Fanatec McLaren GT3 rim problems...

[anton_Chez]

Hey guys,

Anyone having problems with their newly released McLaren GT3 rim? I am having the clutch paddles drop out on me after a random amount of time. Upon plugging the rim into the base (I use an OSW with the Fanatec wheel base side conversion kit with the newly flashed firmware to operate the GT3 rim) everything is recognized, map-able and works fine. After a while driving, the clutch paddles just drop out and become unusable. I've had the gear paddles drop out once or twice but it's the clutch paddles that do it pretty much every session. Sometimes after 20 minutes, sometimes after a couple of minutes. I've contacted both Fanatec and Simracingmachines.com where I got the conversion kit from in a hope to get to the bottom of it. Just wondering if anyone else is having drama with it.

When you first plug it in, everything is recognized so their shouldn't be a problem with compatibility. Just a reliability thing now.

 

[averyclevertitle]

That's terrible

 

[anton_Chez]

Hmm, moderate build quality is one thing regarding the shell of the rim, but to implement cheaper moving parts, especially something as frequently used as the gear shift paddles, is a mistake I hope was made out of ignorance rather than knowingly.

 

[LoeVG]

Does seem to be a weak design at least with the shifters. What a shame. I hope Fanatec get's this issue fixed asap!

 

[F1Aussie]

Here is what simon(SRM owner) said in that thread.

I have been getting a few customers complaining about failed shifters on the McLaren wheel recently, although the issue is not anything to do with the conversion because it also seems to be affecting people using the Fanatec wheel base as well.

I had the chance to look in detail at a couple of wheels that were experiencing miss shifts, double shifts and complete failure and each one had the same issue inside. Basically the shifter button mechanics inside the the wheel consists of a plastic rod with a rubber end pressing down onto a metal plate which makes contact with two parts of the PCB, thus making the button press event. But the metal plate is just stuck onto the PCB with tape! I believe that after sustained use the plate can get warm and then move. Each of the failed wheels had the plate at an angle meaning the rod was no longer hitting the centre of the plate. Taking the plate off and re attaching it straight does fix the issue, but it is sure to move again. Most buttons like this have something in each corner to prevent it moving... the McLaren wheel does not. It's the same thing with the P and N buttons.

Thanks for posting it here, I am a bit surprised to say the least. Even though it is a cheap rim I would have thought that being it is a fanatec it would have been more robust.

 

[Mascot]

Is there a photo of this component?

 

[MeNoMoney]

Is there a photo of this component?

Here ya go. Had to resize alot to attatch, so images not as sharp now.

Simons First picture shows the contact pad has moved, second picture is after simon has recentred it before he tacked it inplace with a tiny bit of solder

 

[BP]

Simon’s solution was to solder the pad in two of the corners so it stays in position while retaining its flexibility. Honestly, I’m considering taking mine apart and doing the same, which I know would probably void the warranty, but I’m not sure how hard it would be to gain access to the back side of the PCB. If the shifters and both the Pit Limiter and Neutral buttons are susceptible to this , then this needs to be rectified on any McLaren wheel that is sent to the service center, whether or not the customer complained of shifter issues.

I don’t live in Europe so sending a sub-200 wheel across the Atlantic just to solder four pads seems a bit excessive. Is there one amongst us bold enough to embark upon this epic DIY quest (and take pics along the way)?

 

[MeNoMoney]

Simon’s solution was to solder the pad in two of the corners so it stays in position while retaining its flexibility. Honestly, I’m considering taking mine apart and doing the same, which I know would probably void the warranty, but I’m not sure how hard it would be to gain access to the back side of the PCB. If the shifters and both the Pit Limiter and Neutral buttons are susceptible to this , then this needs to be rectified on any McLaren wheel that is sent to the service center, whether or not the customer complained of shifter issues.

I don’t live in Europe so sending a sub-200 wheel across the Atlantic just to solder four pads seems a bit excessive. Is there one amongst us bold enough to embark upon this epic DIY quest (and take pics along the way)?

