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Offline dickinsonj  
#51 Posted : 28 March 2017 14:43:12(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: dickinsonj Go to Quoted Post
The lowest cost I could find to ship it back to Modellbahnshop-lippe would be over €200
Maybe look here:
https://www.myus.com/pricing/calculate-shipping/ (cheapest result: USD 32.39)

Or try this:
https://www.parcelmonkey.com/info/germany# (cheapest result: $32.36)

Several choices for less than US$ 65.

You shouldn't have to pay any export taxes as it is going back temporarily for repairs.

I started with parcelmonkey and their best rate was for shiping by FedEx and for that same amount. They indicated that it would cost just a bit more using FedEx directly, so I was shocked when the FedEx guy quoted me the price. But from what I can determine those rates are based on weight and the final cost is based also on volume and weight, so maybe that is why. Buying from outside the US is kind of new for me and I obviously have a lot to learn.

Modellbahnshoppe-lippe asked me why the cost was so high too! I kind of feel like I am losing my grip on reality here!
Regards,
Jim

I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains!
So many trains and so little time.
Offline H0  
#52 Posted : 28 March 2017 15:58:31(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Maybe you just need the right keyword.

They try to sell you the premium-express-supa-dupa-24-hour service.
It should be cheaper if you can live with a delivery time of 7 through 14 days.

USPS priority mail international:
https://postcalc.usps.co...;m=6&dvi=300&p=6
Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
Offline river6109  
#53 Posted : 28 March 2017 16:28:13(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Maybe you just need the right keyword.

They try to sell you the premium-express-supa-dupa-24-hour service.
It should be cheaper if you can live with a delivery time of 7 through 14 days.

USPS priority mail international:
https://postcalc.usps.co...;m=6&dvi=300&p=6



there are always exceptions, whereas a company hires a transport agent, tells you how much it is but the service doesn't match that from the transport agent.

trainz.com is one of them, they may be alright for internal deliveries and charges but when it comes to international parcels, they fail miserable, all they do is check your order and pass it on to someone else, you don't get replies to your email messages and when you phone them, its out of their hands, its the global transport company who holds the key for postage.
I'm waiting for a parcel from the USA for a clamshell housing (Dewalt cordless drill) the cost was A$ 18.00 for the shell and A$ 32.60 for postage and it states it will take 4-7 weeks, what type of service I'm getting I don't have a clue. and the same here, they take your order and everything after that is not handled by them.


John
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
Offline dickinsonj  
#54 Posted : 28 March 2017 16:35:42(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post

They try to sell you the premium-express-supa-dupa-24-hour service.
It should be cheaper if you can live with a delivery time of 7 through 14 days.

Yeah - I wondered about that but I asked for their very cheapest shipping and said I didn't care how long it took to get there. The counter agent said that he has friends in South Africa who asked him to check on buying an Apple tower computer and monitor for them because it was twice the price for them compared to buying it in the US. His discounted employee shipping to South Africa was almost $4,000 USD and that was by boat! My last MRR shipment from British Columbia was just over $75, where it had cost me about $35 in the past.

But it all took another strange twist anyway. A fellow forum member who lives about 120 km from me said that if I shipped it to him he would figure out what it needed and that he never shipped back things when the parts cost less than $60 because of the high cost of shipping. He own a business and I assume that he gets better shipping rates than I do. So when I got the quote to ship to Germany I asked how much to ship it to him and it was $14! So I sent it to my friend and told him that if he wanted to buy the parts he could just keep it. That way the next time it dies he can fix it again which I have no interest in getting into anyway.

I do appreciate your advice but my love affair with ESU locos is definitely over now. I hope it never comes back my way again actually, because seeing it makes me feel stupid for buying it in the first place!
Regards,
Jim

I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains!
So many trains and so little time.
Offline dickinsonj  
#55 Posted : 29 March 2017 16:12:58(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Hello All,

I have some good news to report about my ESU loco and I can let this thread get back on topic! Sorry that it got hijacked about the high cost of international shipping.

My friend has already fixed that ESU V200, although I doubt that it will last over the long haul. He has an ESU decoder test stand so he first tested the decoder, which we both thought was what had broken. But it was working perfectly, confirming everyone's generally high opinion of ESU electronics.

