Hi all, i know this has probably been done many times before, i have lifetime warranty on frame bearings and was wondering if it’s normal to be charged labour for the replacement. If any cars i have owned have needed warranty work doing it’s all done free, hence the word warranty, thanks in advance

Good point. However if they posted them out to an unrelated shop to fit..?

Santa Cruz?
The bearings are free, them needing replaced isn’t a warranty job (Wording is a bit misleading really) Fitting is a simple job if you have the right tools hence either get the tools or use a shop that has them.

Unless of course they have failed really early in life.

I’ve handled 100’s of warranty claims for customers over the years

Most warranty claims will cover the cost of the parts, but not the workshop labour

the retailer that sold you the product will typically absorb the cost of that labour

if you make a claim through another retailer (who retails the brand, but did not sell you the product) you’d expect to pay labour costs, unless the brand has specifically arranged to cover that retailer’s costs – for example a ‘product recall’ or ‘goodwill gesture’.

Dead easy to replace and fit yourself, not sure what the right tools are I just improvised.

Bearing Puller & Press Drac, proper ones make any bearing job smooth and hammerless

No hammer? But I’m a bloke.

Depends on manufacturer and shop…in my experience with Whyte, there is no charge.

Whyte/Santa Cruz send the bearings out for free.It’s up to the retailer how much they charge for fitting.But they are under no obligation to do it for free.
If you read the small print for most warranty terms and conditions it’s usually the same for all replacement parts.

My LBS told me when I bought my Whyte that the bearings are warrantied for life but they’d only fit them free of charge in the first year or if they were defective. The LBS manager, who I know well, also said it’s a pain as the bearings cost pence to buy trade but take up to an hour to fit depending on the frame. As the manager has now opened his own one man shop I’m using him as he’ll do the bearings as part of a service rather than a one off job.

FS bikes can be expensive to maintain and if you buying a £3K plus bike it’s something to think about if you don’t do your own servicing. I tend to get my Whyte serviced once a year biut do most of the routine stuff myself.

FS bikes can be expensive to maintain and if you buying a £3K plus bike it’s something to think about if you don’t do your own servicing.

Owning an expensive multi pivot FS bike the bearings and shock are still very low expense items compared to all the bits you find on a HT. 2 Bearings in 2 years and a few air can services is nothing compared to drive train etc. I’ve probably spent more on brake pads than shock seals in that time.

(Thinking about it)
Swap lower link bearings about 30 quid
air can services would have been about 100 over the time if I paid for them but it’s really easy to do.

2 Bearings in 2 years and a few air can services is nothing compared to drive train etc

But it’s not like you don’t Have those bits 😕

Trek used to do similar – their bearings weren’t warrantied, they offered a free lifetime replacement. That is to say they accepted they’d wear out, and just send you new ones FOC. Nowt wrong with being charged labour on those, can be a bugger of a job!