Should I be afraid of the dealer I bought my Like from?

[Mscmkr]

I called the dealer I bought my Like from today and asked him about getting the valves checked. He said it's not necessary to check them at all until at least 3000 miles. He also said it takes at least 2 and a half hours to remove all the plastic to get to the valves.
    Now I know Stig and a few others on this forum have checked there valves and I don't think it took them that long. I'm thinking this is the final red flag for this dealer. Being pretty new to scooters any input would be much appreciated.

    Thanks everyone and ride safe, mscmkr

[Stig / Major Tom]

Oh my goodness.....is your dealer in SW Ohio?
This is exactly what the young head-tech told me when i aked about that first 600 mile service....."2.5 hours to get down thru the plastics"....then gave me an astronomical price for this first service.
My thinking now is that he was not lying to me...he just had never done a LIKE's valves....
They have monster scoots on the dealer floor...8 foot long Yamaha Majesty's and such....I think he was thinking the LIKe would be like those scoots. A nightmare of plastic.

OK, here is my thinking regarding your situation:
1) To stay in good stead with your dealer and any future warranty issues....maybe think about doing this -
Remove the seat bucket from your scoot (2 screws, 4 bolts) then remove your battery cover (3 screws), then remove your lower center plastic panel (2 screws, see the youtube video for LIKE valve adjustment for how to do this all).
OK, now you have the valve cover in the open for your mechanic.
Replace the seat bucket....and the battery cover. Take it in with that center piece off....and see how much they charge to do the valve check now. You can drive it with that off - no issues unless your in a monsoon. You're not being a smart-_ss....you're just 'learning how to do things on your scoot'...."so, here you go guys...there's your valve cover!"

2) If you truly are going to quit on your dealer - and who knows how future warranty issues will be dealt with?
Follow the youtube video for the valve adjustment. OR, just do it with care - and your dealer will never know you've been in there. You're now comfortable that your valves are OK....anf he can play with them at 3000 miles.
KYMCO made this scoot - and they wrote the owner's manual which stipulates the service intervals. A lot of us owners go by that chart in the manual (some of us do things even more often than seen on that chart! )

Or 3) Do as your dealer suggests.  They are not crooks - they are just old school mechanics who have learned to do things a certain way. Will your scooter engine break if you wait until 3K to do the valve check? Probably not. The valves will probably stay very close to specs for that interval.....maybe even a whole lot longer! Seems some OldSchool guys say that if the engine is running fine - the valves are OK.


I do not have that good an ear - or a rear end educated enough to 'feel' a slightly 'off' running engine. So, I check the valves. It will take you a couple of hours the first time you do this - because it's all new stuff, and you're being so careful. The 3rd time you'll be sliding the feeler gauge blades in there a whole lot sooner than that.

You can have the 3 plastic parts (seat bucket, battery cover, lower front panel) out in 1/2 hr the first time - 12mins the second time.
For the price of 1/2 hour scooter shop labor - you can purchase the cyclpedia on-line manual (for life) -using the manual and the youtube video you might surprise yourself about how easy a valve lash check is to do!

It IS unsettling when a dealer does not follow the written material which the manufacturer gives to the new owner.


Do these guys sell a lot of scooters? Many other scoot brands as well?
My scooter has been back to the dealer only to have my Michelins installed at 400 miles.
I am learning to do all the servicing myself - and am doing it more often than specified.
Stig

[TroutBum]

Have you noticed a dramatic change in your mpg? That's a possibly indicator your valves need adjusting.

[zombie]

The dealer is quoting "book rate" for the job. That's what they get warranty paid for by the factory.
That being said it will take you about an hour, and a half to figure out how to do it yourself... the first time. After that you can do it in half that time or less.

First thing to do is get a Louisville Slugger, and head down to the dealer. Let the fella know that Something in his shop is getting a "tune up" today.
Secondly tell him to visit KymcoForum, and learn what these bikes need to keep running for years to come. Not just till it leaves the showroom.

ope this helps...

[Vivo]

The dealer is quoting "book rate" for the job. That's what they get warranty paid for by the factory.
That being said it will take you about an hour, and a half to figure out how to do it yourself... the first time. After that you can do it in half that time or less.

First thing to do is get a Louisville Slugger, and head down to the dealer. Let the fella know that Something in his shop is getting a "tune up" today.
Secondly tell him to visit KymcoForum, and learn what these bikes need to keep running for years to come. Not just till it leaves the showroom.

ope this helps...

Same 'ol Z-man! Lol!   

[Dolemite]

Does 2.5 hours include a lunch break and a cup of coffee? That's silly. Sounds to me like your dealer hasn't serviced a Like before, or he's just preparing you for a large bill. Like the others said... an experienced mechanic should be able to do the job in 30 minutes (or less). Keep in mind they have to wait for the engine to cool first, any chance there was some confusion with him saying it would have to stay with him for 2.5 hours, rather than it take that long? If it's any comfort, in the 10k miles i've put on my like, I've checked the valves the specified number of times and never were they out of spec.

[Mscmkr]

There was no confusion. He went on to explain that there's a great deal of plastic that has to come off just to get to the valves, and that it takes at least 2 hours just to reach them. He also said the 600 mile check is for oil change only. Gear oil doesn't have to be changed until at least 1200 miles.
     I have heard nothing but bad things about this dealer ever since I bought my Like from them. Of crosse this was AFTER I bought my Like. There's another owner on this forum who bought his Like from the same dealer. He had a tire that was very out of round and could not ride because of it. Took his bike to this dealer and was told by them that the tire was just low on air. Still could not ride
The bike and had to buy another tire and have it put on somewhere else. I love the huge lack of integrity by some people.

