Disclaimer
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent anyone else's view in any way, including those of my employer.
© Copyright 2008
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent anyone else's view in any way, including those of my employer.
© Copyright 2008
***Less Stress Auto & Powersports Review Part II***
A little bit ago Chad, Regen, Haylee and I bought the very popular Roketa Sicily from Less Stress Auto & Powersports, as well as another acquaintance of ours. With all reviews there are pro’s and con’s with the topic and I’m going to try to point out both. I’m going to try to not be biased so that whoever reads this gets the truth about Less Stress Powersports, and not just somebody’s personal opinion. I will include my opinion at the end however.
Our first impression of Less Stress Auto & Powersports was a good one. We found their building without trouble (you can see it going northbound on I-15 on the right with all the scooters & 4-wheelers on the roof). Less Stress Auto & Powersports is located in American Fork, Utah. Just off the American Fork Exit and a little bit east of Carls Jr. We found an amazing deal on a 150 cc scooter, and the person that was helping us answered all our questions and was very friendly. The test ride of the Sicily was good; it felt just like a quality Vespa at first. They had good speed and basically it was everything a scooter should be.
A few days later we all purchased them and had a great time without any trouble. Everything seemed to be working correctly but we were about to see how great of a purchase we really made.
Let’s start with Chad. He purchased his the same day and was enjoying his scooter. He never laid it down or let it out of his sight. One day he was riding it and it decided to shut off and he couldn’t get it started with the electric starter or the crank start so he had to push it up the hill back to his house. His scooter only had about 700 miles on it at this time and had the initial oil change performed by the people at Less Stress Auto & Powersports, and he had also done two changes himself before it had got to 700 miles (as did Regan, Haylee and I). Keep in mind that when we purchased them, we asked how often we should have the oil changed and they said 300 miles so that it can break in, then 1000 -1500 miles afterward. When Chad took his scooter down the mechanics said that his engine had seized up and was going to need a new engine because there was no oil in it, therefore, it was not covered under their warranty. We told them that we had changed it no more than 100 miles ago (as did Haylee, Regen and I) but they said that there was no oil leaking and there was no oil in the exhaust. Where did a whole quart of oil go??? We couldn’t figure it out so Chad would have had to buy a new engine for $350, after some miscommunication however between the employees and Chad; they offered it to him for $250 installed. Other than the engine, Chad’s scooter has done well, it’s held together nicely and all the electrical components work. Chad still had his temporary plate long after it was expired because Less Stress Auto & Powersports didn’t get him his official license plates in time, not that it matters, because Chad didn’t have his scooter to ride on anyways.
Haylee got the white model and really hasn’t had too much trouble with it. There has been a couple times where it hasn’t wanted to start but we got it going with the handy crank start. She hasn’t had any engine troubles luckily but has had some issues with her blinkers not working. The oil was running very low one time but Regen checked it before it got too low and filled it back up. We went down to Less Stress Auto & Powersports and were greeted by who we believe was the owner. We told him we were having blinker issues and that it won’t start and he immediately said that he would sell us a new battery for $40 or so dollars. We asked them to please take a look at it before we buy a battery and one of their good mechanics came out, opened up the battery compartment and checked the battery. It seems as though the battery was in perfect condition but one of the fuses had split in two. The mechanic replaced it no problem and without any cost. Everything worked again and we were grateful we got to deal with the mechanic rather than the owner.
***Less Stress Auto & Powersports Review Part II***
Our other friend, whom I’ll keep anonymous, also had their engine seize on him. He heard about Chad’s little experience and checked the oil and to his surprise, there was none. He didn’t have any leaks either and has driving his scooter considerably less than we have.
I would like to know where the oil is going, because it’s not leaking and it isn’t pooling inside of the exhaust system. Perhaps it is burning it faster than it should, I’m not sure, I’m by no means a mechanic.
Neither Regen nor I have experienced any problems with our scooters. The casing that holds the headlight is a little bit loose but that is because of my own negligence. Besides that, mine runs perfectly. It has never broken down or shut off for any reason.
If you are debating on whether to buy a scooter from Less Stress Auto & Powersports, I would strongly suggest upgrading the warranty, and I would strongly suggest tightening all the bolts and screws once you get it.
Now here’s my personal opinion…
The experience I had with Less Stress Auto & Powersports could have been better. I was impressed with the price of the scooters ($1200 OTD) but that is about as far as it goes. When you have a problem with your scooter and take it there, you have to pay to have them fix/replace parts, despite the fact that you purchased a warranty. You can’t sell a knowingly faulty product, while the consumer is under the impression that it’s going to last and them charge them for repairs. It’s not right, it’s not ethical. Neither regen nor I had any problem getting our plates but Chad and Haylee’s came long after their temporary had expired. I was impressed with the gentleman that helped Haylee and I replace the fuse, but the other mechanics that Chad, Mitch and I dealt with were, truthfully, were a little bit incompetent and my first impression was that they were using drugs. Out of 10, with 10 being the best experience I could have had with Less Stress Auto & Powersports, I’d rate them a 6 but that is only because my scooter hasn’t had any issues. Unfortunately my friends would rate them much lower I’m sure because of their troubles. I guess it goes to show you; you get what you pay for.
NOTE: After reading this review, please read the update to what is going on with Less Stress Auto & Powersports by following the link below
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10:56 am - August 11th, 2008
Two of my friends and I bought scootrs from this place, one of us has had no problems, my other friend and I have had some problems with the gas, it seems when we get to about a half tank the scooter starts “sputtering” and losing fuel suction or something. I have had numerous problems, the battery wasn’t screwed down all the way and ended ripping the battery cables, my dash seems to be melting, and the fuel thing. Paid $1,500 OTD and got a pretty nice scooter but no way should I be having this many problems this early on.
