Casting defects, customer service, and a new face.

[KevinQ]

Just a heads up...I considered a new member post and decided against it because I have interesting circumstances. Anyways....



Hello, all.

Name is Kevin and I come from a far off land just north of Pittsburgh, PA. I am a father of 5, fixer of mechanical things, and construction worker. I am the owner of a 2022 R18 Classic. I purchased and rode it home on May 28 with only 8 miles on the odometer. My story kinda begins there.

The drama started immediately with oil on my right boot and shin. Right jug was leaking oil from an unknown location on the right cylinder but no other issues. Got 300 miles in and lost about a quart of oil over the Memorial Day weekend only to return the bike to the dealer first thing the following Tuesday. It didnt take long for the dealer to determine it was a casting defect. It was weeping oil between cooling fins of the cylinder wall...and it only leaked when warm.

I was given a 2022 Indian Cheiftan as a loaner. Nice bike. Only had 2200mi on it and I returned it with 3700.

After a month of temporary Indian ownsrship, the dealer replaced (almost half engine rebuild?) the right jug. Dealer claimes to have managed to contact someone and that contact managed to pull a part from the assembly line. The part arrived on the 25 or 26 of June. Installation, by virtue of engine orientation, didn't take much time. I received the bike back June 29th.

BMW Customer Service has been a nightmare. I haven't actually made any headway with my case manager. I've called in dozens of times only to have service reps only to be told my case manager is currently on the line with someone else or not in the office. The service rep receiving my call can only leave notes and message the caseworker because the caseworker is the only one who has access to the information concerning my case.

Last time my case manager actually made contact was over 3 weeks ago before my dealer got the part pulled from the line. Before the repairs began but after the casting defect diagnosis, I requested bmw repurchase the bike and I offered to even trade up to a Bagger or something.

I have contacted customer service every other business day for the last 3 weeks. My caseworker has yet to replay to me.


My current situation isn't horrible. The bike currently runs great. First service timing is all messed up with the oil being changed at 300 miles with the engine work. I'm quickly racking up miles and I am currently at 1020miles. I didn't service the final drive until a few hours before this post (go figure, it rained on me). Gonna give the bike an oil change service next weekend.


I don't want my bike but it is the one I'm stuck with. I love the R18 (maybe I'm just stupid) and would genuinely like to own one. I just don't want the bad history my bike currently carries through no fault of my own and the month of downtime associated with the diagnoses and repair doesn't help either. I'm wondering if and how BMW plans on handling any sort of compensation. In spite of my few months of forum lurking and web browsing the last few months, I haven't seen many issues similar to mine. I have found countless stories of people struggling with BMW customer service. So wish me luck I guess.


Sorry if the post is in "wrong section" considering the content is all over the place. It's nice to meet you all. If you have any advice concerning my R18 or BMW customer service, I'm open to suggestions.


- Kevin

PS...attached are some interesting photos of my bike, a couple of my kids, the final drive service, and the loaner Indian.

 

[R2K]

welcome Kevin sorry for the heartache with the purchase of that beautiful red R18. It sure is pretty. I am not very far away from you 30 miles east of Pittsburgh. I have an R18 FE maybe we can take them for a ride someday.

 

[KevinQ]

Well, pittsburgh is a bit of a lie. I actually live in Ellwood City, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.

I am always up for a ride though. Rode about 2k in the last two months all over the PA/OH/WV area in spite of my troubles. I have owned a few bikes in my life but the R18 is my first NEW vehicle purchase ever and the first bike I've owned since my early 20s (now 35). No matter the outcome of this casting defect drama, I'm gonna be out on an R18 riding around somewhere and you can never have too many riding buddies.

 

[emgarciax]

I understand you, take your time to validate that this issue is really solved and reconsider.
BMW will stand by you, albeit at their slow pace. So if you like the bike, if there are no other issues, I wouldn‘t bother anymore.
My last GS had the final drive completely replaced at BMW’s cost after 5 years and 29.5k miles.
Of course, you have all the right to feel some apprehension. In the end it should be your call.
Enjoy the ride!

 

[KevinQ]

I guess my concern is there being an blemish on my bikes record. Even if I take meticulous care of the bike and it gave me no issues from here on out, would the blemish on its record come back to haunt me at trade-in or resale? Also, just waiting for answers generally just sucks. Even more so seeing as I have the bike back for over a week and I have had no interactions with my case manager since before the parts were aquired and the repair made. So I've grown a bit impatient waiting for even the most basic of correspondence. Having the bike back and in running order lessens the sting a bit.

