They take as long as it takes to get the parts! Sounds like new barrel and piston and maybe a crank. Could have to come from Italy and you know what they are like!

Just to worry you even further, i've heard of a couple of 748's that have just gone bang for no apparent reason. They have been fine after being rebuilt but the service people couldn't identify the reason for the failure in the first place.

Good man, thats what I like to hear. Hopefully your warranty will sort you out.
It would be intereresting to found out what had caused it to go though wouldnt it.

DC.:burn:

The good news is that once fixed you will effectively have an engine hand built by one person.

Mine now has 16500 on it and its great

ducati have just called me back. they've finished looking at the bike and the bottom end on the rear piston has seized.

I asked what could cause this and he said the normal cause is oil starvation.

i asked what would cause this and he said having no oil in it. (but there was plenty of oil in it).

i asked what else could cause oil starvation and didn't really have an answer.

i asked about the crank grub-screw thing and he said it definatley wasn't that and that problem was so rare he'd only ever seen one since the bikes were first sold.

he then said someone from the warranty company would come and inspect it - what for? surely a warranty is just a warranty? it breaks, they fix it right?

also reading the small print on my warranty i'm only covered up to £1000 - how much more than that could it cost????

the saga continues....

J

£2000+ more than that i'd bet.

[Edited on 16-2-2006 by weeksy2]

I take it that by 'ducati' you mean ducati aylesbury?

I'm with rockhopper here, sounds like you have a case of fitness for purpose rather than extended warranty.

The arguement that the dealer uses about there being no oil in it sounds spurious. If, indeed, there really was no oil in it you'd have to ask why given that it only had a full service from that dealer 1300 miles ago. Did they not put enough in? Did they leave the filter or sump plug loose? Did the engine burn it all? Sounds like a red herring to me, as if they're trying to pass the buck on to you for not checking the oil carefully enough. Anyway, as you say, there was enough oil in it. Trouble is that you can't prove that now because doubtless the oil has been drained during it's stripdown.

The issue of the oil galley plug working it's way out is thankfully not common, but it's nowhere near as rare as the dealer is trying to imply. It is a well known problem and has afflicted several bikes on this site and it's well known on nearly every Ducati forum you care to look at. Even if it was not the case for your particular engine, I would hope that a dealer would know about this problem and at least acknowledge it to be a strong suspect. Oil galley plug falls out, oil that's meant to get to the crank and pistons just ****es back into the sump without going anywhere and hey presto, no oil pressure and a seized engine.

If I were you I would be talking to the Citizens Advice Bureau and talking to the dealer about getting a truly independant assessment.

BTW: It's generally reckoned that this problem was ironed out from mid-2001 bikes onward, but given that Ducati's of any given year can have earlier parts in them if there are a few older parts lying aroud in parts bins and given that although your bike might have been registered in 2001 it could actually have been built several months previously it could be that your bike was built before this oil galley plug thing was sorted

[Edited on 16-2-2006 by Jools]

Just for info, I picked up a 1999 748 engine two weeks ago for £350.

But from what I can make out the dealer/warranty people should be sorting it out for you.

Absolutely bang on.

I would suggest that Getway enters into written correspondence only so that everything is recorded. Get some photos of the motor himself and get an independent assessment in any case. It will be small beer compared to the cost of repairs.

It is possible for oil starvation to occur even with plenty of oil: galley plug problem, oil pump worn out etc but, I would expect other components to be showing signs of it as well.

GetawayRider,

you have u2u.;)

Just got off the phone to them (Ducati Aylesbury).

I asked if the cost of repairs would be more than the £1000 warranty cover, they said 'definatley, will be 2 days labour plus parts.'

I asked who would be paying for the short fall. they said 'that is yet to be worked out, we can tell you tomorrow' (WTF !?!!?!! :flame: )

I said, i hope you don't think i will be paying for any of it, he again just said that he would be able to tell me tomorrow.

what could they be waiting for? why can't they tell me now who is paying for it? i certainly am not.

i paid top money for a dealer bike to make sure this didn't happen to me. Like some of you said, it's not fit for the purpose. Maybe i should dig my solicitors number out...