Fanatec Announcements: CSW V2 Reviews Out

[K_Soze]

The obvious and logic mod to solve this problem is to drive the two pulleys with a roll bearing supported by the chassis. I wonder why Fanatec did not do it. The current design is a mechanic nonsense.

Something like this...

 

[Cote Dazur]

Making small supporting piece on each end of drive shaft with own bearings will make product last "forever", even making one supporting bed on end where belt drive is coming will make it lasting much longer.

"[/I]

This sounds like an elegant, effective and relatively unexpensive solution,👍

is the consensus that all CSR and CSW wheels will fail 100%?

I hope not, but even with 50% or what it might be, really difficult to evaluate at this point, a preventive solution would be welcome.

 

[AGP5000]

Looks like those from down under(Australia / New Zealand) can FINALLY purchase Fanatec gear, if they haven't purchased TM or Logitech yet that is....

 

[LogiForce]

Looks like those from down under(Australia / New Zealand) can FINALLY purchase Fanatec gear, if they haven't purchased TM or Logitech yet that is....

Good news!

 

[RacerXX]

This sounds like an elegant, effective and relatively unexpensive solution,👍



I hope not, but even with 50% or what it might be, really difficult to evaluate at this point, a preventive solution would be welcome.

A 50% rate of failure? That sounds a bit high to me… Plus, a product that might need service such as a belt swap…would you classify that as periodic service or as a defect? The internet tends to magnify things like this, especially amongst enthusiast products. For instance many complain about certain digital SLRs. You might think they should be avoided like the plague. But in reality there is not anything like the level of problem compared to the internet image. It can be hard to reconcile such matters.

For Fanatec it seems to me that better parts availability might help them out. The motors are very inexpensive, so are the belts and other items that might act up. If they are not stocked then repairs are not possible, instead wheel swaps and shipping bad and replacement wheels all over increases. Hopefully with things like their new service plans things will improve. When my enthusiast gear goes down, I just fix it myself most of the time…this is so much easier and less headache provoking at times.

Another perception example might be the Chevrolet Corvette. Many car dealers find that the Corvette owners are way, way more picky than the owners of more common cars. Their service departments get many more complaints as a percentage of cars worked on than the average as to the service experience. I mean people get mad and write on the internet that they had the dealer do a tuneup and they found a fingerprint somewhere that wipes off in 5 seconds. But the car owner was so angry many letters were written. I'd just wipe off the fingerprint. Or more likely just do the tuneup myself.

If Fanatec loaded in one or two fancier motors, a bearing loaded belt drive, higher quality buttons, tucked the internal wiring, used nicer wheels on some of the devices, asked the customer if they lost 10 pounds etc the price of the product would be higher. Which would cut sales, possibly enough that the product would never have come out in the first place. I buy lots of enthusiast products of all sorts, they have more issues than boring mainstream stuff. I mean wheels are a tiny niche of the driving game/sim segment which itself is a niche. Something like 99% of driving game users don't even use a wheel. The enthusiast wheels such as Fanatec and Thrustmaster are a niche within a niche. And they take some time to figure out for a new owner. Sometimes a new owner can have something plugged in incorrectly or have the wheel settings way off for the console or PC game they'd like to enjoy. Just some stuff to keep in mind.

 

[Cote Dazur]

A 50% rate of failure? That sounds a bit high to me… .

Who said the CSR-E / CSW has 50% rate of failure?

Not me, because I don't know, I wrote:

but even with 50% or what it might be, really difficult to evaluate at this point

and that was in reaction to a comment earlier about the rate of failure:

is the consensus that all CSR and CSW wheels will fail 100%?

this is a valid question, I would like to know what the consensus is

It would be great as an owner of the wheel to have an idea of what to expect from the product we purchased, hence my comment that even if we are far from 100%, some of us, like me, would be very interested in a preventive kit, if only not to be worrying every time the wheel might feel a little different.

 

[LogiForce]

A 50% rate of failure? That sounds a bit high to me… Plus, a product that might need service such as a belt swap…would you classify that as periodic service or as a defect? The internet tends to magnify things like this, especially amongst enthusiast products. For instance many complain about certain digital SLRs. You might think they should be avoided like the plague. But in reality there is not anything like the level of problem compared to the internet image. It can be hard to reconcile such matters.

