Ignition? HELP!!!

[JJBlue]

This is long but need some advice:

So I have an American Iron Horse, LoneStar Chopper, 2005. (Don't beat me) I had issues with it 2 months after it's purchase and took it in to the closest dealer. They charged me $300 to clean the fuel filter, replace the air filter and main jet. Once I got it back, problem was still there. It ran like crap, like dirty fuel. It would run really sluggish and I had no HP or torque. I was lucky to get up to 45 mph. It was not all the time it ran this way, finally I couldn't take it anymore and took it in to the dealer I bought it from almost 100 miles away.

They don't have a mechanic so they contracted it out. The mech said my ignition is bad and it is causing one of my cylinders to NOT fire. He put in a Dyna 2000i. After it was all said and done, it cost me $1,452. The owner of the dealer said I was charged for the parts at "cost". Which included two Nology 3ohm coils at $90 a piece and the Ignition at $400 and $150 for new push rods. So was I charge $700 in labor?

The mechanic said he HAD to cut my push rods out since he replaced the ignition. He replaced those with S&S rods. He also put my bike on the Dyno. He said he only charged me $150 for that, and that can run up to $15,000 in some places. He had to do some cutting on my coil cover in order for it to fit over the new coils. I have wires cut and tied up (apparently from the old stuff) and a wire that is stripped and tied up with a zip tie...Just there, bare for all to see. If you look at it, it looks like SHI*.

The dealer said let the guy fix it at no extra charge. My question is, was the work done even needed if I have the same problem? I'm out almost $1,500 and the mech swears my ignition was bad, that the coil cover is only cosmetic and oh by the way, after he put it back together, he decided my tach was such crap he decided not to hook it back up and recommended I get a separate tach unit, not one built into my speedo. He said that the Iron Horse dealer said they had problems with those units. I told him "I know, that's why I paid $200 for the manufacturer to rebuild it last month!" This guy works out of his garage. Last thing is I talked to another AIH mechanic and he said the coils had a recall along with a wiring harness that plugs up to the stock harness. That may have fixed the problem, but this guy wasn't aware of that. He's been talking with the AIH dealer near him. One question is, why didn't my bike just go to the AIH dealer who has a tech there? Instead I got a middle man working on my bike.

Am I screwed and have to see this guy to fix my bike? He had it three weeks and can't pick it up for another week or so to get working on it again. So I'm on there schedule while they are spending my money. If I go somewhere else, the money comes out of my pocket right?

 

[DRBarnhart]

After reading this I'm in shock! As a matter of fact I've missed your question all together, what was it?

Dennis

PS I'm sorry but I'm going to need someone to explain to me what the pushrods have to do with an ignition change!

 

[JJBlue]

After reading this I'm in shock! As a matter of fact I've missed your question all together, what was it?

Dennis

PS I'm sorry but I'm going to need someone to explain to me what the pushrods have to do with an ignition change!

Yeah I think I just rambled on about my experience. My question is am I locked in with this mechanic to fix it or in a anyone's experience, will I be allowed to see another mechanic without it costing ME money? He swears nobody even knows everything he has done so other mechanics can't say yeah you got screwed but trust me, my a$$ still hurts, along with the empty wallet!

 

[DRBarnhart]

Yeah I think I just rambled on about my experience.

Don't misunderstand me, you explained things just fine! :up:

My question is am I locked in with this mechanic to fix it or in a anyone's experience, will I be allowed to see another mechanic without it costing ME money?

Is there any kind of guarantee with his work? Are you sure it won't cost you more money even if you were to go back to him?

He swears nobody even knows everything he has done so other mechanics can't say yeah you got screwed but trust me, my a$$ still hurts, along with the empty wallet!

There isn't that much to a motorcycle let alone the fact that he should have told you everything he's done! Any mechanic worth his salt that can read a book could figure out exactly what he's done! I think he's feeding you a big, heaping, steamy plate of BULLSHIT!!! :angry:

And that's my :zz2cents: :zz2cents: !

Dennis

 

[pig pen]

I would not go back. Sounds like quality is not a tops on his list. If I am not mistaken the 05 AIH is standard harley wiring. If a mechanic cobbeled my bike up I would be pissed.

 

[JJBlue]

I would not go back. Sounds like quality is not a tops on his list. If I am not mistaken the 05 AIH is standard harley wiring. If a mechanic cobbeled my bike up I would be pissed.

Oh trust me, I'm pissed to high Heaven! The bad thing is the Owner of the dealership is telling me to let HIM fix it. I paid the money now he has to do his job.

Bad thing is if I go somewhere else, it's going to cost me more money where as the owner promised no additional charge. But she (Owner) is lost like a fart in a wurl-wind when it comes to bikes. She just wants it fixed and is feeling really guilty. She's really nice and means well but I lost all faith in the the mechanic she chose. Besides that, I feel as if I paid WAY TOO MUCH for f**ked up results.

Can someone chime in and tell me if I needed my pushrods cut out because he replaced my ignition. He said they were one piece and had to replace them with the S&S.

Also how much does Dyno results cost?

 

[alhall88]

The pushrods have nothing to do with an ignition change itself. Unless he told you the something like the lifters were noisy and needed adjusted he had no business touching them.Ignition change is as easy as it gets and all he had to do when routing the wires over to the coil he should have stopped half way at the point under the seat and picked up the tach signal wire. I have seen mechanics do this before, they run all the wires over to the coil and forgot to hook up the tach wire then they tell you the ignition won't work with your tach. That ignition retails for about $275.00 and you can get it cheaper. If they would have done some research they would have found a one piece coil setup for single fire ignition and they shouldn't have needed to modify your cover. My advise would be to take pictures right now of all the fuckups they did and copies of all the paperwork. Then I would get some prices of the work they were supposed to do from another tech from another business. Then I would confront the mechanic and owner BEFORE I bring my bike back to them. Show them the pictures of what you want fixed correctly and the prices that you should have been charged. If they don't agree on taking care of you then take it somewhere else and take them to small claims court for the rework.

 

[JJBlue]

The pushrods have nothing to do with an ignition change itself. Unless he told you the something like the lifters were noisy and needed adjusted he had no business touching them.Ignition change is as easy as it gets and all he had to do when routing the wires over to the coil he should have stopped half way at the point under the seat and picked up the tach signal wire. I have seen mechanics do this before, they run all the wires over to the coil and forgot to hook up the tach wire then they tell you the ignition won't work with your tach. That ignition retails for about $275.00 and you can get it cheaper. If they would have done some research they would have found a one piece coil setup for single fire ignition and they shouldn't have needed to modify your cover. My advise would be to take pictures right now of all the fuckups they did and copies of all the paperwork. Then I would get some prices of the work they were supposed to do from another tech from another business. Then I would confront the mechanic and owner BEFORE I bring my bike back to them. Show them the pictures of what you want fixed correctly and the prices that you should have been charged. If they don't agree on taking care of you then take it somewhere else and take them to small claims court for the rework.

Thanks for the advice. He had to modify the cover because he said the IronHorse didn't support the install of the new ignition. My old ignition cover had 111 on it and now it says S&S. He took the 111 and put it on another bike "to protect it from dust". The new coils were too wide so he had to cut the sides in order for the coil cover to fit.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[MARV]

Am I screwed and have to see this guy to fix my bike?

yea your fucked!

for 1500 you could have bought the parts, tools, lift and a manual.

let him clean up his sloppy electrical work then chaulk it up as a 1500 dollar learning experience. you got to educate yourself on this stuff or its an expensive experience.