Modern Vespa

Hi All

I hope you are well. As you know from a recent post, I purchased my GTS on March 19th. On May 1st, 477 miles in, it just went caput. Seems like signs are pointing towards a problem with the fuel pump but who knows. I live 40 miles away from where I bought it. One guy I spoke to earlier on said "I WILL HAVE TO CHARGE YOU" and I didnt act excited about that - but I did say let me see what I can do w/ insurance. State Farm said they would only tow to nearest facility......which definitely is NOT where I bought it.

When I called back, I got a much nicer guy who said he will figure out how with his drivers when this week he can pick up.....He didn't mention ANYTHING about a charge.....

So, my question.......Isn't it the dealer's responsibility within reason to come and get my scooter free of charge? I mean, it's all under warrantee and I didnt do anything wrong.

Thoughts?

I'd call your State Farm agent and make the case that a warranty claim needs to be handled by a Piaggio dealer.

I submitted a $100 tow bill when I got a flat tire, no questions asked. When I got cut off, my dealer picked it up (from 50mi away). He charged $250 and they covered that too.

I've never had that question arise with my dealer -- I've always been able to ride it when a scooter needed service -- but I don't think I would expect the dealer to tow it in for no charge. They don't offer to deliver it for free when it's new.

There's nothing to lose by asking your insurance agent.

If you did not purchase from the nearest Piaggio dealer....ins. may not be obliged to tow to your more distant Piaggio dealer.

Buying from distant dealers is a common hazard for American scooter enthusiasts.
Goes with the hobby
(motorcycle ownership makes better sense!)

O.S.

Totally negotiable though.

Figure out what your insurance will cover. If they say "to the nearest dealer," call the nearest dealer and ask for a quote. Then, call you preferred dealer and say "insurance will cover a tow up to $XXX" and let the dealer decide if they want your business.

FWIW, Piaggio can be stingy on warranty claims, so the dealer might not want that business anyway (e.g. if Piaggio pays less than the dealer pays their techs).

I look at everything in a practical way. Your comment, "Isn't it the dealer's responsibility within reason to come and get my scooter free of charge? I mean, it's all under warrantee and I didnt do anything wrong."
Let me ask you this, do you have the same response when you purchase a new vehicle (sedan or SUV) with 477 miles on it? No. It is not the responsibility of the auto dealer. It is your responsibility. It is plain and simple. Hence, in this case with your new Vespa, it is not the responsibility of the dealer.
The responses given by MV'ers, so far, are sound, and see what your insurance agent offers. It all depends on the coverage you have.
Best wishes!

I took it that the scooter was purchased new, then ridden 477 miles before it died. I agree it would be great if the dealer picked up the scooter, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

I agree. It is covered by insurance the day you purchase it. It is no longer the dealer's issue. Unfortunately. It is what it is.

Actually, when my Subaru blew the engine with 1500mmiles on it, Subaru, covered the tow and a rental car. Engine blew in Arizona, we live in Colorado. The dealer tgat we purchased it from in Colorado was instrumental in getting us taken care of with a new replacement vehicle.

If you have reimbursement through your insurance company for towing, then they pay for whatever your insurance policy says.

As for trailering or whatever you call it I've always paid in cash then went back to my insurance company for reimbursement. Local tow operators charge about half when paying in cash. Then when insurance company gets quotes for paying for even a short trip it is usually more than I paid in cash.

As for dealer it really depends, if they want to keep your business and your not to far from them they may send a guy or two and a truck to pick it up. That's why I have a small light weight trailer and car hitch just in case. Also renting a truck from some place like Enterprise for a day can be cheaper than a tow.

I do not know anything about Subaru. That sounds great that Subaru handled the situation for you! Is it part of the Warranty? Is it in fine print? Go ahead and read the Vespa warranty and fine print. What did you learn?

Oddly, it appears I'm in the minority here, but IMO:

Roadside assistance should be free for a scooter (or any vehicle) purchased new with 477 miles on it. This isn't 1977. Consumers have expectations that new, major purchases, such as $7000 scooters, will work as intended for more than 500 miles, at least. I feel this is a realistic expectation, and companies unable to meet the expectation should pay reasonable expenses for not meeting it (including towing to a dealer, for God's sake).

Having written that, Vespa Motorsports, likely one of the bigger Vespa dealerships in the country, has a posting that seems to support this point of view (or maybe supported it back in 2013). So, maybe the site is outdated (again it's from 2013 - but it's still there):

https://vespamotorsport.com/does-my-new-vespapiaggio-scooter-come-with-a-warranty/

"New Vespa/Piaggio scooters NOW come with a 2-year manufacturer's warranty (2014 and newer). There are no mileage restrictions, the 24 months begins on the day of purchase, and the scooter must be taken to an authorized Vespa dealer to claim warranty work. To keep your warranty valid, you must follow the servicing schedule as outlined in the warranty manual, including the 625-mile break-in service. Your warranty is transferable if you sell it. The servicing must be done at an authorized Vespa dealer – and there are specific exclusions from the warranty, including cosmetic aspects or defects related to body work among others.

