Rama 9 -- The Kawasaki Service Gold Standard?

[Hili]

had a similar experience with rama9 after i usually serviced my bike at the kawa dealer in thonburi i thought to give my er something special for the 12k inspection. Was pretty disappointed after i got it back from Rama9 service. First they didnt ask me at all which type of oil i was using before, when i got it back the chain wasnt tighten right and not properly lubed, also i noticed after some days the bike didnt start up immediatley (they changed the spark plugs). After i got annoyed of these thing i went back to my usual dealer where they fixed all these issued for FREE. There i always have the same mechanc whos working on my bike and i can watch exactly what hes doing, i heard other complaining about the dealer but iam happy with it even wothout the GOLD service In the end like mostly here theres no real law/ rule for things like that everybody have to make his own experience.....

[macknife]

What is Kawasaki Real Motosports in Ramkamhaeng like?

[Gregory Morozov]

I heard only good things about Chiang Mai dealership a while ago, are they still good?

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[cbrer]

And i m sure they had problems with angry farang before.

Hey, that's me!

Quite simple for them to avoid it though.... Just do their fuc_king job properly, like a fully functional adult.

No racing my bike for fun. No redlining it while stone cold. No adjusting things because you think they're better that way. Actually get the manual and follow it, no you don't know better. No picking your nose and wiping it on the seat, thank you very much.

Edited December 11, 2012 by cbrer

[BirdsandBooze]

I won't let them near my bike, their incompetence could lead to a life threatening situation. The ER6 isn't cutting edge high tech and is simple to work on with the right tools. Back in England my Triumph dealer had a panoramic window through which you could view the service area and the bike was always properly serviced, AND cleaned when the wrenching was complete.

[cbrer]

I won't let them near my bike, their incompetence could lead to a life threatening situation. The ER6 isn't cutting edge high tech and is simple to work on with the right tools.

But Thais don't need those.

[karlos]

What is Kawasaki Real Motosports in Ramkamhaeng like?

Fantastic if you want to buy a bike........

I live just around the corner from their dealership, you'll be happy with them servicing your bike, providing you book 2 weeks prior to needing your bike serviced and don't expect half the things on the official Kawasaki Service Schedule to be carried out.....

I told them to do several things that were listed '(K)' in a European and American service book (lube cables and pivot points, check headbearings and grease), when i got the bike back they hadn't done it, i showed them the print outs i had from Kawasaki showing it should be done by Kawasaki Main Dealer, but the answer was..... This is Thailand don't have to do in Thailand...................... Oh and the chain apparently didn't need adjusting despite my request for it to be adjusted.

Changing your oil with them is fine, it's so cheap and simple that i can and do trust them to do that, anything else i do myself now.....

Edited December 12, 2012 by karlos

[loserlazer]

So when we farang will get a proper service in Thailand?

They never do what i say wherever i went and they get angry when you insist on something too much!

Servicing is always a fiasco in Thailand.

We get pushed with our hard earned money too! They mostly act like they are doing a favor to me! No man i pay for it

Even at honda bigwing today, i said i want to change oil at 50 km and they said changing the oil is not good at 50 km and they might not change it until 600 km so it will be struggle with them too i guess as i smell traditional farang-mechanic problems already>_>

Lets revolt!

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Edited December 12, 2012 by loserlazer

[cbrer]

So when we farang will get a proper service in Thailand?

It will change when foreigners are allowed to work as mechanics at places like Honda/Kawa etc.

Not a day sooner I'm afraid. Their egos are too delicate, their mind too ignorant and their beliefs too arrogant.

They never do what i say wherever i went and they get angry when you insist on something too much!

I was shouted at by a Honda mechanic for pointing out that the oil with the blue cap is not the same as the oil with the red cap.

Unfortunately they can't deal with things as rational adults, never mind professional rational adults.

Edited December 12, 2012 by cbrer

[wantan]

Even at honda bigwing today, i said i want to change oil at 50 km and they said changing the oil is not good at 50 km and they might not change it until 600 km so it will be struggle with them too i guess as i smell traditional farang-mechanic problems already>_>

Lets revolt!

