wcoastbikr

So my bottom bracket has been making some noise every right down stroke so I took it into the shop since it's still under the 1yr warranty. Shop owner takes a ride, tells me it's probably the bottom bracket and he'll pull it apart for me. So I drop the bike off early today, he calls tells me it's done. Drive over there says the bottom bracket was dirty and seems to be alright now but didn't test ride it. So then he pulls out a receipt and tells me I owe him $25.

I kind of had to double take at that. Then I tell him I thought the bike was under warranty for 1yr for all component problems. Then he tells me that this doesn't apply because it only applies to defective items. Then tells me he gave me a free tune up as well. Don't know what he tuned up because the bike was running fine yesterday I cleaned and dialed in the derailleurs/brake calipers. Then he proceeds to tell me that the wheels I've brought in 3 times in the past 8 months to have trued he should have charged me for those as well. BTW these are the ohh so great Bontrager Races that can't even stay true on a 135lb nooby that can flex these without even trying. The first 300 miles on them and the rear was already rubbing the brake pads.

He never told me or gave me a quote that this would cost me. I didn't have any cash or cards on me because I assumed it was under warranty so I told him that I would come back tomorrow. He let me take the bike but said don't forgot and to come back and pay him. I'm still going to pay the guy I don't want any trouble and he is a very nice guy. But does this sound right?

Btw...the bike is a Trek that's under 1yrs old and he's a certified Trek dealer.

Thanks!

alanthealan

My shop would not have.

bcart1991

If it's under warranty, he should either resolve the problem or get a replacement BB.

BengeBoy 

Yes, he does sound like a nice guy. Let you take a bike home without paying the repair tab.

The fact that you were unclear in advance whether this would be covered by warranty or not seems to be your problem, not his.

Quijibo187

was it dirty from riding in dirty conditions? if so, then I don't see anything wrong with the charge.
There was a key word in there though, assume, be careful with that one.
1 year for adjustments seems normal, but shimano, campagnolo and I'm pretty sure SRAM all have at least 2 years warranty on components (more for Dura-Ace, record. Red?)

He may have been having a bad day, maybe when you go in again he's having a good day and he won't take the $$.

Ingleside

From someone that works at a shop... that sounds shady.
How long have you owned the bike? Shops will usually take care of minor adjustments for at least the first 90 days and typically up to a year. A click can be caused by numerous things but they usually are attributed to a loose pedal, improperly torqued bb cups or maybe even loose chain ring bolts. Get this, one time someone came in saying they had a drive side click coming from the crank/bb area. It turned out that the front derailleur cable was hitting the crank arm on every revolution.
Anyhow, the warranty does only apply to defective parts. If he gave you the tune up for "free" then the crank/bb should have been something that they would check. The proer thing for him to do would have been to call you to inform you that the charge to check the BB was not going to be covered under their free tune ups and there would be a $25 fee.

alpacalypse

It doesn't sound overly ridiculous, but he should have told you if he was going to incur a charge.

wcoastbikr

I can't remember exactly but I know it's still under 1yr.

He just tore apart the BB, cleaned, and put it back together. It did stop the noise and it does actually feel a lot better.

He said he gave me a free tune up with tearing apart the BB. The thing that's odd is I don't know what he tuned up. I had done it the night before when I cleaned my bike/drive train. Which is what I kind of thought was shady. I'm still going to pay the guy, don't want to bother haggling. Although $25 is a lot to a starving college student

LesMcLuffAlot

A parts warranty is not the same as a service warranty. Your BB may have made noise due to a lack of lubrication between the cups and the frame. That is not a fault of the part. If you rode the bike in dry dusty conditions or very wet conditions this could contaminant your lube or reduce the amount of lube at the threads. This is a common cause of BB noise. Unless they sold you the bike with a "Service Warranty" it is my opinion he was well within his right to charge you for his time. His time and tools aren't free. Read your warranty closely. The bike shop does not provide the "Parts warranty" of your bike. Trek and the component makers do. Their warranties do not cover the labour charges of removing parts or reinstalling parts and it does explictly say this in your manuals which I'm sure you read cover to cover and the small print. Buyer beware.

redtires

Well....strictly technically speaking, warranties generally do not cover labor....but still, I would not have charged for it. Labor and work on new bikes are generally something that is a policy of the store and has nothing to do with the manufacturer. The "tune-up" sounds like a buffer to me...making it easier to swallow the fact that he was going to charge you 25 bones. That is complete and total speculation though....I don't know the guy from Adam.

Unagidon

Shady. Time for new bikeshop.

umd

Warranties don't cover maintenence. Some shops will offer a year of free service with a sale but it is not universal and it is not wrong for them to charge for it.

rooftest

I don't understand why you think that cleaning your bottom bracket is a warranty item. Would you expect a car dealer to change your oil for free?

alanthealan

Mine did that yesterday... I ignored it, and the cable broke at the screw clamp.


I bet a bottle of chain lube you just needed your crank arm or bb tightened. He could have said something on the phone... but then again you could have asked.

