Brand New Fanatec GT3RS V2 Self Calibration Issues (Includes Video)

[Albert1028]

Hey All (Including Fanatec),

I have heard that customer service/tech support at Fanatec may be slow (I'm hoping not). But with less than 24 hours at home with the steering wheel, I have had Self Calibration issues. I emailed tech support this morning and hopefully will get some kind of help!!! Spending this much money to have these issues is not right!!! I'm kinda unhappy about it.

Otherwise if it weren't for a show stopper, this steering wheel is awesome.

If anyone has comments on what I can do to get Fanatech's attention...their email and such, that'd be great!

A video is below:

​

Update 1: 12/3/10 @ 10:27AM

I managed to find an email of a new Fanatec Support Rep (Email me if you want his email, I don't want to mass distribute it unless given permission) and he replied back that the issue is not fixable through updates because the optical sensor is broken.

 

[TB]

Welcome to GTP, Albert1028. To embed a youtube video, you need to use the characters after the equals sign. In this case, like this:

[ YOUTUBE]YsM2VxBipU8[/media]

only without the space after the first bracket. I've already edited your post to fix this.

 

[Albert1028]

Welcome to GTP, Albert1028. To embed a youtube video, you need to use the characters after the equals sign. In this case, like this:

[ YOUTUBE]YsM2VxBipU8[/media]

only without the space after the first bracket. I've already edited your post to fix this.

Thank you!

 

[Vicious3745]

Thank you!

I do believe fanatec's support section of their site has a downloadable user's guide, which tells you how to callribrate the center of the wheel. I don't remember exactly how, but i think it involves grabbing the wheel before it finishes that start up callibration, centering it yourself, and then hitting a button or something to set it as "middle". I could be entirely wrong, but it's worth taking a look.

 

[bibio]

Hi, its prob not a issue, just have to read up a bit on here, Fanatec site/ sites etc. 24hrs wow, ive had same wheel months & still stuff to learn
Look at PTWS manual, its prob as a bit more in it applicable to GT3RS V2,than V1 manual. Info is normally always findable, yet again at times a bit tricky, else peeps would get fed up of info, endlessly getting repeated. One thing prob lot quicker/ better reading up a bit, than contacting Fanatec, especially if its prob not something that is actually broke.
Fanatec do carry on innovating also, FW updates etc, so learning curve never ends.
One thing, don't worry about any centering of wheel, unless prob is there when in/ playing a Game(then prob just wants calibrating), red dot lit etc.

http://www.911wheel.de/ plenty of info, forums if you can call them that etc.

http://www.fanatec.com/ find manuals etc here. Click Support, then prob PTWS etc(even thats not complete now ie extra functions etc), look at others as well.

Then your countries Fanatec shop site etc.

Cheers BOB

ps grabbing wheel(for GT3RS V2), is prob one for checking FW version, or switching Fans on or off with latest 681 FW. Look in Thomas's blog for info(681 blog entry).

pps FW update prob will be your next problem, , ive done it on XP, Vista, both 32bit, & Win7 64bit, read all the recommended ways(Here Fanatec forums etc). Non of them is guaranteed to go smoothly, if my experience is anything to go by . Good luck with it thou. Reset LCD, small button when you have updated. Else everything is prob weird.

 

[Albert1028]

Hi, its prob not a issue, just have to read up a bit on here, Fanatec site/ sites etc. 24hrs wow, ive had same wheel months & still stuff to learn
Look at PTWS manual, its prob as a bit more in it applicable to GT3RS V2,than V1 manual. Info is normally always findable, yet again at times a bit tricky, else peeps would get fed up of info, endlessly getting repeated. One thing prob lot quicker/ better reading up a bit, than contacting Fanatec, especially if its prob not something that is actually broke.
Fanatec do carry on innovating also, FW updates etc, so learning curve never ends.
One thing, don't worry about any centering of wheel, unless prob is there when in/ playing a Game(then prob just wants calibrating), red dot lit etc.

http://www.911wheel.de/ plenty of info, forums if you can call them that etc.

http://www.fanatec.com/ find manuals etc here. Click Support, then prob PTWS etc(even thats not complete now ie extra functions etc), look at others as well.

