So there I was, riding along on my K1600GT when I glanced down at my clutch reservoir and took notice that it was significantly darker than the front brake reservoir on the other handlebar. Being that I was well into a nearly 19 hour trip that day, I decided to ask Siri why that might be. Siri is useful much of the time, like when I need a trivial fact or figure when I am riding and can't exactly consult Dr. Google. This time, she basically punted. She said "I found this on the web, take a look." Well, I couldn't, so I waited until I got home and still couldn't resolve my question; but, I was preparing to do my 54,000 mile service, so I decided to change it. Now you have the background part, the lying part is coming.
I consulted the Service manual to make sure I understood the procedure for changing the clutch fluid and, of course, there were a couple surprises. The specific surprise I'm referring to was this:
Notice that little diddy about "Oder the bleed screw and dust cap through the electronic parts catalogue (ETK)." I thought that is what you'd do if you broke it somehow. That's not what it meant. I removed the gearbox cover and guess what...there is a grubscrew there, and no bleed screw. You have to purchase this little part to do this maintenance work. So, off I go to the local BMW dealer to get this screw. Since there are no specifications, I have no idea whether or not a standard bleeder screw would work and I don't want my bike down for a long period of time.
At the dealership, I worked with a parts guy to identify the screw. They don't have this diagram, they have a parts diagram and on that diagram, this screw is called a vent screw. Since it took me an hour to drive there and will take an hour to drive back, I asked the parts guy to verify this is what I needed with a technician or the service manager. When he came back, he said that it is what is called for; but, he didn't have it in stock. He also said that the technicians don't use it. They believe that unless the clutch isn't working, you shouldn't mess with the fluid. It's a pain in the butt. What they do is pull the fluid out of the reservoir only and refill it with fresh. ARRRRAAGGGGGHHHH!!!! If you don't understand what I just wrote, let me say it another way. The technician (some or all) charge 3 FTE's for this procedure and they do it in a non-standard, unauthorized way that results in the owner getting a mix of fresh mineral oil and old mineral oil in the clutch system.
This is the rant part. I stopped taking my bike to the dealership for maintenance because they are simply not treating it with the white gloves that I expected of a high priced service department. You can read my past blog about my 48,000 mile maintenance where I found stripped bolts and all kinds of other pain inflicted on my bike at a dealership. Now, I'm learning that technicians are taking (authorized by the dealership or on their own) other short cuts. I have no idea if oil has actually been changed, filters changed, etc. Mr. BMW insists on a very aggressive and expensive maintenance schedule and who knows how many of his dealers are not doing the work as specified by the hard working engineers who designed and relentlessly tested this bike. Right now, I'm trying to chase down an oil consumption problem that started right after my bike went out of warranty. I have to include, as suspect, all past oil service and whether they were done correctly or not. My utopian bubble has been further deflated.
All good cautionary tales have a word of caution. Here it is. Do the work yourself or reap what you sow. You paid good money for a world class motorcycle. Something excited you about this particular brand and bike. In order to get the full lifespan out of this motorcycle you need to make sure the bike is serviced properly. If you do it yourself...and if you don't know how, learn...you'll be sure. Another way is to take your bike to an individual you've known since you were both in diapers and have him/her do it.
I didn't name names here. It is possible that I ran across one bad technician or one bad dealership and the rest of utopia is well, utopian still. I have my doubts about that though. Please don't ask me, I won't give up my source. The idea isn't to persecute one dealership for being honest with me, it's to remind people of the harsh reality of the service world.
Safe riding!
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