Barry review video in the link below shows front face removal stripdown. But doesn't go as far as removing the pcb electronics, which is what you would have to do to get to the gearshifters contact pads which are on the back of the pcb board.
He states to remove the front face plate You will Need 8 & 13mm sockets & No.10 Torque bit. I dont think you need to remove the rear QR though.

Watch from 20:40

 

[Moxley6969]

Simon’s solution was to solder the pad in two of the corners so it stays in position while retaining its flexibility. Honestly, I’m considering taking mine apart and doing the same, which I know would probably void the warranty, but I’m not sure how hard it would be to gain access to the back side of the PCB. If the shifters and both the Pit Limiter and Neutral buttons are susceptible to this , then this needs to be rectified on any McLaren wheel that is sent to the service center, whether or not the customer complained of shifter issues.

I don’t live in Europe so sending a sub-200 wheel across the Atlantic just to solder four pads seems a bit excessive. Is there one amongst us bold enough to embark upon this epic DIY quest (and take pics along the way)?

Opening it up isn't all that difficult as shown by barry, the PCB Connectors, Fanatec upgraded to a Actually flexible sealant they blob on the connector to prevent it from wiggling loose over time (not likely regardless) And its got quite the hold and requires quite the tugging on the connector/wires, so be sure to take some care when removing the PCB connectors, Also REMOVE all the little white button cap covers and set them aside, They WILL fall off and you WILL loose one ( I did for about a week till i found it in my race seat one day "hey whats that little white thing, OH **** there it is" )

After that its only a few screws to get to the back side. I sadly didn't take full disassembly pics of the back side. Sorry.

 

[Jack Dulmage]

Sorry, i am not well versed in all of this however to my understanding that would explain the missed shifts, but not double shifts and the shifting bad does not explain any rebound etc...

I have tried the 3.14 firmware and it did improve the issue, however, it is still an issue at certain steering angles (0 degrees especially).

 

[BP]

Sorry, i am not well versed in all of this however to my understanding that would explain the missed shifts, but not double shifts and the shifting bad does not explain any rebound etc...

I have tried the 3.14 firmware and it did improve the issue, however, it is still an issue at certain steering angles (0 degrees especially).

I think it explains the double shifts as well: if the buttons are not making solid contact then it could activate the switch twice really quickly...or another way to look at it: imagine holding down a faulty button for a long time and it loses connection for a split second: the computer recognizes that as two button presses, instead of one long press.

Ever screwed in a light-bulb and the switch was on already? It flickers very briefly as you get near the end...same concept; the connection isn't quite solid, so you would get missed shifts, double shifts (I got a triple shift once) and no shifts.

 

[BP]

Opening it up isn't all that difficult as shown by barry, the PCB Connectors, Fanatec upgraded to a Actually flexible sealant they blob on the connector to prevent it from wiggling loose over time (not likely regardless) And its got quite the hold and requires quite the tugging on the connector/wires, so be sure to take some care when removing the PCB connectors, Also REMOVE all the little white button cap covers and set them aside, They WILL fall off and you WILL loose one ( I did for about a week till i found it in my race seat one day "hey whats that little white thing, OH **** there it is" )

After that its only a few screws to get to the back side. I sadly didn't take full disassembly pics of the back side. Sorry.

Thanks for that...I had to replace the funky-switch on mine awhile ago, and yea I remember that stuff on the connectors, I almost gave up cause I thought it was near impossible to remove. Looking at the Sim Racing Garage video as a reminder, it seems there might be enough length on most of the PCB connectors to allow flipping the board over without disconnecting most of them. Check the video at 31:34...Yay? Nay?

 

[Jack Dulmage]

I think it explains the double shifts as well: if the buttons are not making solid contact then it could activate the switch twice really quickly...or another way to look at it: imagine holding down a faulty button for a long time and it loses connection for a split second: the computer recognizes that as two button presses, instead of one long press.

