Okay so I take 2 lt80's down to my local shop one a 2000 and the other a 2004 they have low compression and I believe it is a top end issue with both...well after a week they call and say the 2004 is good to go, they honed out the cylinder and it looks good now...they say that the 2000 has a broken rod(?) and it will cost me $800.00 for them to fix it $400.00 in labor and another $400.00 in parts, they say that it wouldnt be worth it to fix it since the bike is only worth around $800-$900..I say okay and head down to the shop the next day to pick them up ....once I get there they ask me if I want to just give them the 2000 lt80 in exchange for the service cost of checking it out which was $125.00... I say hell no I can part it out on ebay and get more for it....so that was that....they left the bike in pieces...the head cover was returned bent ...it looks like they had to pry the piston out as it was in 3-4 pieces...

do you think I was getting screwed over?....does $800.00 sound right for this repair?..most importantly how do I tell if they where telling me the truth?...the head is off at this point can I move the crank and find out if what they where saying is legit? how hard of a job is this really?

 

Yes, you were getting screwed. RUN, don't walk, away from that dealer and never go back.

It may be that the street value of your 80 is ~$800 - you don't say how old it is. But repairing 2-stroke engines is pretty simple and the parts are readily available from reputable dealers and numerous online sources. If you have 80's, you probably have kids, and repairing this engine would be a great father-child project. It would give the kids a real sense of ownership and pride to be riding a quad THEY helped Daddy repair.

As you say, worst case you can part it out on eBay. That dealer definitely was hoping you'd walk away from it because they could then either part it out themselves or (more likely) put a couple hundred dollars of parts back into it and sell it for perhaps $1000 depending on condition.

Seriously... turn it into a father-child project. The education and bonding will be worth it even if you sell the repaired unit in your next garage sale.

 

They said the rod broke yet it is plainly there....how do I tell visually if they where telling the truth?

 

Oops, sorry, you DID say how old they are. Your 2000 quad... does it have suspension front and rear, or is it the old fixed-frame style?

 

Suspension front and rear..

 

A quick lookup reveals that the connecting rod for a 2000 LT-80Y (part number 478638-001) costs $34.78. I'm guessing that you're not basing your decisions on a $35 dollar part, so let's presume it's completely destroyed and must be replaced.

The bigger question is, what ELSE is wrong and needs replacement? You said the head is warped ($57.44). Obviously you'll need a new piston ($23.40 alone, $46.46 with rings). We're not even at $150 yet. What else is needed?

Use these sites to look up parts and prices:

http://www.bikebandit.com/partsbandi..._id~703221.asp

http://216.37.204.206/wps/Suzuki_OEM...p?Type=12&A=84

Let us know how it works out!

 

By the way, www.nadaguides.com shows your 2000 LT-80 as having an average used value of $1145. If yours is in good shape other than the engine issues you've mentioned, spending a few hundred to get it into working shape isn't out of the question. And as I said, the value of the time spent with your child(ren) while doing it is worth a lot more than the money.

 

well what he is saying now is that the crank was loose and out of spec...he couldnt just put a new piston in and see how long it would work due to that fact that he couldnt warranty it afterwards...yet he says he has done the same thing to his personal bikes before and had them last 3-4 years...the head isnt warped they just bent the cooling flanges on the side...

 

This just gets better and better. First it's not worth repairing, so why not just walk away from it. Now the rod is actually OK, he'd use it himself. Something smells mighty fishy around here!

I'd replace the rod. No sense taking chances. It's not that much more money.

By the way, what was wrong with this quad originally that prompted you to take it in? Why did they have to break the piston to remove it? From your description it sounds like all you really need is a new rod and piston, for just over $100. But that doesn't answer the question of what started this whole series of events in the first place.

 

What started it is I took both bikes in due to low compression 30-50psi ...figured it was time for 2 new top ends..