    Thanks everyone and ride safe, mscmkr

[Stig / Major Tom]

There was no confusion. He went on to explain that there's a great deal of plastic that has to come off just to get to the valves, and that it takes at least 2 hours just to reach them. He also said the 600 mile check is for oil change only. Gear oil doesn't have to be changed until at least 1200 miles.
     I have heard nothing but bad things about this dealer ever since I bought my Like from them. Of crosse this was AFTER I bought my Like. There's another owner on this forum who bought his Like from the same dealer. He had a tire that was very out of round and could not ride because of it. Took his bike to this dealer and was told by them that the tire was just low on air. Still could not ride
The bike and had to buy another tire and have it put on somewhere else. I love the huge lack of integrity by some people.

    Thanks everyone and ride safe, mscmkr

Of course the owner's manual clearly states on pages 30 and 31, that the valves are "adjusted", the engine oil is "replaced" and the gear oil is "replaced" at 200 miles! Then the engine oil is "replaced" again at 600 miles: and then all 3 are done again at 1800 miles!!
(Say, I just noticed that I was indeed supposed to look at the belt and clutch shoes at 4200 miles. I only missed it by a few 100 miles.) And, yes, the engine has to be dead cold (overnight is best) to do the valve lash check.
I'm such a tight-wad that I'd hate to pay even an hour's labor ($90 here) to do the valves - when it is kinda fun to do the service myself.  The plastic was a worrisome puzzle until I actually tried removing the parts. Tug a little here, push a little there, butter knife pry here and...Bob's Your Uncle! off she came!
While I'm in there I always spin in another new spark plug  for $7 (Iridium)
Well, ol' Mscmkr..... what have you decided to do?
IS there another scooter shop in your town...or a 'power sports' shop that you could take your scoot to?
Maybe....you could ask your dealer to do the valves, and be willing to charge you fairly for the actual time involved.
Keep us posted...
Stig

[Mscmkr]

Downloading a manual for my Like and doing this myself. That's what I'm going to do. There are a couple more dealers in town but a long drive from me. I do want to learn how to do this and it doesn't seem to be that difficult. I'm sure with some research and a few bloody knuckles, (no matter what the project I always seem to end up bleeding from somewhere) I can learn to rebuild the damn engine myself if I need to.
    I love this little bike and I think I would enjoy learning to fix it and keep it running the way it needs to. I have done some repairs to my cars and trucks along the way so I'm sure I can do this. And of course with the help of the kind folks on this forum anything is possible.

     Thanks again everyone and please ride safe, mscmkr

[TroutBum]

I would not trust your dealer. Simply remove the battery cover, disconnect your battery, remove the seat/pan and the front panel and you have all the access you need to check and adjust your valves. This would be a good time to check for loose nuts, bolts, screws, clamps and wires.

The biggest issue I've found so far with these Likes'  are the excessive use of tabs. The drawback is that they can break. Also plastic becomes brittle as it ages which is another reason to dread someone else working on your scooter. Most are not going to give the TLC needed to reduce the likelihood of damage.

Checkout other repair shops or local scooter clubs. You just might find that rare wrencher that will take care of your baby or teach the necessary skills

[zombie]

Of course the owner's manual clearly states on pages 30 and 31, that the valves are "adjusted", the engine oil is "replaced" and the gear oil is "replaced" at 200 miles! Then the engine oil is "replaced" again at 600 miles: and then all 3 are done again at 1800 miles!!
(Say, I just noticed that I was indeed supposed to look at the belt and clutch shoes at 4200 miles. I only missed it by a few 100 miles.) And, yes, the engine has to be dead cold (overnight is best) to do the valve lash check.

Of course the owner's manual clearly states on pages 30 and 31, that the valves are "adjusted", the engine oil is "replaced" and the gear oil is "replaced" at 200 miles! Then the engine oil is "replaced" again at 600 miles: and then all 3 are done again at 1800 miles!!
(Say, I just noticed that I was indeed supposed to look at the belt and clutch shoes at 4200 miles. I only missed it by a few 100 miles.) And, yes, the engine has to be dead cold (overnight is best) to do the valve lash check.
I'm such a tight-wad that I'd hate to pay even an hour's labor ($90 here) to do the valves - when it is kinda fun to do the service myself.  The plastic was a worrisome puzzle until I actually tried removing the parts. Tug a little here, push a little there, butter knife pry here and...Bob's Your Uncle! off she came!
While I'm in there I always spin in another new spark plug  for $7 (Iridium)
Well, ol' Mscmkr..... what have you decided to do?
IS there another scooter shop in your town...or a 'power sports' shop that you could take your scoot to?
Maybe....you could ask your dealer to do the valves, and be willing to charge you fairly for the actual time involved.
Keep us posted...
Stig

I'm such a tight-wad that I'd hate to pay even an hour's labor ($90 here) to do the valves - when it is kinda fun to do the service myself.  The plastic was a worrisome puzzle until I actually tried removing the parts. Tug a little here, push a little there, butter knife pry here and...Bob's Your Uncle! off she came!
While I'm in there I always spin in another new spark plug  for $7 (Iridium)
Well, ol' Mscmkr..... what have you decided to do?
IS there another scooter shop in your town...or a 'power sports' shop that you could take your scoot to?
Maybe....you could ask your dealer to do the valves, and be willing to charge you fairly for the actual time involved.
Keep us posted...
Stig

I would certainly put an email in to Kymco USA. Perhaps 10 a day until you get a valid response.
I remember the tire deal, and I know of MANY shoddy dealers for Kymco. They are the ones Kymco USA needs to know about.
Call/Email/Show this "dealer" the manual... Bring your bat, and a BIG dog if you can find one. That always gets peoples attention. ALWAYS!