LOL, how can an oil change be "not good"???

But maybe they have special "break in oil" in the bikes from the factory? I heard about such things somewhere, but i do not really believe it.

Just do the "unregular" oil changes yourself and use the same oil they use (i guess Honda oil red cap or maybe blue cap). I doubt they will recognise it. Discussions about such things are usually a waste of time and annoying.

[loserlazer]

So when we farang will get a proper service in Thailand?

It will change when foreigners are allowed to work as mechanics at places like Honda/Kawa etc.

Not a day sooner I'm afraid. Their egos are too delicate, their mind too ignorant and their beliefs too arrogant.

They never do what i say wherever i went and they get angry when you insist on something too much!

I was shouted at by a Honda mechanic for pointing out that the oil with the blue cap is not the same as the oil with the red cap.

Unfortunately they can't deal with things as rational adults, never mind professional rational adults.

Cbrer, unfortunately according to Thai labor laws; it is forbidden for foreigners to work as mechanics.

And, i was struggling with mechanics back home too to be honest!

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[cbrer]

i showed them the print outs i had from Kawasaki showing it should be done by Kawasaki Main Dealer, but the answer was..... This is Thailand don't have to do in Thailand...................... Oh and the chain apparently didn't need adjusting despite my request for it to be adjusted.

There is no helping them.

Thailand really is a racist's fantasy come true.

Edited December 12, 2012 by cbrer

[cbrer]

LOL, how can an oil change be "not good"???

Mind boggling isn't it.

I had the same when I bought my CBR250R and took it to a dealer with 100km on the odo and wanted to change the oil and filter.

The sheer confusion and bewilderment this caused them was worthy of video taping.

After 30 minutes I had to lie and tell them I'm going on a tour of Thailand the next day so cannot cannot change the oil at 1000km. This obviously made no sense at all, but confused them to such a degree that they accepted to change the oil.

I'm pretty sure they're still confused about it 2 years later. Perhaps one day one of them will actually learn about motorcycle engines and understand.

the fact that LL's comment comes from Bangkok's Big Wing, Honda's proud Flagship for motorbikes in this country makes it even funnier.

Edited December 12, 2012 by cbrer

[BirdsandBooze]

i showed them the print outs i had from Kawasaki showing it should be done by Kawasaki Main Dealer, but the answer was..... This is Thailand don't have to do in Thailand...................... Oh and the chain apparently didn't need adjusting despite my request for it to be adjusted.

There is no helping them.

Thailand really is a racist's fantasy come true.

Just don't ask them to try and pronounce ku klux klan

[karlos]

i showed them the print outs i had from Kawasaki showing it should be done by Kawasaki Main Dealer, but the answer was..... This is Thailand don't have to do in Thailand...................... Oh and the chain apparently didn't need adjusting despite my request for it to be adjusted.

There is no helping them.

Thailand really is a racist's fantasy come true.

Ehh, what is one implying?

[cbrer]

^ I was only speaking for oneself mate.

[Gregory Morozov]

OK, I am out of warranty already, what are my "unauthorized" options in Bangkok? Can anyone recommend a decent English-speaking Thai mechanic specializing on Kawasaki?

[YipYipYa123]

OK, I am out of warranty already, what are my "unauthorized" options in Bangkok? Can anyone recommend a decent English-speaking Thai mechanic specializing on Kawasaki?

ive also had a bad experience at rama 9 where they left a abs cable rubbing on the tyre because they forgot to zip tie it safely out opf the way ,

but if you have no tools and live in a hi rise with no work place or want to preserve your warranty where else is there to go ?

red baron are probably the most famous but certaintly not the cheapest ,dr bikes had a decent rep also but hes more into cruisers

and my friend nearly had a serious crash when they forgot to tighten his exhaust and it fell off on hhis versys

there are tons of small shops i pass on soi inthamara or around dindeang where they are regularly stripping down down litre bikes to the frame and building them back up

but not sure how competent they are or if theyve ever had any proper training on modern engines

i wouldnt be trusting a 300km/h litre bike with them anyway

[loserlazer]

But again, lets speak honest?