For Fanatec it seems to me that better parts availability might help them out. The motors are very inexpensive, so are the belts and other items that might act up. If they are not stocked then repairs are not possible, instead wheel swaps and shipping bad and replacement wheels all over increases. Hopefully with things like their new service plans things will improve. When my enthusiast gear goes down, I just fix it myself most of the time…this is so much easier and less headache provoking at times.

Another perception example might be the Chevrolet Corvette. Many car dealers find that the Corvette owners are way, way more picky than the owners of more common cars. Their service departments get many more complaints as a percentage of cars worked on than the average as to the service experience. I mean people get mad and write on the internet that they had the dealer do a tuneup and they found a fingerprint somewhere that wipes off in 5 seconds. But the car owner was so angry many letters were written. I'd just wipe off the fingerprint.

Periodic servicing of belts at the Fiat Group's cars (Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, etc) is every 3 years. For the Toyota Group (Toyota, Lexus) it is every 5 years. VW Group is also every 5 years and Opel as well.
Thats a set of belts that has to handle all kinds of harsh weather environments including handling of oils and other types of dirt and grime.
Our belts have to handle little temperature and humidity changes in our comfy living room environments.
So you can not tell me that Fanatec belts need to be changed every year because of normal wear, and that this is just a periodical thing that has nothing to do with flawed design. This while Fanatec uses the same belts by Gates and Optibelt that are used in cars. So yes, it could be considered a defect due to design fault in this case. If Fanatec changes the design so proper tension can be easily achieved without stressing the motors, and the belt is worn in 3 to 5 years. Yes, then it would be normal wear.

That said, Logitech and Thrustmaster have issues in their wheels as well. Just read those threads and you'll notice them. Logitech has the plastic encoder issue that cracks and causes alignment issues. Thustmaster had issues with bearing casings cracking I believe as well as some cooling issues I think. So it is not only Fanatec that has to handle defects on their products. The biggest issue with most companies is that they hardly ever do anything to fix the issues that get reported to their customer support agents (and get logged by them I hope).

The issue with being picky on quality is that the more money people need to put down for a product, the more perfect they expect the product to be. Simply because they have to work longer/harder to be able to get that product, so for that reason alone the product becomes more precious to them.

On the hand of a Fanatec Parts Store. I have thought about this too and would love it if the could make it possible.
Fixing stuff yourself is easier and less of a headache then dealing with customer support of any company.

 

[RacerXX]

Well the internet tends to stir the FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) pot.

You can skip much of that by just getting a hold of likely spares to sit on the shelf if that appeals to you.

So for your Elite, keep the belt tensioned. Get a few extra belts to have on the shelf (discussed recently, part numbers from Optibelt and Gates were noted and are available from local sources). And get a spare motor or two (some likely options need to be investigate, if nothing else I'll track that down when my Elite arrives).

 

[RacerXX]

Fixing stuff yourself is easier and less of a headache then dealing with customer support of any company.

This.

I have two CSR wheels, and have multiple spare belts sitting on a shelf. Along with a number of Mabuchi motors just in case. Plus my CSR runs way cooler than stock (inherently helps reliability) and is neater inside after some DIY efforts. That glue they use on the plugs has been removed, so now working on the wheel if needed will be easier and quicker.

Sidenote: One of my spare 555 motors is a candidate for a large ABS motor on my CSV2 pedals. I have tried four motors and counterweights out so far. One of the very high end pedal companies use 500 series motors for their pedals, apparently. Combined with a rubber isolated pedal pad onto which the motor(s) get mounted the results are way better than stock. The stock CSV2 motor is from a hand controller and has about a One (1) Watt output. Ugh. Five (5) to Ten (10) watts and at a lower frequency feels way better.

On your car comparison, note that racecars need tons of time and attention. I'm not concerned about needing to retension a belt every few months. Or swap out wear and tear parts from time to time, but that is just me. I have noticed that most sim racers do lots of tweaks and mods as they go along. That is part of the fun for me and for them.

 

[mrbasher]

The people that know the failure rates, at least in certain market segments, are not going to post about it publicly...

