Modern Vespa

Thanks for the tip Stromrider. You do make a good point there. I'll take a gander at my Manual.

But the next change wouldn't be for 6,000 miles. Which is a lot.
Small engines with no filter get oil changes every 2,000 miles or 25 hours.

I change engine oil + filter every 5K km and gear oil every 10K km regardless of what the Piaggio service manual says. Ditto on lubing the bearings every 5K.

Oil + grease are cheap, engines and labor are not.

Oil + grease might be cheap where you come from,but not in Germany! You'll end up paying from 15 to 25EUR for a liter of Oil depending on type and quality here

Why so expensive ? Tax? I buy some of my oil in 20lt containers last lot middle of this year 5w30 fully synthetic latest spec for vauxhall/opal petrol or diesel models was £46 delivered uk refined or i could have bought Mannol made in germany for £50 delivered. I also buy 20/50 old school oil cost is around £9-£11 for 4 1/2 or 5lt delivered. If i buy 5w40 fully syn for the fuoco i can buy 5 lts for around £17 delivered, 20 lts would be £50 ish. Your being screwed for sure.

I know perfectly what you are saying, as I go to Germany quite frequently. But those are from places such as fuel stops along the autobahn or brick and mortar stores. You know you're going to get raped. But it doesn't have to be that way.

When it comes to oil, grease and other such parts the key is buying online.

I've found great deals for the MP3 on Amazon Italia. Example: the Piaggio gel seat accessory. Goes for about $606 US dollars. Amazon Italia, 290 Euro and free 2 day shipping. Can't beat that with a stick. Found a similar deal for a box (12 bottles) of Eni 5W-40 PG (Piaggio approved) engine oil, filters, etc, etc, etc. Sometimes you do have to buy in larger quantities (such as the oil example), but that is just the way it goes.

Similarly, for my Mercedes and Honda cars I buy all the service items online. In some cases, the filters come from the same supplier (such as Knecht-Mahle, Mann, Hengst, etc.) as what you get at the dealer. The only thing missing is the sticker on the box and the dealer price. Even the box is the same.

Yes Online it is for me as i'm in a rural area and can't get anything i want for the fleet .Greece seems quite cheap for piaggio parts 1/2 the price of UK thinking about it i must make use of my greek contact. There again i've not tried Italy for parts.Never mind once we are out or the EU we won't be able to get anything and the country will come to a grinding halt.Back to the horse and cart.

213 euros at dealership out of which 58 was replacing the H bulbs with led bulbs, so your first service should be about 150 euros.

Hope you've got better luck with LED headlight bulbs than I did. I bought mine from a big Vespa/Piaggio dealer when the bike was new. They failed within 30 days, and the light output was very poor.

There isn't any room to mount the bulky rear end that all LED bulbs have AND still have enough room to mount the rubber dust covers AND enough ventilation for the LED units to cool. Leaving the dust covers off is inviting trouble. Hint: check the price on a headlight unit for a MP3.

I put in Philips heavy duty bulbs that are rated for motorcycle use. They're still working after nearly 4.5 years of daily use.

And they'll stay this way until Piaggio gives the MP3 the xxth update and make LED stock. Then I'll retrofit those onto my 2015.

So far so good, will tell you in 30 days if they still work
The light output is significant. It really makes a difference early mornings and late nights when I go/come from work.

The bummer is that they've only replaced only the short beam.. The high beam is still yellow as piss .

Don't get it how my Honda PCX, a 3000 euros bike came with full LED and a 10k+ bike still has halogens

Hi!

MP3 350 2019 model first service cost me 62EURuros.

All the best!

Probably comparing Apples, Oranges and Grapes here - when looking at 1st serv. costs.
Wholly depends on what the dealer performs.
Free oil and gear oil change, shake to find loose bits, done = gratis.
Panels off steering bearings, valve adj., etc. = Big $.
Also - serv. pricing is important pre-purchase info to consider....no unpleasant surprises that way.
O.S.

