MIP and their customer service/warranties. Or lack there of.
09-10-2010, 06:55 AM
#16
And it's "you're", you are doing something wrong. Not your. "Your" is possessive. Correct that simplicity, then tell me about the intricacies of RC CVD building. Not trying to be a douche, just sayin', these are by no means difficult to assemble.
09-10-2010, 09:22 AM
#17
When ever I had a pin come loose I never thought it was MIP's fault....
BDW
Just put a small drop of glue on the retainer clip , no need to call MIP and complain about ...
BDW
Just put a small drop of glue on the retainer clip , no need to call MIP and complain about ...
09-10-2010, 09:50 AM
#18
Yeah, if a pin was falling out I'd do what the other guy did and shrink wrap it, great idea. Problem with me is a full on structural failure. Fracture. Breakage. No loose piece, a totally broken piece.
09-10-2010, 10:15 AM
#19
It happens ( pin coming out ) , but now you have better knowledge so it won't happen again hopefully....
09-10-2010, 10:18 AM
#20
Excuse the cell phone pics, not the best, but you get the idea. They're clear enough to see the fracture and ease of assembly, for those that find it difficult.
In this first picture you can see its assembly and the break point.
Slightly different angle.
Here it is in glorious sunlight.
Here you'll notice the axle pin in place. This means the drive shaft, whether assembled correctly or not, is in its proper place.
Fully assembled, not installed. Notice the washer to eliminate slop and help protect the bearing. You can also see that the plastic retainers are installed properly. They aren't loose, in the wrong place, bulging or anything of the sort. This suggests the pin that holds that joint together, is properly installed. Now this just suggests it, we'll see in a sec that it actually is installed correctly.
Dis-assembly begins.
Here the retainer is removed from its proper location.
A bit blurry, but you'll see in the next two pictures, both ends of the pin. Notice the lack of protrusion. Which would indicate that it is properly installed.
Here is that pin, removed from its location.
Fully disassembled.
Now for reassembly.
You slide this little piece back in so that you could see the hole. Center it as best as possible to make it easier to feed the pin through.
Like so. If you look closely, you'll notice the hole. I know, crazy.
You then want to slip that assembly in to the pocket of the shaft. Again, taking care to properly align the holes so it's easier to feed the pin through. The pin that seemed to be in its proper location in earlier pictures.
After proper alignment, feed pin through hole like so.
Refer to previous pictures for complete assembly look.
These are not difficult to assemble in any way shape or form. Maybe if you have really big fingers and these small parts are hard to grab, or maybe you have rheumatoid arthritis, then it would be difficult. I lack both of those as you could see in one of the pics. The parts were easy for me to see and grab.
In this first picture you can see its assembly and the break point.
Slightly different angle.
Here it is in glorious sunlight.
Here you'll notice the axle pin in place. This means the drive shaft, whether assembled correctly or not, is in its proper place.
Fully assembled, not installed. Notice the washer to eliminate slop and help protect the bearing. You can also see that the plastic retainers are installed properly. They aren't loose, in the wrong place, bulging or anything of the sort. This suggests the pin that holds that joint together, is properly installed. Now this just suggests it, we'll see in a sec that it actually is installed correctly.
Dis-assembly begins.
Here the retainer is removed from its proper location.
A bit blurry, but you'll see in the next two pictures, both ends of the pin. Notice the lack of protrusion. Which would indicate that it is properly installed.
Here is that pin, removed from its location.
Fully disassembled.
Now for reassembly.
You slide this little piece back in so that you could see the hole. Center it as best as possible to make it easier to feed the pin through.
Like so. If you look closely, you'll notice the hole. I know, crazy.
You then want to slip that assembly in to the pocket of the shaft. Again, taking care to properly align the holes so it's easier to feed the pin through. The pin that seemed to be in its proper location in earlier pictures.
After proper alignment, feed pin through hole like so.
Refer to previous pictures for complete assembly look.
These are not difficult to assemble in any way shape or form. Maybe if you have really big fingers and these small parts are hard to grab, or maybe you have rheumatoid arthritis, then it would be difficult. I lack both of those as you could see in one of the pics. The parts were easy for me to see and grab.
09-10-2010, 10:20 AM
#21
The pin did NOT come out. I still have it, look at the pics and watch me remove it. For the FIRST time after assembly. You should know what you're talking about before doing so. It seems torque, at the pin location, was the cause of failure. Maybe it was hardened too much as someone suggested earlier. This would not have happened if the pin wasn't there. no pin, no pressure point.
09-10-2010, 10:27 AM
#22
Seen it all happen many times..
pin comes loose , CvD rotates & rips or sears the CvD apart ...
Look at the arm and observe the mark left by pin ...
pin comes loose , CvD rotates & rips or sears the CvD apart ...
Look at the arm and observe the mark left by pin ...
09-10-2010, 11:09 AM
#23
Wait, what? What mark on what arm?
09-10-2010, 11:22 AM
#24
I've only had CVD's fail a few times in my days, only due to the pin falling out. Make sure to use locktite when reassembling. Its no fault of MIP for that one pin falling out, or becoming loose.
09-10-2010, 11:31 AM
#25
How would it do that, and then reinsert itself? That's what I'm not understanding. I could understand it coming loose if I saw signs of this, like maybe the retainer came out, the pin came out or something. Sure, I would understand that. But saying it came out while looking at a picture that shows it in place baffles me. I didn't doctor it, move it, adjust it or what have you. I heard a weird sound, inspected the area, didn't see anything loose. I brushed off some dirt, looked again. Still nothing loose, but I did notice a crack. Now I take pictures and am told the pin came out? 
09-10-2010, 12:04 PM
#26
I just got off the phone with a guy at MIP. You'll never guess what he told me.
