Fanatec's Reliability

[girarcat]

Hello everyone.

I've been considering the purchase of some Fanatec products for a long time, due to their good value for money.
However, some threads and comments related to the reliability (or lack of) of their components are holding me back.

In my experience, online forums (of any type) are always filled with comments related to problems and issues, whereas few people get online just to let other people know how well their brand-new acquisition is working.

Because of that, I'd like to start this poll in order to assess the magnitude of the tragedy and try to find out the proportion of happy customers Vs angry customers before I make a final decision regarding whether or not Fanatec is the good way to go.

Please feel free to comment which Fanatec products have proved faulty for you and any other useful experiences you may have.

 

[girarcat]

I see now, hadn't read your previous comment properly. I thought you were saying Fanatec wheels were indeed toy like.

 

[girarcat]

After a couple of days, the results of the poll are not very impressive. Only 25 people out of 41 have not experienced any sort of issue with their Fanatec products.
16 out of 41 suffered some kind of problems, 10 of them being major defects. According to the poll, almost 25% of Fanatec customers experience major issues with their products. I don't think this failure rate is acceptable.

Nevertheless, something to take into account is that probably many Fanatec users who have never had any issue may just skip this thread and not even bother to take a vote. Probably this thread's title may attract more the unhappy customers than the satisfied ones.

 

[EsxPaul]

The main thing I've noticed is that customers that post about their failed products are reasonably accepting of the fact that their item has failed.

It's then the way they are then dealt with after that point that raises their angst and turns them against the company. Make videos, get spoken to like a fool, wait an age for return correspondence and instruction, then possibly have to pay for return shipping/replacement parts. This is where Fanatec loses the main portion of good will towards them.

You know their products are good when you place your order but you're simultaneously praying that you aren't one of the random unlucky ones who receives a duff part.

 

[Speckle]

I'll most likely be purchasing a Direct Drive wheel in the next couple of months. The only real contenders for me are the DD2 and Simucube 2 Pro.

The Fanatec seems to be the simpler solution and the eco system and 'affordable' wireless wheels is a big positive. However, the reliability is a concern, as is the aftersales support. I have the clubsport V3 pedal set and haven't had any issues at all.

I get that people who have issues will generally shout the loudest and the many people without any issues usually don't take to the internet and shout about it - they just carry on enjoying their Fanatec kit in contented silence. However, I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for sure.

 

[torsteinvh]

Nevertheless, something to take into account is that probably many Fanatec users who have never had any issue may just skip this thread and not even bother to take a vote.

Another factor is that many Fanatec users, probably the vast majority, never visit internet forums at all, happy or not.
So it really makes no sense to make decisions based purely on opinions from an internet forum...

 

[Deleted member 197115]

I get that people who have issues will generally shout the loudest and the many people without any issues usually don't take to the internet and shout about it - they just carry on enjoying their Fanatec kit in contented silence. However, I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for sure.

True, but is it really different from any other manufacturer?

 

[Speckle]

True, but is it really different from any other manufacturer?

No different at all. It makes online research into the reliability of any product problematic though.

For example, I remember researching a specific Plasma TV model back in 2013. All I could find were tales of doom and gloom, RMA's, warranty issues - you could be forgiven for thinking there wasn't a single working example in circulation. I almost didn't buy it but in the end, the price was too good to pass up. It has never put a foot wrong and currently being used as my rig monitor. Yet, this is the first time I've been compelled to mention it online so, I guess I'm saying that online research isn't necessarily going to be representative of the majority of consumer experiences.

 

[girarcat]

Another factor is that many Fanatec users, probably the vast majority, never visit internet forums at all, happy or not.
So it really makes no sense to make decisions based purely on opinions from an internet forum...

It may not make sense to make decisions based on internet opinions, but buying blindly without even giving a second thought to those opinions i think it's even worse.

 

[GuitarTech]

I've been following this thread from the beginning as one of the silent majority of Fanatec users that used the stuff without problems. I have the v3 Pedals, the Handbrake, and the Shifter. ( My Wheel is a TS-PC from TM )
I was really happy with all their stuff until yesterday: without warning my shifter has died, at least partly. The sequential mode works, but the gated H- mode refuses to calibrate, although it lights up sporadically when you move it out of calibration mode. I suspect the Hall sensor, or the PCB itself. For the first I won't be repairing it, as it is out of warranty, and I don't drive any cars with a gate shift at the moment.
Now I'm waiting for my pedals and the handbrake to go tits up, , as they're all from 2016.

