Kawasaki Mule First Service

[rsar]

Just got quoted $770 for my Mule's first 50 hour service. Is it just me, or does this seem insanely excessive? I was expecting something in the $350 to $500 range and thinking that even $500 would be a little high. Is dealer service really necessary at 50 hours? At this price I think I'd like to shop around for a mechanic that could do it for half the price. I don't really have the option of shoping around for a cheaper Kawasaki dealer, as there is just this one dealer a reasonable distance away (30 min). The next closest olne is 3 hours away.

[Travis]

That's odd. When my grandad got his new Mule SX, the dealer said first service was 20 hours, that entailed engine oil change and filter and checking valve clearance, i'm capable of that so i did it for him. I think they quoted around the same.

You could check and adjust the valve clearance if you were inclined to, but really don't need to check unless you encounter hard cranking or hear them ticking.

 

[rsar]

And thats with free pickup and delivery. Imagine  having to add another $100 or more. I think I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet and get it done. Been having some rough idle and hearing a squeal when steering so there could be some issues that need tuning. The technician said its around 6 hours of maintenance at $110 per hour so that's the bulk of the charge. I'm not a mechanic  so in the end it's kinda worth it for peace of mind. 

[Scott Meszaros]

i would do it for peace of mind...........yes, difficult to spend the cash now, but in a month or less, you won't care......

[Irons]

It is very high in my opinion and I was pretty mad when I was quoted roughly the same price. Here I just shelled out big bucks for a Mule with 2k of that being shipping and tax and now I'm hit with a massive first service charge.  Mine turned out being under $400 because they didn't have to adjust the valves.

On a good note they did check and document every system and change every fluid on the machine, so I was impressed with what was done. They gave me a 3 page completed checklist  to put with my warranty paperwork.  It runs and idles better and the drivetrain is quieter since it was in.

But it does seem like the costs never end on these things...........

[rsar]

Just got mine back last week and it ended up costing $629 and change. I felt the same way after paying almost 11k for the thing only 8 months ago but now I'm glad I did it  (Not really a choice though since you  need to get your first service done by a Kawasaki techfor your warranty if it's a new vehicle). I'd been experiencing some hesitation and rough idle and those have been eliminated by the service. It's also running smoother and quieter overall. I just hope dealer service is not gonna be an annually recurring charge. What comes after first service and when does it need to be done? Does anyone know? 

[Irons]

According to the owners manual next one for my Pro MX is @ 1200 miles and I can do it myself, it's mainly fluid checks and changes.  I will do the oil and filter myself once a season. I got a new belt and I'll change that @ 1200 also, mainly so I know how to do it and then I'll keep the used belt as a spare.

[rsar]

So the manual says to change the engine  oil every 250 hours, but how can that be accurate when I just needed an oil change at 50 hours?  Did they use different oil or something?

[Irons]

4 hours ago, rsar said:

So the manual says to change the engine  oil every 250 hours, but how can that be accurate when I just needed an oil change at 50 hours?  Did they use different oil or something?

You want the first oil changed right away, that's why the manual says 50 hours.  When an engine is new and it gets heated up for the first time any assembly greases, sealants, casting material and gasket fragments on the new engine parts will come off and get carried away in the oil. Also there will be metal shavings as the new parts wear in together.

I do a first oil and filter change on any new car, truck or motorcycle after driving it around for one day, so always 100 miles or less.  I got a new 2022 KLR 650 last September and I rode it for one nice afternoon and changed the oil and filter as soon as I got it home.  I have 468 miles on it now and it will go in for it's first service at 600 miles.

 

 

[Patrohn]

I was just quoted  $1200 for the 50 hour service on my Mule 4010 by D2 motorsports in Spartanburg, SC. I will get it done, but my love of Kawasaki products and the thieves just went out the door.  10% of the purchase price for a routine service!

[Scott Meszaros]

i have a mule 610, first service was around $500............of course that was 7 years ago.........you must be getting the "custom" service package.......

[laurence noon]

I must be in the wrong business, 600 for a service, oil change, filter and adjust valves? my machines get oil change, filter change and as of this summer adjusted the valves on a 2006 610, they were starting to get noisy, its not rocket science

 

 

[Travis]

10 hours ago, laurence noon said:

I must be in the wrong business, 600 for a service, oil change, filter and adjust valves? my machines get oil change, filter change and as of this summer adjusted the valves on a 2006 610, they were starting to get noisy, its not rocket science

 

 

Labor is  a big chunk of it.

[Scott Meszaros]

paid the dealer to do it as 1) wanted to make sure i kept warranty in place and 2) didn't want to get my hand dirty...........hahahahaha

[laurence noon]

agree its dirty, and about 4 hours of time not rushing, since mid 90s have 3 mules, two 601s and a 550, since new changed oil yearly, tried to claim warranty on the 550 for the splines wearing out  and axle not engaging, dealer said wearable item the hub cost 125, so in 18 years never received any warranty, so spending 600 per machine each year for service would be a waste.

all repairs would amount to under 1000 including two front fenders, also never buy extended warranty on vehicles either, touch wood its worked out in my favor

 

 

[Scott Meszaros]

after all the complaints on this forum about the other brands of utv's, i will stick with my mule...........not the fastest, not the most powerful, but it hauls stuff around the house and plows snow just fine..........

 

[rsar]

2 hours ago, Scott Meszaros said:

after all the complaints on this forum about the other brands of utv's, i will stick with my mule...........not the fastest, not the most powerful, but it hauls stuff around the house and plows snow just fine..........

 

Agreed. After all the money we invest in these things, imagine getting a lemon. I've read more horror stories than not about reliability, but virtually none have been about the Mule. Our SX has been a godsend. The things we've been able to do since getting a year and a half ago are countless. We have a really long driveway and used to have to walk the trash and recycling down to the road. Now we haul it down in a trailer with the Mule. Never realized how much that sucked until now. We live in the woods and burn about 3 cords of firewood in the winter and this thing hauls about 50 percent more wood than my old ATV. I'v e also been able to pull logs out of the woods with a tow hitch and tow strap. Haven't even needed to add a winch yet. I'm looking forward to adding a snowplow someday, but for now we have a snowblower. 

Regarding the lack of power, just saw a vid on youtube about a quick fix that adds about 10 mph. It voids the warrranty of course but I wouldn't attempt it till after the warranty runs out anyway. I've attached the link for anyone interested. Works on both the 610 and SX.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc9u8f0fQRE

[Jean]

Count yourself lucky, our first service in 2020 was a little over 1000 here in Colorado. We have it serviced once a year and it is always somewhere between 800 to 1000 every time. We love our mule it does most everything we ask it to do, but it is a high Maintenace buggy.

[Scott Meszaros]

had our mule since 2015.....only issue was bad fuel filter and one time it struggled to run right when the temp was 35 below zero.......................