STEALER (DEALER) MYTHS
This section is going to be dedicated to telling it like it is. I have found that you local factory authorized service center will mislead you about important issues relating to your bike. They charge enough for the motorcycles and service to begin with. There is no need to give out false information to their customers just to make an extra buck. Not all dealers are ignorant of the facts and the laws so make sure and test your dealer. Don't let on that you know the truth and ask some questions that will allow them to either hang themselves or show that they are honest. When you find an honest one then stick with them.
The first myth I am going to address is oil. When we bought our new Road King the salesperson and the service representative both insisted that we had to use H-D branded oil in order for our warranty not be voided. They specifically told us that we could change the oil ourselves but we would have to buy the MoCo oil and filters from a dealership and keep our receipts to prove we had adhered to the service schedule.
This is a bunch of hooey. The same Federal Government that has screwed up the newer generation of bikes with stupid emissions laws has passed legislation to protect the consumer from getting gigged by vehicle manufacturers to some degree. In 1975 the Magnuson-Moss Act was passed by Congress to regulate specific manufacturer warranties. This legislation basically says that if the manufacturer requires the consumer to use their specifically branded product to validate the warranty they must supply it free of charge.
And I quote:
"(c) No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer's using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection may be waived by the Commission if - (1) the warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and (2) the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest." (42 U.S.C. 2302(C))
Your owners manual and your service manual recommends lubricants as rated by their viscosity grade and service classification. As long as the oil you choose meets the MoCo's recommended API SL and ILSAC GF_# service classifications your warranty has not been compromised. If your dealer or the MoCo try to tell you different they are either ignorant of the law or up to some shenanigans. This is the G-men's web page that explains the law very specifically:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/warranty.shtm
Of course you should not take my word, or that of any other single source, as a valid legal opinion. If you made it here you are capable of doing a Google search. Look for other information on the subject and make an informed decision before you tell the MoCo to keep their goofy oil. I am not a lawyer so my ramblings are not going to hold up in court if you end up in a face off with your dealer or the manufacturer over a warranty issue. do your research and then have a face off with dealer if they are insisting you use H-D brand oil. It will be worth it to see the expression on their face. Make sure and gig them on a busy day in front of a lot of other service customers. It is very staisfying to turn the table on the man.
YOU PURCHASE A 2007 HARLEY-DAVIDSON
lots more INFORMATION coming soon