 

[Terry Rock]

I don't think it is unreasonable for owners of a defective product under warranty...and certainly those who've had failures within a few days, to expect resolution without added expense or hassle.
They're already 'suffering' the inconvenience from loss of use, the added 'cost' of re-packaging and time to run around shipping it back.
I fully understand that electronics can...and do sometimes fail. I get that.
It'd also be unreasonable to fault the manufacturer for those, unless they willingly and knowingly chose sub-par components in an attempt at cost-cutting.
That said, asking consumers...any consumer to 'foot' the bill to send a defective product back is absolutely preposterous.
Sales are done on a trust basis...I agree to buy from you as opposed to someone else. You in turn, agree to supply me with a product that works correctly within the MTBF margin YOU set forth.
If it fails before that time, it is your 'trust' obligation to repair it at no additional expense to the consumer.
If you have more failures that is deemed acceptable, then that is incentive to examine your manufacturing process and improve it.
How hard can it be?

 

[Copef1]

I own a CSW V2, a DD1, a Clubsport shifter SQ V1.5, Clubsport pedals V2, Clubsport pedals V3, a Formula rim, a Formula 2019 rim, a McLaren rim, and three Clubsport universal hubs. I have never had a problem with any of it. With the exception of the DD1, the McLaren wheel, and the Formula 2019 rim, I have had it all for years. It all still works as good as the day I got it.

 

[Jason Mullin]

CSL Elite 2 years still going strong, have a CSR Elite collecting dust in the closet bought new in 2012 and still works as new I'm sure.
Fanatec puts out really great kit.

 

[dud]

The only fanatec product I have and will ever have are the V1 Clubsport pedals, with the resistance modification kit and all. Beautiful package. Due to faulty hall sensors they change their mind about the range of the clutch pedal constantly and the gas pedal occasionally.

I can't name the number of cool laps I did where I then discovered that the gas pedal never went over 85%.

Tamagotchi hardware.

 

[Alex Townsend]

CSW v1.0 bought in 2012
CSR Elite pedals bought in 2011
Formula Rim bought 2012
BMW Rim bought 2011
No issues for years. But maintenance has to be carried out for anything lasting this long. Bought new pots for the pedals, not used them yet, new load cells also unused.

But I did need to purchase new internal main cables for the rims. They had been used so much that the pins and wires internally had started to fail, pins were snapping and required replacing. Was a pretty easy repair and the cables cost about €5 each so all good.
I'm a very happy Fanatec customer. Maybe I'm a lucky one. But I've found their customer support agents to be pretty swift with assistance.
Yes, they require a video, but how long does it take exactly? Small amount of work for repair of your kit I think.

 

[dud]

The main thing I've noticed is that customers that post about their failed products are reasonably accepting of the fact that their item has failed.

This.

This poll cannot establish how many Fanatec users have problems. But it clearly establishes that those who do have problems are either angry at the service, or don't even try (such as myself).

Fanatec is not the first company that is in my "don't even try to RMA anything" category. Not the last either, but the point is, I don't have to buy Fanatec. Asus is another such company, but with Asus it can be worth getting one of their mainboards and just trash it if it is defective.

 

[girarcat]

Well, I've just ordered a CSW V2.5 + CSL Elite Steering wheel P1 + CS Pedals V3 with Brake Performance Kit (BlackFriday deal) + CS Shifter SQ V1.5.
Fingers crossed. Hope all the items are faultless. Since there is no much competition with other brands in this price range, i had to stick to Fanatec.

Thanks for your opinions and experiences. Will report in a few weeks how everything is going.

BTW, I'm replacing a very trustworthy Logitech G25 kit which has suffered 12 years of abuse without a single problem. Maybe Fanatec could learn a few things from Logitech.

 

[Chrhun]

I've had issues with the McLaren wheel (shifter issue), but that was taken care of very well by Fanatec. They knew the issue, RMA'd the wheel and I got a replacement very quickly. Also, when I had questions regarding the pots on the CSL pedals the answers were quick and helpful.

 

[Please Stop This]

I read a bit on their forum, maybe it was already said: they moved to another location and also changed shop- and backend software.

(idk if its that - but rumours say if updating to SAP does not take you down you had a good business model/structure before)

 

[slikk66]

Just voted, my csw 2.5 failed to power on suddenly after about 3-4 months. Sent in emails to support, got it RMA'd and back after about 2 weeks.

 

[dud]

Third-Party logins like through Amazon are notoriously fragile. Lots of moving bits for those things, and if somebody fiddles with your site it is easy to lose it for a while. Then the only person who understood it rage-quits and it can be down for much more of a while.