Information regarding wheel failure rates may not be readily available to the public, but it does exist. There are a lot of conversations that take place "offline" where the details of such things are discussed. As well, people aren't going to divulge where they have obtained such information. The availability of this information is a direct result of Fanatec's involvement in the community and has very little to do with what is said on various forums. If anything, what's said on forums simply confirms what has been stated "offline."

All I am going to say is that MUCH conversation takes place regarding simulation products which never sees the light of day and for good reason.

 

[LogiForce]

On your car comparison, note that racecars need tons of time and attention.

So with this you want to say that we should rebuild our equipment every race weekend, like teams do with their race cars?
That makes no sense, as our sim wheels will never see that kind of abuse. Hence I meant normal cars in my comparison.

 

[Cote Dazur]

So with this you want to say that we should rebuild our equipment every race weekend, like teams do with their race cars?
That makes no sense, as our sim wheels will never see that kind of abuse. Hence I meant normal cars in my comparison.

I agree with you Logi, and I do not think Fanatec would disagree with you.

A SIM wheel, as sophisticated as it might be, is still a consumer product covered with a 2 year waranty, we should be able to expect reliabilty and trouble free usage.

 

[mrbasher]

👍

Some things have expected wear parts, like tires on cars, wipers, plugs, etc. Lawnmowers need blades sharpened, filters changed, etc.

On the above, how difficult is it to maintain those items? Not difficult. If fact generally they are designed to make the process simpler. (not plugs on cars... another subject entirely... lol)

The same cannot be said for any mass market sim wheel. Thus, either it was designed with the intent of not needing things like belts and motors changed. -or- The thought never crossed anyone's mind.

The fact is, something like a CSR Elite is quite expensive at $539.95 for the wheel ALONE, no pedals, no shifters, just a wheel. Now under the assumption that it was not designed to be "maintained" I would expect it to perform like anything else I own that has a similar cost and does not require maintenance. So let's compare it to my 7 year old 32" LCD TV. It was about that price when I purchased it... How do you suppose you'd feel if consensus was that every year or so, you needed to pop the back off and replace a component or two on your $540 LCD TV? Would not not wonder why the company didn't just use a component that didn't require this? If you knew this going in, would you even bother buying the TV to begin with? I contend that most people would not and that it should NOT be expected.

Taking apart any electronics device should be optional and not required, at least during it's warranty period. If a device requires this, something is wrong, at ANY price point.

 

[JogoAsobi]

All I am going to say is that MUCH conversation takes place regarding simulation products which never sees the light of day and for good reason.

Agreed, not all rely on the www as their source of info for this stuff.

 

[Felipe Lourenco]

So with this you want to say that we should rebuild our equipment every race weekend, like teams do with their race cars?
That makes no sense, as our sim wheels will never see that kind of abuse. Hence I meant normal cars in my comparison.

Totally agree with you. 👍

it's ridiculous you buy such a product, and even present a serious problem that totally inutilizam the wheel in less than 1 year. Compare simulator with a wheel of a real car is absurd. Especially when it comes to an easy mistake to be corrected (decreasing tension Mabuchi motors).

The problem with the G27 wheel sensor, and the problem of ventilation T500rs is easily corrected. Now a problem of architecture(construction) that will make that any replacement part new from collapsing quickly and unacceptable.

 

[RacerXX]

I agree with you Logi, and I do not think Fanatec would disagree with you.

A SIM wheel, as sophisticated as it might be, is still a consumer product covered with a 2 year waranty, we should be able to expect reliabilty and trouble free usage.

Well where are the numbers, are they available? In the USA the Fana warranty is one year I think. I don't think they are at a 50% return rate by any means.

 

[JogoAsobi]

Well where are the numbers, are they available? In the USA the Fana warranty is one year I think.

As an owner of their stuff, you should be aware that the warranty period for Fanatec products is 2 years in USA 1 year in North America. However, certain mods can void that.

 

[RacerXX]

So with this you want to say that we should rebuild our equipment every race weekend, like teams do with their race cars?
That makes no sense, as our sim wheels will never see that kind of abuse. Hence I meant normal cars in my comparison.

No simply that fine tuning is part of the game. And having some spare bits on the shelf makes sense to me. If someone wants a never adjust, or have any hassles of any kind with ever product…Fana, Thrust, and Logi may not satisfy such a person's needs. The higher end stuff is even more fiddley if it is like other enthusiast devices with which I've dealt. Logi's G25/27 being higher volume than F or T and being produced by a larger company might make it a better choice for those that want fewer hassles and the reassurance of a larger company.