1:18 pm - August 11th, 2008
I bought a SunL 250cc scooter from Less Stress Auto. I’ve had it for 43 days now and have put 1200 miles on it (I use it to commute to work). I had a couple of small problems with the scooter (dead battery and loose steering column). Less Stress checked the battery and found that a couple of connections were loose so I was not able to recharge the battery. They tightened the steering column and fixed the battery at no cost. I was very pleased with their service and I am very pleased with my scooter. I highly recommend Less Stress Auto.
6:24 pm - September 1st, 2008
I purchased a SUNL SL200-4 on July 10, 2008 from Less Stress. The motorcycle (5 speed - cruiser type) has had some problems, most notably electrical/lighting, the bottom engine mounting bold sheared off at about 1400 miles, and the bottom front disk brake bolt came out at about 900 miles. Last week I paid over $100 in labor for bulb replacement, tachometer replacement, a replacement of the left side plastic cover and the replacement of the sheared off engine mounting bolt. The electrical system and lighting, except turn signals, are having problems with dimming until pressing on the brakes or turning on the signals (they flash bright when the signals turn on ). The motorcycle is currently (9/1/08) at Less Stress in American Fork for repair of this issue.
So far, service and professionalism have been good, other than almost everyone at Less Stress except Rory stating that “all of the SL200-4 have the same problem.” (Is this a CPSC recall? Has Less Stress contacted SUNL?) Rory’s overly diplomatic tone regarding the repair of this safety issue and his suggestion that I take the motorcycle somewhere else for repairs was very disconcerting, especially since my warranty is with Less Stress and they’re the source for parts. Hopefully this is resolved soon since I will use this motorcycle for primary good weather transportation. Additionally, a stripped shifter linkage and non-lubed clutch cable (brought to their attention when I took possession of it), and spontaneous loosening of turn signal bolts has occurred since I purchased this machine.
Overall, I have enjoyed this motorcycle, but I would not recommend it due to reliability and current safety issues. I purchased the 12 months parts, 1/2 off labor warranty expecting no issues since this was a new motorcycle and I had planned on having minimal maintenance for at least a year. I spent about $2200 OTD with warranty, helmet and a cover.
5:24 pm - September 4th, 2008
This comment is based on your first posting. I was the salesman that sold you and your friends your bikes and to try to avoid sounding patial I have a little more info for the blown engine of the first black sicly. The millage was around 400 when the engine went, and less stress DID NOT do the initial oil change as discribed by the Chad who told us that the group had done all of their own oil changes at the same time and it was not long after that, that the motor stoped working and the conclusion that Chad had come to is that, as I remember it, he must not have put oil back in the bike after draining it or. No problem. But I don’t think you would get very far with any brand of bike dealer with warranting a motor that destroyed by negligence. That being said it sucks that it happend. As far as covering warranty I havn’t known Rory to ever undercover someones bike with the warranty they sign up for, if anything, he has gone as far to cover far more than the standard with throwing in labor as well as additional parts including wear items that are not covered by warrenty. That being said we appriciate the review’s it helps us see what we need to work on. After all we arn’t perfect however we do and will continue to stive to become so.
5:20 pm - September 6th, 2008
Kade: I spoke with Chad and when he said that Less Stress performed the initial oil change, he meant that you were the ones to first put oil in it when you sold it to us. Also, it is true that all four of us did the oil change at the same time but forgetting to finish the oil change that we started is a little hard to do. I assure you we put oil in his scooter the same way everyone else did. The motor didn’t go bad from Chads negligence, the motor went bad because there was something wrong with it in the first place. The best thing Less Stress could have done in this situation was hook Chad up with a deal on a new motor/installation and you did just that and he appreciates it.
11:47 am - October 10th, 2008
hi i am from california and i would like to know if people think its a good idea to get a scooter from less stress powersports? they are offering a 150cc scooter for $1250.00 OTD(shipping included in the price). me being that i live out of the state is it hard to get these scooters serviced in other power sports stores. please let me know thank you.
12:54 pm - October 10th, 2008
Don’t get me wrong Chris, I’m sure Less Stress Auto & Powersports please the majority of their customers because they sell these scooters by the truckload. With my situation and others that I’ve heard of, they aren’t known to stand by their products. I have a hard time believing you can’t get a similar deal from a local scooter store in California. Up here in Utah there are dozens of places to buy these scooters. I would recommend looking in your area simply because you’ll know who your getting in from, you don’t have to worry about shipping problems and you can get to know the scooter more before you buy it. If you have any other questions please let me know.
2:30 pm - October 16th, 2008
Hi, it’s me again. First off… Chris, from what I understand importers cannot get these scooters into California or Florida. As far as purchasing one, I would say go for it! Aside from the few problems I’ve had, I do love my scooter and got a killer deal on it! I would however drive it for at least 100 miles to find any “kinks” that might need working on. All in all even if you do have some problems they should be minor and like Kevin said they don’t stand tall next to their scooters so you would probably have just as hard of a time getting it serviced here, any motorcycle shop should be able to get you taken care of as far as mechanical stuff goes. I finally had time to get my scooter checked out for the fuel problem I was having. They took a couple of weeks to get it done, but I must say they did a good job and it seems they even “tightened” up a few things here and there. They gave me a little greif on my warranty at first but I ended up walking away free of charge so thanks for that LSPS. My scooter now has a little over 1500 miles on it and it seems to be running like a champ, I’m hittin’ 60mph all over the place and getting 65mpg. FUN FUN FUN. Hope this helps.