CSL DD PRO 2x Broken pedals and very bad service
I’m very very very disappointed. On 26 november 2021 I ordered the Fanatec CSL DD PRO. I recieved it in March, but that was no problem because I already know. After I got the CSL DD PRO. It stopt working after a few minutes. The pedals seems to be have a malfunction.
I use the set on a PS5 and play the games Assetto Corsa Competitione, Gran Turismo 7 and F12021 and I use the GT steer and the Esport F1 steer.
The problem started with the Load cell pedal. This pedal gave without some pressure already the full break power so I couldn’t use it. After a while also the gaspedal also stoped working. With all the three games. I disconnected everything, updated the firmware and connected it again.
I opened a service ticked but the communication and service was very bad. Every time I send an email, I had to wait a whole day of a few days for an answer, even I reply-ed immediately.
I could send the pedals back at 3 march and received it back at 28 march. It took almost a month to get the pedals back. Fanatec didn't replaced the pedals but ''fixed'' it.
After connecting the pedals, the pedals still have the same malfunction!!! Again the worked for a few minutes and than the Loadcell pedal still showed the 100% break power, even I didn't touched it.
I tested it out with the pedals from a friend. His pedals were working correctly. Am I the only one with this problem and who's getting this very bad service from Fanatec?
Any advice how I can repair it by myself, I don't want to wait again for a month for the ''repaired'' pedals.
Comments
hmmm,
sounds like the same problem as me but you're further along in the process and still having the same issue. I sent my trouble ticket on Monday and it's been quiet. No response all week. Getting very worried that this will drag on for many months now. Mine were brand new out of the box and never worked, sad.
Hey Winston,
My only suggestion would be to try the manual calibration on PC , if you haven't already.
This way you can manually set the 'min' and 'max' positions of the pedal using the PC app/firmware updater. This applies the setting to the wheelbase and pedals by way, so the calibration is not unique to PC, but any other use eg Xbox. I haven't had my V3 pedals drift at all since setting them up like that, and have used this also to remove noise from the horribly designed handbrake (potentiometer based) that pretty much doesn't work unless you do this regularly.
Another benefit of this is you can effectively create dead-zones for all games, rather than use the in game settings to create them. I find resting my foot gently on each pedal while setting the 'min' value can fix some false input issues some games have, eg tiny inputs causing menu selections that seems common across all the Forza titles (on Xbox at least). I also create a shorter max on the clutch to make Dirt Rally mishifts less common!
Hope it helps and good luck!
It appears Fanatec / Endor just don't much give a damn about their customers anymore.
Unfortunately, your experience is representative of mine and many others who've tried to get a problem resolved through Fanatec's Technical "Support". Too bad, Fanatec's always had a superior product, but the product is only as good as the support its vendor provides, and Fanatec's support is abysmal. They've become little more than a much more expensive Thrustmaster.
My advice: tell everyone you know about your experience with Fanatec, and don't buy any more from them.🤬
Seems to me that Fanatec are in way over their heads. I think that the interest in, and orders for, the CSL/GT DD have greatly exceeded their expectations. Sounds like also there is either some sort of manufacturing or QC issue with some of these pedals (QC seems to be an issue across the board with many of their products lately).
I think this all adds up to a situation where Fanatec simply are unprepared and unequipped to handle the amount of customer service requests they're receiving in anything resembling a timely manner.
It's a shame, really. My past interactions with them have generally been pleasant and timely, but it seems like over the past few months things have really gone downhill, and this is not going to help their reputation.
My take is this is half right. Orders did not exceed expectations - you can look at Endor AG investor communications and see that they had hoped to sell more but were constrained by supply issues. You'll also see that they have increased the value of funds set aside for warranty claims. So they have quite deliberately cut corners. The new low end DD and CSL pedals can be considered minimum viable product to meet a price point. Manufacturing defects are expected. Warranty claims will be honoured but it will be done in the cheapest way possible - i.e. communication will be slow, support staff will be under pressure so more likely to rush and misunderstand, return will take an age etc...
So none of this is unexpected - quite the contrary. This is how Fanaec have chosen to do business. Some customers will be unhappy but that doesn't really matter. This is calculated behaviour to maximise growth in the company and value for shareholders. It all points towards exit strategy to me - short term growth before selling on.
I think that's a fair assessment, now that you put it that way. I hadn't seen the documents you mentioned, but it all makes perfect sense if your take is correct. Sad that they've elected to go this route - market share and volume at the expense of quality and the customer experience.
I'm fortunate that I'm currently enjoying my Fanatec gear (though not until after having gone through 2 RMA's and several months without working equipment), but honestly I think when it comes time for me to upgrade my CSL DD 5Nm and McLaren v2 (whenever that may be), Fanatec is no longer the slam-dunk option that years ago I considered them to be. Too much other competition now at competitive price points to justify putting up with dodgy quality control and subpar customer service.
I’m having a very similar situation with fanatec customer service or tech support!!
dd1 work for all of 3 hours and now I wanted to return it and get a refund. And I’ve been waiting a week for someone to get back to me!!
you can’t run customer service through email!!! Or technical support.
so you have to call Germany in a two hour window ona Friday! 2pm and 4pm
and the customer service mail box is full!!
cause everyone is so unhappy with the service there getting. Even after spending $1800
Woww I'm shocked by reading al these messages. What's the best alternative of the Fanatec CSL DD Pro? Is there any in this price range?
This is not normal... I spend 1000 euro for this base. That's a lot of money for me...
Assuming you're on PC and are only interested in PC compatibility, I'd say the Moza R9 is probably the closest competitor to the CSL/GT DD both in terms of torque output and price. Their cheapest wheel, though, is currently 500 bucks, so not exactly a bargain deal. But it has been well-reviewed so far and there are supposedly plans in the works for a more affordable wheel coming sometime soon.
Then there are your offerings from Accuforce, Simagic, Simucube, VRS et al, but those will tend to run you substantially more than a CSL DD... with the combination of base and wheel typically running in the neighborhood of $1100 or more. Obviously, factoring in pedals is even more expensive, but at least you have the option of using any pedals you want, from any manufacturer, if you connect them through USB.
Aside from that, if you're looking for console support, it's slim pickings. Fanatec are currently your only option if you want a DD base with console compatibility. Thrustmaster has stated that they are planning to offer a DD base sometime later this year (their first), though it's unclear when, and AFAIK it's also unclear which consoles it will be compatible with (if any).
There are third party devices such as DriveHub and something called the "Brook Ras1ution" that claim to offer console compatibility when used in conjunction with otherwise unsupported wheelbases. These are relatively affordable options (in the neighborhood of $100 or so). I have no experience with the Brook offering, but I did personally use a DriveHub for several years with an old unsupported Fanatec 911 GT2 wheel on my Xbox One, and it performed great. I can't speak to how well either device will work with Series X/S or PS5 compatibility though (as I don't own either console), so you'd need to research that if you're interested in going that route.
The Customer Service has been atrocious from this company. I am filing a charge back from my credit card company, I would recommend other customers do the same.