The most reliable may be the much higher sales volume but way less capable toy-like wheels and pedals. I've bought and sold a few Msoft wheels that still work great within their narrow and lower limits even after kids and dogs had their way with them for years.

So for example if I open up an enthusiast product and see a poor soldering job on some item I will just fix that. Maybe drop them an email with a picture. I don't care for poor quality but it is way easier to do this than go through the whole RMA process then or later on, for me. On my new CSV2 pedals for instance, I don't like how the wiring is fairly exposed, so I will be wire tucking all of that as I continue to do mods to that device.

 

[CLIFFO_83]

Fanatec products now available for pre-order in Australia http://au.fanatec.com/index.php?route=common/home

 

[LogiForce]

No simply that fine tuning is part of the game. If someone wants a never adjust, or have any hassles of any kind with ever product…Fana, Thrust, and Logi may not satisfy such a person's needs. The higher end stuff is even more fiddley if it is like other enthusiast devices with which I've dealt.

The most reliable may be the much higher sales volume but way less capable toy-like wheels and pedals. I've bought and sold a few Msoft wheels that still work great within their narrow and lower limits even after kids and dogs had their way with them for years.

So for example if I open up an enthusiast product and see a poor soldering job on some item I will just fix that. I don't care for poor quality but it is way easier to do this than go through the whole RMA process then or later on, for me. On my new CSV2 pedals for instance, I don't like how the wiring is fairly exposed, so I will be wire tucking all of that as I continue to do mods to that device.

That's a whole different point. We were talking about the wear a car part has in a normal car versus the use in a computer pheripheral.

When a belt of that quality has a life expectancy of 3 years in a normal street car, it should not fail within 1 year in a computer pheripheral where the demands put upon the belt are actually lower. Whether you will be able to replace a belt yourself or would like to is beside the point. The fact that it wears out at least 3 times faster than it should indicates a flaw in the design.
Now if you start to make comparisons with a race car, then it even gets more absurd, because the demands put upon the belt in a race car differ greater when compared to the use in a computer pheripheral than it already did in comparison to a normal car.

So the point is that something should be done about this officially by Fanatec as a manufacturer to increase product life by fixing the belt and motor wear.


The rest of the construction is solid except for the CSW coping with Quick Release wobble issues. Which can easily be resolved by increasing the diameter of the QR hub back to the diameter of my beta wheel (without getting issues with current marketed rims). The only thing you might need to do is put a bit of grease on it so it will slide a bit easier (using white vaseline myself).

In this post you can read about the changes made by Fanatec to the CSW final production units (these changes were never tested by the community testers or beta testers).
Take note of the second line about the hub size reduction to make wheels slide on easier.

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7285085#post7285085

List of improvements made in the manufacturing process that will be a part of the final production wheels:

Depth of holes on the base-side of the quick-release has been reduced. This eliminates any play on the quick-release mechanism because metal balls now have less play.

Dimensions of the base-side part of the quick-release have been slightly reduced to make the rims slide on and off more easily.

Layout of the PCBA inside the BMW M3 GT2 rim has been changed so that paddle shifter does not hit one of the elements if moved closer to the rim.

A shorter cable is now being used to connect quick release pins to the main PCBA inside the CSW base. This solves the issue where the same cable would rub against the main PCBA and produce unwanted noises.

A fixture has been added in production to eliminate any BMW badge alignment issues on the BMW M3 GT2 rim.

Springs and switches inside paddle shifter mechanisms have been changed for higher reliability.

Metal screw inserts are now used for shifter paddle attachment - increased reliability.

Grease is now used for lubrication of paddle shifter mechanisms instead of oil. This prevents potential problems with squeaking.

Belt drive is now better aligned and with optimized inner friction of the drive system.

Sequence of LED shift lights on the BMW M3 GT2 rim has been changed to: YYY-RRR-BBB

Brightness of LED shift lights has been increased on both rims.

Type of Loctite on several screws has changed for easier disassembly.

Position sensor mount has been changed for better stability.

Due to problems with leaking in shipment, different bottles are now used for CSP V2 damper oil.