In the meantime, my focus has been on the seat. After 1000mi, I can assuredly say the stock seat is horrible. There is a weekender or cross country seat in my future for sure.

On and unrelated note. My wife has taken to the motorcycle ownership thing quite nicely. So much so that we are weighing the idea of a R18TC upgrade next season or figuring out reasonable (financially) way to keep me on two wheels and buy her a Honda 1100 DCT of her own to ride. Considering the last bike I owned was an '05 GSXR1000 she was none too happy with, this was a far better outcome then I could have ever really hoped for.

 

[emgarciax]

Happy wife, happy life!

 

[R2K]

I guess my concern is there being an blemish on my bikes record. Even if I take meticulous care of the bike and it gave me no issues from here on out, would the blemish on its record come back to haunt me at trade-in or resale? Also, just waiting for answers generally just sucks. Even more so seeing as I have the bike back for over a week and I have had no interactions with my case manager since before the parts were aquired and the repair made. So I've grown a bit impatient waiting for even the most basic of correspondence. Having the bike back and in running order lessens the sting a bit.

In the meantime, my focus has been on the seat. After 1000mi, I can assuredly say the stock seat is horrible. There is a weekender or cross country seat in my future for sure.

On and unrelated note. My wife has taken to the motorcycle ownership thing quite nicely. So much so that we are weighing the idea of a R18TC upgrade next season or figuring out reasonable (financially) way to keep me on two wheels and buy her a Honda 1100 DCT of her own to ride. Considering the last bike I owned was an '05 GSXR1000 she was none too happy with, this was a far better outcome then I could have ever really hoped for.

I currently have the homage on my FE but I have the cross country that I took off if you want to try it.

 

[KevinQ]

I would love to...but you may never get it back. The stock seat has been a true pain in my ass. 100 miles and I'm in pain. I'm sure passing drivers get a kick out of me shifting back onto the pillion seat for a momentary change of positioning. I could go for another inch or two of height in my seat. I have the room to upshift with my toe, but I find myself heeling up gears because my knee is so bent that lifting the front of my foot is more difficult than usual.



I swear to God, if if wasn't so damn pretty I wouldn't be putting up with it.

 

[Keehn]

First off Kevin, welcome to the forum!

Second, glad the casting defect revealed itself so early. I shudder to think about the location (in the cylinder wall! ). That would have metastasized into a HUGE problem down the road. This is the first I've personally heard of such a glaring QA issue passing by BMW's checks.

Thirdly, I'd ride the HELL out of your bike if I were you! All the way up to the 36k miles before your 3 year warranty expires. That way, you can shake out any other issues in your ride while you're under warranty.

But again, in all my decades of riding Beemers, I've never heard of anyone getting a brand new ride from BMW with a defective casting in their cylinder from the factory. I think that should tell you about the quality of their QA.

I'm sorry you got the 1 in a 100,000, but...at LEAST in the end BMW DID fix your issue .

Mike

 

[VARG]

Nice looking Classic! Super glad BMW was able to resolve your issue in reasonable time, the loaner was pretty cool too.
My experience of over 20,000 miles on my R18s has been virtually flawless and I wish you the same.
I believe they feel better and better with the miles and look forward to their long life with regular service.

 

[KevinQ]

Thanks for the warm welcome gents. I'll have been waiting to vent a bit about my problems with the engine but, much like my experience with BMW customer service, I didn't want to let my impatience and frustration get the best of me. I've been lurking around here and other corners of the internet and haven't found anything similar to this issue. As frustrating as it has been, I cam to an early conclusion that I have managed to buy the 1 in 100000 bike miracle casting defect.

For anyone interested, here's a few photos of the cylinder.

 

[Keehn]

Thanks for the warm welcome gents. I'll have been waiting to vent a bit about my problems with the engine but, much like my experience with BMW customer service, I didn't want to let my impatience and frustration get the best of me. I've been lurking around here and other corners of the internet and haven't found anything similar to this issue. As frustrating as it has been, I cam to an early conclusion that I have managed to buy the 1 in 100000 bike miracle casting defect.

For anyone interested, here's a few photos of the cylinder.

I presume BMW wanted that defective part back? The barcode on the side there will be invaluable to BMW, as they use that to pinpoint the exact date/time/etc., of that casting and more importantly, to determine what failed during QA.

You might be frustrated, but I'm pretty sure there are some red faces over in Munich right now over this as well...

Mike

 

[KevinQ]

I requested the part if for some reason BMW did not request the part for analysis of some sort. Haven't talked to the dealership since I picked up the bike so i dont think I will ever see the part again.

