends office back home and a guy walked in madder than a wet hen and demanded to know what was going on with his bike. My friend told him they were still trying to figure out the problem and were looking at every day. The guy stormed out. Knowing quite a bit about these over grown lawnmower motors I ask him what was going on. He proceeded to tell me the guy had bought his bike at a dealership bout 250 miles away and now wanted them to do some warranty work on it. Yeah, they were looking at it every day....as they walked in the "waiting for repairs" room and glanced at it.

I looked at my friend and told him "you know you're talking about me don't ya". He stared at me and I said "I bought my bike in Chicago, remember". I told him if I ever experienced that issue with them I'd have Harley on the phone so fast they wouldn't know what happened. Then I reminded him that the VP of Dealership Development was a friend of mine. Never had an issue with warranty work.

8~\o

[GARYD]

My new dealer said if something went wrong on the road. They would reimburse me when I got home. They are a pretty reputable dealer.

[Texan]

My new dealer said if something went wrong on the road. They would reimburse me when I got home. They are a pretty reputable dealer.

Hummmmmm!!! Living in Downers Grove for 6 years I'm trying to associate the word "reputable" to any of the dealerships around you... LoL!!!!! Now Lee, the owner of Heritage, could, I guess be considered reputable and then again there's Ozzie at WildFire, where I bought my Ultra...!!!! But not George at ChiTown..!!! Just kidding George if you see this.

8~\o

[rhino 2]

Back in '02 bought my first windshield which was on a '02 Ultra Classic. Before buying in Chicago, where I was living at the time, I called a friend who was a salesman for a dealership back home in Texas . He advised me to buy it where I was living, so I did. Maybe 6-8 months later the company I was working for sold out to a larger group and I was given a lead parachute and shown the door. Moved back home to Texas.

Fast forward a couple months....I'm sitting in my friends office back home and a guy walked in madder than a wet hen and demanded to know what was going on with his bike. My friend told him they were still trying to figure out the problem and were looking at every day. The guy stormed out. Knowing quite a bit about these over grown lawnmower motors I ask him what was going on. He proceeded to tell me the guy had bought his bike at a dealership bout 250 miles away and now wanted them to do some warranty work on it. Yeah, they were looking at it every day....as they walked in the "waiting for repairs" room and glanced at it.

I looked at my friend and told him "you know you're talking about me don't ya". He stared at me and I said "I bought my bike in Chicago, remember". I told him if I ever experienced that issue with them I'd have Harley on the phone so fast they wouldn't know what happened. Then I reminded him that the VP of Dealership Development was a friend of mine. Never had an issue with warranty work.

8~\o

Being the Devils Advocate, Sometimes its not because the Customer ? bought the bike somewhere else that cause the problem....Its The Customer's? Attitude that will sometimes cause the problem... Been there had that happen....

[DK Custom Products]

I've had warranty work done all over the USA, never had a problem...and my bikes/trikes are far from stock.

We have three dealerships in our area. One I have not been to in over 10 years, the other two have gotten my warranty work over the years...does not matter where I bought it.

When I got an engine rebuild (under warranty) on my 2011 Tri-Glide, it was NOT done by the dealership I bought it from.

Recently I've used an Indie shop that is authorized to do Warranty work. Been happy with them thus far.

In the last 13 months HD has done a couple of things to try and sell more of their own parts....resulting in a lot of talk about stricter warranty repair authorizations.

The reality is that the written HD Warranty (not what someone says at a dealership, or even at the HD Corp. Customer Service line) has not changed...and neither has real world experience at Dealerships when bike/trikes are taken in for repair.

I was hearing the same thing 15 years ago at dealerships..."If you install a non-HD part on your bike it will void your warranty". "If we (the dealership) do not install xyz part, it will void your warranty". I've heard both of those in 100 different variations, thousands of times.

It is a common occurrence to hear talk of denied warranty work, it is a rare occurrence for warranty work to actually be denied.

When it is denied, more often than not, one of the following two factors are in play:

1. A Customer that is causing the issue by nature of their personality/manner in which they are conducting themselves.

2. When engine work has been done that is more than a Stage I (which is the main reason we do not do more than a Stage I upgrade on most of our bikes, nor sell parts for such).

Kevin

[Capt.Bob]

Kevin,

Your number 1 identified problem in getting warranty work done is: "A Customer that is causing the issue by nature of their personality/manner in which they are conducting themselves."