Next he pulled the brushes and saw that the commutator appeared to be damaged. So he removed the motor and disassembled it. The commutator was badly burned which is amazing to me since there were no more than 5-6 hours of operation on that unit. He has a commutator lathe and he turned it, reassembled the loco and now it runs once again. So the US ESU rep was correct - that beautiful motor had died after only a few hours of use. Reading on the stummi and ESU forums shows me that I am far from alone on this kind of failure. If I lived close enough to easily return ESU locos I might consider buying more of them some day, but as it is I am done with this little experiment. I intend to email ESU support and see what they have to say but I expect that they will stick to the company line that it must be returned to the dealer who sold it for any warranty repairs. Since that is unlikely to happen it can sit on my layout and look pretty even though I doubt that I will ever run it very much.

Ironically when I got it my Märklin V200 gave up its rake of era III coaches to the ESU loco. I figured that the Märklin loco would spend a lot of time in the yard watching the ESU loco run. But now it has its revenge - the coaches are back behind the Märklin loco and the ESU V200 can sit in the yard and watch the Märklin loco literally run circles around it. BigGrin

The Märklin V200 is less detailed, has far fewer features and is powered by their ancient DCM powertrain, but I am sure that it will still be running long after I am gone and certainly it will run a lot longer than a few hours. Cool

Here are before and after shots of the commutator:
IMG_1424 (800x494) (1).jpgIMG_1425 (800x588).jpg
Regards,
Jim

I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains!
So many trains and so little time.
thanks 2 users liked this useful post by dickinsonj
Offline sgtb  
#56 Posted : 29 March 2017 21:13:22(UTC)
sgtb

United States   
Joined: 21/04/2014(UTC)
Posts: 27
Location: Central Ohio
Hi Jim, that's a shame. Looks like a brush stuck and arched, maybe now with it back together it will have some life. I was looking at ESU too but i'll stick with
the old ones on e bay and just keep converting them over.BigGrin

Bob.

PS My mother still goes back to Frankfort every year and a cousin or two come here, maybe we could save you some postage. My cousin ordered my old turntable motor
and mom brought here on the way back, took 3 months but it made it.
Offline dickinsonj  
#57 Posted : 30 March 2017 00:49:32(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: sgtb Go to Quoted Post
Hi Jim, that's a shame. Looks like a brush stuck and arched, maybe now with it back together it will have some life. I was looking at ESU too but i'll stick with the old ones on e bay and just keep converting them over.BigGrin

Bob.

PS My mother still goes back to Frankfort every year and a cousin or two come here, maybe we could save you some postage. My cousin ordered my old turntable motor
and mom brought here on the way back, took 3 months but it made it.

Thanks Bob, I really appreciate the offer. If I run that loco and it dies again I might just take you up on that. I have been thinking about not running it anymore and then it would have a hard time dying again. BigGrin

The ESU locos are cool but lots of people have lots of trouble with them from what I can tell. I think fixing up the old models from eBay not only saves money but gives you great locos when you are done and I find it to be fun. I have stopped ordering any new locos and I have four upgrades to work on, which I know will be fun and a lot less frustrating than buying new stuff that breaks in just a few weeks.

That is an interesting theory about the stuck/arcing brush. I had not thought of that but it could explain what happened with that loco. It never occurred to me to check for correctly seated brushes in a brand new (over) priced model! If you have to refurb new locos right out of the box it makes more sense to just buy older ones anyway, where at least you understand why you are working on them!
Regards,
Jim

I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains!
So many trains and so little time.
thanks 2 users liked this useful post by dickinsonj
Offline H0  
#58 Posted : 30 March 2017 07:58:47(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: dickinsonj Go to Quoted Post
The ESU locos are cool but lots of people have lots of trouble with them from what I can tell.
Lots of people have lots of trouble with Märklin locos, too. And with other brands.

I'm not aware of any statistics that allow comparing the reliability of MRR brands. I know such statistics about cars in Germany, but that's a different matter.

ESU had some problems with wheel spacing (early class 151 locos) and gear greasing (early class 66 models), but this is the first time I hear about a dead motor in an ESU locomotive.
Dead motors are a common problem with early models of Märklin's class 94.5-17 (37160, 37165).


With all brands it is a good idea not to pre-order anything if you want to avoid teething problems.
Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
Offline baggio  
#59 Posted : 30 March 2017 13:29:51(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Dead motors are a common problem with early models of Märklin's class 94.5-17 (37160, 37165).


