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I'll try to give a quick rundown: Bought a Tiger 1200 from Second Wind Triumph BMW and decided to buy an extended warranty. At the time it was a Triumph labeled warranty but said "Powered by RPM1". Triumph is not involved in this at all, so the warranty is through RPM1, who is now owned by a company called Revolos. Warranty has paid for a few small things here and there (fork seals) without a blink of an eye but bike is now at an authorized dealer for a noticeable ticking noise. Dealer performed diagnosis and determined a new timing chain is needed along with adjuster and guides. Seems a little premature but possibly reasonable given the 57k on the odo.
Dealer then files claim with warranty and warranty promptly asks for maintenance history. I provided a detailed logbook from when the bike had 4 miles on the odo to its most current service, an oil change at 55k. My logbook contains date, mileage, service performed, associated invoice, cost or warranty applied, and any additional notes/concerns. I also attached all scanned invoices/receipts in chronological order that correspond with the services performed in the logbook. There is over 40 pages of documentation ranging from oil changes to valve checks/adjustments in accordance with the owner's manual. My logbook is tracked via Excel and converted to PDF for distribution. I am told it is very simple to read and follow by dealer techs.
Owner's manual calls for oil service every 10k but I performed these myself every 5k. I buy the oil by the case along with appropriate filters and my logbook dictates which oil and filters from each receipt/invoice were applied for each oil change. For example, a 12 quart case would allow for 3 changes per the bike's 4 quart capacity, so the same receipt could be used for up to 3 separate oil changes.
They tried to deny the claim based off one filter not lining up with the records...but it does. It's all laid out in the logbook with the associated invoices. I called them and of course it's a different person every time who does not have access to the logbook or invoices. I said I'm happy to go through this together, even on a screen share, as you can tie off the invoice/receipt to what is recorded in the logbook. Again, it's pretty straightforward and everything is labeled. I reiterate these were performed every 5k and not every 10k as outlined in the owner's manual.
Someone must have re-read what I provided because they are now asking for a 3rd party inspection company to come and inspect the bike. Again, bike is currently at an authorized Triumph dealer with trained technicians certified by Triumph.
The dealer has never seen a warranty company scrutinize a well-documented machine to this level before but is warning me that this could turn into an inspection where they measure the actual timing chain that is removed from the bike and compare against the manufacturer's specs. This seems a bit extreme...I told the dealer to provide them with as much data and pictures as possible that led them to make the recommendation to perform this repair. I do not think it is reasonable to tear down a motor if there is enough evidence to suggest a repair. Nor do I want to be on the hook should they deny it for some reason and the bike is taken apart, then I am forced to make the repair.
I'm pretty annoyed at this whole process given I've provided meticulous maintenance records exceeding the manufacturer's requirements and per the contract, I am addressing an issue that could potentially cause worse damage. Keep in mind these exchanges have been taking days as the warranty company is pretty slow to respond and I already have 5 separate people who have reviewed the case, each of whom need to get "up to speed" on the situation.
Anyways, any words of wisdom or advice? The contract does have fine print, albeit rather ambiguous, about having a 3rd party inspection but nothing about an engine tear down inspection. I am also entitled to rental reimbursement per the contract but haven't gone down that rabbit hole yet.
TLDR?
- Have warranty, dealer made claim to replace timing chain.
- Provided extensive maintenance history from day 1 to warranty company
- PITA exchanges between warranty company delaying repairs
- Warranty wants 3rd party inspection with possible engine teardown to validate claim
- advice/things to prep for?