Modern Vespa

Hi I am new to this forum and I am looking forward to reading many threads, I am also new to the scooter world. I recently purchased a 2021 Vespa Sei Giorni.

My question is I received my Vespa with a broken right rear turn signal, I have had been in contact with the dealer, who tells me they have to follow Piaggio warranty claims, and that this is the process, it is now 10 months since receiving my defective brand new scooter and honestly I am no closer to having a resolution than I was 10 months ago.

Does anyone know how to expedite this process, or is the SOP for owning a Vespa? does anyone else have issues unresolved? I welcome your suggestions and comments. It just seems like such a simple fix why would Vespa want to alienate new buyers?

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and inputs.

Honestly, I'd get the part and replace it myself. It's less aggravating than waiting for them.

I had the same problem. I got tired of waiting and purchased one myself for my sons Vespa.

I'm with Mopedlar. I wouldn't have the patience to wait 10 months or more for a replacement turn signal. On the other hand, I am unclear why this is even a warranty issue. If you broke the turn signal it would not be covered by warranty. My understanding is that you said the dealer delivered the scooter to you with a broken turn signal. That sounds like he broke it. Seems like he should just take responsibility and replace it rather than trying to wait on the processing of a questionable warranty claim.

Mine look like it was improperly installed as I noticed the lip on one side broken when it was installed in the rear fender on the right side

Getting OEM parts from Italy has always been a bit patience-trying, from Vespa to Ducati. Assuming no shenanigans or monkey wrenches, 10 months sounds like pandemic-related supply chain complications.

If it were me, I'd look at in-country sources for the parts and, if it's not too pricey, skip the warranty muck.

Thanks for everyone's feedback great stuff. You are right I am just going to order one tomorrow if available and take care of it myself.

When you got the bike, you looked over the scooter and signed a predelivery inspection form, which either showed the light was broken or didn't. If it's not listed on the PDI form, it likely wasn't broken at the time you inspected the bike. I find it hard to believe the bike was delivered with a broken indicator, because that's Federally mandated safety equipment. All dealers know this. Either way, that's not a warranty issue, because it's not a manufacturer defect. And it doesn't take ten months for a dealer to get an indicator out of the manufacturer, if the bike arrived with a broken one. It does take ten months for you to break down and buy one though. I suspect that if someone called the dealer and ordered an indicator, they would have had it fairly quickly. Typically, if a bike that is sold comes in with something like an indicator broken, the dealer will rob another unit, usually one that doesn't seem to want to leave, and then get a new one from the manufacturer. If the dealer is out of state and contracted someone to bring you the bike, that's likely who broke the light.

On the subject of Piaggio warranty service, I've had 3 warranty claims on my HPE:

- There was a brake recall issued shortly after I bought the Vespa. My dealer picked it up and replaced the brake lines. It was reasonably painless.

- I noticed that my HPE wouldn't start when hot (e.g. if I stopped at a gas station, or if I decided to move it immediately after parking it). The mechanic and Piaggio were both stumped, so it was an unaddressed known issue until they figured out the cause and issued a NHSTA bulletin.

I noticed the problem in October. The date on the bulletin is July (nine months). The date on my "I got the service" post is February - sixteen months after I reported the issue. I didn't realize until just now that so much time had elapsed between the fix discovery and the service. I think some of that delay was the holidays, but I'm still surprised months went by.

- Eight months after I got my 2020 HPE Touring with the espresso-brown seat, the finish started deteriorating, and my seat became sticky. Piaggio denied the claim, and my dealer replaced the seat as a courtesy. Like clockwork, the new one also failed in eight months. In that time, my dealer has seen other brown seats fail in the same way, so we reopened the claim. A year later, there's still no warranty resolution.

I've recently returned from 5 months away, and it's gotten really bad in that time. I'm about ready to either get it recovered or buy an aftermarket seat (e.g. a Corbin).



So in my experience, if it's already a problem that Piaggio knows about and has admitted fault for, warranty claims are easy. If they admit a problem but there's no obvious root cause (e.g. my engine), it can take a while for them to solve it. If it's an external problem, they may shrug in your general direction and kick the can down the road until you give up and fix it yourself.

I had the identical hot start problem a couple of days after taking home my 300 Super in mid November. The dealer picked up my bike and a couple of hours after having it at their shop, they told me they couldn't replicate the problem, but I insisted they test it under the exact same conditions that it failed to start for me. They needed to ride the bike for a few miles, stop it for a couple minutes and try to restart it. Well, they finally did what I said and they replicated the problem. It took them nearly a month to diagnose and fix the problem with help from Vespa/Piaggio technical folks. I got the bike back about a month ago, but couldn't test ride it because the weather was too cold. I finally took her out this past weekend and so far, so good. I'm hopeful that it's finally fixed, but i will be testing it more often once the weather gets warmer. Not once during the time they had my bike, did the dealer tell me about a technical bulletin being issued on this problem. Wtf?

There was a warranty claim open on my 2020 HPE (brakes) that was corrected before I picked up the bike. AF1 is my dealer, and they have been great with this bike and my previous GTS. That said, last summer (July), a deer committed suicide by scooter which tore off (literally) my front fender. I ordered (and paid for) another fender and assorted parts for it the next day. It is now 7 months later, no sign of my fender, and 5 or 6 "will ship by" dates from Vespa have come and gone. No explanation.

The scoot is still rideable, but it is a damn ugly mess if you get caught in the rain or go through a puddle. Some here have suggested I buy ANY color fender and get it painted. That would have been a good solution months ago, had I known this would drag on so long.

I understand the OP's concern about how long a resolution is taking, even if I don't understand how a dealer could deliver a scoot with a non-functional turn signal. My problem isn't warranty related, but it sure seems that no one at Vespa USA gives a damn. I have written several times, called (get a voice mail that says "Mailbox is full"), and contacted them via their website - not a single response. AF1 gets back to me after my monthly inquiries, but generally with another "will ship by" date that comes and goes.

I am proactive about things like this, but have never run into a company with a US presence that ignores every inquiry. Evillgeniuz, I feel your frustration.

I haven't gotten around to looking yet, but this seems like a thing that is probably regulated in the US.

I've certainly considered filing a complaint about the way my seat has been treated under warranty.