Then your countries Fanatec shop site etc.

Cheers BOB

ps grabbing wheel(for GT3RS V2), is prob one for checking FW version, or switching Fans on or off with latest 681 FW. Look in Thomas's blog for info(681 blog entry).

pps FW update prob will be your next problem, , ive done it on XP, Vista, both 32bit, & Win7 64bit, read all the recommended ways(Here Fanatec forums etc). Non of them is guaranteed to go smoothly, if my experience is anything to go by . Good luck with it thou. Reset LCD, small button when you have updated. Else everything is prob weird.

Thanks for all the helpful comments! You are awesome!

I actually tried to read through the entire manual but you can tell it's outdated but still helpful. I have read through it all and tried everything that the manual says and the 911wheel.de website forum and FAQ.

I hope someone from Fanatec sees my posts. I have heard that customer support can be extremely slow or non-existent.

Please help fanatec! I want to be a loyal fanatec fan but this is making it difficult!

 

[WhataMack]

Albert, you may want to also ask at the RaceDepartment - Sim Racing Hardware forum. There's a member there named Brian who has a close relationship with tech support at Fanatec, and can probably help you sort this out. I don't know if he reads the forums here, but I'm pretty sure he frequents that hardware forum everyday so he'll probably reply very quickly. Hope this helps.

I also have to agree with getting post-sales information from Fanatec. Not talking about their tech support people, but things like you describe are really scattered around between the official Fanatec site and the "Thomas's blog | Porsche 911 Wheel Club" 911wheel.de blog/forum site...for what reason, I have no idea. And, I also found another Fanatec-specific site; Fanatec Wheel Fansite Forums. Manuals are in one place (and are out of date, at least for the GT3 RS), driver and firmware updates are often in another, and if there is something like a firmware update, you never know where to look for sure for either an announcement or for download links. I also just got a GT3RS V2 wheel and the documentation does seem woefully out of date and very incomplete. For example, I've read posts that describe at least three different combinations of buttons that are needed for calibration of the GT3RS V2...not of which seem to match up with the info in the manual.

All this makes it very difficult to get going with the GT3RS V2 imo, which is a shame as you say, because it does seem like a really high-quality wheel. Some consolidation of product information and online resources/updates would be a good place to start to get new users up and running.

 

[Albert1028]

Albert, you may want to also ask at the RaceDepartment - Sim Racing Hardware forum. There's a member there named Brian who has a close relationship with tech support at Fanatec, and can probably help you sort this out. I don't know if he reads the forums here, but I'm pretty sure he frequents that hardware forum everyday so he'll probably reply very quickly. Hope this helps.

I also have to agree with getting post-sales information from Fanatec. Not talking about their tech support people, but things like you describe are really scattered around between the official Fanatec site and the "Thomas's blog | Porsche 911 Wheel Club" 911wheel.de blog/forum site...for what reason, I have no idea. And, I also found another Fanatec-specific site; Fanatec Wheel Fansite Forums. Manuals are in one place, driver and firmware updates are often in another, and if there is something like a firmware update, you never know where to look for sure for either an announcement or for download links. I also just got a GT3RS V2 wheel and the documentation does seem woefully out of date and very incomplete. For example, I've read posts that describe at least three different combinations of buttons that are needed for calibration of the GT3RS V2...not of which seem to match up with the info in the manual.

All this makes it very difficult to get going with the GT3RS V2 imo, which is a shame as you say, because it does seem like a really high-quality wheel. Some consolidation of product information and online resources would be a good place to start.

Thank you WhataMac, haha, a hilarious name! Perhaps your name has multiple meanings!

I will try that forum you mention! I just feel like I have to machine gun my cry for help in order for fanatec to see, i don't like doing it this way but paying over $500 for gt3 rs v2 clubsport + rennsport wheel stand, it stresses me that their support is so hard to reach, i even tried calling germany around 4:50pm german time and they said they only answer phone calls for support between 2 and 3 pm german time. 1 hr of support doesn't seem that great, maybe they need to hire dedicated staff if that is true that 1 hr is the only time slot they have for tech support.

