Fanatec CS BMW GT2 Wheel Pin Broken

  • Thread starter Ormy1
  • 10 comments
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23
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
A few days ago I'm perfecting my hairpin turns in New Zealand (Dirt Rally 2.0) and suddenly the gears (paddle shifters) stop working, I'm stuck in 4th. I assume the game is simulating gearbox failure so I restart the rally and it works fine for minute then happens again. Then I notice all the wheel buttons and the display aren't working but turning the wheel still works and FFB is still working. I took the wheel off and I see that one of the pins has snapped off (see picture) and disappeared into its hole in the wheelbase connector. I've been using this wheel and wheelbase (CSW2.5) daily since I bought them used 6 or 7 months ago with zero issues*. I can imagine the pin getting bent and snapping off when the wheel is being attached to/disconnected from the WB but I find it strange that it should fail in the middle of a session after working fine for an hour or two?

IMG_20201124_171900.jpg

*Wheel and WB (along with CSL elite pedals) were all bought used off ebay shortly after covid lockdown hit my country (UK), I needed something to keep me occupied and ebay seemed the quickest way to get my hands on a sim racing setup as the fanatec website was already reporting delays due to high demand. When the wheel base arrived it was making an awful screeching/squeaking noise, turns out the belts were very loose, but thanks to an awesome design from fanatec I was able to tighten them with an allen key and no disassembly, fantastic! With a magnetic shifter addon and a large tactile transducer (BK Concert) I was having an epic racing experience and have done for the last 6 months.

Since the wheel is 2nd hand and likely out of warranty I'm not expecting an RMA from fanatec. Even if I had that option I probably wouldn't take it. I'd prefer to purchase the replacement part and change it myself. I'm expecting I can just buy the connector bit with the pins from fanatec instead of buying a whole new wheel? And that this part can be replaced with little/no soldering necessary?

In the meantime my DIY skillz came to the rescue, a short length of copper wire inserted into the WB hole (with a kink to hold it in place) has been working just fine for the last few days (see picture) but obviously not a permanent solution.

IMG_20201124_171734.jpg

Any help appreciated.
 
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Hi @Ormy1 , please open a support ticket through our website. If you bought everything used, you might not have a Fanatec account, so you'd need to create one first. Then you can go to 'My Products' and you can manually register the BMW GT2 wheel there. Once registered, you should see the 'Support' button next to the product. This begins the support ticket process. If you can add the original invoice to the ticket, this would help, in case there is still warranty remaining. In any case, the support team can explain what the options are.
 
If you can't get it from the original purchaser, then you should still create the support ticket.

I asked but he no longer has the original invoice. I have created a support ticket, just waiting for response. Will I get an email notification or do I need to keep checking the website?
 
I asked but he no longer has the original invoice. I have created a support ticket, just waiting for response. Will I get an email notification or do I need to keep checking the website?
You should have immediately received an automated email that acknowledges a successfully submitted support ticket. Then a support agent will send you a personal response via email, usually within 2-3 working days, but it can be longer during peak times. We are currently running our Black Friday sale, which is one of our busiest periods.

If you have not seen the initial automated email, please check your spam folder.
 
Fanatec support were quick and helpful, offered me the part I need at a price much lower than I expected, very happy with Fanatec's service. The postage came to twice the cost of the part which is quite annoying but I can't blame Fanatec for that haha. Thanks for your help @DomB_Fanatec.

I don't imagine I will have any difficulty fitting it but if I do should I ask here or PM you or open another support ticket on the website or reply to the email from the original support ticket?
 
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Fanatec support were quick and helpful, offered me the part I need at a price much lower than I expected, very happy with Fanatec's service. The postage came to twice the cost of the part which is quite annoying but I can't blame Fanatec for that haha. Thanks for your help @DomB_Fanatec.

I don't imagine I will have any difficulty fitting it but if I do should I ask here or PM you or open another support ticket on the website or reply to the email from the original support ticket?
You're welcome.

It shouldn't be too difficult, but the best way to get help would be to reply to the message from original support ticket.
 
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