Need to get a bike service? You need to check the service job card beforehand to avoid unnecessary cost
It’s one of a kind experience to ride the new motorcycle you just bought, you are likely to get attached to that machine. But have you thought about what they are doing with your bike in the bike service center? Have to taken notice of the job card and the final bill amount? Most people have strong trust in the authorized service center of their bike’s manufacturer and do not take notice of the service job card.
The authorized service center does no harm to your prized possession but they are very much willing to make more money by making you believe that some additives and lubes are mandatory for better engine health. However, this is not the case in the real world. Many Authorized Service Centers (ASC) add unnecessary items to your job sheet in order to increase their revenue. Even if we remove them, nothing bad will happen to your motorcycle.
We recommend getting your motorcycle serviced at an authorized service center
Take for example this case of Yamaha FZS-15 version 3.0, the basic service cost of the bike is around Rs 500. If we breakdown the service bill, we have three items here – Engine Oil, Oil Filter, and Chain lube. The exact price of the bill comes out to be Rs 504.
Next, we have is an example of the 2nd service bill. Here you can clearly see that the Yamaha ASC has added an additive called ‘Injector Cleaner’ in the petrol tank. This has shot the price up by Rs 300 and now the final bill amount is Rs 814. So, the main question is, do you really need an injector cleaner on your bike’s second service?
Also Read: How to clean your Air Filter and when to replace them
The answer is a big NO! Any new motorcycle does not require any kind of injector cleaner of engine oil booster to make it smoother and efficient. The injector cleaner should be added once every 15,000 km or so but not after every 3,000 km. The BS4 petrol is now much cleaner and its Octane number (RON) is quite high at 91, just in case you want to know.
Always make sure to check the job sheet before leaving your bike at an ASC
This was about the injector cleaner but there are other things to take care of. Additives like Engine oil booster can be avoided completely. If you want you can choose to go with semi-synthetic engine oil for better engine performance as it is whole in its own regard.
You must avoid chain lube too, as ASC will ask Rs 140 (mentioned in the Bill) for one-time chain lubing and you can get your hands on a branded Chian cleaner or Lube for the same amount. That same amount will let you lube your chain for at least three times bringing down the chain lubing cost to just Rs 50.
The main intent of this article is to make sure every new motorcycle buyer is aware of the ill practices of after-sales service. This is done by nearly every authorized service centers across the country. It is not especially targetted at Yamaha and we do not have any reason to demean the respected company. We still recommend everyone to get their motorcycles and scooters serviced only in Company Authorized service centers as they know more about the machine than your local mechanic.
Ride Safe, Ride Hard, and always wear a helmet while riding. Stay Tuned for more from the world of motorcycling.
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