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This maintenance bill seems high

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by mrpackerguy, Jul 2, 2012.

  1. mrpackerguy

    mrpackerguy Member

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    Location:
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    parts:

    New plugs
    oil change + filter
    2 valve shims
    uni filter

    other work:

    brake inspect and tighten foot brake
    valve inspection and adjust
    tighten both foot pegs and move forward slightly
    clean and sync carbs
    inspect gear fluid

    parts: $107
    labor $325
    total: $460

    Not really complaining. The shop is a Yamaha shop. It sure rides and shifts better. I wanted everything checked not only for regular maintenance, but for safety.
     
  2. Orange-n-Black

    Orange-n-Black Well-Known Member

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    Count yourself lucky that you found a shop that would work on your carbs and know how to do it. :wink:
     
  3. cutlass79500

    cutlass79500 Well-Known Member

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    Its getting so anymore if your bike has carbs the shops wont touch them. Really surprised they adjusted your valves. You should be ready to go now
     
  4. ManBot13

    ManBot13 Well-Known Member

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    I'd ask you why you took it to the shop, why they cleaned your carbs, and exactly how they did it. Just curious what symptoms you were dealing with.

    It's great that they didn't mess anything up. There are many stories of shops doing that on the forum.

    But expect many more bills like that one if you decide not to learn how to maintain your XJ yourself. You'll quickly outspend the value of you motorcycle several times over in labor alone. However, you could spend a little less for parts and do it all yourself in an afternoon (you'd have to wait a couple of days for the new shims...but you could button it back up and ride until they arrive).
     
  5. MiCarl

    MiCarl Active Member

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    My labor bill for that job would have been $420. If they really did the work you got a very good deal.
     
  6. fintip

    fintip Member

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    Yeah, if they did all that they said they did, you got a good deal. I doubt they did much to the carbs, though, probably just put vacuum gauges on it and adjusted the mixture screws/sync screws and idle rod.

    That should be the biggest bill you pay them, though. Shims should be good for at least 5k miles (It'd be nice to have gotten the numbers they measured). Carbs, if they truly are good now, shouldn't give you trouble for as long as you have a fuel filter and keep the bike in regular usage. Those two should have been the bulk of the bill.

    Oil change in 3k miles, oil filter every other change. That's not much money, and it's dirt simple to do yourself--you should really learn how. Plugs should be good for as long as you have the bike if it is kept in tune, likely. Only other maintenance cost will likely be brakes.

    Seriously, though, these bikes are easy to work on. Spend some time here learning how to do stuff yourself.
     
  7. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    You got off light.

    IF, ...

    The Invoice is legit!
    Carb Cleaning can get expensive.
    Valve Adjustments require some time.

    For what you have LISTED, ... you got a deal.
    Where's the shop?
    What's the Hourly Labor Rate?
     
  8. midnightmoose

    midnightmoose Member

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    New plugs - about $10
    Oil and filter - about $20
    Valve shims - $7 each from Chacal
    UNI filter - about $30

    That alone would've saved you about $50. You could've done it all yourself in a couple hours and saved all of the labor costs. I wish I lived close to you cuz I would've done the work for you for $200. I'm just curious why you paid a shop probably $75 an hour just to "tighten and adjust" things that you can do yourself. All it takes is to know how to use a wrench. And how do you know they even "inspected" your brakes? That's something I wouldn't trust to anyone...but myself. But hey, its your money...well now its the shops money...
     
  9. Buffalony

    Buffalony Member

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    that was a good deal. I was quoted for more than the bikes worth. Better off doing stuff yourself if you can. Specialty tools can add up, but you'll keep them for the next time or the next bike.
     
  10. tskaz

    tskaz Active Member

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    If they had the carbs off for cleaning, you need to find out if they checked/adjusted float height.
     
  11. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    I think its a great deal. But, there are degrees to "Cleaning Carbs."

    A real thorough Carb Cleaning, where:
    EVERY removable Part is cleaned and polished.
    Floats set.
    Passages flushed.
    Bench sync.
    Bores polished.
    No stone unturned, ...
    Beyond "Church of Clean" ...

    Costs over $300 ~ $375. ::: Labor.
     
  12. tumbleweed_biff

    tumbleweed_biff Active Member

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    Echo what Rick said (welcome back!).

