Brand new bike full of rust from Victor Devine motorbikes Glasgow

djrikki

Hi there, a couple of friends who use this site recommended I make a post about a problem I am having with a brand new motorbike I bought.

I bought my new bike on the 6th of November from Honda dealership Victor Devine in Glasgow. 3 days later I was proudly showing it to friends and almost instantly one of them (an ex motorbike mechanic) pointed out a rough patch on the top of the fuel tank which turned out to be rust coming from the inside of the tank outward.

He said not to delay but to get in touch with the dealership and get it sorted, he also said to get the full thing checked out as something as apparent as that should have been spotted on the PDI check and if its been missed or ignored the rest of the bike needs looked at.

I had a quick look around the bike myself in more depth later and found the tax disc holder was also rusted right through. Having had the bike 3 days out of the showroom alarm bells started ringing. I emailed the dealership and they said to bring it in to check the problems, I did this and their camera wasnt up to the job of getting proper photos so while there and to avoid a wasted journey I asked if they could give the bike a once over to see if there were any other faults. They said they didnt need to and when it came in for a new fuel tank they would look at it then - a bit odd I thought as any problems found would mean another visit for me to get the next batch of issues resolved.

When I got home I decided not to wait and looked at the bike myself with a torch. It was at this point I found a whole batch of problems with it including :

- The fuel tank had corrosion on the top area, having started from the inside of the tank outward.
- Corrosion was dripping down the white side panels of the bike from the side of the tank.
- The tax disc holder was corroded through.
- There was corrosion on the bottom of the yoke plus impact damage from being hit with something repeatedly during installation.
- The paint had cracked and peeled off from the welds on the frame/chassis.

I have some photos but can't link them as I'm a new user. But you can paste them into your browser here:

setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz1.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz2.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz3.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz4.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz5.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz6.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz7.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz8.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz9.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bza.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bzb.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bzc.jpg
setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bzd.jpg
i.imgur.com/BEyFiMo.jpg
i.imgur.com/M7eCOB8.jpg
i.imgur.com/zas69GW.jpg
i.imgur.com/Clbfres.jpg

Finding all these problems on a brand new bike shattered my confidence in the vehicle totally. Im not a mechanic and I dont know anything about bikes, so what other nasties could be lurking under panels or in areas hidden from view?

I asked the dealer for an exchange of another bike that had been fully checked or a full refund and they lied to me and said I wasnt entitled to that, all I could do was speak to Honda UK about warranty work as my contract is with them and the Victor Devine dealership is only an agent. I explained I had paid cash to them and hadnt bought direct from Honda or got finance but they still refused.

The dealer did tell me of another customer who had the same issues (with the frame corrosion) and that they (Victor Devine & Co) got a new frame from Honda, had it powder coated locally and the customer went away happy. I didnt like the sound of this but relented during the call as I just wanted to get out there and enjoy riding.

A few days later the dealer calls back and says they are no longer offering a new frame and that all Honda and themselves would do was - to quote "touch up the paint on the welds".

With a sizable list of defects on the bike and having bought it brand new from a dealer and from a company as big as Honda I thought this was a really bad way to treat a customer who had just bought a fairly expensive product (though of course not expensive in terms of bikes).

Added to that I'd already had a chat about upgrading to a bigger bike after winter with the guys at the dealership which would have meant more money for them plus I spent hundreds of pounds more on the day of bike purchase on winter jacket, winter trousers etc in their accessories department.

I spoke with the Citizens Advice Bureau and they told me I had been lied to when I requested to reject the bike, I also spoke with my lawyer who confirmed exactly the same thing that under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended) goods supplied must :

- Be fit for purpose.
- Be of satisfactory appearance and finish.
- Be free of minor defects.

Victor Devine & Co Ltd refused to accept the rejection and told me to speak to Honda UK who admitted that yes my contract is with the dealer and they are the ones that by law have to give a refund.

Back to the dealer and they say they will replace the fuel tank, replace the bottom yoke and touch up the paint on the welds and tell me I am being unreasonable asking for a replacement bike or a refund as the bike is 99% perfect and has only "minor bits and bobs wrong with it".