These are the sizes measured on my beta unit and rims:

Bal sockets hub:
Left Up: 2.20 mm
Right Up: 2.20 mm
Left Down: 2.20 mm
Right Down: 2.20 mm
Mid Down: 2.20 mm

Hub remaining measurements:
Slit on top: 1.90 mm deep, width 6.10 mm, alignment cut-out (initial width) width 12.40 mm.
Hub Outside Diameter: 38.10 mm
Hub Inner Diameter: 31.13 mm
Hub Stop-Ring Diameter: 40.57 mm

F1 rim:
QR Inner Diameter: 38.15 mm

BMW rim:
QR Inner Diameter: 38.15 mm



ps. I do not post this with bad intend. I just hope Fanatec will fix this someday for the better of us all, including themselves. Cause the less wheels are returned with issues, the less money Fanatec will have to spend on support agents, deliveries and spare parts when under warranty.

 

[EVader]

Fanatec products now available for pre-order in Australia http://au.fanatec.com/index.php?route=common/home

Got that email as well.

 

[RacerXX]

That's a whole different point. We were talking about the wear a car part has in a normal car versus the use in a computer pheripheral.

When a belt of that quality has a life expectancy of 3 years in a normal street car, it should not fail within 1 year in a computer pheripheral where the demands put upon the belt are actually lower. Whether you will be able to replace a belt yourself or would like to is beside the point. The fact that it wears out at least 3 times faster than it should indicates a flaw in the design.
Now if you start to make comparisons with a race car, then it even gets more absurd, because the demands put upon the belt in a race car differ greater when compared to the use in a computer pheripheral than it already did in comparison to a normal car.

So the point is that something should be done about this officially by Fanatec as a manufacturer to increase product life by fixing the belt and motor wear.


The rest of the construction is solid except for the CSW coping with Quick Release wobble issues. Which can easily be resolved by increasing the diameter of the QR hub back to the diameter of my beta wheel (without getting issues with current marketed rims). The only thing you might need to do is put a bit of grease on it so it will slide a bit easier (using white vaseline myself).

In this post you can read about the changes made by Fanatec to the CSW final production units (these changes were never tested by the community testers or beta testers).
Take note of the second line about the hub size reduction to make wheels slide on easier.

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7285085#post7285085




These are the sizes measured on my beta unit and rims:

Bal sockets hub:
Left Up: 2.20 mm
Right Up: 2.20 mm
Left Down: 2.20 mm
Right Down: 2.20 mm
Mid Down: 2.20 mm

Hub remaining measurements:
Slit on top: 1.90 mm deep, width 6.10 mm, alignment cut-out (initial width) width 12.40 mm.
Hub Outside Diameter: 38.10 mm
Hub Inner Diameter: 31.13 mm
Hub Stop-Ring Diameter: 40.57 mm

F1 rim:
QR Inner Diameter: 38.15 mm

BMW rim:
QR Inner Diameter: 38.15 mm



ps. I do not post this with bad intend. I just hope Fanatec will fix this someday for the better of us all, including themselves. Cause the less wheels are returned with issues, the less money Fanatec will have to spend on support agents, deliveries and spare parts when under warranty.

Bear in mind that Fanatec is fine with a small amount of slip at the motor pulleys, it's right on the 911 blog. It is necessary given the design compromises chosen. If one tightens the motor belt to the point that it cannot slip, the motor binds. So getting rid of one problem raises another. They don't suggest that end users readjust the belts in general. Non-cogged belts used on cars slip a certain amount too, so do clutches that are in good shape I have data logged that many times.

Also, the expected life of parts will depend on the application. So you really cannot compare the life of Gates belts in a car with this very different device intended to have a certain amount of designed-in belt slip. If you want significantly better life, say triple (one versus three years, and one or two years past the product warranty period) then some design changes might be needed. That won't help someone very much with a wheel already. Since it may involve more parts being added to the device, and upgraded individual parts.

I don't care to wait, I just handle stuff then and there if it seems suspect to me and if I have a concern real or imagined I simply pick up some spares. For instance notice that the Elite/CSW wheels have way more heat sinking on the motors and motor controllers than the earlier wheels. Way more than double in fact, so it is not just a twin motor aspect. The heat mods I did to my CSR helped it quite a bit. I have a little box of inexpensive Fanatec spare parts on hand (belts, motors, load sensor). Done, and cheap.

