Yamaha design flaw
Serge Zoritch
received.
Serge
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Serge Zoritch
Address deleted
09-09-22
Takashi Kajikawa
President & CEO
Yamaha Motor Co. LTD
2500, Shingai,, Iwata, Shizuoka
438-8501, Japan
?
Konnichiwa,
I am a long time customer of Yamaha motor products, having owned five Yamaha
motorcycles over thirty-five (35) years. The reason I am writing you this
letter is because of my most recent Yamaha motorcycle purchase.
In 2004, I bought a new FJR1300 and all of the available Yamaha accessories.
This was my dream motorcycle come true.
A short while ago I took that motorcycle to a Yamaha dealer in Salmon Arm,
BC, to have them diagnose a loud ticking noise coming from the engine. I
assumed it to be something that required an adjustment. A few days later I
received a telephone call from the service manager (Todd Walcer) of that
dealership and was told that the exhaust valve guides were failing and that
it would cost about thirty five hundred dollars ($3,500) to repair. The
gentleman explained that he had called the local Yamaha Representative who
explained that it is a known design flaw in that year of FJR1300 motorcycle.
Apparently the dealer�s service manager asked the rep. if Yamaha would cover
the some or all of the cost of the repairs, seeing as it was a
manufacturer�s flaw. The rep�s reply was that the motorcycle is five years
over the warranty period and that, had the failure occurred within two years
of the warranty, Yamaha would have covered it.
I should add at this time that the motorcycle now has just over 17,000 km.
The motorcycle is in pristine condition, has been dealer serviced, according
to the maintenance schedule in the owner�s manual, and has been garage
stored for six months of the year, every year, since it was bought. The
winters where I live are harsh enough to make motorcycle riding dangerous.
Having found the local Yamaha rep�s response unacceptable, I called Yamaha�s
Canadian headquarters in Toronto and talked to a two people in the customer
service department. I asked both of them if they thought it reasonable to
expect a twenty thousand dollar motorcycle to have a motor life expectancy
of 17,000 km? Neither of them would answer the question and kept on
repeating that it is five years over the warranty period as if it were some
kind of mantra.
This letter is an appeal to your sense of fairness. I refer to your
Management Principles from the 2009 Yamaha Corporation Fact Book. �We strive
to achieve our corporate mission by adhering to three principals. #1.
Creating value that surpasses customer�s expectations. We must remain keenly
aware of customer�s evolving needs, in order to provide them with quality
products and services of exceptional value that surpass their expectations.
We can and will earn a fair profit by making all-out efforts to satisfy our
customers.� (The other two principals refer to management objectives.)
I ask you:
Do you think it reasonable to expect a $20,000 dollar motorcycle to have a
motor life expectancy of 17,000 km? Is this a reasonable expectation?
Does it sound like my expectations have been surpassed?
Is this an example of your definition of either quality products or
services?
Is this really an all-out effort to satisfy me as a loyal Yamaha Motor
Product customer?
I await your response.
Sincerely yours,
?
?
Serge Zoritch
P.S. The motorcycle was parked in my garage for almost three years (I had
seizures due to a brain tumor.) The tumor was removed in Feb. 2007 but I
could not drive for two more years as I continued with more seizures. This
accounts for the low mileage.
The seizures are now under control and I would like to ride my motorcycle.
?
S.Z.
Cc: Todd Walcer
Yamaha newsgroups
Serge Zoritch
received.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Serge Zoritch
Address deleted
09-09-22
Takashi Kajikawa
President & CEO
Yamaha Motor Co. LTD
2500, Shingai,, Iwata, Shizuoka
438-8501, Japan
Konnichiwa,
I ask you:
I await your response.
Sincerely yours,
Serge Zoritch
P.S. The motorcycle was parked in my garage for almost three years (I had
seizures due to a brain tumor.) The tumor was removed in Feb. 2007 but I
could not drive for two more years as I continued with more seizures. This
accounts for the low mileage.
The seizures are now under control and I would like to ride my motorcycle.
Serge Zoritch
received.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Serge Zoritch
09-09-22
Takashi Kajikawa
President & CEO
Yamaha Motor Co LTD
2500, Shingai,, Iwata, Shizuoka
438-8501, Japan
?
Konnichiwa,
I am a long time customer of Yamaha motor products, having owned five Yamaha
motorcycles over 35 years. The reason I am writing you this letter is
because of my most recent Yamaha motorcycle purchase.
In 2004 I bough a new FJR1300. I bought all of the available Yamaha
accessories. This was my dream motorcycle come true.
I should add at this time that the motorcycle now has just over 17,000 km,
the motorcycle is in pristine condition, it, has been dealer serviced
according to the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual and garage
stored for six months of the year every year since it was bought. The
winters were I live are harsh enough to make motorcycle riding dangerous.
A short while ago I took the motorcycle to a Yamaha dealer in Salmon Arm to
have them diagnose a loud ticking noise coming from the engine and left it
there as I was told that it would take a couple of days to get around to it.
I assumed it to be something that required an adjustment. A few days latter
I received a telephone call from the service manager of that dealership and
was told that the exhaust valve guides were failing and that it would cost
about thirty five hundred dollars ($3,500) to repair. The gentleman
explained that he had called the Yamaha Representative who explained that it
is a known design flaw in that year of FJR1300 motorcycle. Apparently the
dealer's service manager asked the rep. if Yamaha would cover the some or
all of the cost of the repairs. The rep's reply was that the motorcycle if
five years over the warranty period and that, if had been within two years
of the warranty, Yamaha would cover it.
Having found The Yamaha rep's response unacceptable, I called Yamaha's
Canadian headquarters in Toronto and talked to a couple of people in the
customer service department. I asked both of them if they thought it
reasonable to expect a twenty thousand dollar motorcycle to have a motor
life expectancy of 17,000 km? Neither of them would answer the question and
kept on repeating that it is five years over the warranty period as if it
were some kind of mantra.
This letter is an appeal to your sense of fairness. I refer to your
Management Principles from the 2009 Yamaha Corporation Fact Book. "We strive
to achieve our corporate mission by adhering to three principals. #1.
Creating value that surpasses customer's expectations. We must remain keenly
aware of customer's evolving needs, in order to provide them with quality
products and services of exceptional value that surpass their expectations.
We can and will earn a fair profit by making all-out efforts to satisfy our
customers."
I ask you:
Do you think it reasonable to expect a $20,000 dollar motorcycle to have a
motor life expectancy of 17,000 km? Is this a reasonable expectation?
Does it sound like my expectations have been surpassed?
Is this an example of your definition of either quality products or
services?
Is this really an all-out effort to satisfy me as a loyal Yamaha Motor
Product customer?
?
I await your response.
Sincerely yours,
?
?
Serge Zoritch
ps. The motorcycle was parked in my garage for almost three years as I had
seizures due to a brain tumor. The tumor was removed in Feb. 2007 but I
could not drive for two years as I had more seizures. This is why the
mileage is so low.
?
?
Cc: Tod Walcer
Yamaha newsgroups