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So SRAM t type warranty support then.
I'm not mega impressed.
Bought a bike in the chain reaction fire sale in the full knowledge (risk acceptance) that warrantying anything could be a problem.
It's got GX axs T type on it which has been brilliant up until maybe a month ago, when it started giving intermittent power problems when changing battery.
Turns out it's the little pogo pins that sit under the battery that stopped pogoing. Looks like a very well known issue searching on the googles.
It fully shat itself (no power at all) the day before going to bike park wales last week and I managed to bodge it by carefully taping some little balls of tin foil over the battery contacts to enable the pins to make contact. Amazingly, that lasted all the bpw weekend.
So then I tried to warranty it. No crc anymore so I contacted a local shop who didn't want to know (fair enough) so I contacted SRAM service department whose advice was less than useless: basically sod off, continue pestering shops who didn't sell the mech to you and hopefully you'll get lucky.
Tried a couple of other shops. Same story. - didn't want to know (fair enough, I dont think this is on them at all!)
Couldn't be arsed faffing about on a wild goose chase so tonight I've disassembled the whole mech (like almost every component of the main body removed to get to the PCB) soldered on new pogo pins then put it back together.
Works fine again now.
Apart from the shit pogo pins (and the shit support) it's actually a very good bit of engineering from a maintenance point of view - all comes apart with basic tools and no real drama or bodging/swearing/panicking. A couple of slightly worrying moments.getting into the guts of the servo/gear box but all came good in the end
Moral of the story?
1) axs is great when working but not when it shits itself. Is it worth it then? I was previously an advocate. Now I'm fully on the fence, particularly due to the very weak warranty response.
2) If you've got an axs mech don't be surprised when the pogo pins fail (very many examples out there)
3) With a bit of patience and delicate care and a soldering iron you can *probably* fix it yourself.
My AXS mech was crap and reading how many people had sent theirs off for warranty, waited weeks, got it back for the same issues to reappear again and again I just binned the thing off and fitted mechanical Shimano again.
Can’t be doing with added faff when it comes to riding a bicycle, but I did give it a go.
Yeah the pissing about with an extended warranty claim, sorting an issue which is clearly a design flaw is the reason I decided to try a DIY fix.
Pretty piss poor that I was just fobbed off for what is very obviously a known design flaw issue.
If I were in SRAM's shoes I'd probably want to protect my investment in the consumer confidence in the tech by providing good warranty support.
Hell, they could even just repair them in house and wouldn't need to send out new mechs. It took me about 90 mins to do a fix without a clue what I was doing guessing my way through it. With practice it'd be down to 15 mins per mech to fix I reckon.
That is very poor as SRAM has a worldwide warranty so any shop that has a SRAM account should be able to do warranty work - they may charge for labour if you didn't buy from them but they should warranty. Poor response from SRAM support as well.
I've been curious about T type for a while but I've heard a few of these stories. Combine that with my current plan to avoid anything American where possible if there's a decent non American alternative and I'm sticking with Shimano.
Yep I've got the same pogo pins issue on my xx1 axs mech. Replacement pins arrived from china yesterday (4 weeks shipping) so I'll be having a less ham fisted friend solder them on for me this weekend hopefully.
For reference, these are the pogo pins
Had the same issue with the pogo pins on my first non T type axs mech, and then on the T type mech (I should have learned after the first one), my fix was to put a couple of blobs of solder on the top of the pins, its been working fine for a couple of months now....
Its V poor that this is a very well known mode of failure for years on both the t type and non t type mechs and sram have done bugger all to change the design - if this current mech fails for good I'll be going back to cable operated.
Oh and I forgot to say, I'd be very happy to be Dripping in Deore ™️ with a cable operated mech.
As much as I appreciate my axs mech, I've had the odd incident of shifter/mech battery failures due to me not looking after them. Once the shifter battery died following a 4hr drive where the little adjustment button on the shifter was resting on something in my van for the whole journey unbeknown to me. And then there's the replacement cost when the mech inevitably gets smashed on a rock...
Did you pay with a credit card?
if so then then use the section 75 protection? ‘Warranty schmarranty’.
Hell, they could even just repair them in house and wouldn't need to send out new mechs. It took me about 90 mins to do a fix without a clue what I was doing guessing my way through it. With practice it'd be down to 15 mins per mech to fix I reckon.
Could be a nice little earner for you, I imagine the oldest ones are failing outside warranty now.
I had the same problem with a normal axs mech. Merlin turned around the warranty claim in just over a week which was great.
SRAM’s refusal to warranty directly is a big turn off! As is their failure to fix this persistent design flaw!
I also have some sram stuff from wiggle. Hoping I can find a shop to pay to handle the claim if I have an issue!
I've done an original AXS derailleur, and a reverb*
Now I know what to do (and have a little stand with clips to hold stuff while I solder) I could do the mech in about 15 minutes. Not sure if the t-type is harder to get it apart.
*guess I've got to call this an original axs reverb as of last week
i found some batteries work better than others on my T-Type. Older ones sometimes struggle with contact. Its frustrating as otherwise its a great bit of kit.
I am not sure i have the confidence to open it up and solder fresh pins in. Could be a nice side hustle for someone!
Pulling apart the t type was quite an involved process.
Roughly it goes like this:
1.Take off the side plates that mount to the udh hanger
2. Take off the plastic cover that goes over the little led light
3.Disassemble the parallelogram plates.
(You'll need a security Allen key for this)
4. Very careful prise the parallelogram apart to separate off the gear box/servo/electronics box of tricks.
(This, and the reassembly of same, is the trickiest bit probably)
5 Open up the servo/gear box electronics module using a very very small torch
6. Take out the little PCB which hosts the pogo pins.
I left the servo motor connected and housed in the gear box for fear of mucking something up
7. Take off the little sealing o rings around the pins
8. Solder time
Then all the above steps backwards to disassemble.
These are the pogo pins I bought. Came in a. Few days. Yes, I know it's bezos. Soz.
Speaking as someone who has dealt with the Sram warranty team countless times over the past 20 years, I can honestly say that I've never had a bad experience. Yes I work in the cycle trade but my opinion is based on textbook service rather than special treatment or favours.
I think you've been let down by the shops you've approached rather than by Sram. The Sram warranty department are a trade-only resource meaning that all claims must be sent in by a bike shop. In all the years I've worked in the trade I have never refused to send an item in to for a warranty claim regardless of where it was bought. It takes about 2 minutes to fill out the online form, and for most shops Sram will even provide a pre-paid returns label.
Yes, I have seen this same issue with a couple of GX rear mechs, and Sram warranty team have issued a replacement within 4 days on both occasions, and in both instances the mechs were brought in by customers who had bought them elsewhere.
I doubt I invested more than 20 mins for both claims for booking in, packing, unpacking replacements, and speaking to customer and they have since been repeat customers as a result of helping them out.
I'm amazed that you were turned down by the shops you approached. I also know of other shops who charge a small fee to process warranties that weren't bought from their store, which is fair enough I guess.
SRAM have never been the issue. ZyroFisher for some reason that even SRAM don't understand don't hold the part I need replaced under warranty. So might get a new part early may.