Two blown head gaskets in 260 miles...what to do

cliffs..I had a head gasket blow and the engine rebuilt under warranty, it blew again and they do not have an engine to replace it. I dont want another engine rebuild and Ducati says they do not have any complete engines. Anybody have success in getting a bike replaced or bought back for problems.


So back in January I got a great deal on a brand new 1199 base still in the crate. It was my first Ducati and I fell in love with, it was a long time dream come true at 33 to be able to get one. Well that dream turned into a nightmare at 1403 miles. I went to a BMW rally in KS and was riding my bike around with the group and when we stopped it started to spew a gel out of the overflow tub and you could hear air bubbles, almost like boiling, but it never over heated. Well after a short ride the temp started to climb so I pulled into a gas station to check it out. Looking at the oil sight glass you could not see anything so I pulled the side fairing off to get to the radiator cap and it looked like green pudding. Took it to my dealer and they said I had a blown head gasket. Ducati said they did not have any complete engines so I had to get a full rebuild and that took almost two months and cost them $8,000 in parts and labor. Ended up getting the bike back at the end of July and when I was out riding it last weekend the same thing happened and the current mileage is 1660. This time you can see the milky oil in the sight glass but it is another blown head gasket. Ducati wants to rebuild the engine but at this point I don't even want the bike anymore. The shop and myself both agree that there is something wrong with the casting in the block to be causing this. I do not want to have to my back in for a rebuild every few hundred miles. Ducati North America still says there are no complete engines available. I am about fed up as I have had my bike for a total of 3 weeks during the riding season and not to mention I had to take it to the dealer that is 2hrs away from me. They graciously offered to cover the oil change that was needed after the rebuild though. I am contact with customer service and they are doing a decent job but I just want to way my options and see if anybody has had any success in getting a bike replaced or bought back.





sorry for the rant

How did the dealer determine Blown head gasket in the first place? Co2 test any hard proof? The pudding in the cooling system can be also caused by a failed oil cooler or oil cooler orings, allowing oil into the cooling system. Since the oil will be at oil system pressure it will over pressure the cooling system and make it spew similar to blown head gaskets. IMO the first dealer jumped to the head gasket conclusion, did a repair and forgot to check the oil cooler. Now you right back where you started. BTW check your state laws, lemon law does not apply to motorcycle in some states if you go that route.

From the vette forums! howdy.

Keep us updated

how long ago did you purchase the bike?
any modification to the bike?
did you own another ducati before?
this is the question that regional ducati rep will ask the dealer , they will ask if you are an ....... to the dealer?, probable will get a engine case along with the repair, people don't believe when the dealer tell them that ducati don't stock completed engine only parts,some time they will pull a engine out assemble line if the don't have a specify part.

the outcome of this situation depend and the relationship with your dealer, be nice and the sky is the limit

Why did you start a totally new thread on this ??


NOLA

esmirna8261980 said:

how long ago did you purchase the bike?
any modification to the bike?
did you own another ducati before?
this is the question that regional ducati rep will ask the dealer , they will ask if you are an ....... to the dealer?, probable will get a engine case along with the repair, people don't believe when the dealer tell them that ducati don't stock completed engine only parts,some time they will pull a engine out assemble line if the don't have a specify part.

the outcome of this situation depend and the relationship with your dealer, be nice and the sky is the limit

Click to expand...

So if it's his first Ducati they would be fine telling him to go .... himself?

jjsC6 said:

So if it's his first Ducati they would be fine telling him to go .... himself?

Click to expand...

believe or not, the regional rep will take in consideration stuff like that, even something like is a base model or S model or R, I know it sound .... up but like I said before be nice with your dealer.

don't call ducati to complain about your bike, let the dealer handler it, if you call you only going to make your dealer look bad.and Ducati will call back you dealer and try to blame you dealer for not telling you to chill the .... down.

Let's hope they don't blame you for mistreating your bike ... in most cases warranty and insurance are pot luck ... sorry to see you have this problem hope they will fix it fast and get you back on the road.

It kinda scares me now that we own Ducati the major service costs are already scaring me over $2500 for major services

is a left over bike most like it they will make right, the bike still have 1 1/2 years left on the warranty no modification, now after they fix the bike not before, call ducati for some compensation don't ask for money ask for a helmet or a jacket some crap like that they will get a credit for the dealer to order you whatever you ask, ducati will pay half and the dealer pay the rest. only after the bike is fix you call ducati.

forged the part about ducati buying back the bike is a left over if they buy back they get stuck with a old bike (they buy back the bike to fix it and sell it back with a clean tiller if the get it under lemon law the title get brand it)any way in over ten years dealing with ducati I only see few bike that ducati buy back and most of them is because is for .... the is not repairable ( if you only need engine parts they will get you anything you need) not a engine they don't make 1199 anymore.

I've heard a few Disaster stores from members here and local. Be persistent but professional.. in the end... Might be a year from now.. who knows. They will eventually make it right.

I recall on ended with a dealer (not DNA) buyback with an upgrade to a 1299 for dirt cheap.

it sucks that this has happen...

looks like the dealer AND Ducati is working for you. I mean they paid for the engine rebuild and offer to do it again. I don't think it's a worse situation...even though engine breaking is as bad as it is.

Keep calm and be professional like mentioned above and hopefully things work out for you.

Thanks for the kind words and I've been very impressed with both the dealership service department at Moto Europa aka Ducati St.louis and Dicati North America. They have been fantastic to work with and have gone above and beyond in the realm of customer service. I get the final answer on Monday but they are buying this bike off of me and found a new 2014 1199 to replace it with. They are basically cutting me a check for what the new bike will cost including tax, title, and plate transfer. From what I've been told they really can't fix the issue because they do not know what is causing it and can not replace the whole engine. The first engine rebuild cost them $8,000.00 so I guess in the long run this will be cheaper for them.