vtwindr Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 great stuff, thanks for that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtwindr Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Result: Honda are covering new pistons , seals and labour. Think they might be wanting me to pay for new pads but that will be negotiated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer windyrun Posted March 17, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 17, 2015 Great news! Yeah for Honda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allyance Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Glad to hear it, sounds fair. Can't fault Honda, they didn't make them, just their OEM supplier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted March 17, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 17, 2015 Yeah for Honda! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjb1019 Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Good to hear it. Hopefully that's a good sign for my claim as well. Did Honda offer up any more information about why this happened? Like a bad batch of pistons or something? Or should we be expecting to have them replaced again next year as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtwindr Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 nope. Bearing in mind no-one at my dealers has actually looked at them yet they just saw my pics. Service manager is adamant it's down to roadsalt and is surprised they have allowed it. I was planning on using my independent for 12month service but I guess I'd better keep it with Honda for now in case they go again. If they do go again then I'm afraid that'll be it for me and the VFR which is a real shame as it's a great bike. Seems odd though. 7/8 pistons have damage, 3 are really bad, the others are more like what you have. I will be keeping a close eye though and will be doing a caliper removal and clean every couple of months from now I guess, maybe more in winter. In fact, I have a second bike (W650) and might just use that in winter but it's a bugger to clean Good to hear it. Hopefully that's a good sign for my claim as well. Did Honda offer up any more information about why this happened? Like a bad batch of pistons or something? Or should we be expecting to have them replaced again next year as well? what was your dealers reaction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted March 18, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 18, 2015 nope. Bearing in mind no-one at my dealers has actually looked at them yet they just saw my pics. Service manager is adamant it's down to roadsalt and is surprised they have allowed it. Sounds like the dealer is covering his ass. I've had my '97 out in all kinds of winter salt crap, just leaving it to drip dry in my garage each time, even had it out in all the saltwater drek from Hurricane Sandy blown onto it at 50 MPH and never even rinsed it down afterward, unless you count riding it through calf-high water from the Hackensack River, and the only brake problem I ever had was one corroded seal causing a little piston sticking. And I think about all the shit my Honda Accord goes through, also pretty much rode hard through shit that's so bad that the plows give up, 'n put away wet, and in 200,000 miles I've never needed a caliper rebuild. Perhaps strictly speaking the assessment is accurate, about it being road salt. However that is not an acceptable weakness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted March 18, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 18, 2015 Saw this one in town a few winters ago............ what will his brake pistons look like eh?? "where is the love....." I recon the dealer is reluctant because due to the power of internet, more owners will come forward. and it would not surprise me if Honda HQ pays a minimum amount towards the dealer's time to do the work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer windyrun Posted March 18, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 18, 2015 nope. Bearing in mind no-one at my dealers has actually looked at them yet they just saw my pics. Service manager is adamant it's down to roadsalt and is surprised they have allowed it. Sounds like the dealer is covering his ass. I've had my '97 out in all kinds of winter salt crap, just leaving it to drip dry in my garage each time, even had it out in all the saltwater drek from Hurricane Sandy blown onto it at 50 MPH and never even rinsed it down afterward, unless you count riding it through calf-high water from the Hackensack River, and the only brake problem I ever had was one corroded seal causing a little piston sticking. And I think about all the shit my Honda Accord goes through, also pretty much rode hard through shit that's so bad that the plows give up, 'n put away wet, and in 200,000 miles I've never needed a caliper rebuild. Perhaps strictly speaking the assessment is accurate, about it being road salt. However that is not an acceptable weakness. As I remember you guys in NY have had a pretty tough winter. How are your brakes holding up on your 8th? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted March 18, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 18, 2015 As I remember you guys in NY have had a pretty tough winter. How are your brakes holding up on your 8th? No problem, but that might have something to do with me not having ridden in a couple of months. I just took the bike out last night for the first time in a while. I really didn't feel like subjecting my brand new bike to all that shit, especially when I do put it away wet. And the streets are in absolutely awful condition with all the potholes. Someone around Riverhead actually died on their bike a day or two ago due to a pothole. If next winter is this bad I'm buying a KLR just to ride in the winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtwindr Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 parts now in, complete new calipers. They still want me to pay for the pads and if I want a courtesy bike it'll be £20 + £1000 excess. Whilst I am pleased Honda are replacing