I've sent a letter to the dealership but don't really know where to go from here now and was looking for any advice as everything seems to be going from bad to worse

Many thanks for reading and any help you can give me.

Rikki

unholyangel

Send a letter before action. Title it as such (letter before action), send it signed for and give them a 14 day deadline to refund otherwise you will issue court proceedings.

Keep it simple. On x date bought x for x price. Item does not conform to contract as rust etc (bullet point them if necessary but keep it straight to the point) so you are rejecting under non-acceptance of the Sale of Goods Act which entitles you to a full refund.

Alternatively, if you paid by finance (credit card or otherwise) you may be protected under section 75 of the consumer credit act and your credit supplier may be jointly liable (meaning you have the same rights with them as you do the retailer - ie a refund).

bod1467

djrikki wrote: »

http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz1.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz2.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz3.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz4.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz5.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz6.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz7.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz8.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz9.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bza.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bzb.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bzc.jpg
http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bzd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/BEyFiMo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/M7eCOB8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zas69GW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Clbfres.jpg

Quoted and edited so links are clicky.

My old Yamaha Diversion 900 was in better nick than that, and it was a 1996 N reg!

What model bike is it?

forgotmyname

Its not rusting from the inside out. Its rusting from below the painted surface. You want to get that wording done properly.
Poor preparation, Poor quality materials?

What bike is it? One of the cheaper ones made in China under licence?

The rust around the welds is never a good sign. That would be my main concern. Although it should not be in that state from new.

djrikki

bod1467 wrote: »

Quoted and edited so links are clicky.

My old Yamaha Diversion 900 was in better nick than that, and it was a 1996 N reg!

What model bike is it?

Thank you - to everyone for your replies

Its a brand new (0 miles) Honda CBF125 costing £2,500

Thanks

djrikki

forgotmyname wrote: »

Its not rusting from the inside out. Its rusting from below the painted surface. You want to get that wording done properly.
Poor preparation, Poor quality materials?

What bike is it? One of the cheaper ones made in China under licence?

The rust around the welds is never a good sign. That would be my main concern. Although it should not be in that state from new.

Thanks.

I was told by my mechanic friend it wasnt rusting due to being scratched or damaged on the surface but from the inside of the fuel tank outward, thats why the paint is blistering and the rust spots are starting to poke through - Im no bike expert though so only went on what he said. I'll remember that though and adjust it

Its a brand new Honda CBF 125 from the dealership.

It was the frame welds that made me really feel bad about things too

shaun_from_Africa

These might be of use to you to help show that it is a known problem with that particular model.
https://www.facebook.com/HondaCbf125Rust

http://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=3691382

http://hoc.createforumhosting.com/cbf125-rusting-and-corrosion-t5533.html

http://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=257364

visidigi

forgotmyname wrote: »

Its not rusting from the inside out. Its rusting from below the painted surface. You want to get that wording done properly.
Poor preparation, Poor quality materials?

What bike is it? One of the cheaper ones made in China under licence?

The rust around the welds is never a good sign. That would be my main concern. Although it should not be in that state from new.

Looks to be made in India i *think*

NeverInDebt

You not alone someone else saying there bike is rusting abet 6 months later. maybe is a quality control issue here or not built for UK conditions. Someone else mention they are made in India on net as said above

On bikeforums

They also said Honda sorted this out for them in end


I agree with others the dealer is responsible I would reject the goods if they refuse Letter before action. If you paid by credit then maybe contact credit company as they are equally responsible.

forgotmyname

Rusting from inside out or rusted through. Would mean the rust started on the inside and gone all the way through the metal.

What you have there is surface rust that had not been removed before being painted.

So the rust is breaking through the paint layer.

Not what you want from a new bike. As i said in the previous post the rust around the welds would be my main concern.

Could be a cause for early failure.

custardy

visidigi wrote: »

Looks to be made in India i *think*

Says made in GB

http://setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz1.jpg