I may be operating with much less information on product defects, returns, and failure than some are. Those that claim 50% failures are off as far as I know. Heck, I just pre-ordered a CSR-Elite earlier today coming out of the next batch of wheels. I'm not concerned and I'm eager to try out some different motors in it, and get some belts to add to my Fanatec spares box. Yeah I guess I will order the belts for it tomorrow, I'll have those before the wheel shows up lol.

 

[LogiForce]

Bear in mind that Fanatec is fine with a small amount of slip at the motor pulleys, it's right on the 911 blog. It is necessary given the design compromises chosen. If one tightens the motor belt to the point that it cannot slip, the motor binds. So getting rid of one problem raises another. They don't suggest that end users readjust the belts in general. Non-cogged belts used on cars slip a certain amount too, so do clutches that are in good shape I have data logged that many times.

Also, the expected life of parts will depend on the application. So you really cannot compare the life of Gates belts in a car with this very different device intended to have a certain amount of designed-in belt slip. If you want significantly better life, say triple (one versus three years, and one or two years past the product warranty period) then some design changes might be needed. That won't help someone very much with a wheel already. Since it may involve more parts being added to the device, and upgraded individual parts.

I don't care to wait, I just handle stuff then and there if it seems suspect to me and if I have a concern real or imagined I simply pick up some spares. For instance notice that the Elite/CSW wheels have way more heat sinking on the motors and motor controllers than the earlier wheels. Way more than double in fact, so it is not just a twin motor aspect. The heat mods I did to my CSR helped it quite a bit. I have a little box of inexpensive Fanatec spare parts on hand (belts, motors, load sensor). Done, and cheap.

I may be operating with much less information on product defects, returns, and failure than some are. Those that claim 50% failures are off as far as I know. Heck, I just pre-ordered a CSR-Elite earlier today coming out of the next batch of wheels. I'm not concerned and I'm eager to try out some different motors in it, and get some belts to add to my Fanatec spares box. Yeah I guess I will order the belts for it tomorrow, I'll have those before the wheel shows up lol.

Point taken. Which means they will not do anything about it as it is "within their specifications". Though if a customer will be content with that remains to be seen. You know how people can get "this will be my last wheel from these guys" and all of that.
Most people just want to play a game for a few years with their toy.

Well, it's up to Fanatec to decide really what they intend to do with it. As is for the customers to decide what they want to do. As long as Fanatec keeps in mind that without a big enough and solid customer base, they simply can not keep on living.

Getting back on the parts involved needed to improve the product. This might not be a solution for the people with the wheels, but the people with wheels will have to RMA the product anyway to someone who will replace the belt if worn. So the guy might as well do a conversion of the wheel while he is at it. At least it's a possibility (again not the cheapest fix, but probably more durable in the long run).

So yeah, dunno. Wait and see I guess?
Talking about waiting... I have yet to recieve word from Fanatec CS on my mail from 18.01.2013 at 15:09:37. They have already watched the video on the 21st (Youtube Analytics), but no reply yet. Will give them a heads-up I guess.

 

[novadave]

Bear in mind that Fanatec is fine with a small amount of slip at the motor pulleys, it's right on the 911 blog. It is necessary given the design compromises chosen. If one tightens the motor belt to the point that it cannot slip, the motor binds. So getting rid of one problem raises another. They don't suggest that end users readjust the belts in general. Non-cogged belts used on cars slip a certain amount too, so do clutches that are in good shape I have data logged that many times.

Also, the expected life of parts will depend on the application. So you really cannot compare the life of Gates belts in a car with this very different device intended to have a certain amount of designed-in belt slip. If you want significantly better life, say triple (one versus three years, and one or two years past the product warranty period) then some design changes might be needed. That won't help someone very much with a wheel already. Since it may involve more parts being added to the device, and upgraded individual parts.

I don't care to wait, I just handle stuff then and there if it seems suspect to me and if I have a concern real or imagined I simply pick up some spares. For instance notice that the Elite/CSW wheels have way more heat sinking on the motors and motor controllers than the earlier wheels. Way more than double in fact, so it is not just a twin motor aspect. The heat mods I did to my CSR helped it quite a bit. I have a little box of inexpensive Fanatec spare parts on hand (belts, motors, load sensor). Done, and cheap.

