Modern Vespa

A month ago my husband took my BV 500 in for service at 9,900 miles for belts and rollers, figured I'd have the spark plug changed at the same time.

We took it in because not only was it time for regular service but because it was stalling occasionally at stop lights. On the way down from Breckenridge to Denver the scoot did run hot but the light did not come on. My husband did stop to let it cool off when the gauge showed it touching red.

The estimate we got said that there was a coolant leak and that the brakes needed replacing in addition to belt and rollers. I was supposed to pick it up on Friday with a bill of $512.

Today I get a call that says after they had reassembled it when they took it for a test ride they discovered a second coolant leak and it now needs a thermostat, flywheel cover ($240 for part), flywheel cover gasket, fork sleeve so now they want $1,300. Does this make sense?

Having been off work since my accident in April I really can't afford the repairs they are claiming as necessary now. Thoughts? Advice?

Ouch! That's quite a bill. Sounds high, but what else can you do but get a second opinion?

Obviously I haven't seen the scoot but some of that seems pretty random. Flywheel cover? Fork sleeve? At best it sounds like they didn't look over the scoot very well the first time. Sorry.

It seems outrageous to me and from what limited understanding of what the flywheel does there has been nothing to suggest any issues with it. I'm also confused about how they can have the scoot completely apart discover and estimate for the coolant leak only to have a second more serious one appear after they have reassembled it and doing a test ride. Seems to me if there was more than one leak it should have been discovered before it was reassembled but I'm not particularly mechanically inclined so figured I'd ask others who might know more. My inclination is to have them reassemble the scoot and trailer it back to Houston when we go back to a dealership I trust.

That sounds like a good plan.

Yeah but then I'll miss a month of riding in the Rockies. The reason we have the BV up here, sigh.

They say there is "scoring" on the front fork which is why it needs replacement. Also the thermostat has "failed" but if that is the case why wasn't it during the diagnostics they are charging me for?

I hear you! It just sounds to me like they are trying to take advantage of you. A scored fork sleeve may polish out and the worst that it would do is cause premature wear on the fork seals. It is important to keep them clean so as not to damage the seals. As far as the flywheel cover needing replacing I just don't understand how you could have damaged that by running hot. The whole thing sounds fishy to me. I'm sorry that you are having to deal with this.

So you took the scooter in for the 9k maintenance (belt, rollers, spark plug) then rode to Denver when the overheating occured. So you took it in a second time got some more work done and THEN received the phone call? Please confirm if my thinking is correct.

If the above is true then I would be livid too! I sounds a bit like these people are trying to 'find' something wrong with the scooter that does not need work. Just my two cent's worth.

Go take pics and post.Sounds like bs.

I took it in for routine service and it started overheating. Received an initial estimate of $511 for belt, rollers, spark plug, new gasket for coolant leak plus new brake pads (though neither Steve nor I noticed any issue with brakes).

Supposed to be ready for pick-up Friday after waiting for "parts" from Italy. (Checked with my Houston dealer who said nothing on the list was coming from Italy but from Georgia - he gets them in 3 days not 1.5 weeks they told me.) So today I get a phone call that says when they put it back together for testing and found out the thermostat isn't working and supposably the flywheel and forks are now leaking.

I asked for an estimate without the flywheel and the response was over $900 and a warning that it would continue to leak. Plus they would have to order the parts so it would be another 2+ weeks with "rush" shipping extra. So looks like I'll probably be buying some coolant to top off as needed and trailer it back to Houston if it is still overheating. Even if I believed and authorized everything they wanted I would be without the scoot for almost 2 months total. I've never had that sort of shop time on any of my scoots in Houston so I now understand dealer complaints. I know there are good dealers out there pity ones like this give Piaggio/Vespa such a bad name.

Sorry about all the problems you are having. Good idea on the topping off the colant and taking it to someone you trust. Give yourself enough time for possible quick stops for the possible overheating. I would do the same thing.