Triumphrat

Nick955 · 08-06-2008, 12:08 PM

Just picked up my 03 S3 from the shop last Friday after being there since April 11th!!!!! I took it in because it was burning a quart of oil every 400 miles. It was a big run around and too long of a story to tell now. The short version is, they replaced rings, had new valve guides made since you cant buy guides from Triumph, and replaced valve guide seals.

I took it for my first ride on Saturday, about a 100 miles. Sunday we rode 190 miles and the bike went great! Monday I checked the oil before we left, it was full, so we headed out. We put on 280 miles, and when I returned home I once again checked the oil and found it not to even be on the stick!!!!

I had a $2,000.00+ dollar bill which Triumph was GREAT and picked up the parts and the machine work which came out to be about a $1,000.00. I payed the remaining $1,100.00 which was fair, untill I realized the problem was NOT fixed, and I have been without my bike the entire summer!

What do you guys think? How could a respectable shop have such a screw up? What did they not do that should of been done, or how could they of F'd up what they did do?

Thanks,
Nick

SPDTRPMaverick · 08-06-2008, 12:58 PM

Sorry to hear about your Speedy Problems man,...

How'd they pick up any of the bill on a 2003,.. extended warranty or?

Did they replace the Mains and the Connecting Rod Bearings?

What kind of numbers did they get checking "Oil Pressure"? IF they're too low, then they didn't replace the Mains and Rod bearings....
I'd be willing to OH wait... How many miles are on this bad boy?

Are you the original owner?

cave1 · 08-06-2008, 01:55 PM

Rings and valve guides replaced, yes? In my experience, bikes with such top end work donewill burn oil at least until the rings seat, which takes some miles. Did they fill it with a break-in oil? Give you break-in instructions? Two schools of thought on break in: baby it or ride it like you stole it, with lots of variation in revs. I favor the second, myself... I would withhold judgment on the success of the dealer's work until I had run the bike for the prescribed break-in period, in the prescribed way, with the prescribed break-in oil. If no improvement in oil consumption then, you'll have a pretty good case for the claim that the dealer hasn't fixed the problem.

Nick955 · 08-06-2008, 03:07 PM

The bike had 7,500 miles on it at the time I took it in. I am the second owner of the bike, I bought it with 1,500 miles on it. There was no extended warranty on the bike. I was able to contact Triumph and get them to cover the parts due to the fact it had such low miles on it, and I had kept record of milage and oil consumption over the last two years. My hat is off to them for that, and is probably the only reason that I will ever buy another Triumph again!

The only thing they replaced was the valve guides, valve guide seals, and rings. I would of thought they would put a break in oil in, but what's in there is red which I believe is synthetic? As of right now I have put approx 600 miles on the bike which is plenty of time for rings to seat! I have not babyed the bike or beat on it during this time. I have stayed off the highway, kept the RPM's all over, from high to low, but without lugging it down either!

Not sure what to think anymore. I let the dealer know yesterday but have not gotten a phone call back yet!!!!????

cave1 · 08-06-2008, 03:40 PM

Sounds like you are riding it just right for a break in.

If they ever call you back, I'd ask what oil they put in. I haven't ever used synthetic oil to break in a new top end on any vehicle that I've owned, but I've not had to break in the top end of a modern Triumph engine, either. Anyway, if I were you, I'd be curious as to what they put in there and their reasoning for why they put it there. If it is a synthetic, you might ask about the advisability of putting a conventional oil in for a while. If you are indeed blowing oil past the rings, it is not clear what you'd have to lose by trying that option. But in any case, I'd follow their advice to the letter, so they can't use a deviation on your part as an excuse to bail on your difficulties.

I'd also ask them what they consider to be a proper break-in period. I want to say that the claimed break in was 1000 miles on the last two top ends I've broken in (bmw airhead and older jeep wrangler). I don't think the rings were fully seated after 1000 miles, but there wasn't EXCESSIVE oil consumption, either.

I hope things improve for you...

wabill · 08-06-2008, 05:18 PM

I'd have thought you'd be leaving a blue smoke cloud burning that much oil, but I know nothing!

boicey · 08-06-2008, 06:00 PM

I'd go the oil route too first. I know Yamaha for one use a low grade mineral oil for the run in period on brand new machines. No way should fully synthetic be in there if the rings were replaced. The latest school of thought im led to believe is, rings bed and seat within just the first twenty miles of use, wearing the manufacturing marks from the cylinder walls and forming the tight fit neccessary. Like a previous poster mentioned, the bike needs to be run quite hard to enable this.

As your cyclinders have 7000 miles on, obviously it was just a case of bedding the new rings against the old cyclinder walls. No great shakes. I cant see how you could lose so much oil in the mileage you've described. Its pretty shocking. Is there any smoking when riding that implies oil being dragged past the rings??

If your dealer is unhelpful, id consider changing the oil and monitering the consumption, if its still as bad after that then take it back.

I have a great link for an article on running in engines and oil loss somewhere, ill try and find it and post it..

boicey · 08-06-2008, 06:10 PM

This is pretty useful.

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Obviously follow it at your own peril!

DGA · 08-07-2008, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boicey

This is pretty useful.

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Obviously follow it at your own peril!

You should listen to Motoman over the people that engineered the engine.

boicey · 08-08-2008, 10:03 AM

I meant 'useful' more as in to give you some idea as to what running in new engine parts involves, rather than 'useful' as a definative guide on how to do it. Hence my 'follow it at your peril' comment.

Nevermind . . .