Which brings me to another kinda-issue. I don't want to sound like I am talking down on the dealer nor will I name names, because they took great care of my bike and me during the downtime. But I was a bit caught off guard by the mechanic who repaired my bike. I told him I was likely going to be doing my own diff, trans, and engine oil services and was interested in purchasing appropriate crush washers. Mechanic straight up said "I reuse them 95% of the time."

I am a capable dude. Vet army tank maintainer, multiskill tradesman. My family hauler is a well maintained 25 year old conversion van/living room on wheels (its in the background of a photo in the title post). Things being as they are I'm going to probably handle most every task you can accomplish from a wheel front wheel chock. I was considering leaving the more involved tasks, like the valve adjustment, for the BMW mechanics. The mechanic's crush washer advice kinda has me considering just doing it all on my own unless its a major warranty issue.

 

[Cu Dubh]

Just a heads up...I considered a new member post and decided against it because I have interesting circumstances. Anyways....



Hello, all.

Name is Kevin and I come from a far off land just north of Pittsburgh, PA. I am a father of 5, fixer of mechanical things, and construction worker. I am the owner of a 2022 R18 Classic. I purchased and rode it home on May 28 with only 8 miles on the odometer. My story kinda begins there.

The drama started immediately with oil on my right boot and shin. Right jug was leaking oil from an unknown location on the right cylinder but no other issues. Got 300 miles in and lost about a quart of oil over the Memorial Day weekend only to return the bike to the dealer first thing the following Tuesday. It didnt take long for the dealer to determine it was a casting defect. It was weeping oil between cooling fins of the cylinder wall...and it only leaked when warm.

I was given a 2022 Indian Cheiftan as a loaner. Nice bike. Only had 2200mi on it and I returned it with 3700.

After a month of temporary Indian ownsrship, the dealer replaced (almost half engine rebuild?) the right jug. Dealer claimes to have managed to contact someone and that contact managed to pull a part from the assembly line. The part arrived on the 25 or 26 of June. Installation, by virtue of engine orientation, didn't take much time. I received the bike back June 29th.

BMW Customer Service has been a nightmare. I haven't actually made any headway with my case manager. I've called in dozens of times only to have service reps only to be told my case manager is currently on the line with someone else or not in the office. The service rep receiving my call can only leave notes and message the caseworker because the caseworker is the only one who has access to the information concerning my case.

Last time my case manager actually made contact was over 3 weeks ago before my dealer got the part pulled from the line. Before the repairs began but after the casting defect diagnosis, I requested bmw repurchase the bike and I offered to even trade up to a Bagger or something.

I have contacted customer service every other business day for the last 3 weeks. My caseworker has yet to replay to me.


My current situation isn't horrible. The bike currently runs great. First service timing is all messed up with the oil being changed at 300 miles with the engine work. I'm quickly racking up miles and I am currently at 1020miles. I didn't service the final drive until a few hours before this post (go figure, it rained on me). Gonna give the bike an oil change service next weekend.


I don't want my bike but it is the one I'm stuck with. I love the R18 (maybe I'm just stupid) and would genuinely like to own one. I just don't want the bad history my bike currently carries through no fault of my own and the month of downtime associated with the diagnoses and repair doesn't help either. I'm wondering if and how BMW plans on handling any sort of compensation. In spite of my few months of forum lurking and web browsing the last few months, I haven't seen many issues similar to mine. I have found countless stories of people struggling with BMW customer service. So wish me luck I guess.


Sorry if the post is in "wrong section" considering the content is all over the place. It's nice to meet you all. If you have any advice concerning my R18 or BMW customer service, I'm open to suggestions.


- Kevin

PS...attached are some interesting photos of my bike, a couple of my kids, the final drive service, and the loaner Indian.

Serious drag of a story. I've only owned 2 BMWs: my '22 TC & my '02 1150 GS that I've ridden for 20 years. The GS sold me on BMW, plus I really like the boxer engine. There are many good bikes & brands out there, just gotta find the one that works for you.

One of the points you made below is solid gold: know & trust your mechanic, even if it's you.

I'm north of you, near Franklin/Oil City. Get hold of me if you want to meet up and compare bikes sometime.

 

[Rufus]

Sorry to hear what’s happened. Using your phrase ‘it sucks’. However, warranties are there for a reason. Presumably BMW did all the repair work FOC plus provided you a (similar styled) bike. You said the dealership were good. If your bike is all done now and you are satisfied with it then it’s really no different to any other R18 bike is it? Like another chap said GS bikes have had all sorts of big recalls over the years.

