How good is your warranty? Ducati NA warranty COMES THROUGH!! (changed)

[Kootenanny]

I'm gonna be the black sheep and ask, why is it rusting?

You say you keep it full of gas, as you do your other bikes which have no rust.

But AFAIK gasoline won't oxidize steel, unless there's water in it.  Might you have been getting some wet gas? (I've heard of stations actually watering down their gasoline to increase profit).

Is there a lining inside the Ducati tank?  Is there supposed to be a lining, and your bike doesn't have it?

Sorry to say, but I can sort of understand Ducati's point of view.  Rust inside a tank is generally caused by water, usually condensation forming in a partially empty tank.  A manufacturer has no way to control what customers put in their fuel tanks, or how full they keep them.  You'd have to come up with a fair amount of proof, I'd think, so convince anyone that the rust is NOT "environmental damage."

Anyway, if I was in your shoes, I'd just bite the bullet and get some gas tank sealant.  I've been there before, and there comes a point when it's just not worth it to fight anymore.  The best you can do is tell the dealer, and DNA, that due to your experience none of your future bikes will be one of theirs (for similar reasons, I refuse to buy another Ford pickup--I leased a brand new one in '97, and even though I carefully explained what I would be doing with it--going onto remote industrial sites, coal mines, etc., over rough gravel roads--it came with P-rated tires.  I had five flats in the first ten months.  Ford customer service refused to get me new tires, and indeed told me not to take my 4WD truck off pavement!?!  I ended up buying new 6-ply tires, which I kept when I took back the leased truck.  For the price of a measly set of tires, Ford lost a customer to Dodge...)

[Jeff N]

I think Kootenanny brings up some good points that would be worthwhile to investigate, but as others have suggested, the quality of warranty response and work is down to the dealer involved.

From what I can tell, manufacturers cover warranty work at a flat rate, and some dealers are loathe to accept such work because it cuts into their profits as they are only compensated at what they might feel is a penalty/loss, thus compelling them, the dealer, to not even look into your claim. With such a mindset, the average customer is screwed.

You've got some recommendations, aytip. Look into them.

[BubbaDenkins]

 The threat of legal action looks to be a viable option in this case. Who knows maybe if you become a big enough pain in their ass they might change their mind about replacing that tank.

Another option would be to contact your state attorney general's office and talk to them. They might be able to either help you give DNA the push they need to fix the issue or give you an idea of where you can go to get help.

[atadaskew]

thanks for all the suggestions, I'll be looking into them.
I get my gas from the same gas station for all my bikes.  what is telling about Ducati's refusal to honour the warranty is that they changed their reason after I discounted their first claim for dismissal.

[motoguy128]

Dumb question maybe.... but I'm assuming you didn't store the bike with the tank mostly empty. Seeing how you have several bikes that sit, I figure you're good about keeping them full of fuel with stabilizer of properly draining and oiling the that for long term storage.

Basically a repost.... but I didn't read whether you stored it mostly empty or not.


I'd take the issue up with the EPA or DNR since they are not meeting the requirementst of their emissions warranty.

[keystonejenks]

Just a quick question regarding legal action. Would it cost more to lawyer-up than it would to just replace the tank?

[motoguy128]

Just a quick question regarding legal action. Would it cost more to lawyer-up than it would to just replace the tank?

Not if you win and they are required to pay your legal expenses.  However, they will appeal and it could be years before you collect.  But they might settle due to negative publicity.  The challenge is that the burden of proof will be with the owner to prove the tank is defective.                                                                                                              

[Mr. Whippy]

Honestly, if it were me, I'd write a letter, tell them how disappointed you are, who all you're going to contact (NHTSA, Ducati groups, etc), and what you want from them (Ducati credit towards future purchase, new tank, whatever),

then I'd buy a POR-15 tank liner kit, seal up the tank, and move on.  It'll cost you $50-70 plus time, but still less time or money than fighting to the bitter end.  Life's short, ride as much as you can.

[1moreroad]

Honestly, if it were me, I'd write a letter, tell them how disappointed you are, who all you're going to contact (NHTSA, Ducati groups, etc), and what you want from them (Ducati credit towards future purchase, new tank, whatever),

then I'd buy a POR-15 tank liner kit, seal up the tank, and move on.  It'll cost you $50-70 plus time, but still less time or money than fighting to the bitter end.  Life's short, ride as much as you can.

This is the problem with so many little annoyances.  A large company's screw up costs me (or atad, in this case) an hour or two of my time and an hour or three worth of wages.  At the same time, fighting said company can easily consumer 3 - 4x that.  I really, really sympathize with atad because, while not on motorcycles (haven't owned enough, I guess), I seem to fight this battle once or even twice a year with medical insurance or credit cards.  While I usually cancel a credit card once this happens, it's not like we have a lot of choice with medical insurance.