My first inspection was $292 at GOAZ Cycles in Scottsdale. I thought that was a bit harsh, but after reading some of the earlier posts, I guess not. The bill was almost all labor (115 minutes) with only $73 for parts and oil. According to the maintenance chart they gave me, it was a thorough once over virtually everything that could have come loose or gotten out of adjustment.

Hey there, I'm new here and this is my first Post. I've been lurking the Forum for the last couple weeks after purchasing my new-to-me 2010 250 with 1800 miles on it. I came back from a long weekend to my scoot, having been parked with the tilt lock on (I know now that this a not so great idea but live and learn) The horn started blaring, the tilt lock warning light was on, and the hydraulics were squishy. After researching I figured out the troubleshooting and it seems to be OK now, Thank God. However this little brush with repair has caused me to want to rethink my 3000 mile checkup and just go straight in now. I was wondering, with a 13 year old machine what does anyone think will be the price range for a checkup? I'm just trying to have realistic expectations when talking to the service center (we have a great one in SD) other than the one day with the alarm there has been no issues with "Cricket" any input is welcome. Thanks! Oh and the old guy probably needs new tires as well.

See this thread for a similar inquiry about Mp3 service.
Considering 530, Service & Ability Expectations

Hi GarthQuaid
I've heard that most dealers will not work on the older bikes due to lack of parts and support from Piaggio. The fact of the matter is the Mp3 is an expensive bike to maintain, you can expect to pay more for dealer or repair shop service than a 13 year old (low mile) Mp3 is worth.

I paid about $4,500 for My 2016 Mp3 (a real steal of a deal) and have easily accumulated more than its value in service, consumables, accessories, etc.

You might inquire if you can provide your own consumable components (brake pads, fluids, spark-plugs, etc) and they just do the labor part of the service. Sometimes you can save costs while speeding up service that way, but it really depends on the shop and their policies on customer provided parts.

The only way to save costs is to do as much of the service on your own as possible. Oil change, hub oil, etc so the operations done by the dealer or shop are reduced to he minimum.

Maintenance costs are high if the work is done at the dealer, just like a car. Unfortunately, the MP3 also requires more maintenance than a standard motorcycle or scooter. The best way to keep costs down is to buy a few specialized tools for the MP3 and do all/most of the routine maintenance yourself after the first couple of dealer services to keep your MP3 in warranty. Most of it is fairly easy and straightforward. That's what I've been doing for years. (There's videos on YouTube for all the basic tasks.)

In the USA at least, you do NOT have to use the dealer for services to remain in warranty. Just use OEM parts (keep receipts in case they argue) and you're fine. In many cases you don't even need OEM parts.

https://www.google.com/search?q=magnuson-moss+warranty+act

ref: Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act 1975.

I'm sure you're right technically, but that has not been my experience. The dealers and manufacturers are always looking for a way to get out of any warranty work. It's very easy for them to claim the work was done incorrectly if it's not done at a dealer.

They don't have to claim it, they have to prove it.

Thank you for the info, luckily San Diego has a great vespa/piaggio service center that does take older MP3s I paid 2500 for mine, and I hope that cost doesn't double right away anyway. I'll definitely ask about providing my own parts, thats a great idea. As for the warranty, I do not believe my scoot is under one. seeing as its 13 years old, are there parts or components that may be under warranty this late in the game?

If you have some mechanical ability, Youtube is full of Mp3 how-to videos.

I remembered today that Mitch's channel has a bunch of service videos for the older Mp3 series. The oil change is pretty easy but the other tasks require specialized tools and a willingness to mess with plastics. But you can save allot of money while improving your ability to keep the bike running.

The Mp3 service playlist.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt2M_Fbbcf03hRIiBRxeDrrfTGbng9y3D

Thanks so much Pinheadh78 I'll definitely watch these. being more self sufficient with what seems to be a pricier ride is always on my radar.

EDIT: thanks for you input guys! turns out The scoot had 13 year old tires, overfilled oil, less than good coolant, dirty brake fluid, and a leaky front right tilt lock clamp. Getting out of the shop wasn't cheap but was better than I expected. Now that we are all squared away I hope to learn how to do the routine stuff myself.