In addition, all Vespa/Piaggio scooters come with 2 years of roadside service for free."

That's all, 40 miles? Mine goes 100 miles each way crammed in the back of a Subaru Baja. But first, have you done any trouble shooting?
Did you fill it with fuel before it died?
Check the plug cap?
Any fault codes?
Oil level and condition look good?
Battery terminals tight?
Battery has voltage?
The owners manual has a trouble shooting section.
I learned my Liberty pretty good because I hate hauling it to the dealer. But if you need to get it there and your insurance doesn't cover towing rent a U-Haul van. If something won't fit in my Baja that's what I do. Once you're in the U-Haul system it's in and out, like a speed pass!

Very good. The OP needs to look at his/her warranty received when Vespa was purchased. This is 2022. Times and services change. The internet is known to be static with information listed.

I had roadside recovery on a new Chinese scooter, it was only good for 15 miles! Just far enough to get it off of the I-95 shoulder outside of Washington DC. Better than pushing it though.

Piaggio's/Vespa's warranty/support has gotten worse since 2013? That's almost unheard of in the motor vehicle realm! Here's my analogy, written by me, as a faux (NOT real) newspaper article:

THIS IS NOT REAL - I wrote it for fun:

"Hyundai, long known for America's 'Best Warranty', has announced it actually sucks at quality control and can no longer offer its long-time (since 2004) 100k warranty as posted at:

https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/assurance/america-best-warranty

As time goes on, Hyundai's quality control just gets worse and worse, and they can no longer make reliable vehicles. Hyundai USA's VP of quality control, John Piaggio, said this about the discontinuation of Hyundai's 100k best-in class warranty: 'Since 2004, both manufacturing and quality control have declined substantially. Hyundai can no longer make reliable vehicles that can last up to the 100k powertrain warranty. Hyundai keeps getting calls from people whose cars have broken down, and they expect us to to honor our 5 year unlimited mileage, 24/7 roadside assistance pledge? Well, that's just unsustainable. We can't improve on the manufacturing quality we had in 2004. Everyone knows 2004 was the height of human manufacturing expertise; manufacturing has declined substantially since 2004. And combined with the supply chain issues... Forget it. Our warranty and 5 years of roadside assistance was too damn generous. We are goin' back on that shit. If your Hyundai dies with less than 500 miles on it, then YOU should have it towed to a dealer on your dime. Cause, since 2004 manufacturing and technology got worse... The Roman Empire collapsed, too. You should expect technology, manufacturing, and quality control to get worse as time passes. Warranties will follow suit.' "

That's essentially what was argued previously.

Get them to do the initial service while they're fixing it too. 477 is close enough.

We spend in excess of $7000 for these things. In my business I look at things case by case and as an owner decide what to do. I have an expectation that this really shouldn't have happened. They should do the right thing and come and pick up the bike. It's so new. I understand everyone's point, however, as a business owner myself I would make my clients happy and in this case I am hopeful that they will just come and pickup. I find out tomorrow…..either way, my triple A kicks in next week ……and I get a 100 mile tow with that…..so that is worse case scenario. Of course I would rather have Vespa do it……

I find it hard to believe that a Vespa/Piaggio product would fail after having been ridden for such a short distance.

Says the man with a 2020 Hyundai.

As a note, all the dealerships I worked at had technicians who believed that build quality and reliability had gone down over the years in an attempt to save costs.

If you want a timeline then it started with the first Mercedes A Class.

I was shocked too!! ......but then i have read many stories that it's not uncommon for GTS to have fuel pump issue early on - but once fixed - it's all set

Why not just call the dealer and tell them what happened. Don't rant and rave, just ask for their assistance. Nothing to lose.

I called the dealer from the side of the road when it happened…..it was on a sunday so, they were not open. I have been speaking with someone in the service department and they are just trying to figure out when they can get here…….

I hope you weren't on the side of the road with your scooter all night! Did you find a place to park it and a way to get home?

Oh, I see in your other thread that your mechanic friend brought it home for you.

Sounds to me like they are being constructive and trying to work with you.

Not sure why this second thread was created because it's tied to the original topic. Not even sure why the first one exists because it sounds like the dealer is making an effort.

^^^^ Indeed. I'm locking this one, and hope the OP posts the outcome in the original thread.