Now if enough folks had the same problem and they banded together, the costs would be distributed over many consumers but borne in total by a single company.  Even there, the reality is that 1 or 2 people do most or all of the legwork for the benefit of the group in exchange for the satisfaction of doing the job right.

[atadaskew]

Just a quick question regarding legal action. Would it cost more to lawyer-up than it would to just replace the tank?

I understand what you are saying but dammit I find that I have principles!  

If I knew any of this was going to happen I would never have brought it in to them and would just have taken care of it myself.  But instead they strung me along and then Ducati NA just refuses the warranty.
The bike was always stored with a full tank of fuel, and used regularly as I live in SoCal.
Here's the thing, even if the "environmental damage" is valid (which it is, it is rusting), no where in the warranty disclaimer is this listed as a way out.  After I pointed this out to them, they changed their tune and then said the warranty claim was being rejected because the tank rusting merrily away does not currently affect emissions.  Even though it is listed as part of the emissions equipment in the warranty and they are acknowledging that it is failing.  It will eventually rust through, then cause a fuel leak which will then result in an emissions failure.  As well as a safety hazard.
This is a case of "I'm mad and I'm not going to take it anymore".   Ducati NA are basically trying to treat me like their bitch.  I have a backbone, I'm not going to take this behaviour.

[phoenix]

hey, I just googled "Ducati 800ss rust in fuel tank" and this guy has the same exact problem!!

http://www.ducati.ms/forums/showthread.php?t=44365

sorry, bad joke.

Man, I would be SERIOUSLY pissed off. That is total BS. Just from my work experience, my guess is that the raw material or the raw formed fuel tank was not prepped or treated properly from the factory and it began rusting right away. I assume the bike was built in Italy and shipped over on a boat. I have no idea how well the shipping container is sealed, I just know that the machines my company ships overseas (they do not fit into a container of any size) must be prepped so that they will not start to rust from the salty air. Maybe this one had a damaged container that allowed some salt air in. Whatever the case, I firmly believe it should be covered by Ducati. That just plain sucks. Too many other sweet looking bikes out there that you probably want to try out sometime, maybe now is the time to sell your Ducs and switch to another brand.

[atypical1]

This is a case of "I'm mad and I'm not going to take it anymore".  Ducati Beverly Hills and Ducati NA are basically trying to treat me like their bitch.  I have a backbone, I'm not going to take this behaviour.

You kinda have by owning two of their bikes. My bike was a lemon so I got rid of it and it will be a while before I buy another Duc (even though they actually treated me really well...which is the only reason I would consider another one). It might be a matter of not talking to the right person in DNA. Part of their job is to keep costs down and part of the way they do that is to deny warranty claims. But a dealer who has a good relationship with them can work wonders (trust me on this...my motor blew up out of warranty and DNA covered to cost of repair...$4k worth of work and it didn't cost me a dime).
Aside from calling a lawyer (and who knows how far that will really get you) your only true recourse is to let future customers of Ducati and Beverly Hills Ducati know about how you were treated. Try contacting folks who have some exposure to DNA. Post this story on www.ducati.ms. Try contacting bloggers (twistingasphalt comes to mind) to see if they will post your story.

Good luck,
james

[atadaskew]

You kinda have by owning two of their bikes.

My first bike, the St4s, is now 5 years old and has been perfect.  Absolutely love that bike.  Took a 360 mile round trip last weekend with the g/f to the Santa Barbara wine country and it got 52mpg.  So it's not like I had a bad experience and then went back for more!

[B-rent]

Sorry to hear about your problems man. I'd be pissed too. Keep us posted on how things go with this.

[atadaskew]

I just filed a complaint with the EPA and CARB.  I also wrote to Ducati in Italy.

[Mookie]

you should contact the BBB, they seem to get quick results when they are in a position to do so.

[Mr. Whippy]

I just filed a complaint with the EPA and CARB.  I also wrote to Ducati in Italy.

NHTSA.  They're the guys that can force recalls.  Sudden plugging of the fuel filter is definitely a safety issue.

[atadaskew]

NHTSA.  They're the guys that can force recalls.  Sudden plugging of the fuel filter is definitely a safety issue.

Just wrote to them too!  I also tried BBB but on their online site they do not list Ducati (or any other motorcycles that I can see) in their drop down menus even though they say that you can have a motorcycle complaint.  If you do not select anything, it does not allow you to go to the next screen..

[Bodhi]

My digital dash started malfunctioning last year while udner warranty (some of the LCD segments failed to display). I claimed I was in a torrential downpour. DNA claimed I must have tried to power-wash the bike and hit the seam of the dash. With prodding from the dealer DNA covered a new dash.

[atadaskew]

I claimed I was in a torrential downpour.

Not trying to be funny, but were you in a torrential downpour or did you claim to be?