    You might consider asking them exactly what they did to "clean" the carbs. Odds are, for that amount of labor, the most they did was open them up and dip them. Most shops charge at least $75 an hour for labor, more like $100. I'd guess it took close to an hour to remove and reinstall the carbs alone. Assuming all screws are moving relatively freely and they know what they are doing (as in they do it alot) an hour to disassemble and reassemble, then a dip into the bath, hopefully an ultrasonic cleaner. Minimal slide polishing, etc. Even with a minimal job you are looking at $200 easily. This is why it is best to do it yourself. You save a fortune, learn a great deal about your bike, and know it was done correctly, assuming you followed Rick's guide.

    Now add an hour or two for the valve clearances.
     
  13. jmilliken

    jmilliken Well-Known Member

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    I would have taught you how to do all that.... all you would have had to pay for was parts + a few beers..... Don't mind the fact that I'm a few states away....

    a shop manual, this site, and a carb clinic will really help you avoid bills like this in the future

    (ps - I think you came off light on the shop bill)
     
  14. mrpackerguy

    mrpackerguy Member

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    I should learn how to do basic maintenance, I admit it. The bike was rough to start, didn't always idle smoothly. I'd put on about 1000 miles since taking it out of storage this spring. I was more concerned about just keeping up with general maintenance on a 30 year old bike. The footpegs - I tried moving them forward for more my comfort, and ended up sort of screwing it up with both the shifter and the footbreak in awkward positions - it's really a two-point adjustment, not simply as easy as moving the pegs forward. I think the $18 investment on the Ebay repair manual for the XJ750 would be money well spent. Then maybe the wife can get me some decent tools to work on the bike for my upcoming 1/2 century birthday.
     
  15. Ground-Hugger

    Ground-Hugger Member

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    That's the problem your turning fifty and SET in your ways!!! You really got to change that.
     
  16. ManBot13

    ManBot13 Well-Known Member

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    Hey, he's admitted his fault. Now change the title of the thread to "Spent too much on maintenance. Add to my tools wishlist to prevent me from doing it again" 8)
     
  17. mrpackerguy

    mrpackerguy Member

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    :lol:
     
  18. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    The thing to do, ... is to get yourself a Factory Workshop Manual for YOUR Bike.

    The "Factory Book" is worth the money.
    You get two valuable references. The Workshop Manual. Plus, the Owners Manual for the Bike included ahead of the Maintenance and Repair Sections.

    Read a few pages at a time.
    Don't memorize anything. Just become familiar with the information.
    Soon enough, you'll have something come-up that you have read about.
    You'll know what the situation is and what to do.

    If all you ever use the Book for is Periodic Maintenance; you'll save the prive of the Book the first time you do something for yourself rather than bringing the bike to a shop.

    The Section on Chassis will shoe you how to move the Pedals and Pegs.
    In some cases there is a Pedal or Lever "Height Adjustment" that's easy to manipulate.

    The Book covers ... EVERYTHING!

    Treat yourself to understanding the Machine and being able to do some of the little jobs and things that make ownership more fun.
     
  19. jmilliken

    jmilliken Well-Known Member

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    Seriously, don't be afraid to dive in deep. take your time, and ask questions on here. Use this site to supplement the manual. Don't be afraid to hit up mechanically inclined friends/family too.

    I used to do my own "basic" maintenance on my car, tractor, etc (oil changes, belts, brake pads, not much else). Since getting the bike several years ago, I've become suprised with what I can do. Overhaul brake systems, I did an ENTIRE front end rebuild on my car (with the help of a honda civic forum!), rebuilt mower engines, and now I'm rebuilding an 85 xj700 maxim from the frame up.

    ANYTIME IN YOUR LIFE IS A PERFECT TIME TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW. You'll suprise yourself.
     
  20. ned6x4

    ned6x4 New Member

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    Or use the manual to supplement the site lol! There are times I read stuff here and cross check it in the manual. And there are times I read stuff in the manual and cross check it here. Take your time and let the two valuable resources work together. I've had my bike for a year now and haven't gotten it on the road yet because I research the crap out of everything I do and then I take my sweet time doing it so I don't mess anything up. If I have a problem I stop what I'm doing and check the book or the site. But then again, I'm working with teacher dollars so I can't afford to mess anything up or take it to a shop...
     
  21. jmilliken

    jmilliken Well-Known Member

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    Can I get an amen here?
     

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