I may be operating with much less information on product defects, returns, and failure than some are. Those that claim 50% failures are off as far as I know. Heck, I just pre-ordered a CSR-Elite earlier today coming out of the next batch of wheels. I'm not concerned and I'm eager to try out some different motors in it, and get some belts to add to my Fanatec spares box. Yeah I guess I will order the belts for it tomorrow, I'll have those before the wheel shows up lol.

speaking of belts.
we are still waiting for the info on the belt supplier

 

[FanaFactz]

speaking of belts.
we are still waiting for the info on the belt supplier

Banana bender me, long time lurker here an at f-wheel.com finally decided to post here.
Are you referring to that poster RacerX on f-wheel.com? I saw that a lot of his technical posts got deleted over there. It seems kind strange to me, like he came from nowhere and giving some advice like some big player in the scene big noting himself. I got lots of good advice from posters here and f-wheel before, but I am not sure about some of this earbash from him.

 

[RacerXX]

me lurker here an at f-wheel.com finally decided to post here.

Are you referring to that poster RacerX on f-wheel.com? I saw that a lot of his technical posts got deleted over there.
It seems kind strange to me, like he came from nowhere and giving some advice like some big player in the scene.
I got lots of good advice from posters here and f-wheel before, but I am not sure about some of this information from him.

I deleted those, I don't care for that site at all, but others may enjoy it and should. Take about anything you read online with a grain of salt. What I've described I've actually done first hand RE my various mods.

I got my belts from Gates, it was easy and I described how to do the same. It takes more than clicking on one link though and having the tracking number sent to you 30 seconds later lol. You handle it like an industrial parts purchase. You can do the same for Elite/CSW belts if that interests you. For those it is slightly easier as the belt part numbers are readily visible. Or you can wait for Fanatec to sell them, or for an enterprising person you trust to order them and then you can buy from them in turn.

 

[FanaFactz]

Take about anything you read online with a grain of salt.

Thanks for confirming that mate, much appreciated!

 

[Carson79]

Point taken. Which means they will not do anything about it as it is "within their specifications". Though if a customer will be content with that remains to be seen. You know how people can get "this will be my last wheel from these guys" and all of that.
Most people just want to play a game for a few years with their toy.

Well, it's up to Fanatec to decide really what they intend to do with it. As is for the customers to decide what they want to do. As long as Fanatec keeps in mind that without a big enough and solid customer base, they simply can not keep on living.

Getting back on the parts involved needed to improve the product. This might not be a solution for the people with the wheels, but the people with wheels will have to RMA the product anyway to someone who will replace the belt if worn. So the guy might as well do a conversion of the wheel while he is at it. At least it's a possibility (again not the cheapest fix, but probably more durable in the long run).

So yeah, dunno. Wait and see I guess?
Talking about waiting... I have yet to recieve word from Fanatec CS on my mail from 18.01.2013 at 15:09:37. They have already watched the video on the 21st (Youtube Analytics), but no reply yet. Will give them a heads-up I guess.

It took them two weeks to get back to me. But I'd been too busy to chase them about it. And from what I can figure out they might have been waiting on new motors, as they first asked for the base for repair and now this week asked for the S/N to exchange to a new base with the new motors! I didn't keep a record of the S/N and couldn't give as the base was in transit.

 

[LogiForce]

It took them two weeks to get back to me. But I'd been too busy to chase them about it. And from what I can figure out they might have been waiting on new motors, as they first asked for the base for repair and now this week asked for the S/N to exchange to a new base with the new motors! I didn't keep a record of the S/N and couldn't give as the base was in transit.

*frowns* very premium *cough*... two weeks (or in other words half a month). Granted they only introduced that last week. However, I'd expect one would work up to reduce response times of the CS until one is confident that one can offer such support.

Oh well, the video has been watched twice now and no mail. I will wait another week. If I have not heard back when Friday comes around again, then I guess I will call.

 

[bermudakid]

Are the problems with the CSW only to a small % of owners, or is it a bigger problem.
I really want the CSW and the only thing stopping me is reading you guys talk about reliability.
I bought the CSP v2s and other than needing to change the throttle spring I love them, but im not sure if I want to spend CSW money just knowing I have to mod it to fix it for the long run.