[davec113]

Crossposted from Trek Forum:

1 week ago I brought my '09 Remedy 9 frame into the Boulder, Colorado Trek Store, Elevation Cycles, with a crack in the top tube / seat tube junction.

Today I was given 2 choices.

1. A kluged together Slash frame out of whatever parts can be found, I was told "it will be mismatched". I was not told all parts would be from the same year even. I would have to pay for the shock.

2. $1100 credit toward the retail purchase of a complete bike at full retail price. It's a $2000 frame.

Let's just say I'm more than a little bit upset and already considering small claims court.

For those considering Trek, caveat emptor. I am more than a little bit diappointed in Trek right now.

I will update this thread with the result of this warranty claim.

Broken 2009 Trek Remedy: Warranty Claim

 

[charging_rhinos]

welcome to bike warranties. It'll be VERY hard to fight that one successfully, regardless of where the blame truly lies. They can (and will) say that you mistreated the bike, for which there is no proof one way or the other. But the true problem lies in the fact that your bike is 5 years old. That's not old in people years, but bikes aren't built to last as long as we are, and their warranties prove that: 2-3 years is a common number. Even Giant's 'lifetime frame warranty' can be a bit misleading. It's not your lifetime they're taking into account, it's the bike's. And it's not the absolute maximum time the bike may be ride-able either. It's an estimate, taking into account people who ride their bikes hard/often.

All modern bikes are usually designed with a 'handful of years' as their design life. This is a very vague number, and since it is so, you've arguably reached the bike's expiration date. When you get in that fuzzy area and your bike breaks, most companies will offer you what you got: A 'crash replacement discount' on a new frame. That's very common. It's not a bad deal most of the time. One mark of truly great bike companies is how good their replacement discount is, and how far out they'll do a full replacement of a frame. I wish you the best, and I'd be bummed too. But there's really not much you will be able to do, other than go tell Trek to kick rocks, of course. Maybe you can get a frame from a better company and swap your parts over. And when you leave Trek, please don't leave them for a company like Specialized. That would be a huge step in the wrong direction if you're looking for an upstanding company. Just saying.

 

[davec113]

Thanks for the advise!

What I pointed out to the Trek store employee, who is the go-between in for the Trek rep for our area, is that they should be happy to help out someone who has been riding their bike for the last 5 years, and rode it enough to break it. It means that person rides a lot, and might be the type of person Trek would like to have riding their bikes and spreading good word-of-mouth about their positive experience with Trek when the bike finally broke.

Now, Trek has a 3 year warranty instead of lifetime, which I think is fair, but I just can't imagine the loss of revenue from lifetime warranty claims are so expensive they need to do the least amount possible for their customers.

UPDATE:

-Counter offer with a frame that will be assembled from same-year parts and repainted so it isn't mismatched... throw in shock instead of making me purchase the shock since it won't be a normal factory frame.

This is acceptable, I would be ok with this solution.

I also threw out the possibility of a $2k discount on a '14 Slash 9 complete bike. It would be a nice upgrade and I can sell the drivetrain and fork off the Slash 9 for good money... (I had full XX1 and a new-ish Lyric on my Remedy).

 

[DethWshBkr]

I don't know, I consider that a pretty good deal, especially if they have a 3 or 5 year warranty.

Trek usually is very good about their warranty, but it also depends on the dealer.

I just had a warranty on my 1996 Y33. I was very, very well taken care of. That bike had a lifetime warranty. I will probably ride ONLY Trek from now on as a result.

I will say this as well - the credit towards a new bike? That does NOT have to be "full retail pricing". That is your bike shop telling you that. They can sell you a frame at cost if they wanted. IF their cost on a replacement frame is $1100, you can walk out with $0 due. I stress IF because I have no idea how much their cost is on a frame.

 

[davec113]

My frame has a lifetime warranty, but Trek has switched to 3 years since I bought mine.

Slash frames are not even for sale, you have to buy the complete bike.

Trek warranty is determined by the regional rep, not the local bike shop.

 

[DethWshBkr]

Correct, the warranty is at the discretion of the rep, but the items being sold are not. At least, that was my understanding.

When I did my Y33, of course that bike was discontinued what, 16 years ago? I ordered a Fuel EX8 29er as a replacement. The Rep had no say or input on what I got. He simply said "yup it's warranted, and you are allowed to get $X towards a new bike."
I could have gotten a Madone or Domane road bike if I would have wanted.

My shop gave me a discount on the 2014 Fuel EX8 29er as well as the credit, so again, it was a very, very nice deal.

 

[Roy Miller]

In 2012 I found a crack in the swing arm of my 2008 Remedy 8. Trek warranty at the time I bought the bike was Lifetime on frame and 5 years on the swing arm. New swing arms don't fit the old frame so they gave me a new (2011 Remedy 9) frame and swing arm. I had to purchase the DRCV shock but they gave me a deal on that. Aside from the shock, all my old parts went onto the new bike. With the DRCV shock the bike rides much higher in its travel and as a result climbs much better than the 2008 model. It took more than a month to get it all sorted out. Frustrating times but I ended up with a better bike.

 

[cjsb]

It looks like you got a good deal on your warranty. Personally, the first offer didn't surprise me either. The large companies seem to be upfront about the warranty, it's all in the terms and conditions. As pointed out above life time warranties are much shorter in the bike industry then some might think. 6-7 years from now it's unlikely that someone wants the old thing replaced the same, but there are exceptions...In any event, good outcome from Trek and for you...

 

[davec113]

Final Update:

I took home a 2014 Slash 9 today, the deal was fair and I am satisfied.

I've just pedaled the bike around, but I'm pretty sure this is going to be a massive upgrade over my '09 Remedy 9.

 

[ThomasF]

you could go for the trek slash 9, get the discount, use money to get pike, sell the fox 34 and then upgrade wheels if you wanted, idk why you'd want a remedy unless you're a super carbon weight weiny

 

[davec113]

Massive upgrade is an understatement, this bike is amazing...