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The 'knock' - All you need to know!
'Knock' information
and survey The following
letter was sent on the 30th October 2004 after numerous other
letters to Suzuki UK Customer Services failed to get a satisfactory
response to concerns and questions raised by owners. The letter was
sent by Registered Airmail so that there would be no question of it
not being received.
To date there has not been any response from Suzuki Japan what so
ever despite a chaser letter being sent early Jan 2005 and numerous
other forum members having written requesting that Suzuki respond.
This letter was sent on behalf of all
www.sv1000.zyns.com members
representing a majority of all SV1000 owners so clearly Suzuki,
Chairman Osamu Suzuki in particular, has little or no regard for
customers once they've sold a bike to us. We have not even
been shown the courtesy of a response 'declining to respond',
letters have apparently been ignored - I'll leave you to interpret that as you may!
I thought an important aspect of Japanese culture was
'honour'.......but apparently not, as Mr Suzuki has not even seen
fit to do me the courtesy of having the receipt of my letter
acknowledged.
You may find the way in which the letter is phrased in parts is a
little unusual.....this was done on the advice of a colleague in
Japan, to better suit cultural and language differences between
Europe and Japan. ****************************** Mr. Osamu Suzuki
Chairman
Suzuki Corporation
300 Takatsuka Hamamatsu
Shizuoka 432-8611
Japan
Dear Chairman Suzuki,
Greetings, my name is Andrew Williams, a long time member and Senior
Moderator of the Suzuki SV1000 Owner's Group and Worldwide Forum
www.sv1000.zyns.com, the members of which I am representing in
writing to you.
First, I would like to express our gratitude for the motorcycle you
have made, which fills our hearts with pleasure and pride. Our
Owner's Group is the largest in the world, with about 3000 members
from many countries worldwide. I and the many owners I represent
purchased the Suzuki SV1000 because we were impressed with its blend
of performance, style and value, and have greatly appreciated the
high standards of Suzuki customer care in the past. In this letter,
I would like to frankly discuss a problem with you which some owners
are having and look forward to your reply to the owners and myself.
It has come to our attention that some number of the SV1000 engines
manufactured during 2003 were made with crankshaft bearings that are
either defective or produced to incorrect tolerances. I know this
from my own research and the research of others. An Owner's Survey
that I have conducted has confirmed the problem. This problem causes
a loud knocking noise coming from the inside of the engine block and
most often occurs after the motorcycle has had its first service -
it also sometimes occurs at later intervals. I personally know
several owners that have had the crankshaft bearings replaced by
Suzuki Dealers. This has fixed the problem. These Dealers are
keeping good customer relations. However, other Dealers say, "there
is no problem" and are not co-operative. The Suzuki Dealers who made
the repairs and replaced the crankshaft bearings did so in
accordance with the terms of the warranty. Suzuki Great Britain has
acknowleded the problem (by fixing a number of motorcycles), yet has
never stated clearly that there is a problem with a limited number
of 2003 SV1000 motorcycles or provided owners with information that
would help us.
I have endeavoured to seek answers to owners' questions and concerns
by communicating with Suzuki Great Britain but as you will see from
the copies of correspondence attached, without success. Concerned at
the standards of customer service I and others were receiving, my
last letter was addressed directly to Mr. Awano. Regrettably, he did
not respond personally. Instead, my correspondence was again handled
by a junior employee who has repeatedly failed to address the
questions and issues raised. This is very disappointing as I do not
believe your customer service philosophy has been upheld.
Furthermore, Suzuki Great Britains' refusal to seriously address
legitimate complaints I and others have, seems discourteous and may
be affecting your reputation with present and future customers.
An ever increasing number of owners are becoming worried by this
crankshaft bearing issue, whether their motorcycle exhibits the
fault now or not. I am aware of a number of prospective buyers who
have decided not to purchase an SV1000 because of these concerns.
Suzuki Great Britains' continued lack of response to owners'
questions put to Suzuki and lack of information given and available
to owners, is increasing owners' and prospective owners' concerns.
This situation is surely damaging your company's reputation within
the motorcycling community.
I and the many owners I represent purchased the Suzuki SV1000 after
previously owning and enjoying other Suzuki motorcycles and
naturally expected a similarly enjoyable ownership experience with
the SV1000. The current situation is affecting the good relationship
that so many owners have had with Suzuki and it is with the hope
that this trend can be reversed that I write to you.
I therefore request your assistance and respectfully ask that you
intervene on our behalf to ensure that Suzuki Great Britain and
Suzuki Dealers worldwide deal with this issue in an honourable
manner as befits a corporation such as the one which bears your
name.
I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for taking the time
to deal with this issue for me.
Yours Sincerely,
AW
Suzuki Owners Forum, Senior Moderator
******************************
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