Ever screwed in a light-bulb and the switch was on already? It flickers very briefly as you get near the end...same concept; the connection isn't quite solid, so you would get missed shifts, double shifts (I got a triple shift once) and no shifts.

Yes i suppose so...

Its odd how some people have had their issues fixed with a QR or firmware...

My rim is only 2 weeks old, figured it would be odd to have the issue so quickly...

 

[BP]

Yes i suppose so...

Its odd how some people have had their issues fixed with a QR or firmware...

My rim is only 2 weeks old, figured it would be odd to have the issue so quickly...

My first Mclaren wheel came right out the box with a funkyswitch that either worked incorrectly or not at all.

The second one started developing shifting issues in the first couple hours of use.

Both my wheels were used only with the $100 quick release.

Maybe I'm really unlucky if you believe that sort of thing, but in my view it's not odd at all.

 

[Jack Dulmage]

yeah i would consider that unlucky haha... well hopefully the QR will work for me and if not RMA here i come

 

[Moxley6969]

Thanks for that...I had to replace the funky-switch on mine awhile ago, and yea I remember that stuff on the connectors, I almost gave up cause I thought it was near impossible to remove. Looking at the Sim Racing Garage video as a reminder, it seems there might be enough length on most of the PCB connectors to allow flipping the board over without disconnecting most of them. Check the video at 31:34...Yay? Nay?

Nay, to open it up fully, you'll need to disconnect from the pcb The Main PCB cable is uber short

Take a small flat head and you can wiggle the side of the connector up some, use a knife to cut the silicone at the seam the best you can and get to wiggling. eventually it pops off, or you rip a cable from the Connector.

 

[BP]

So, an update: been trying to figure this out on my own since I live almost halfway around the world from Fanatec. I did open it up eventually and the shifter's pad was pretty much centered and the tape holding it down was pretty secure too. I did lift up one corner of the tape, moved the pad slightly and then put the tape back down and closed it up, but honestly, I don't think it needed moving.

Note to anyone trying to get to the underside: You have to remove the OLED display as well...the screen and the support arms that hold it up seem pretty delicate so be careful.

It worked well after that, so I thought moving the pad was the fix, until last week when It died again mid race. I restarted the wheel base and it was still dead. Removed the wheel and then reattached without doing anything else: shifter worked perfectly after that. I'm thinking the connection between wheel and base (the pins) wasn't solid, so I used the fastening bolt, even though I'm using the metal QR. Haven't had a dropout since. Then I stumbled upon this thread from 2 weeks ago which talks about possible loose bolts on the wheelbase and the steering wheel:

https://www.racedepartment.com/thre...ection-issues-with-fanatec-csw-solved.161473/

I disconnected my wheel and surely enough one of the bolts on the Mclaren wheel wasn't tight compared to the others (Mine was the bottom left bolt). My current test will be with the fastening bolt attached after I've tightened all the other bolts at the connection point. If it drops out after this, then I don't know what it could be. I'm giving it until February (when the new pre-ordered F1 wheel arrives) to see if it'll hold up until then. Stay tuned...

 

[Jack Dulmage]

I just started RMA with my second McLaren rim (the same issue accept only missing shifts on downshift, upshift was fine). Fanatec informed me that they have found the potential issue and now have a way to fix it. So, I had my warranty reset again and they are fixing my rim and sending it back. I hope this is the solution as I don't care that it broke as long as they can fix it (and it stays fixed) instead of sending me another new and defunct product (like the first RMA).

So apparently Fanatec now has a fix for the issue. I don't know what exactly that is, but I have inquired.

 

[anton_Chez]

Yeah there was some info regarding the shifter paddles and the way they were constructed that wasn't super good. I can't remember what it was. Hopefully there isn't an issue with mine. After my firmware flash I've had nearly 100% reliability save for a few miss shifts which we probably my fault.

 

[Jack Dulmage]

Yeah funny enough my first wheel wasn't the shifter construction... Fanatec said they couldn't figure out what was wrong. Now they are fixing and not replacing which I am happy about!