I think we exaggerate little bit guys.

Please tell me frankly, how was mechanic experiences back home? It was aleays a horrible ecperience for me. In all countries i have been actually:D

And lets compare but without being discriminative please! Ku klux klun <deleted> man in a bike forum?

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Edited December 12, 2012 by loserlazer

[Gregory Morozov]

But again, lets speak honest?

I think we exaggerate little bit guys.

Please tell me frankly, how was mechanic experiences back home? It was aleays a horrible ecperience for me. In all countries i have been actually:D

And lets compare but without being discriminative please! Ku klux klun <deleted> man in a bike forum?

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The point is not to complain, but to get a job done properly. Our lives are kinda depend on this piece of machinery

[BirdsandBooze]

But again, lets speak honest?

I think we exaggerate little bit guys.

Please tell me frankly, how was mechanic experiences back home? It was aleays a horrible ecperience for me. In all countries i have been actually:D

And lets compare but without being discriminative please! Ku klux klun <deleted> man in a bike forum?

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect App

Mechanics at main dealers in the UK - I personally never had a problem with them but I've only had experience of factory trained technicians at main dealers. Oh, and ku klux klan, that was a pronunciation joke between me and cbrer that went over your head.

[cbrer]

But again, lets speak honest?

I believe we are.

I think we exaggerate little bit guys.

I don't.

Please tell me frankly, how was mechanic experiences back home?

Like I was Mr. Honda compared to here.

But that is besides the point.

1) this is about abysmal mechanics in Thailand (and Kawasaki to be specific).

2) If other countries have similarly poor attitudes, abilities, and incompetence in similar fields that doesn't mean squat. We are in Thailand. TIT etc. is nonsense. Just because we are in a developing World backwater doesn't mean that companies such as Kawa, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha should have imbeciles working on their customer's bikes as they (the imbeciles) see fit.

As soon as a mechanic is seen racing a customer's bike, in a big name dealership, he should be fuc_ked out the door.

As soon as a mechanic is seen to not follow the service manual, in a big name dealership, he should be fuc_ked out the door.

etc etc.

Oh 'Mai pen rai', 'TiT'... <deleted>!

What are they, retards that cannot comprehend how to properly do their job?

Yours,

Angry Farang.

Edited December 12, 2012 by cbrer

[YipYipYa123]

in a first world country where you could file a claim and be awarded millions for negligence leading to a catastrophic accident

if they had that in thailand they might start going by the manual a bit more and double checking things are tightened etc

in a mai pen rai country with "mechanics" paid 300 thb a day ,what more can you expect ?

even the young boys at yamaha cant manage an oil change without getting some greasy handprints on the seat or the tank

or both if theyre having a good day and they must do dozens of oil changes per day so you would think they would get the hang of it by now

[cbrer]

in a mai pen rai country with "mechanics" paid 300 thb a day ,what more can you expect ?

See the edited version for extra ranting.

People go back to the wage factor, that's <deleted> as well. They're paid to do their job as trained and directed (hopefully) by the company - Honda, Kawa, whatever, if they cannot do their job or treat the paying customer's property with respect they should be fuc_ked out the door.

As should the management who allow their staff to work on paying customer's bikes without following company procedure (following all service manuals), which this Kawa 'Gold' Center seems to be famous for.

There's no two ways about it.

Yours,

Angry Farang.

Edited December 12, 2012 by cbrer

[loserlazer]

But, we are always coming to the same point.

The problems you all mention - which i agree and you are right - are orginated because of less investment on education, training, less investment on human resources, tools, service space etc. and greedy and insensitive owners/managers/politicians are cutting these from us. These are all about money.

Not about being a Thai, man!

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Edited December 12, 2012 by loserlazer

[cbrer]

But, we are always coming to the same point.

The problems you all mention - which i agree and you are right - are orginated because of less investment on education, training, less investment on human resources, tools, service space etc. and greedy and insensitive owners/managers/politicians are cutting these from us. These are all about money.

Not about being a Thai, man!

Utter nonsense.

[wantan]

But, we are always coming to the same point.

