This isn't a post i wanted to make and i've postponed it in hopes that the company (sim-plicity) would do the right thing, which they havent.
Iam a formerly proud owner of a sim-plicity SW12C direct drive wheel. to date i've had it for 13months. It has been broken/unuseable for the last 5 months. Of these 5months it was out for repairs for ~2,5 months; i sent it out in december and got it back late february.
So what happened to the wheel?
A relative of mine was testing my rig under my supervision. During his test the wheel suddenly lost power. For the next couple hours i was unable to even get power back to the wheel, it simply wouldn't boot up. After a few hours the switch suddenly worked and it came back on. After that it had developed a "clicking" fault. Its difficult to explain precisely what happens but what it feels like is the wheel loses power for a split second before coming back on. Makes an audible click and breaks your focus. In other words: the wheel was/is undriveable.
I contacted sim-plicity and initially they were very eager to try and solve the issue. We had a very succesful skype session with Ollie troubleshooting it and came to the conclusion its probably something with the electronics that he would have to look into in person. So the wheel went out to be repaired. So far so good.
Downhill begins:
So almost a month after sending the wheel back i contact them via email to check the situation(i was originally promised it back within 2-3 weeks). Iam told that no faults were found during testing, that everything seems fine and that he would test it in his own rig just to be sure. Still found nothing.
At this point iam asking what it could possibly be on my end? I have no real reason to argue with the manufacturer, they should know when it works and when it doesn't. It was suggested that perhaps the wheel was mechanically loose, which 100% was/is not the case.
A noteworthly mention from the email, and this is a direct quote: "The last thing I want is to send the unit back and have the issue reoccur."
I reply with a few possible farfetched solutions such as possible interference from other nearby control units etc. At this point iam trying to come up with anything that could explain the situation.
To my utter dismay i receive no answer, nothing. I waited a week and sent a friendly "any updates?" email. No answer. I wait 1½ weeks more and do the same. No answer. Few days pass and i get an email from a shipping company about an upcoming shipment from sim-plicity. Few weeks pass and it arrives.
I hook it up and does it work? No, no it doesnt. It still has the same clicking fault. But wait, theres more! It has a new "grinding" fault aswell, feels like the wheel is grinding against something thats the only way to describe it. So i've received the wheel in worse shape than i sent it in. First thing i do is reinstall everything beginning from windows, try other power cords etc. Anything that i can think of that could cause the issue. No help, still clicks and grinds.
Just to be sure i borrow a regular belt driven thrustmaster wheel from a friend and it works fine.
At this point iam pretty sure it can't be anything in my end. So naturally i try to contact them again with a video of the faults happening in real time. To date it has been 27days since that email was sent. No answer. Tried calling the number included in the delivery information. No answer.
Thats the story of why iam here writing this. As a customer this kind of treatment is deeply insulting. Iam stuck with a hunk of metal that can best serve as a paperweight currently. 800euros well spent.
The point here is not to talk bad about the product itself. Let me be clear: when the wheel worked, i enjoyed it very much. No, iam writing this becouse having a broken product worth 800euros and a company thats not willing to even deal with the situation is not acceptable. I dont understand the motivation behind the decision to stop all communication.
I haven't been able to do nearly any driving during this whole debacle as i was allways expecting the issue to get sorted "any day now". 6000euros worth of equipment just waiting. Not very happy about that either. And still have no wheel.
So to sum up: If your on the market for a direct drive wheel, go for a proven company that you can trust like Fanatec for example, even if its extra money. Dont buy it from a company thats okay with screwing you over, like Sim-plicity.
TLDR; Dont buy your DD wheel from Sim-plicity if you want a durable/working wheel.
Iam a formerly proud owner of a sim-plicity SW12C direct drive wheel. to date i've had it for 13months. It has been broken/unuseable for the last 5 months. Of these 5months it was out for repairs for ~2,5 months; i sent it out in december and got it back late february.
So what happened to the wheel?
A relative of mine was testing my rig under my supervision. During his test the wheel suddenly lost power. For the next couple hours i was unable to even get power back to the wheel, it simply wouldn't boot up. After a few hours the switch suddenly worked and it came back on. After that it had developed a "clicking" fault. Its difficult to explain precisely what happens but what it feels like is the wheel loses power for a split second before coming back on. Makes an audible click and breaks your focus. In other words: the wheel was/is undriveable.
I contacted sim-plicity and initially they were very eager to try and solve the issue. We had a very succesful skype session with Ollie troubleshooting it and came to the conclusion its probably something with the electronics that he would have to look into in person. So the wheel went out to be repaired. So far so good.
Downhill begins:
So almost a month after sending the wheel back i contact them via email to check the situation(i was originally promised it back within 2-3 weeks). Iam told that no faults were found during testing, that everything seems fine and that he would test it in his own rig just to be sure. Still found nothing.
At this point iam asking what it could possibly be on my end? I have no real reason to argue with the manufacturer, they should know when it works and when it doesn't. It was suggested that perhaps the wheel was mechanically loose, which 100% was/is not the case.
A noteworthly mention from the email, and this is a direct quote: "The last thing I want is to send the unit back and have the issue reoccur."
I reply with a few possible farfetched solutions such as possible interference from other nearby control units etc. At this point iam trying to come up with anything that could explain the situation.
To my utter dismay i receive no answer, nothing. I waited a week and sent a friendly "any updates?" email. No answer. I wait 1½ weeks more and do the same. No answer. Few days pass and i get an email from a shipping company about an upcoming shipment from sim-plicity. Few weeks pass and it arrives.
I hook it up and does it work? No, no it doesnt. It still has the same clicking fault. But wait, theres more! It has a new "grinding" fault aswell, feels like the wheel is grinding against something thats the only way to describe it. So i've received the wheel in worse shape than i sent it in. First thing i do is reinstall everything beginning from windows, try other power cords etc. Anything that i can think of that could cause the issue. No help, still clicks and grinds.
Just to be sure i borrow a regular belt driven thrustmaster wheel from a friend and it works fine.
At this point iam pretty sure it can't be anything in my end. So naturally i try to contact them again with a video of the faults happening in real time. To date it has been 27days since that email was sent. No answer. Tried calling the number included in the delivery information. No answer.
Thats the story of why iam here writing this. As a customer this kind of treatment is deeply insulting. Iam stuck with a hunk of metal that can best serve as a paperweight currently. 800euros well spent.
The point here is not to talk bad about the product itself. Let me be clear: when the wheel worked, i enjoyed it very much. No, iam writing this becouse having a broken product worth 800euros and a company thats not willing to even deal with the situation is not acceptable. I dont understand the motivation behind the decision to stop all communication.
I haven't been able to do nearly any driving during this whole debacle as i was allways expecting the issue to get sorted "any day now". 6000euros worth of equipment just waiting. Not very happy about that either. And still have no wheel.
So to sum up: If your on the market for a direct drive wheel, go for a proven company that you can trust like Fanatec for example, even if its extra money. Dont buy it from a company thats okay with screwing you over, like Sim-plicity.
TLDR; Dont buy your DD wheel from Sim-plicity if you want a durable/working wheel.
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