8000 mile service.

Ducati dealers down my way were the same. No loan bikes when servicing thanks to Covid. As none of the dealers are that close to me it means that either I pay significantly more for them to collect and return or my wife has to come in the car as well. Can't even hang around in their on site cafe as it's closed. I was going to get it serviced just before I came back to sea but decided it makes more sense to get it done when I get home as then I'll be riding it in the winter. I'll get it done in the north east before bringing it south.

Dealership £180.

Me £32

That is all.

 

With modern bikes the 'minor' services tend to be fairly simple and straightforward, that most anyone can do. No garage required. (I dont have one) And no stamp needed either.. just keep receipts and be sure to follow the schedule. use OEM parts where possible. or to spec where its not. and keep receipts to prove.

I thought that this was the sort of thing, forums like this were for.

 

But, isn't the question whether, if you were to sell your bike now, you could expect to recoup the dealer cost by selling it as "Full Main dealer history" rather than "some well meaning individual did it themselves"?

Dealership £180.

Me £32

That is all.

 

With modern bikes the 'minor' services tend to be fairly simple and straightforward, that most anyone can do. No garage required. (I dont have one) And no stamp needed either.. just keep receipts and be sure to follow the schedule. use OEM parts where possible. or to spec where its not. and keep receipts to prove.

I thought that this was the sort of thing, forums like this were for.

 

But, isn't the question whether, if you were to sell your bike now, you could expect to recoup the dealer cost by selling it as "Full Main dealer history" rather than "some well meaning individual did it themselves"?

It doesnt have to be a new bike.

The vast majority of new bike buyers are trapped by the small print in their pcp contract anyway. so this post doesnt apply to them. and others see bike ownership as a strictly temporary thing. buy a bike.. keep it for maybe 3 years and then trade in for something new and sparkly. and this post doesnt apply to them either. And then there are those who spend far too much time worrying about residual value. so will ignore this post anyway thinking a fully stamped service book is the be all and end all. (it isn't)

if I was to sell my bike next week i really do wonder how much i would lose due to the fact i gave it an oil change myself. before due date. and its well before due date, I'm only doing it now.. or in the next few weeks so it has fresh oil before my trip. if you're going to spend time fretting over a few quid. and it really is just a few quid of loss of value. then this post is not for you.

My bike is actually a 'keeper'... and my thinking now is that the more money i can save in these early days the easier it will be to justify the cost of the 24,000 miler. which is priced at BMW levels and beyond my technical skill level. but thats a way off and not something i want to think about now.

Strange to specify 10W30 though?

And I'd have gone with Motul!

10W40 was more an unspoken industry standard for many vehicles.

There is no difference with their start up characteristics, the 30 oil is just thinner at 100 degrees so it is easier to pump around the engine at the cost it doesn't give the same thick coating a 40w oil will. It's really just a symptom of engines being built to better and more guaranteed tolerances these days, material science playing a big part.

On the original topic, £180 is a bit much... While I do all the heavier work on my bike, every 2 years I get it serviced at a garage. Usually £100 for a oil/filter change. I'm after the stamp in the book if I'm honest, and they usually let me hoon about on a test ride bike for a few hours

Strange to specify 10W30 though?

And I'd have gone with Motul!

 

10W40 was more an unspoken industry standard for many vehicles.

There is no difference with their start up characteristics, the 30 oil is just thinner at 100 degrees so it is easier to pump around the engine at the cost it doesn't give the same thick coating a 40w oil will. It's really just a symptom of engines being built to better and more guaranteed tolerances these days, material science playing a big part.

On the original topic, £180 is a bit much... While I do all the heavier work on my bike, every 2 years I get it serviced at a garage. Usually £100 for a oil/filter change. I'm after the stamp in the book if I'm honest, and they usually let me hoon about on a test ride bike for a few hours

as far as im aware its due to £65 an hour labour. plus the cost of the oil and then added VAT. 2 hours they said. and if i want a loaner, thats another £15

Strange to specify 10W30 though?

And I'd have gone with Motul!

 

10W40 was more an unspoken industry standard for many vehicles.

There is no difference with their start up characteristics, the 30 oil is just thinner at 100 degrees so it is easier to pump around the engine at the cost it doesn't give the same thick coating a 40w oil will. It's really just a symptom of engines being built to better and more guaranteed tolerances these days, material science playing a big part.

On the original topic, £180 is a bit much... While I do all the heavier work on my bike, every 2 years I get it serviced at a garage. Usually £100 for a oil/filter change. I'm after the stamp in the book if I'm honest, and they usually let me hoon about on a test ride bike for a few hours

What about in hotter climates Fozzie......any difference there?

What about in hotter climates Fozzie......any difference there?

That's a good question, the answer varies depending on who you ask (even in the oil industry).

The short answer is yes, a higher ambient temperature will cause additional thinning of the oil. However the manufacturers are supposed to capture this when they specify which oil to use. The affects of heat on oil are shown as a curve on a scale, so long as the engine fits the scale across the temperature spectrum of environments it will be sold it, then it's fine. I've found many are rated the same here as they are in California for instance.

The guys I used to work with said an oil doesn't just suddenly stop being effective at a certain ambient temperature. It will thin more, but this could still remain within a manufacturers specs. As you live in Spain, you are right to query it as you will spend more time over 30 degrees than we do here in the UK. I guess the question would be how often do you ride when it's 40 degrees ambient? If a lot, and for big mileage, then I would understand if you switched to 10W40 during summer months. But I'd expect any affect to be small (if any).

I work in power gen and combined heat and power, on the big gas engines, we aim for a 35 degree ambient in the enclosures. But both mech and elec design for 55 degrees ambient. I can't speak for the motoring industry, but I'd expect they'd have something similar in place.

What about in hotter climates Fozzie......any difference there?

 

That's a good question, the answer varies depending on who you ask (even in the oil industry).

The short answer is yes, a higher ambient temperature will cause additional thinning of the oil. However the manufacturers are supposed to capture this when they specify which oil to use. The affects of heat on oil are shown as a curve on a scale, so long as the engine fits the scale across the temperature spectrum of environments it will be sold it, then it's fine. I've found many are rated the same here as they are in California for instance.

The guys I used to work with said an oil doesn't just suddenly stop being effective at a certain ambient temperature. It will thin more, but this could still remain within a manufacturers specs. As you live in Spain, you are right to query it as you will spend more time over 30 degrees than we do here in the UK. I guess the question would be how often do you ride when it's 40 degrees ambient? If a lot, and for big mileage, then I would understand if you switched to 10W40 during summer months. But I'd expect any affect to be small (if any).

I work in power gen and combined heat and power, on the big gas engines, we aim for a 35 degree ambient in the enclosures. But both mech and elec design for 55 degrees ambient. I can't speak for the motoring industry, but I'd expect they'd have something similar in place.

Cheers Fozzie.....great info!