2005 Sportsman 500HO. Brought it in for a stuck clutch and ECM replacement.
ECM is covered under warranty.

They called today. est $346.41

Said ECM under warranty $0

Clutchwork is 1/2 hr labor $30

They inspected the ATV and said the brake fluid is dirty and they want an hrs labor to flush and replace +$5.99 worth of fluid so about $66

They said it is 2.5 hrs from the 1st maintenance expiration so the maintenance which consists of checking everything and replacing all fluids (except of course the brake fluid) ..Axle fluid, front and rear gearboxes, trany and motor oil $220 + tx

Tighten valve cover as fluid is starting to leak. (no charge)

220 + 66+ 30 +tx I guess equals $346.41

I really dont have the money to do all this but I am no mechanic either.

Any help or guidance, I didnt know brake fluid got dirty.

Thanks.

 

something smells fishy... i just went through all my fluids and it cost me no more than $70 for everything... my quad is air cooled though... did you have any brake problems?? i dont see how your fluid would become "dirty"... my truck is older than 3 years i guess i should have the lines flushed out right... for that price you can buy a service manual, tools, fluids and do the work your self...
i just looked on e-bay and they have a sportsman oil change kit for $25, $12 demand drive fluid, tranny fluid $15.. you get the idea.... the owners manual should give pretty good instruction on how to change all your fluids...

 

being its an 05' i wouldnt think the brake fluid needs changing, so myself i wouldnt do it. saving $66.00 what was stuck on the clutch? if you changed the fluids your self( fairly easy to do) w/ the right fluids wouldnt be like he said not that much money. if you own a grease gun and change your engine oil on your car you can pretty much do the lube change to save another$150.00 +- so maybe save your self @least$210.00 just my .02

 

Sounds about like the average Polaris dealer. I think your dirty brake fluid is pushing the envelope a little. I could see were the fluid could be bad due to being boiled, I've done that in my car. But not on a new quad. I'd pass on haveing the fluid changed.
The other stuff is a judgement call. Changing the oil on my sportsman is a pain in the **** but I'll probably keep changing it. Synthetic oil stays in good shape for quite awhile.
I like working on my stuff and hate parting with my cash so it's a no brainer for me.
Deerkiller.

 

Look at your brake fluid! is it nice and clear or black and dirty??

 

Well, I called back and told the guy I just dont have the money to pay then $250 to do the scheduled maintenance on my ATV.

He is still charging me 1.5 hrs labor for the clutchwork and tightening the valve cover and the ECM replacement is free. So $90 total.

I will pick up oil and filter and check the brake fluid myslef when I get her home. If its dirty I dont see why i cant flush it myself. (wouldnt think something like flushing the brakes would take an hour.)

Anyway, some of the prices they are charging leave me suspect but I suppose unless me or a friend are the ones doing the work, I always will be.

Too bad that some shops operate in that way - overcharging the customer due to the customer being less knowledgeable. But I guess that will never change.

I will continue to do whatever I can to perform my own maintenance. Its hard to find the time, my wife usually doesnt give it to me but when she sees what the dealer charges to do the work as opposed to what it will cost me to do it, I think she'll agree with me and give me some time to do it.

 

"I think she'll agree with me and give me some time to do it. "

HOOO buddy, I don't like the sound of that. Good luck.
Deerkiller

 

i flushed the brake fluid when i got the 01 500 4x4 because it felt spongy+it is 6 years old,we can walk you through, takes me 1/2 hour-.what you could do is use a baster+suck the fluid out leaving 1/8 inch on bottom youcan take a lint free rag and carefully wipe the walls leaving the bottom alone+DON'T TOUCH any brake leavers,you'll be good for couple of years,i've done this to all the veh's i've worked on for many years without fail, but bleeding is'nt hard. as far as DEALERS business is slow+ they will rip you a \\\ \\\\\\\. 01 500 scrambler 4x4 brand new swamplites WOW!!! NO L0NGER SQWISHY FEELS LIKE THE FLINTSTONE MOBILE ALITTLE BUT VERY STABLE!!!!

 

wow... uhhhh..... nope, im not going there.....
good luck

 

Brake fluid! I have had motorcycles all my life since I turned 16yo.(a long time ago). Last spring as I went to start my older motorcycle in the spring(first time that year) I noticed the clutch did not feel right. That bike has a hydraulic clutch. It uses brake fluid for hydraulic oil. I called my favorite Honda shop and they asked if I had been changing the brake fluid every 2 years as advised. Well, no, I didn't see why, as I have never done that in an auto. Bikes use aluminum reservoirs, where autos use stainless steel. The aluminum has a chemical reaction with the Dot 3 and Dot 4 abrasive brake fluids. I rebuilt and flushed the clutch fluid out and found out that it takes a super high compression bleeder to properly bleed it, so I did have to take it over on the trailer to have the dealer bleed it. $15. My next question was what about the brakes on both bikes? He asked if the fluid appeared orange or darker than brake fluid?
Yes was my answer. Well, it is past time to change those also. He said no more than 3 years for brake fluid. I changed the fluid in both sets of brakes. The goldwing has two reservoirs and systems. After I did it, I started to research the use of Dot 5 fluid in those bikes. THis is a synthetic and does not have a chemical reaction to aluminum. Honda does not give their recommendation to that. Why? Maybe because their dealers would lose service dollars and maybe because they have not researched it. But I have emailed professionals that swear by it and the next change I do, will hopefully, result in the last with the Dot 5. I do not know if the Quad uses aluminum reservoirs. I would guess yes.