Ingleside

Yeah, you will get nowhere trying to haggle on the labor charge for the BB.
BTW, what kind of BB do you have? These days the most one can do is take the BB out, clean the outside and then reinstall it into the frame. I doubt he cleaned the bearings out and repacked them with the way most BBs are built these days.
As mentioned earlier labor is not covered under warranty but i'll put it to you this way.
If you bought the bike from my shop and the BB was clicking we (and i hope most shops) would take a look at it at no charge, especially if you recently bought the bike. It just comes down to standing behind your work. Now, if you bought a BB and installed it yourself or you messed something up on the one that came on your bike and then it started clicking we would charge you but would explain to you why it was clicking.
As for the tune up, they probably made very minor adjustments to the shifting and braking that you may or may not even notice. They probably went ahead and checked your hubs, rims, and headset. Most complimentary tune ups really just consist of checking that everything is working properly and tight.

BlazingPedals

Sealed bottom brackets should not be causing problems with less than a year on the clock. Probably wasn't put together right when it was new. The tune-up probably consisted of adjusting the front derailleur after re-installing the crank. Next time, wrench your own bikes.

LesMcLuffAlot

Yes, if you owned a BMW or other premium luxury car. Many of these cars come with free maintanace for the duration of the new car warranty. That does bring up another point. The bike industry does not have a warranty system like the car industry. The bike companies DO NOT reimburse bike shops for labour charges like they do in the car biz. If the bike shop provides you with free service, he's doing it on the understanding that it's taking food out of his families mouth. Either out of good will or the hope of future more profitable business from you.

jrobe

"Would you expect a car dealer to change your oil for free? "


No but I would expect them to fix a noisy wheel bearing when the car was still under warranty (even if I had driven my car on a dirt road once in awhile).

wcoastbikr

Wasn't the front derailleur...both derailleurs were fine. The bottom bracket is the original on the bike (Shimano 105). Never been removed.

Like I said I would have done it myself if I had known there was going to be a fee. I always do my own work when it comes to cars or bikes, unless it's under warranty. I'm not blaming it on him for not telling me in advance. I should have asked, didn't think anything of it. But it would have been nice if he had told me in advanced or at least given me a quote. When I have taken in the car for repairs or parts at a machine shop I can't do myself or without expensive specialized machinery I expect that they let me know roughly how much it's going to cost without me asking, and they always have.

I was thinking the exact same thing about wheel bearings in a car.

umd

I don't think you understand what a warranty is

travkat

Sounds a little suspect but when I was a at a shop that sold Trek, if something was a warranty issue the bike part would have been removed (or the whole bike kept) for the sales rep to determine if in fact it was a warranty issue. Then, if it was the part was ordered and hopefully came within 2-3 weeks. A huge inconvenience to the customer and an inconvenience to our shop as we had to store the customer's bike for that time.

However, if it was something we could fix or repair on the spot or within a day because we had the part/or whatever was needed, we would usually do it. Sometimes labor was charged sometimes it wasn't. For a BB to be pulled and serviced our shop would have charged.

Anyway, don't know if that helps but at least you are out on your bike and not sitting at home waiting on a new BB from Trek.

wcoastbikr

I'm not talking about the fee so much anymore. I understand now that there are installation/repair fees.I'm talking more so about the fact that I wasn't given a quote or told there may be a fee. I think it should be standard practice for any shop, car or bike to inform a customer of such fees.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but California law requires all autoshops/dealers to give their customers a quote before doing work. Why not with bikes? Repair costs can get just as hefty on high end bikes as a car.

umd

Did you tell him that you thought it was a warranty issue when you dropped it off or did you just say "this is making noise, fix it" and leave? When he sold you the bike, did he go over terms of included service? As I said before, many shops offer a year of free service with a bike purchase, and advise you to come in "after a few hundred miles" for adjustments. One of the stingier shops in town gives two free services within the first 3 months and that's it. One shop in town a list of their labor rates for various services, but universally it's a good idea to ask how much something is going to cost and not just assume that it will be free...

There are specific laws about vehicle sales and maintenence and I doubt that any of them apply to bikes.

Treefox

He should've given you a rough cost estimate up front, or should've taken your mobile number and called you up before doing anything he intended to charge you for.

I've definitely had places call me up, say 'hey, this is what's up, we can fix it for x amount of money; want us to do it?' and I've said, ah, thanks; no worries, I can do that myself.

Unagidon

You bought your bike from the bike shop for service. Your bike is under warranty, and it's making strange noises. If this bike shop knows how to stay in business, they ought to serve you better.

Forget the law, and the arguments about "does a car dealer charge to oil...blah blah." Bottom line - if it feels wrong, don't go back. You can get parts way cheaper from many sites, or even Performance when they have sales.

I bring my LBS Starbucks Frappucino's every once in a while. They tweak my derailleurs, adjust my bike, and do other minor stuff for free. Then I bring more food. Suggest other customers to them. Bought a bike from them. And they listed my stuff on ebay for an agreed fee, handling all the shipping. In other words, it's a relationship. And based on your description, I'd dump the shop.