The underlying premise of your statement is that essentially, if one deviates from Harley's warnings about warranty work that they have to have the "right attitude" or in simpler words, have to get along or be "hat in hand" to get warranty work done if they deviate from Harley's expressed limitations if it involves a modified part(s) that are being submitted for warranty reimbursement. I get it on one level but it essentially acknowledges the bare facts that if a customer deviates from the written limitations of Harley's warranty that a bike at any time can be electronically "red flagged" for cessation of warranty if the strict guidelines are not met.

I am not being intentionally argumentative because I think you are extremely knowledgeable and conduct yourself accordingly so that I think you likely incur benefits with far more leniency than the MOCO had intended in terms of modifications to allow an intact warranty. However, when we talk about $35k plus machines and the potential costs and/or legal entanglements even with the MM Act, the bottom line for the original poster is that any modifications to our machines that are articulated as expressed limitations in the warranty verbiage potentially put us at risk for warranty problems. I can't see how this can be any clearer and I am not a lawyer but actually did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night in Dunedin, Florida. Bob

[Jack Klarich]

This is kind of like insurance claims

My Streetbob was in for an insurance claim

1 muffler ( Cycle Shack) had a minor scrape

The Stealer wrote the estimate for NEW exhaust

This was NEW from heads back

I got to keep the old parts which I sold right away

[DK Custom Products]

Kevin,

Your number 1 identified problem in getting warranty work done is: "A Customer that is causing the issue by nature of their personality/manner in which they are conducting themselves."

The underlying premise of your statement is that essentially, if one deviates from Harley's warnings about warranty work that they have to have the "right attitude" or in simpler words, have to get along or be "hat in hand" to get warranty work done if they deviate from Harley's expressed limitations if it involves a modified part(s) that are being submitted for warranty reimbursement. I get it on one level but it essentially acknowledges the bare facts that if a customer deviates from the written limitations of Harley's warranty that a bike at any time can be electronically "red flagged" for cessation of warranty if the strict guidelines are not met.

I am not being intentionally argumentative because I think you are extremely knowledgeable and conduct yourself accordingly so that I think you likely incur benefits with far more leniency than the MOCO had intended in terms of modifications to allow an intact warranty. However, when we talk about $35k plus machines and the potential costs and/or legal entanglements even with the MM Act, the bottom line for the original poster is that any modifications to our machines that are articulated as expressed limitations in the warranty verbiage potentially put us at risk for warranty problems. I can't see how this can be any clearer and I am not a lawyer but actually did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night in Dunedin, Florida. Bob

My comment about the Customer causing a problem for themselves was not written with the idea that the "right" way to go about it is hat in hand. I have had a tremendous amount of warranty work done, and have never approached it with a hat in hand attitude, or any hint of a "will you please do me a favor" attitude.

I think the absence of being a loudmouth or an a-hole, instead, a calm, even-handed, business like approach of how do we go about getting this defect resolved as quickly as possible is the attitude contrasts I was thinking of.

I don't agree that the warranty has particularly strict guidelines. I think some employees at many dealerships talk as if the guidelines are very strict...but that is just sounds coming out of their mouths. The written warranty is quite reasonable...and regardless of what anyone "says", the written warranty is what is important.

If I were to find myself at a dealership that was not abiding by the written warranty (which I never have), I would be out of the door before they could even get my VIN to red flag it.

To be clear, I make a big distinction between what sales people and under-informed service writers say, and what actually occurs when a warranty claim is being made.

Here is the LINK to the written warranty on a 2017 Touring model Harley.

Kevin

[whitefatboy]

will I void my warrenty if I add a tow hitch

[frostbite51]

oops!

[frostbite51]

Easier to read version -

This limited warranty will not apply to any motorcycle:

Which has off-road or competition parts installed to enhance performance, a trailer hitch, or has other unapproved modifications (even if these modifications include genuine Harley-Davidson parts and accessories that are not approved for use on your motorcycle). These modifications may void all or parts of your new motorcycle limited warranty. See an authorized Harley-Davidson dealer for details.

HD has been ignoring their own policy. With sales dropping will they keep doing that?

[rhino 2]

will I void my warrenty if I add a tow hitch

If you read the warranty ...Yes...And also if you add the wire harness for the tow hitch...

Do most dealers flag a trike for that, No..But if you have a blown engine or trans the HD Rep might...