ComplaintsforRick Andersons Snowmobiles and Dirtbikes

• Initial Complaint

  12/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This shop did not put oil in the engine side of my 2022 Beta 390 (Motorcycle) during work they did. Dates/descriptions of events:June 24-I crashed in ** and was not able to start it - it never turned over.June 27-Dropped off bike at ****'yShop with ***.July17-Picked up Beta from Shop.Paid for cleaning out mud from the fuel system and 6 oil changes.July 21-Rode it for the first time (5 miles). It bogged down every time I turned throttleand it was running poorly. I stopped immediately and called ******'s Shop. ***, the mechanic, said it was doing the exact same thing for him at the shop and he did not know why. He instructed me run several more tanks of gas, with the gas additive he provided me. I rode it directly home - 5 miles.July 22-Found a substantial amount of mud in the bottom of the ******** tank and called *** back and took it back to the shop that day immediately. (I have a dated Photo of mud in tank).July 24-Got Beta back from shop for a second time and rode for about 6-7 miles to test it. It did not bog down anymore.July 27-*********************, a friend, leaned bike over to look at sight glass and saw no oil - I dismissed it cause I just got the bike back from the shop and paid for 6 oil changes. (I can get a signed Affidavit from *********************)August 18-Rode about 80+ miles I tried calling *****'s Shop but it he shop had already closed.August 19-Called ******* first thing and they took the bike to diagnose the problem. Certified Beta mechanics said there was no oil in the engine side and that caused the engine to blow.I asked the Beta mechanics and Service Manager if the bike could have run about 250 miles with residual oil in the engine since there was a small amountdripping out of the Engine side and they said yes. (I can get Affidavits from ******* Certified Beta Mechanics) (Mechanic Notes from the Beta Mechanic that did the work) (I have all Engine Parts and oil filter pulled from engine after 100 miles on it and after 6 oil changes).

  Business response

  12/29/2023

  Sorry for the late response, we did not receive the BBB notification until 12/27/23. This is the first and only notice we have received. The first time we spoke with ****************, she stated that she completely submerged her Beta motorcycle in a ******************* and asked us to see if there was anything that we could do to save it or if she should just buy a motorcycle. We told her that she should get the bike to us as soon as she can and we can see what we can do. 
  After several days went by, we figured she took it to another shop, but she eventually showed up. So, the motorcycle came to us after nearly a week after being locked-up and full of water in the engine. We encountered water everywhere, and even mud in the fuel pump. After multiple oil changes and cleaning out the fuel tank and mud around the fuel pump, the bike started. We were shocked that it even ran.
  She picked up her Beta and after she rode it, she said it wasn't running very well, and we told her to bring it back. We ended up finding more mud inside the fuel pump and checked the oil level one final time and it had the full volume of oil. When **************** picked up her bike this time, we talked about how we were surprised that it ran and I told her "She may have lucked out". Nothing was good about this situation; the engine on this motorcycle was severely compromised and was in the worst possible senario. What we accomplished was only a bandaid and we did all we could to get her motorcycle running again. After hearing what happened, we offered to look at what happened, and asked her to bring it to us, but we never heard from her again until months later, when she came to us with a bill from the Beta dealer and asked us to pay for it because the local dealer (*******) said we didn't put oil in it (which is not the fact at all). 
  **************** also showed me the old parts out of the bike and it was more than likely a lack of oil issue and light rust from water was on some of the parts. She also stated more than once, that she rode the motorcycle on multiple occasions, to a sum of over 300 miles. ** my professional opinion (19 years) and my mechanic (ASE certified for 30 years), there is absolutely no possible way that a dirt bike that only holds 3/4 of a quart of oil when it is full, could run that many miles (or even close) with no oil in it. We also spoke with many other techs, at many other dealerships and repair shops, and without even hearing about the back story, they all concurred that there was no possible way that it could run that long (longest answer from a tech at Penco was possibly 3 miles).
  My conclusion is that ******************** Beta engine was compromised from sitting in water so long that the rod/ main bearings were pitted by light rust and the cylinder was lightly scored, causing the engine to have some blow-by of oil. With an engine only containing about 3/4 of a quart of oil, it doesn't take long for an engine to fail if it has blow-by, let alone corrosion from water. We are on average 5-6 months scheduled out on dirt bike/snowmobile/ATV work. When she called us originally, we told her that we would fit her in between jobs because time was of the essence. Unknowing it would take nearly a week to get her bike in the shop, we did what we could to get the bike running. We did not rebuild her engine; we simply got the water and mud out, along with other things, but obviously the damage was already done. 
  We are proud to run a business that helps people and helps them be able to get out there and enjoy their time. We bend over backwards to help our customers, but there is a line. We declined to pay Ms. ************************** because it is not our fault. We did nothing wrong or improper. We truly do feel empathy for the unfortunate events, but will not take responsibility for something that we did not do. It is also a shame that the small rivalry between ******'s Shop and ******* (the dealer she brought her motorcycle to) has lead to them saying the demise of her engine is our fault, when it most certainly is not. We also feel that *************** is trying to take advantage of the situation. This is not at all fair and is unjustifiable. Her motorcycle is a Beta race bike, a race bike that has been subdued to extended periods of highway riding, gravel road riding and eventually drowned in a pond. These bikes were never designed for this, but if they are used for that, and under these chain of events, it will fail.

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