the damaged parts I can't say the dealer is bending over backwards on this.,Nothing seemed too much trouble when I wanted a test ride 7 months ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted March 23, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2015 Pads are generally wear items except on some upscale cars. Did the piston failures actually affect the pads?? Replacement of the calipers and subsequent brake line bleeding should be do-able while you wait. Arrange it with the shop and make an appointment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viffviff Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 parts now in, complete new calipers. They still want me to pay for the pads and if I want a courtesy bike it'll be £20 + £1000 excess. Whilst I am pleased Honda are replacing the damaged parts I can't say the dealer is bending over backwards on this.,Nothing seemed too much trouble when I wanted a test ride 7 months ago Sorry to hear about the issues you're having with your new VFR. I would seriously consider writing to Honda UK. The VFR trades on its reputation for reliablility and quality, and you pay a premium for it (look at the price vs an S1000SX for example). I also think your dealer is treating you pretty poorly. I would let Honda UK know about your problem, that you bought the bike based on the VFR's reputation for build quality and reliabillty, and that a lot of VFR enthusiasts (and potential 8th Gen owners) both sides of the Atlantic are waiting to see how this turns out. If Honda still value their reputation (and that of the VFR) they should put it right for you (including free pads and loan bike, as a minimum) . If not, it says to me that the 8th Gen, and Honda, is trading on its reputation, not realilty, and would certainly make a lot of older VFR owners think again about getting an 8th Gen (and we make up a large proportion of the target audience). If your experience puts off just one future buyer, that will cost them more than a set of pads! Hope this helps and good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtwindr Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 I would have thought they could swap 'em in an hour or so but they want it all day. Who know why. Pads have done 3000miles but they insist I need new ones . They won't charge me labour for pad fitting though (probably because they cannot break down their hourly rate into the 10 seconds it would take to pop them in as the calipers are already off the bike) . I have emailed HondaUK to see if tehy can move on the pads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted March 23, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2015 In the grand scheme of things the cost of the pads is a pittance. But if Honda say they should be replaced, then Honda ought to pay, or at least pay a pro-rated amount on pads that probably are only about 20% consumed at most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viffviff Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 They ought to sort it all out for you to your satisfaction (not theirs). You bought a new bike from a Honda dealer and that should mean something.. I'm also surprised they want all day. I don't know how different an 8th Gen is from a 5th on the brakes (simpler since no linked braking system?) but putting on new calipers doesn't seem a big job... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanyol Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Pathetic attitude from the dealer. He's in the wrong business. Although he'd probable even begrudge the dead needing burial if he were an undertaker!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinigami Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 I don't know. Is it a British thing to bitch and moan about this sort of thing? Because some of you sound like real pleasures to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtwindr Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 the vfr is $2500 more in the UK than the US so maybe we just want value for the extra cash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjb1019 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 I don't know. Is it a British thing to bitch and moan about this sort of thing? Because some of you sound like real pleasures to deal with. Yes. National pastime. Plus, the weather's not even been that bad recently so there's extra moaning stored up from not being able to complain about that... On another note, my dealer didn't kick up any fuss about submitting the claim. They did want to see it rather than send my pics to Honda UK, but when I said I wouldn't be able to come in for while (busy life, me) they just sent my pics off. Got an email from them today and Honda will be, in the service managers words, "renewing" the callipers. Don't know yet whether that means brand new callipers or just pistons and seals... My theory is still that it was a bad batch of pistons, so I'll be interested to see if any more year-round riders/commuters from other countries report the same problem in the coming months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtwindr Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 nice they are sorting yours as well. Did they mention new pads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjb1019 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 No mention of new pads, no. There's plenty of life left on the current pads, so as far as I'm aware, they'll just re-using those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtwindr Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 fixed today, 2 new calipers and pads courtesy of Mr Honda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Grum Posted April 2, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted April 2, 2015 Thats great vtwindr, just exactly what they should have done. Complete new calipers and pads, hopefully you won't have this problem again. Be interesting to see if Honda send out a recall if they establish a bad batch of pistons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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