Always check EVERYTHING B4 you sign/leave the dealers.

The salesman who sold me my car last March was amused to see me go over it with a fine tooth comb.
I missed the screen rubber that vibrated when you went over 50MPH-however everytime it went in for service-I kinda "Know" its been done properly-cos he still mentions it.

PDI's are not worth a toss most of the time.

Remember when i got the ZR7 from Carnell and the toolkit was missing EB?  I phoned them with their 'engineers' report sheet ( tick sheet) from the PDI and they insisted that as 'toolkit' was ticked off then the engineer MUST have seen it there under the seat.  I asked if the 'water cooling system' had been checked seeing as it was ticked off.  They said that if it was ticked then their 'engineer' HAD cheked it.  I asked what chek he would have done to the cooling system.  They said he would have cheked the coolant levels, the water pump for correct operation and the fan and overtemp switch as well as the thermostat.  Brilliant said I.  Yes said they.  So how did the 'engineer' check all these things on my AIR cooled bike then?
We'll send you ya replacement toolkit then sir - sorry about that.  The mudguard was a pretty colour as well, i knew this because the headlight was aimed straight at it and the handlebars were not tightened up.

PDI?  Some places are good and some are sh!te i spose.  Complain to the manager - I got fifty quid from carnell.

I don't have much experience in this area. I've only bought brand new once.  :O But when I did get my Yamaha RS125, it came with the chain adjusters missing.  :O

The spindle was horsed up nice and tight though, so it would move.  :shifty:

And it had a 12v flasher unit on a bike with 6v electrics.  :no:

When my wifes new car was delivered we were going to go out for a quick spin in it.

The passenger seat had no seat belt clip despite being pdi'd.

one phone call and half an hour later a bloke appeared with the spare part and fitted it, apologising the whole time he was there.

I do my own pdi's when I get a new car or bike now. Can't trust the garage monkeys.

been checking my tt600 this weekend, found loads of loose screws, a dry chain, coolant below minimum line...  :(

so much for the pdi!

Think I'd write a sh!tty note to the manager - if something goes wrong then they at least you'd have proof that it wasn't pdi'd right

When I worked at a bike shop in the late 70's, bikes used to come in a crate with the font wheel and handlebars removed. All you needed to do was slip the wheel in, bolt on the bars and fit the controls, switches etc. Fill the battery with acid and connect it up.

Despite this, we used to give every bike a dummy MOT and complete spanner check. Spike the mechanic also stuck the strobe light on them to check the timing was ok.

A gallon of petrol, check the oil and tyre pressures and a run round the block. As the shop was in a village in Staffs 'the block' had some lovely bends  

We never found much wrong (we were Suzuki dealers after all) but we didn't get any pdi comebacks either.

It's like servicing.  It's so hard to find anywhere that can be trusted to do a proper job and treat your bike with a bit of respect while they're doing it.  Unfortuneatly I think when selling a used bike should replace "always dealer serviced at correct intervals" with "servicing bodged or just not done - on a regular basis".

having said that the dealer Im all pally with used to have a reputation as a rip off merchant ( hence the two scoots welded crack on another thread) if not an out and out bunch of criminals.  they have really smartened up over the last three years and dont sell sh!te anymore but generally the three to five grand sort of used bikes.  The impolite or dodgy staff have got the push and the whole place and set up has improved no end.  When they fixed my triumph recently I noticed that they'd even bothered to tie wrap all my untidy electric bodges under the seat which was nice of them i thought.  Ive also just recieved a letter from the boss of the business asking for me to comment on every aspect of the service i have recieved and to complain about any areas I feel were done or handled badly.  Pretty good I reckon.  they have a way to go yet but i think they are deffo on the right tracks to become a really good dealership.

Sounds like the sort of service that we should expect as basic.  Unfortunately i guess there's too many out there to rip us off as much as poss (as if we're n ot overcharged enough already)
Supreme example seems to be Carnells / Motorcycle city / riossi / whatever they'll be called next.