SBF Classic Vespa's Cafe 2009 / 2010

[reddy]

Originally posted by cephelix@January 13, 2007 06:07 pm

mainstand ($10), tyre ($40) , suspension ($85), labour ($5)

85 for suspension????? wat kindda suspension is tat? and the tyre price include labour or not? sounds a tad too expensive to me.

[Sharpey]

Yep... dude sounds like a rip....

[maz]

yah man. its kindda of a rip off for the suspension. 85 bucks i think can change front and rear suspension together. by the way reddy and i ask abt the gabriel suspension. and surprise2 its a subsidary of escort.

[-ResiDue-]

well, he quoted $85.....

 

oh well, too late to change now...

[planescape]

85 for suspension?

Hmmmm next time i go i check n ask him.

Me front brake overly sensitive so i RARELY use them..... always uses foot brake.

 

Its possible to convert fork-rimmed brake to new disc brake?

Interesting... maybe i will ask hijm n see how much he quotes too

[planescape]

oh now that we postponed the classic vespa gathering.... when's it to be?

Next fri? or 2 fridays from now? LOL

[machine k]

how about this friday? if it rains again (choy!) then we make it the next friday?

 

haha

[rae07]

Originally posted by planescape@January 14, 2007 12:10 am

Me front brake overly sensitive so i RARELY use them..... always uses foot brake.

should try use front together. used to be like u too..but after skidding a few times...decided to put front to gd use and finally got the technique of using it. maybe loosen a lil? can help u if u wanna.

 

meeting on this coming fri's good...not too long a wait for us.

[-ResiDue-]

planescape..

gd gd..go ask...

mine apparently not 3 legged fork...

the other one...

he change the whole portion where the spring is supposed to be....

dont know how to say......

 

spring

 

He changed it to the one that the red vespa in the pic has....

 

new spring

 

 

the white scoot where the spring is at....

he changed the whole thing....

niways my friend said first few times u come sure carrot prices..

but after a few times cheaper

[Sharpey]

That's the whole point of asking q's on forums like this! So you don't get "chopped".... eeek... 80 for that!!!! And I thought this shop was supposed to be the home of the "friendly guy".... Oooops.

 

Dude, go back and ask for your money back. Seriously now....

 

80 for that is like double what you should have paid!

 

Surely thats part of the reason forums like this exist.... so you don't have to get ripped by shops who see you coming with your shiny pay check!

[-ResiDue-]

hmmm....it's like the one in the pic on the link i've posted...

still awake???

thought that i'd be the only one online at this ungodly hour....

okok, i'll ask more qns next time..just that somethings are unplanned....

don't even know what i'm gonna do next mnth...

probably tuning n cleaning n all that.....

see how things go.....

may drop by tommorrow just to kill a few hours

[fluffpuff]

sharpey - ah joo's not the cheapest mechanic around i agree on that haha but i still go to him cos i like him and i trust him. sometimes i bargain with him and he's like ok la, nevermind la. haha maybe it works better if you are female though haha oops anyway guess you have to know the market rates for various stuff before paying up. like that day, i needed a new bike cover cos mine got torn. he showed me one and i very nearly said ok i'll take it. luckily, i decided to ask for the price first - it cost $18 . haha i told him eh uncle but i can get this from ah boy at the same price - for TWO! haha he was like is it aiyo really?! so cheap ah then you get from ah boy la haha. i told him ehh uncle - time to change your supplier can?!! haha, some things from ah joo aren't cheap, some are. you just have to know the value in things i guess. once paid, you can't expect to have your money returned to you. even if it is returned to you, at what cost? things are bound to get ugly. unless of cos, you decide to go to another mechanic for servicing in future.

[fluffpuff]

and yes cephelix - i have a feeling that ah joo gives special prices to his regulars (and people he likes?). haha so work on your relationship-building skills heh plus as mentioned, i think it's important that you know the worth of certain things. i would have bought the bike cover from ah joo hadn't i known that i could have gotten it at ah boy for half the price!

[-ResiDue-]

ooo....

okok...

kos the suspension thing was a last minute decision...

still learning....

bound to make a few mistakes...

thinking of getting bike cover also..

but dont know where to keep...scared get stolen

[Sharpey]

Like I said in a previous thread.... nobody is perfect.

 

It may also be wise to adopt the mentality that one should never mix business with another other form of relationship. Never trust that you are getting a good price... you have to know you are... How do you know... you do your research.

 

We really should get an excel sheet together with all the usual spares and their quoted prices at diff shops...

 

Being charged double (fair enough minus installation charge $10 MAX) for a part is ridiculous! But hey I'm sure most businessmen would find the prospect of being able to rip off a newbie hard to resist.

 

As soon as you trust someone, it becomes much easier for them to rip you off now and then..... EG... when I was in the market for an Alloy block recently (eventually got a good deal second hand) I knew the market rate for the kit (which includes a cylinder and a cylinder head) was 380 dollars... One shop said that if I wanted the cylinder head (that comes with it!!) it'd cost me another $40... $40 may not seem like much, but when someone you trust lies to your face... it teaches you never to trust a business like you would a friend.

 

Caveat Emptor people.... Caveat Emptor.

[Sharpey]

Cephelix.... go and get your money back man!

[-ResiDue-]

i agree with the price list thing...

but as for the money...

water under the bridge....

live n learn...

[fluffpuff]

hmm i agree with cephelix - not a smart move, demanding your money back. haha but i agree with you sharpey. As soon as you trust someone, it becomes much easier for them to rip you off now and then and that you should never trust that you are getting a good price. You have to know you ARE getting a good price. Another thing that we customers should realise is also the fact that different mechanics get their supplies from different suppliers. Some mechanics are able to charge cheaper for a certain part simply because they were able to bring it in at a very good price. Utimately, i still trust ah joo quite a bit though of cos, it would be stupid of me to put my full trust in him. He is running a business after all.

[-ResiDue-]

yup....

next time i guess i'd go down with somone who's familiar with Ah Joo...

that way i can ask them for a rough gauge of the prices...

 

the price for convenience..

[fluffpuff]

haha or try bargaining. it might work haha

[-ResiDue-]

bargin already...$5 discount...

must know market prices of the stuff then can know how much to bargin....

must go down to TA to have a look....

someone follow can???

[fluffpuff]

hhaha 5 dollars discount? anyway, you finally decided to go down to TA? haha don't worry lar the auntie there won't bite. not unless you are ah joo. haha ooops

[-ResiDue-]

yeah...$5....

dunno the prices for the accessories abit hard to bargin down...

[Sharpey]

Do a price comparison...

 

get a list of the things you want... then go round the shops and see who gives you the best price... buy from that shop... simple.

[fluffpuff]

or get their phone numbers then just call up and check