Alvins

Bad news for people on the east coast


http://www.alvinsmotocal.com/

[Dave G]

Never good for dealers to be shutting,though it has to be said that I've never heard any paricularly good things said about them.
I'll keep supporting Ducati Glasgow in the meantime.

pity, but always seemed like a "bike warehouse", not a showroom, and never got the inpression of being very biker friendly.

Well…I could write a book on Alvins. I’m not going to go into the details…I'm sure people here are fed up listening to the troubles I've had since I bought my bike in November

The thing I am bothered about though is this: The last piece of work I got them to do though [last week!], was to fine tune the set of FCR carbs I’d fitted, and dyno test it. I also asked them to do the valve clearances, cam timing, compression / leakback tests, and finally to check the alternator rotor retaining nut.

I also asked them to deliver it back to me with the engine casings removed…as I wanted to get them blasted and re-sprayed [happening as we speak]. I mention this, because it means I havn't actually been able to test out the bike yet.

Thing is, I’m not sure if any of the work I asked them to do has actually been done

I got an invoice for 4 hours work…but with no breakdown as to what was done. They couldn’t give me a dyno print out because their printer wasn’t working, and as for the clearances? Well I’ve just taken off the valve covers to re-spray them, and I’m pretty sure they havn’t been off in quite a while. Either that or they’ve just stuck the old gaskets back in there.

I really don’t give a toss about the money, well OK I do...but my concern is finding out what was done, if anything, just so I know what to ask Ducati Glasgow to now do for me. Fat chance now though eh!

I don't want to sound like I'm having a go at Alvins though eh...I really do believe they did as much as they possible could to help, and given what we know now, well I guess it explains a lot.

Eonan
I would write to them asking them to clarify what work had been done and to ask for the dyno print out. See what they respond with. No response equals no payment. Treat this as if they were still in business. It's not your problem that they have closed down. Until they can confirm the work done then treat the invoice as being in dispute. You never know, you may get lucky and not have to pay anything, in which case all you have lost is some time and you can get someone else to do any outstanding work.

Originally Posted by Gilps

Eonan
I would write to them asking them to clarify what work had been done and to ask for the dyno print out. See what they respond with. No response equals no payment. Treat this as if they were still in business. It's not your problem that they have closed down. Until they can confirm the work done then treat the invoice as being in dispute. You never know, you may get lucky and not have to pay anything, in which case all you have lost is some time and you can get someone else to do any outstanding work.

Erm...unfortunately they were paid on delivery of the bike...and they have now literally vanished! I phoned them 3 times last week to get the print out...doesn't look as if I'm going to see one now.

You have my sympathies. You are having a real nightmare with that bike aren't you. Is this just a one off bad experience you are having or are you one of those people for whom nothing seems to go right? Could you please select 43 numbers from 1 to 49. The reaminaing six should come up on tomorrows lotto draw. If we all buy a ticket and let you have some of the winnings you should be able to get a new bike.

Originally Posted by Gilps

You have my sympathies. You are having a real nightmare with that bike aren't you. Is this just a one off bad experience you are having or are you one of those people for whom nothing seems to go right? Could you please select 43 numbers from 1 to 49. The reaminaing six should come up on tomorrows lotto draw. If we all buy a ticket and let you have some of the winnings you should be able to get a new bike.

Nah I'm usually a pretty lucky bloke its fair to say, and to be honest I'm kind of glad the way things have worked out.

If they hadn't dropped it, then I would never have bothered getting a new paint job done myself. It was only because the new paint work looked so good, that a started to get really interested in making the rest of the bike look good.

By then, I was riding her and started getting really interested in the performance side of things. If I'd just kept her the way she was when I bought her, I'd probably be looking to buy another bike, instead as I'd spent so much time and money on this one, I thought I may as well keep going.

I've learnt so much this way, and had a realy great time finding parts and fitting them. And...I've had some great banter on here in the process.

The fine tuning the FCR's I admit is a bit of a pain...but something good will come of it I'm sure.

Looks like its turned out OK in the end. That's good. I remember reading all your earlier woes thinking "Can anything else go wrong for this bloke". You seem to have found the silver lining. Looks like I'll be picking the winning lottery numbers on my own again this week. Still, at least i won't have to share it out.

a fairly disinterested bunch each time i went to Alvins, showroom, shop & service centre staff, it always seemed like an effort for them. maybe it was a result of being too close to that many tractors. (Harleys) don't know Ducati Glasgow but Shirlaws in Aberdeen always seem friendly and interested.

second that opinion on shirlaws,must get up there later this year

The only ‘bike I ever bought from Alvins was a Pantah, and that was when they were quite modern (Pantahs not Alvins)
I bought my first Monster from Shirlaws and have found them pretty good to deal with. For servicing I now take mine to Altermotives in Thurso – personal service from a Ducati owner & fan. Everything changed or adjusted is recorded and can be compared from one service to the next giving a good picture of what’s going on inside the engine.
Recommended.