The problems you all mention - which i agree and you are right - are orginated because of less investment on education, training, less investment on human resources, tools, service space etc. and greedy and insensitive owners/managers/politicians are cutting these from us. These are all about money.

Not about being a Thai, man!

Yes, its all about money. Professional mechanic training schools, apprenticeships as mechanics, further education to become a master mechanic, and so on. Such things need money. Teachers, students, schools, material, everyone and everything has to be paid.

And i guess service is nothing to make big money with. In LOS you can make money with selling bikes, but nor with service. Service is much too cheap. Not possible to pay 100% professional, best educated mechanics and buy the best tools i guess. And i guess the best mechanics are working at the bike factories for better wages and with better working conditions than at the average shop. But these all are only guesses of course. Just a try to understand the chaos

[cbrer]

But, we are always coming to the same point.

The problems you all mention - which i agree and you are right - are orginated because of less investment on education, training, less investment on human resources, tools, service space etc. and greedy and insensitive owners/managers/politicians are cutting these from us. These are all about money.

Not about being a Thai, man!

Yes, its all about money. Professional mechanic training schools, apprenticeships as mechanics, further education to become a master mechanic, and so on. Such things need money. Teachers, students, schools, material, everyone and everything has to be paid.

So you think that Honda/Kawa mechanics haven't received training?

Again, utter nonsense. It doesn't take much training to follow a service manual. It is the sheer ignorant, arrogant, and imbecilic attitude of the staff, and the 'mai pen rai' attitude of the managers to let such behaviour happen that is the root cause.

It doesn't take much training to follow a service manual. It takes an awful lot of ignorance, arrogance and stupidity to believe and proudly declare that you don't need to because you know more than it.

Edited December 13, 2012 by cbrer

[BirdsandBooze]

But, we are always coming to the same point.

The problems you all mention - which i agree and you are right - are orginated because of less investment on education, training, less investment on human resources, tools, service space etc. and greedy and insensitive owners/managers/politicians are cutting these from us. These are all about money.

Not about being a Thai, man!

Yes, its all about money. Professional mechanic training schools, apprenticeships as mechanics, further education to become a master mechanic, and so on. Such things need money. Teachers, students, schools, material, everyone and everything has to be paid.

So you think that Honda/Kawa mechanics haven't received training?

Again, utter nonsense. It doesn't take much training to follow a service manual. It is the sheer ignorant, arrogant, and imbecilic attitude of the staff, and the 'mai pen rai' attitude of the managers to let such behaviour happen that is the root cause.

It doesn't take much training to follow a service manual. It takes an awful lot of ignorance, arrogance and stupidity to believe and proudly declare that you don't need to because you know more than it.

It`s all about attitude. In the UK the technicians at the dealers where I bought my bikes had a passionate interest in motorcycles and were following a career they`d sought out. They took real pride in their work and if anything needed replacing they`d call first and when the work was completed they`d have the removed component at hand to explain the problem. Here it seems many of the mechanics took up the profession simply because a job became available. There are exceptions and these are the ones who are competent and enthusiastic about their work. I took my wife`s Teana for service at our Nissan dealer and followed my wife`s instructions and requested that the female technician there worked on it. This girl told me she had always wanted to work on cars. She loves her job and could probably walk into any Nissan dealer in the UK and get employment. Some people are trying to excuse sloppy workmanship by playing the race card and crying discrimination; that`s incorrect, many of us have got Thai wives/GF`s and mixed race kids and find that charge offensive.

[wantan]

Why do you call a mechanic a mechanic? Because he is doing proper work following a manual? Or because he has a solid educational foundation and knowledge in mechanics and knows WHY instructions in the manual are written the way they are?

Would you let anyone working on your bike just because he can read a manual and promises to follow it? I wouldn't. I want the person working on my bike having a deep solid knowledge about bikes/engines/technics. And this you do not get with reading manuals. You need a proper educational system for it.

Of course its about money. Maybe Honda and the others are offering training and some "mechanical education" for their mechanics. But it doesn't seem to be enough. It will take many years till the quality of mechanics in LOS is compareable to high standard western countries. And it will take a lot of money.