Blew out a belt on the highway. NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY

[knightrider]

i have a question. are you running aftermarket covers? ive read the thread, but maybe i missed it.  i see that mr norm states that they have evidence that the belt covers that were on the bike during the inspection were not the ones installed when the incident occured. how exactly did they come to that conclusion?  if its lack of belt parts inside the covers, well thats just lame because the first thing i would do if i thought i broke a belt would be to pull the covers to check the belts, they are not attached with tamper proof screws and the tool is provided in the factory toolkit,(i myself dont run belt covers) i dont see how they can base a claim off of missing debris.

[vwboomer]

I'd sure be interested as well to see the damage to the crankcase from the foreign material.
If the dealer (Corse) won't cover it, and DNA won't cover it, claim it on insurance? Maybe pick it up from Corse, put it in your truck, and drop it off on I43 near the 2rivers exit at 80mph. Then stop at Team, and buy an S3

[gnostic203]

Same guy at Ducati:
Ducati has made their best effort to resolve this issue amicably and we have attempted to explain our position and conclude this matter in a reasonable and professional manner.  Ducati must consider this issue closed.

Regards,

This is where I call BS.  I know someone else already pointed out that 1 person may not be the voice of the entire company and I have to agree with that.  This guy is a technical service rep or something like and seems to be making a decision above his pay grade.  Either way again, I really feel for you having to deal with this crap.

[TAftonomos]

Any updates here?

I read a story not to long ago about a car dealership (major US brand) that did something like this to an old retired Army guy.

Dude drove out in the street, popped the hood, and lit the thing on FIRE.  I'm not suggesting that, but damn.

[dlearl476]

some guy at Ducati:

Ducati must adhere to its warranty policies in a uniform and consistent manner that is fair to all customers.  We apologize if this issue cannot be resolved to your satisfaction.

Kind regards,

Mike Norman
Technical Representative-
Customer Service

I'm thinking a reply to Mr. Norman with this sentence highlighted, accompanied by three or four letters from owners documenting their "no questions asked" warranty claims, ON A LETTERHEAD FROM A LAWYER, would give Mr. Norman some pause for refection.

btw,  was your CF cover DP or aftermarket?  Installed by a dealer or by you? IMO if the answer to both is the former, I don't think Ducati has a leg to stand on. I thought only BMW pulled this kind of shit.  I would also get Corse involved as someone preveiously suggested.  In a case involving pitted wheel on my BMW F650, which several owners had warrantied, that's what it took.  It was originally declined on the basis of my "poor maintenance and improper cleaning."  Once I pointed out to the dealer that a) my bike was never dirtier than when I picked it up from THEM and b) that my 1970 R60/5 had managed 30 years without pitted wheels and my F650 hadn't made a single one, the dealer was on the horn to the service rep and my wheels were replaced.  And that was BEFORE I found the TSB re: improper finishing from San Remo, the OEM manufacture.

And lastly, when all is said and done, a link to this thread for Mr. Norman's boss' email might give you a little satisfaction, if nothing else.  Good Luck. 

[dlearl476]

Keep in mind an employee inspected the bike who may want to impress the boss.  One person does not always represent a company.  

+1

I think more and more companies are using the insurance company model: the first step up from the cold-call telemarketers is the "NO" dept. Just like David Spade in the credit card commercials, they have a whole division of folks whose job is to deny initial claims.  Make some noise and you get past them to somone who can actually make a decision.

Do consult a lawyer for advice, but don't have an attorney send a letter yet.  

I don't know why, IMO a letter like the one I suggested above would end the matter, pronto.  It may be $200-$300 down the drain, but it also might $200 vs $1500. The choice for Ducati is paying Corse $600-$800 to repair your bike or pay to fly a lawyer in for a day, go to court, and possibly STILL end up paying the $600 to repair your bike.

[Howie]

<snip>
I don't know why, IMO a letter like the one I suggested above would end the matter, pronto.  It may be $200-$300 down the drain, but it also might $200 vs $1500. The choice for Ducati is paying Corse $600-$800 to repair your bike or pay to fly a lawyer in for a day, go to court, and possibly STILL end up paying the $600 to repair your bike.

My experience is manufacturers prefer to come out looking like a good guy, not a looser.  There is still time for the lawyer's letter.

[bigtime]

I don't understand why you folks keep going on that this is a Ducati warranty issue.  The facts don't show any hardware failure within the system or evidence of premature belt failure.  Without evidence to the contrary, no lawyer is going be able to make a case.