Yes, I've scattered this forum, 911wheel.de and fanatec wheel fan website as well. So we'll see where this gets me. Hope I can have some good news and praise at the end of the day.

I am a loyal person and if they can take care of me then I will much obliged to continue buying and recommending them to others despite some cons and hardship.

 

[Vicious3745]

i was surfing the boards today and came across this little post, might be the answer to your problem:
http://www.911wheel.de/?q=node/4770

Do not calibrate on the PC with the properties page.

Start the wheel
enter PC mode
press and hold RSB+LSB
press and hold the base button
while still holding all three center the wheel
once centered release the base button then the RSB and LSB buttons

 

[bibio]

Hi, this is another post that might help for your prob next move:-

http://www.911wheel.de/?q=node/4349 for 681 FW

For 678 prev FW, but bits in that might help:-

http://www.911wheel.de/?q=node/4198

If it don't go completely smoothly(it might or may not) etc, don't worry, your not alone. Theres a few posts, how to do it in Win7 etc etc(can't seem to find them), but they still might not work for you, lot didn't for me, also even following Fanatec instructions verbatim. You will get there in the end thou.

Luckily most probs with your wheel, will just require a bit of info, finding it can be a bit of a bind at time. Then theres Fanatec updating stuff a lot, also problems with individual Games SW(F2010, WRC, GT5 etc etc), nearly all are solveable with the flexibility of the wheels functions.


Cheers BOB

 

[8oost]

Hi,

I've had the same issue with my brand new wheel also. In my case, the problem seems to be heat related. Initially the issue started with the wheel not calibrating, and simply not turning past 90 degrees to the left, then the other day I had the wheel left on for some time and attempted to recalibrate and had the exact same issue as the original poster. I have updated to the latest firmware and the issue remains.

In my case there is a work around for this. Simply unplugging the power adaptor from the wheel for 20 minutes or so will allow the wheel to calibrate correctly when reconnected. Just switching it off at the wheel will not do this, the power must be disconnected.

I will still be contacting Fanatec about the issue, as I expect it to get worse, but hopefully this will help others with the same issue in the short term.

Edit: Wheel now never calibrates, hope Fanatec have stock to deal with warranty issues or I'm going to be a bit miffed!

 

[Albert1028]

This has got to be by far one of the worst experiences I've had at getting tech support.

I basically got a lemon wheel with a bad optical sensor and only solution is to get a new replacement. Why is fanatec support horrible, please on top of all this, if you need to reach germany tech support, you gotta call between 2 and 4 PM germany time, which is 5 to 6AM. Know that when you pay you aren't paying for customer service at the moment, you are paying for their product....this is complete BS.

I've played with the steering wheel the first day a little under 3 hours and i've been waiting for a response for 120 hours and counting!

Someone from Fanatec please see this and help me become a satisfied customer.

 

[8oost]

Albert,

Did you have any luck contacting Fanatec? I emailed them last weekend and again yesterday and have received no reply other than the automated response. If the company I work for provided similar customer service, they would be out of business!

Chris

 

[jscott14]

I know this is reviving an old thread, but I'm in the exact same boat as the OP. It's a brand new GT3RS V2 wheel with 681 firmware, fanmode "on". The way I found to at least get around this problem is to "drag" my hand on the wheel while it turns counter-clockwise. FOR ME, this slowed it down enough so that it sensed when it reached the proper 12 o'clock position. However, even after doing this, it would frequently lose center during the game and go "neutral" for a second or so at a time (where the FFB goes away and no steering input is registered).
I contacted Fanatec "support" (quotes ARE necessary) one week ago with everything they requested (invoice, S/N, video, console/game, description of problem), and so far, nothing other than the auto-responder.
While the wheel was useless for anything other than a brief 1-minute race (like license tests or special tests), I could AT LEAST do those. But alas, today the wheel died 100%. No power, no nothing.
My friends and I all ordered our wheels together (3 in the same order, including CS pedals and shifters), and the other 2 wheels have been flawless. I guess I was just the lucky one. :-)