Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > General Motorcycles only > Servicing - or not

[John W]

I tried earlier this week to get a service booked in on the ST4S before we go on our next trip.
The bike is only 6 months old so wanted to keep with a main dealer. None locally to me can do this in the time (well, P&H can but I have no way of getting the bike to them except taking a day off work and waiting all day while they do it...)

Rang Ducati UK to ask if I could get a non franchised dealer to service the bike, as outr trip will be around 3k miles so the service would be well overdue.

They called back to say if any future claim arose and was found to be related to the service they wouldn't pay out.
Their suggested alternative was to just do an oil change, go on the trip and have the service done on my return.
That'll be 4k overdue !!!

I fail to see how it is better to leave checking of belts, shims, etc for anm extra 3k miles against having a competent but no franchised dealer checke them.

So people, what would you do ?
1) oil & filter now & full service on return, or
2) service now by non franchised dealer...

I'm edging towards (2) as I can't see how any future problems could really be directly attributable to the dealer checking clearances and tightness/condition.
Difficulty is, do I give DUK the opportunity to not pay out if it does all go t!ts up

Cheers,
John.
p.s. this other dealer does my other bikes which are out of the warranty period, so I have no question about their competence).

[rockhopper]

As i understand it as long as the work is done in complaince with the authorised Ducati service data and schedule then anyone can do it. I'm thinking that i read somewhere they need to be VAT registered? Rushjob posted the answer to this a while back i think.

[John W]

Thanks Paul.

I think I will book it in to the local dealers and work on the basis that if something goes wrong they will have to prove the work was the cause.
TBH from past experiences I have more faith in this place than I do of the guys at P&H anyway.

I'd be interested to hear the answer from Rushjob though