Evening all,

Just found out that my ittle trail ride last weekend is going to cost me $915. I was told by Honda Motor Sports that the angle sensor went on my 2004 4x4 rancher ES, and also the wire harnessing and the ECM which from what I'm told is the brains for this friggin thing also is gone

I called Honda and they gave me the no warranty so your sh$t outta luck crap. So I faxed a stern letter to them. They said the would fix the angle sensor ($60) but everything else was my problem. I contend all this came about from the angle sensor which is what the mechanics told me on the QT!!

All this from a machine which has 800 miles and 100 hours on it. And those who know me no I don't beat the crap outta this thing.

That being said, is anybody out there familair with this issue. Also any you who are more mechanical have any sugguestions or recommendations where I might get this fixed at a reasonable price in the Boston area.

Signed PI$$ed off ATVer!

 

Why do you need an ECM and a wiring harness along w/ the angle sensor? I have replaced a few angle sensors on the 350 Ranchers in the past, this is usually what fails on this machine if there is a shifting problem. But the wiring harness???? A bad angle sensor will not ruin the harness. Its possible that the ECM did fail also, but not because of the angle sensor. If it did fail at the same time, then its just dumb luck. I'm curious as to why the dealer says you need all these parts.

If your paying for it, I'm assuming you don't have extended warranty. I can't stress it enough that the cost of extended warranty is nothing compared to having to pay for repairs like your out of your own pocket. I've seen your situation before. You only have a relatively small amount of time on your machine, something breaks when your out of warranty and now your pissed because Honda won't fix it for free. If it were me, I would be upset too, so don't think that I'm totally against you. But the question I have to ask is this, If Honda covers repairs for machines that are out of warranty, where is the incentive for the next guy to purchase the extended warranty? Every situation is different, and there are ALWAYS exceptions, but again you can't be mad at Honda because you didn't want to pay for the extra coverage. The number one response to this is usually, "Its a Honda, I shouldn't have to buy more warranty". But remember, anything w/ mechanical and electrical part can break, whether it has 800 or 8000 miles.

 

The main reason I am pissed is because I believe this is some sort of problem that Honda is not admitting, much like the angle sensor. I don't expect them to cover every little thing that goes wrong however, I do expect a certain amount of satisfaction with a company when I have made multiple purchases.

Every company worth its salt has to make concessions to customers if they want them back!! I have been back three times to purchase Hondas and have never required them to fix anything that I didn't pay for first.

This however, seems to be a problem that I expect them to stand by. Yes, it could be dumb luck as you say. But I have made deals with my customers in the past when I clearly could have said tough sh*t, but thought better to spend a few bucks and keep them coming back!! And they did!

Just my opinion.. oddly enough I have the warranty on my Recon ES and have never had to use it..

 

You didn't say why you needed a harness. And like I said, every situation is different so please don't think I'm on Hondas side. But I have seen situations where Honda is 100% right when they didn't cover a repair for someone who is a year out of warranty. They know they have angle sensor problems on Ranchers. I have had them covered on machines that are a few months out of warranty.

 

The dealership told me the wiring harness and the ECM needed to be replaced. I am not personally knowledgeable of these things so I am taking the dealers word for it.

I just find it strange the prior to last Saturday everything was fine and then while riding on an old long flat rail trail..Boom disaster!! Your right about the machine not being under warranty..

However, as I said when you've been a faithful customer and own more than one machine...Then the OEM or any other company for that matter has a certain obligation to go a little beyond what they are legally required to do. As I said I am for the most part a casual rider. Yeah, a little mud a few hills. But I also clean and take care of my machines after use including oil and filters...