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.

 

[Deleted member 387850]

No problems for me so far, and I'm using one of their more "notorious" products - the McLaren GT3 wheel! Paired up with the CSL Elite Wheelbase + and CSL Elite Pedals LC.

I've had the pedals since May 2018 and everything else since January 2019. The only thing I could possibly fault is a bit of throttle spiking which seems to be fairly common. I think the potentiometer is a bit exposed to dust but I believe if you contact Fanatec they will send a replacement pot. Mine isn't bad enough to consider swapping at this stage.

Based on my experience I'd have no reason not to spend more money with them. I think one of the difficulties is that in the CSL Elite to Clubsport price range there is little to no competition. If you want to upgrade from a Logitech, like I did, then in that price range your only other option is Thrustmaster. Thrustmaster aren't exactly famed for their reliability, although I can't comment from experience personally.

Once you get into the DD price range then more options seem to be available, so they'll have to tread more carefully in that market as customers have other choices available. But, if you're budget will only stretch to CSL Elite or Clubsport I'm not sure where else you'd go?

 

[SteveCac]

Yeah, I've got the CSL Elite LC pedals, had no problems with them but was thinking of getting a Podium and read about various problems with them and bad customer support, following this with interest.

 

[thepharcyde]

I think it's the same as any manufacturers, there will be problems with anything.

I think the poll should be assessing their RMA process, fix rate etc.

 

[EsxPaul]

I'd agree with @thepharcyde

It's somewhat inevitable that products will fail and Fanatec probably sell a higher volume than most, which could skew the results. The more intriguing thing is how they go about initiating a good customer experience when a product failure happens.

On the face of it, nobody does a worse job but that's based on what I've read rather than any factual numbers.

 

[girarcat]

I think it's the same as any manufacturers, there will be problems with anything.

I think the poll should be assessing their RMA process, fix rate etc.

Customer service is worth of another thread just for itself.
For me, spending hundreds of euros on something that turns out to be faulty is a huge disappointment, even if the customer service is superb, that's why I decided to ask for the defective product rate instead of the customer service experience, but I get your point.

 

[EsxPaul]

I see what you mean

You've most likely read through one of the more recent threads here in regards to poor customer service from them, where they wouldn't replace a product that was only a week or two old before failing. That's concerning to me but I don't know if that's a blanket practice or a rare decision from them.

Whenever I've done a search, I get the impression that their products have a higher failure rate than the competition but then again I'm sure they sell in much higher volume so it would be unfair for me to assume anything.

I don't know what budget you have to spend but I would personally choose non Fanatec products if I were aiming towards the more top end peripherals.

In the mid range they then become more viable. That's my personal take on it which might be right or wrong.

 

[girarcat]

I see what you mean

You've most likely read through one of the more recent threads here in regards to poor customer service from them, where they wouldn't replace a product that was only a week or two old before failing. That's concerning to me but I don't know if that's a blanket practice or a rare decision from them.

Whenever I've done a search, I get the impression that their products have a higher failure rate than the competition but then again I'm sure they sell in much higher volume so it would be unfair for me to assume anything.

I don't know what budget you have to spend but I would personally choose non Fanatec products if I were aiming towards the more top end peripherals.

In the mid range they then become more viable. That's my personal take on it which might be right or wrong.

This may be quite true.
I'm considering the mid-range, so there are not many options aside from Fanatec and some Thrustmaster products. If I were to buy a DD wheel, I would most certanly consider one of the many brands available aside from Fanatec. On the mid-range it's very hard to stay away from Fanatec though.

 

[RCHeliguy]

About two years ago I jumped in and got a complete Club Sport package with Porsche 918 wheel. I found my gear to be reliable and never had a customer support issue.

I've upgraded all of my gear since then, but I originally chose it because they were the top of the mid range, sold in volume and their components had good resale value if I decided I wanted out.

I still believe that is the case and while I've upgraded all my gear to much pricier controls, I upgraded because there was better available, not because Fanatec failed me. To be clear I thought the CS 2.5 wheelbase did a great job and I liked their other controls. The only control I wasn't enamored with was the hand brake.

 

[Hiro Abe]

Let's see, I've personally owned their shifter, handbrake, CS pedals, CSL Elite pedals, universal hub, CSW v2.5, Porsche RSR, McLaren GT3, CS GT, F1 and F1 v2 wheels. All of which i didn't have a lick of trouble with.

I currently have the CSW and GT3 and F1 v2 rims. The CSW has served me well for over 2 years now. I got the GT3 on preorder and never had any of the problems that have been reported. Oh, and i recently added the Podium shifters to my F1 wheel which are really nice.

 

[Peter Koslowski]

I once bought a used CSW V2 which was already in use for at least three years. After two more years I replaced the belts. Super held. I sold them now for 320€ and bought the DD2. I have been using a CSP V3 for three years, no problems! A Formula steering wheel, in use for five years, no problems. The only crap they sell are the plastic steering wheels, you should be careful!

 

[Emery]

The only crap they sell are the plastic steering wheels, you should be careful!

Anywhere they use plastic without metal reinforcement has been prone to more complaints.

 

[girarcat]

Which are the plastic steering wheels you are referring to?

 

[Please Stop This]

this one has plastic inside, CSL Elite P1 for XBoxOne
plus i got CSW 2.5 and pedals v3 - running fine since 1,5 years
edit: only one time gas pedal was off - until i took pedals out of the rig, and tried again on the table and it was working again.

 

[Emery]

Which are the plastic steering wheels you are referring to?

Most of the wheels specifically made for the CSL Elite, like the McLaren GT3. Now the McLaren GT3 appears to be in a second edition, so I wonder if anyone has inspected/reviewed it?

 

[girarcat]

Sh*t, these are the wheels I wanted to get. I wouldn't want to spend more money on the steering wheel than on the wheel-base or pedals.
Thanks for the advice

 

[djroadking]

Have been looking at fanatec's stuff for awhile and I can't make up my mind yet on which way to go. My friend Ryan let me try out a Logitech G920 with pedals and the shifter but it felt very toy like. Felt that way mostly in the pedals to me.

 

[Hiro Abe]

@djroadking I can assure you, Fanatec kit is anything but toy like.

 

[girarcat]

@djroadking I can assure you, Fanatec kit is anything but toy like.

So what would be your suggestion aside from a DD?

 

[Hiro Abe]

The only Fanatec wheelbase I've owned is the CSW v2.5. I've been using it for close to 3 years and happy with it. Someday I'll go DD but I'm in no rush.