I bought a new Gen6 Goldwing and on my first ride out dashboard warning lights came on. I was really peed off. So I turned around and went home, called the dealer, they picked it up, diagnosed it, ordered parts, I waited a few weeks and I got it back (no courtesy bike offered though). Fine afterwards. Point is, these things happen. Try not to let it overwhelm your enjoyment of your bike.

 

[Deleted member 1618]

I requested the part if for some reason BMW did not request the part for analysis of some sort. Haven't talked to the dealership since I picked up the bike so i dont think I will ever see the part again.

Which brings me to another kinda-issue. I don't want to sound like I am talking down on the dealer nor will I name names, because they took great care of my bike and me during the downtime. But I was a bit caught off guard by the mechanic who repaired my bike. I told him I was likely going to be doing my own diff, trans, and engine oil services and was interested in purchasing appropriate crush washers. Mechanic straight up said "I reuse them 95% of the time."

I am a capable dude. Vet army tank maintainer, multiskill tradesman. My family hauler is a well maintained 25 year old conversion van/living room on wheels (its in the background of a photo in the title post). Things being as they are I'm going to probably handle most every task you can accomplish from a wheel front wheel chock. I was considering leaving the more involved tasks, like the valve adjustment, for the BMW mechanics. The mechanic's crush washer advice kinda has me considering just doing it all on my own unless its a major warranty issue.

For the cost of a new crush washer and peace of mind at $1.95, it's worth replacing it if a related warranty item should ever come up regarding the engine case, transmission or rear-wheel gear drive IMO.

If you really want that Bagger, maybe review your State's Lemon Law; it sounds like the issue is in the rearview mirror at this point. 30 days out of service for a brand new bike, I'd think the dealership would trade you up towards a model B or Transcontinental?

 

[KevinQ]

The dealership only had two other base model R18s. I don't know if they could have swapped out the bike, but I didn't want anything they had in stock. From what I was initially told by my BMW caseworker over a month ago, the whole ordeal was submitted as a "repurchase request". I told the dealer and the caseworker that I'm not out to fight with people, ruffle anyone's feathers, nor am i looking for handouts. My first request was to to trade up somehow...I just didn't want add another 3k in financial burden of trading in a 300 mile, freshly driven off of the lot bike. I didn't want any freebies. Just wanted to be on a running bike without a factory defect out the door and needing a partial an engine rebuild right off the showroom floor.

Case manager seemed to agree with me but said something along the lines of "the first step is evaluating, diagnosing, and repairing the bike. After that process is complete, we will discuss a repurchase options and trading up to a B or TC."

Like I said previously, the caseworker has been impossible to get a hold of. I tried to communicate when the dealer notified me of the part being pulled off of the assembly line mid June. I tried to make contact before the dealer finished the bike's repairs near the end of june. I tried to make contact all last week and the two weeks prior. Case manager is either too busy or not in the office. Normal customer service reps can't even give me any details because my information is locked down and only available to the case manager.

It's been a crap process and I kinda feel like I've been give a bit of the mushroom treatment.

The dealerships initial reaction to my oil leak complaint was actually kinda funny. The owner of the place gave me the hard luck story about how they usually would really offer loaners because of varying insurance reasons but they received a trade in that day they could let me use. It had to be the most clapped out Victory Vision I've ever seen. Clutch was shot. Took for the PA turnpike after leaving the dealer. 4th gear roll on coming down to on ramp and the clutch just slipped as I tried to accelerate and merge. The 20 mile ride to the next available exit was sketchy to say the least.

I dropped off the shitty loaner the next morning before work. Stopped by thee dealership after work. They apologized about the Victory, confirmed that the my R18's issue was actually a serious one, and offered the Indian.

 

[R2K]

I would love to...but you may never get it back. The stock seat has been a true pain in my ass. 100 miles and I'm in pain. I'm sure passing drivers get a kick out of me shifting back onto the pillion seat for a momentary change of positioning. I could go for another inch or two of height in my seat. I have the room to upshift with my toe, but I find myself heeling up gears because my knee is so bent that lifting the front of my foot is more difficult than usual.



I swear to God, if if wasn't so damn pretty I wouldn't be putting up with it.

Well it will give you a chance to try it, and if you like it I will make you a deal on it. We are not very far apart so it would be easy to work out

 

[KevinQ]

Well it will give you a chance to try it, and if you like it I will make you a deal on it. We are not very far apart so it would be easy to work out

I will probably take you up on the offer. I will definitely be in contact...if not for the seat, at least for the ride.

 

[R2K]

I will probably take you up on the offer. I will definitely be in contact...if not for the seat, at least for the ride.

You would probably enjoy seeing my man cave.