I assume DNA provided photos of the damage to the case and the wear on the belt supports evidence of FOD.  If there was another failure that caused the belt to fail DNA would have identified it.  But more importantly, Luke AND Corse would have found the evidence and presented it to DNA.  The belt system is easy to inspect and any pulley failure, broken bolt, etc. would be apparent. If the belt was too tight, that's a 600 mile maintenance issue and the shop that performed the work is at fault.

When you introduce an after market belt cover it presents risk.  Improper installation, inadequate clearance, inadequate protection from debris and elements.  Why should DNA be on the hook for a modification to such a sensitive area?  Every time someone is denied warranty work it's a conspiracy.  That's not my experience, many of us have had satisfactory warranty work performed. 

[silas]

I don't understand why you folks keep going on that this is a Ducati warranty issue.  The facts don't show any hardware failure within the system or evidence of premature belt failure.  Without evidence to the contrary, no lawyer is going be able to make a case.

I assume DNA provided photos of the damage to the case and the wear on the belt supports evidence of FOD.  If there was another failure that caused the belt to fail DNA would have identified it.  But more importantly, Luke AND Corse would have found the evidence and presented it to DNA.  The belt system is easy to inspect and any pulley failure, broken bolt, etc. would be apparent. If the belt was too tight, that's a 600 mile maintenance issue and the shop that performed the work is at fault.

When you introduce an after market belt cover it presents risk.  Improper installation, inadequate clearance, inadequate protection from debris and elements.  Why should DNA be on the hook for a modification to such a sensitive area?  Every time someone is denied warranty work it's a conspiracy.  That's not my experience, many of us have had satisfactory warranty work performed. 

The best proof would seem to be the belt adjusters themselves. Did anyone measure their position after the failure to prove they were too tight ? What was the result?

[ducatiz]

The best proof would seem to be the belt adjusters themselves. Did anyone measure their position after the failure to prove they were too tight ? What was the result?

that wouldn't tell you anything, belt tension is relative and you can't tell it from the position of the tensioner, only from the belt itself.

[Popeye the Sailor]

I assume DNA provided photos of the damage to the case and the wear on the belt supports evidence of FOD. 

Mr. Norman

I would like to reiterate my extreme dissatisfaction in your decision.  I will also expect you to provide me the visual evidenced and inspector's notes that you have used to come to your decision just as you agreed to do during our conversation. 

Assuming is not good.

[billg69gmc]

I feel your pain... I went thru an even more expensive DNA Enema last year with my ST3s. In my case I did not have the dealer behind me. I was lead down a path of deception all the while they would not establish whether it was under warranty until parts were purchased. I was never so pissed off in my life. Dealer stated, "Your ECU is fried", My question, "Is that covered under warranty?"... Dealer, "We'll have to check on that... you want it fixed though, right?" At the time, ok, fried ECU, I have to buy it from Ducati. ECU comes in, then they call me up and tell me my dash is fried. Is that covered by my warranty? I dunno, we'll have to find out from DNA, you do want your bike fixed though, right? My follow up was, "I thought you said the ECU was fried, why is it now the dash too, can't you, an authorized dealer check these things?" No. No dealer, nor DNA can ascertain the validity of an ECU or a Dash unit. They only know that if you replace it, and it works, that that proves it was broken.

And you want to know what happened in the end... Because I installed a fan switch, DNA said that due to the draw throwing a switch could cause a failure of both parts. Claim DENIED. Many emails written to DNA to a Mike Norman and countless phone calls to the dealer, both of whom never called back as promised. I have to eat an ECU/Dash combo. And to add insult to injury, I expressly requested that when they ordered the dash, that they see if the previous ECU was not bad so that I would not have to buy parts that don't need to be replaced... after all, DNA and the dealer admitted after the fact that there is no test equipment in North America to test a dash unit or an ECU. The "proper" test equipment is to sell it to a customer, install it, and if it works... it passes the test. So I still have a DP ECU for an ST3, that may be good. DNA refused to take it back and can't test it. It did work, the bike booted up as a Monster. This was also the case with the stock ECU. So it may end up on ebay with the story... Im not out to screw the next guy, that's DNA's job!

From here on out, I will buy any future Ducati, used, low miles and never step foot into a dealership and promote such tactics. I will do all my own work. I will buy from 3rd partys. And I will not trust any company no matter how much I love the product. And this especially applies to a certain dealership in Birmingham, AL.

Morale of the story... Play their game like they play it. If you run into a claim and it is not something you did, put everything back to stock and stick to a the simple story. I was riding, then it went KaBlewie. I say file some sort of small claims, if that is possible. Have a judge decide it. They can't say no to that. They either show up or put up. If you are in the right, it will go your way. Then you can live to tell the tale.

Sorry, don't mean to hijack...