After having multiple problems with Ducati Amsterdam, I have instead changed to Ducati Hippo (Noord-Holland) to get new TPS sensors fitted to my wheels and fix a threaded sump. Both fixed, maybe I've found a decent dealership! Nope... Picked up the bike to a myriad of flashing errors and issues. Primarily a red flashing fuel symbol next to an empty range (despite the tank being full) and a DSS error (yellow) and the orange fuel light blinking at the same time. Each time I turn the bike on it does a pre load calibration and it's also showing the annual service, despite it just having its desmo and me asking them to remove the oil service light. They said they can't fix the camshaft oil leak caused by Ducati Amsterdam until the end of August now and instead of Amsterdam covering the cost of that (as previously agreed) they changed their minds and will only cover 250 eur of the 575 eur job... Fine, I'll swallow that pill. But, they said they can do one or the other at the end of August, clear and check errors or fix the camshaft leak... I'm so done with Ducati and I honestly don't know what to do at this point. I've lost a year of riding because of constantly running into problems caused by these service departments and yet again I'm sat with a bike that I can't use... What should I do? I'm so lost and have no idea if it's even worth asking them to do anything else to the bike as I just know there will be new issues.
Write to Ducati head office regarding the dreadful service. Then sell your bikes. Vote with your feet. Disgraceful treatment of a customer. They won’t notice it care about the lost revenue but I wouldn’t want to spend another penny with them. My 1098 (admittedly older bike) will not go near a Ducati dealer. I doubt very much if I’d buy one that needed me to use one.
That's just it, I keep toying with the idea of selling but I've poured a lot of time, sweat and money into making this bike perfect for me. My passion is being destroyed by these job worths Additionally, nothing will happen emailing the head office. They don't give a shit, I'm a tiny fraction of a percent to their revenue, easily dismissed.
Revised post above mate. It’s going to be a case of cutting your losses and riding a brand with better customer service.
Easier said than done in the middle of the Netherlands I might reach out to Rich from Moto Rapido and just once a year hand the bike to him to get sorted. Right now, I've accepted no rides or tours this year, but I can't rely on ducati next year as my own time is running out
If getting to uk is no good, how about these? http://www.biggelaar-performance.com/ I would buy a bike for this year then sell it next year. Time waits for no man...
Well... The sump is still leaking anyway... I'm going down the legal route now. I'm done with these fucking clowns. Does anyone have any contacts for the corporate side of Ducati for me to kick off this inevitable ball ache?
The OEM was threaded (the casing side) and this is the repair they attempted. I assume they did what I was going to do and use a threaded insert with a basic bolt to cap it off. But despite them saying they checked after fixing it, it's clearly not holding oil. Truly, I feel stuck with this bike now, everytime it goes to ducati, it comes back worse and it's no longer rideable.
A normal hex head bolt will never seal well as a sump plug, it needs an integral washer to compress the sealing washer evenly. Especially in this sort of application where the different metals are heating up and expanding at different rates. If that washer and Bolt are one piece, then it looks like no sealing washer is fitted.
I think it's a separate washer, possibly a Dowty washer would work if the oil isn't coming around the insert repairs. Or the sump hasn't been cracked due to overtightening
Standard Ducati dealers - again - why is this not a surprise!! I'd be amazed if they know how to drill & tap anything, never mind the understanding of materials selection to choose a compressible, or other, sealing washer... Yes, I have a real downer on dealers that seem unable to function beyond clicking a mouse button
Not just Ducati. There’s a massive skills shortage, ktm workshops are no better, look what happened there.
how horrible, going through similar, bike was overfilled with oil, caused a seal to fail, then further damage, they have agreed to resolve it, but its tainted my bike being a biker without a bike is bollox, being without your ducati, well, you know, is double bollox having your utter pride and joy fucked by a third party is horrible and wrong are you 100% sure its the bike for you, if so commit to it, knowing its grief, but goal is getting it running sweet again, which may mean going to a third party, if they do a report can you not claim any thing back form original mechanics? or right the summer off riding wise, take it back and just be prepared to wait until it's fixed, even if its 3 or 4 months, mines been off the road since may, if you said it will be done 100% perfect by mid august id spit and wait with anticipation it is worth going to head office, in italy, keep at had a problem on a VW, VW UK pissed me about big time, was a known ABS issue, in the end i wrote to VW in stuttgart, they were amazing, car was done in a few days, free of charge, car was 5 years old by then VW owns ducati, so maybe even contact them, go to the top, someone in there will care
Guy I knew bought a Jubilee Bonneville, new. The chrome was coming off the engine cases and he was getting so little response from Meriden he threatened to set fire to it outside the factory gates (Press on hand). I don't know how it turned out, beyond he didn't have the Jubilee much longer, but he wasn't a guy to be cowed or fobbed off.
I believe I did, I did an oil change post a small tour which was shortly after a desmo service done by Amsterdam (where the camshaft leak came from). It simply didn't torque but kept turning. The reason I believe I did was the same torque wrench snapped a bolt at a much lower value previously and I hadn't calibrated between the uses. Sort of shot my self in the foot there. I'm not overly pissed at the job, it's the lie it was checked etc. I'll try a proper crush washer on it tomorrow and go for a ride and hopefully that'll solve it. I'm also going to cancel any further work I have with them and just get an indy to clean up the mess from the previous work and move on with life. I may opt for new casing and get the whole lot recoated which I've been meaning to do. After 20+ years of using Ducati dealers across multiple Ducati bikes, never again.
