Got a new Dyna Lowrider oil question?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Aug 15, 2003
Messages
415
Location
Ponte Vedra Beach Florida
I understand that you have to have a Harley shop do your 1K, 5K mile services to keep your warranty for the first 2 years. My question is at the 1K mile service where they change all of the fluids should I have them change them to synthetic or does the engine need to go to 5K with their dino oil to break in correctly? Also from reading a Harley chat site the warranty doesn't seem to be worth a ****, since most dealers claim everything that might go wrong is not covered for one reason or another. So how many of you guys just do your own thing or use a independant shop?
 
my dealer was happy to do the 1st service and warrant the scoot for the rest of the year if i bought the oil and filters from him at or before maintenance time, sounded pretty fair and still have the bike today
p.s. 92 fatboy
 
Pitbull,
Congrad's on the new bike. When I bought my Fatboy, I did all the work myself. I knew from the start that the warranty would be useless with the modifications I had in mind. The first thing I would buy for your bike is the factory service manual. The factory manual is well written and easy to understand.

As far as oils go, I use Redline. 20-50 in the engine, MTL in the primary and Shockproof heavy in the Transmission. These have worked well from 600mi onward through many engine modifications.
 
Pitbull,

You do NOT have to have your dealer do your 1k, 5k, 10k service. You can do it yourself. Just keep the receipts for the oil and filter. Make a copy of the sheduled maintenace page, and check off everything and date it. I know this for a fcat, because I called Harley on this. If your dealer is telling you different, they are lying.
 
I have a 2006 Dyna Low Rider and my dealer does the 1000mi service for free. If you want syn3 they charge an extra $15. But most dealers now recommend the syn3 because of the heat reduction advantages. This is my 2nd Harley and I have had no warranty issues yet but I have not heard of anyone having a warranty return denial. But you do need to get the 1000 mile service done to get the break-in oil out. I do it at 500 and 1000 then every 5000 at the max. Good luck with the bike. I love mine. KB
 
You DO NOT have to take your bike back to the dealer for that maintenance. A friend of mine with a '01 Ultra uses Amsoil 20/50 in his. He always had a little clutch chattering with the Harley oil. The Amsoil got rid of it.
 
I've chaged my mind on the Syn3 in the trans on my dyna. I'm using Redline Heavy in the gearbox and if I get any clutch chatter from the Syn in the primary I'll switch back to the HD chaincase lube. But I have several friends who have had no problems with the 20w50 syn in the primary. I have done a lot or research and the redline shockproof is definitely better for a transmission application. KB
 
Exactly what blueglide88 said, HD does not have to do the work, you can do it or have your favorite shop do it for you. As long as it is done correctly you will maintain your warranty.
 
If you do your own 1,000 mile service which will save you $100. Do yourself a favor and save all of your oil & filter receipts and log the date & service work in your owners manual. I have a friend who did all his service and actually had a warranty claim with HD and was able to photocopy and fax the service log & receipts to the customer service people at the MoCo and he got paid! If you use an indy shop then do the same have them log the service and you are covered. Documentation of your service IS required..going to a HD dealer is recommended but not required.
 
Oh yeah I almost forgot...for anybody who has an extended warranty. Miss just one service documentation and you are dog crap and definitely SOL......the warranty nazi's will deny a flat tire claim because you are 30 miles over on an oil change. I have one on my Suburban and it's a fist fight every time you send in a claim. This is a little off topic but relevant to any warranty.
 
I guess they're counting on people not knowing their legal rights under Federal law.

Knowledge is power. And here is where your power comes from. Print it out and hand it to anyone who tries to deny a warranty claim of any sort based on some unconnected part of your vehicle being out of compliance.

Another neat bit that Magnuson-Moss covers is brand-name parts for maintenance. If a company REQUIRES you to use their oil or filters or what have you for regular service to maintain your warranty, the company has to provide you with those items FOR FREE.
 
Most Harley Dealers make money on warranty work. I doubt when it comes down to you walking away, they would refuse to do the work under warranty. They're probably trying to double dip; You and the MOCO.
 
Honus402,

That is a HUGE misconception that dealers make money on warranty work. In fact, I would say that at least 50% of the time the dealers lose money on all warranty work. I work at a large metro Milwaukee dealer and we have 14 full-time technicians, with maybe 2 (who are 2 of our master technicians) that can get warranty work done in the "book time" alloted on every job. So the next time your buddy says, "these dealers are all making a killing on warranty work", please do the riding community a favor and set him straight.
 
Just wanted to add that the way the warranty times are calculated center around timing a factory technician who has all of the correct tools needed for a job right in front on him, without any diagnosis time included. He goes into the situation knowing exactly what the problem is and what part needs to be replaced. We all know that this is not the way it works in the real world...only in Harley's warranty labor time world.

Pitbull,
It's really up to you if you want to put the SYN fluids in at the first service. The CVO bikes come with SYN3 in all cavities from the factory, so the MOCO doesnt see any problem with going to syn right away, nor do they warn against it. We have had good luck with Redline in the engine and primary (esp. in higher perf. setups) and Golden Spectro or Redline in the trans. The Golden Spectro is thicker 90w-140 I believe, but I tends to shift smoother with less noise. You might want to try some different combos to find which works best for you
 
If you find a good and honest Harley mechanic/dealer/shop, by all means have him work on it, to include oil changes. Remember though, you don't have to if you do the work properly yourself with the proper parts and materials specified in your owner's manual. The Amsoil 20W50 should work just fine. I've used it for years on many of my two wheeled toys.
 
wizzells,
I was just repeating what my local dealer (GM) told me when I asked about some of the Mods I installed. He said don't worry about it, because he loves warranty work because he makes money on it.
 
HAving been service manager for four different makes over the years, and technician for a few more, some brands do better than others. Some allow diagnostic work, some only allow certain diagnostic work depending on what the problem turns out to be. Sometimes a particular job will be plush, but others for the same bike will be cutting it fine in terms of labor payout for the service. It's sort of variable, depending on manufacturer and particular job, if you follow me.

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled Harley discussion.
smile.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top