No, he didn't say the pin came loose.
What he did say was that there is a known heat treating issue with the first series of MIP C-CVD's that came out for the Slash 4x4, which are the ones I have.
Here's a link: http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-Kit-Slash-4X4
So they are replacing them under certain conditions. Now just in case you guys that find these difficult to assemble missed it, I repeat, it is a "known heat treating issues" that they have since corrected. It has nothing to do with magic pins that come loose and magically secure themselves again. Nope, not at all. In fact, it was exactly what I said, a structural failure. Further more, it was due to what I was suggesting but didn't want to out right say, production/engineering error. In this case, production.
I'd like to add a couple things. In short, I am pleased with the service I got. While I don't like the methods, or the fact that they absolutely DO NOT warranty their parts in usage, only in production error -- as in my and many other peoples case -- they are righting a wrong and that is a very good thing.
No, he didn't say the pin came loose.
What he did say was that there is a known heat treating issue with the first series of MIP C-CVD's that came out for the Slash 4x4, which are the ones I have.
Here's a link: http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-Kit-Slash-4X4
So they are replacing them under certain conditions. Now just in case you guys that find these difficult to assemble missed it, I repeat, it is a "known heat treating issues" that they have since corrected. It has nothing to do with magic pins that come loose and magically secure themselves again. Nope, not at all. In fact, it was exactly what I said, a structural failure. Further more, it was due to what I was suggesting but didn't want to out right say, production/engineering error. In this case, production.
I'd like to add a couple things. In short, I am pleased with the service I got. While I don't like the methods, or the fact that they absolutely DO NOT warranty their parts in usage, only in production error -- as in my and many other peoples case -- they are righting a wrong and that is a very good thing.
09-10-2010, 01:27 PM
#27
What part of the method did you not like? And what could they do to improve on this?
As far as the warranty goes, does anyone in this business warranty their parts beyond defects? These products are really designed for racing and I don't know of any racing type product that is warrantied. I would think that to provide that type of warranty they would have to increase the price beyond the point that I would be willing to pay and the majority of the time it would be the guys who drove their car off of the roof and would expect it to be covered by the warranty. I guess what I am saying is that these cars are prone to abuse and that would make it hard to warranty.
As far as the warranty goes, does anyone in this business warranty their parts beyond defects? These products are really designed for racing and I don't know of any racing type product that is warrantied. I would think that to provide that type of warranty they would have to increase the price beyond the point that I would be willing to pay and the majority of the time it would be the guys who drove their car off of the roof and would expect it to be covered by the warranty. I guess what I am saying is that these cars are prone to abuse and that would make it hard to warranty.
09-10-2010, 02:13 PM
#28
It's amazing how much people miss when they read, or what they choose to focus on and ignore. It was a manufacturing defect. Not because I say so, but because it is self admitted by MIP. Did you miss that part?
I didn't crash it, roll it, bash it, through it off a bridge or abuse it in any way. I used it as it was intended to be used and it failed. Not only did mine fail, but enough of them to where they took a second look at their product and found that a mistake was made in the production process. They've corrected said mistake. It's not that I'm not happy that it can't take some insane abuse, it's that it's structural integrity was compromised in the heat treating process. The designer himself could have put them together and they would be just as likely to fail.
Take this as a good piece of information to have, because if you have a set of MIP C-CVD's for your 4x4 Slash, there's a good chance you have the first release. The first release has a manufacturers defect and will be replaced by them. But, take it as you will. I made a mistake in assembly and if yours fractures, you can just assume you did as well and go buy a new pair instead of having them replaced due to manufacturer error in production.
I didn't crash it, roll it, bash it, through it off a bridge or abuse it in any way. I used it as it was intended to be used and it failed. Not only did mine fail, but enough of them to where they took a second look at their product and found that a mistake was made in the production process. They've corrected said mistake. It's not that I'm not happy that it can't take some insane abuse, it's that it's structural integrity was compromised in the heat treating process. The designer himself could have put them together and they would be just as likely to fail.
Take this as a good piece of information to have, because if you have a set of MIP C-CVD's for your 4x4 Slash, there's a good chance you have the first release. The first release has a manufacturers defect and will be replaced by them. But, take it as you will. I made a mistake in assembly and if yours fractures, you can just assume you did as well and go buy a new pair instead of having them replaced due to manufacturer error in production.
09-10-2010, 03:46 PM
#29
I wasn't trying to say that you abused your part in anyway I was just saying in general that if MIP warrantied their parts beyond manufactures defects it would first of all be abused by people, not you in this case but it would happen and MIP would have to increase the price of their parts to cover the additional costs. Second it would be above and beyond the industry standards. Maybe I am a confused as to what type of warranty you are expecting.
09-10-2010, 04:58 PM
#30
Tech Addict
iTrader: (3)
That look's like a quality of the steel fracture, not a assembly issue or from it being out of alignment. You could have just gotten a bad set , or it may be a whole lot of them.
Like MIP has just let people know ( while I was typing) Glad to see that they are fixing the issue. I have plenty of MIP product's in my heard of RC.
Although I would have went with the MIP over the Tekno kit, the kit from Tekno is awesome 2wd/4wd I have both. Never even a blink out them even under some "Hostile" situation's. That may have been the problem right their. You got a case of bad luck and wrong choice of part for the job. Either way it's an easy fix, no harm no foul...
Like MIP has just let people know ( while I was typing) Glad to see that they are fixing the issue. I have plenty of MIP product's in my heard of RC.
Although I would have went with the MIP over the Tekno kit, the kit from Tekno is awesome 2wd/4wd I have both. Never even a blink out them even under some "Hostile" situation's. That may have been the problem right their. You got a case of bad luck and wrong choice of part for the job. Either way it's an easy fix, no harm no foul...