What about the 36243 Start Up steamer?

Mine had a dead motor within a year of ownership and not much use.

It is no longer produced and has now been replaced by the 36244 at a similar/identical price including a smoke unit. Does this have a better motor?
Offline dickinsonj  
#60 Posted : 30 March 2017 14:05:04(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: dickinsonj Go to Quoted Post
The ESU locos are cool but lots of people have lots of trouble with them from what I can tell.
Lots of people have lots of trouble with Märklin locos, too. And with other brands.

I don't disagree. After I made that post I realized that it was overstated.

I was referring to having read on other forums about people with similar catastrophic failures on new ESU locos. Some people have had multiple motor replacements in the first year but then so have owners of Märklin locos and other bands as well. So you are correct Tom, I don't have any statistical proof that ESU locos are any more troublesome than any other loco brands. I have talked to several people however who started to collect ESU locos because of the beautiful detailing and amazing features but later sold them because of an excessive number of issues.

So for a full disclosure, I have a sample size of one loco which had a failed motor after only a few hours of use. My job title is "Principal Research Scientist" and I would be fired for drawing any meaningful conclusions based on such a small sample size . If I lived where it was easily returned it might not be a big deal but as it is I won't take a chance on buying another one.

I don't have anything else negative to say about my ESU loco. It is in many ways one of the finest locos that I own. I do wish that it had not failed so dramatically and quickly because I intended to get more eventually and if I lived in Europe I would no doubt do so. But if you live where returns are difficult I suggest that you keep in mind that the high price does not necessarily mean bullet proof reliability in their products.
Regards,
Jim

I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains!
So many trains and so little time.
Offline baggio  
#61 Posted : 30 March 2017 14:18:31(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Jim, you sound like you received a letter from ESU's legal department threatening to sue you if you do not take back your previous statements. LOL

Seriously, though, I have been worried about Marklin quality for almost as long as I have been back in this hobby as an adult, almost five years if memory serves me.

There is no doubt that for me if it were not for the ability to go and have issues with locos resolved locally by Mike I would only buy analogue Roco locos.

Case in point, my 30000 has had one decoder replaced in less than 2.5 years I have owned it and I am about to have another one installed less than a year after the second one was put in. The first one was installed at no charge by Mike under warranty - this one I expect I will have to pay for. NOT my idea of a reliable manufacturer.

What makes it all the more disappointing is that the 30000 was a remake of the Marklin 3000 work horse. You would think Marklin would do its best to have the new loco live up to the reputation of the one it replaced. No such luck. Sad
Offline dickinsonj  
#62 Posted : 30 March 2017 15:08:58(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: baggio Go to Quoted Post
Jim, you sound like you received a letter from ESU's legal department threatening to sue you if you do not take back your previous statements. LOL

No threats from ESU, just my attempt to be fair. BigGrin

A few years ago I wanted a DSLR camera that had my dream specs but several widely reported issues. I wondered if I should take a chance on it or not. Then a camera forum member remarked that there are no products currently being made without some people having complaints about them. He pointed out that his camera had been perfect and that I should quit worrying and just get one. I did go ahead and buy the camera plus several lenses and I have never had a single problem.

My reaction (over reaction?) to this problem was based on several things. The first was that I really had no idea that it could cost so much to return a parcel to Germany for warranty work. The second being that I wanted this loco to be perfect so that I would feel free to get other ESU locos because they are indeed beautiful. And finally there was the disappointment of having such a gorgeous loco die so quickly and dramatically.

It is the same for me with Märklin quality today. Most of the Märklin products that I have purchased in the last 18 months have been perfect but I have had several issues with a few of them as well. The difference is that I can return them to a US dealer for just a small shipping cost. Since ESU locos are not sold in my country that is not the case and I can't justify purchasing more of them until their quality improves or official sales in the US begin. Earlier ESU V200 owners had many difficulties with their locos, especially current drop outs which is hard to understand since they had capacitors.

I think that sgtb may have come up with the reason why the motor in my V200 failed. A stuck brush would arc to the commutator and it would cause the kind of damage that I had. If that is the case then my loco may be fine but if not I will be right back where I started with no clear answer as to what I should do. But everything made by man is subject to failure and it is not fair to say that ESU locos are of poor quality based on my limited experience.
Regards,
Jim

I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains!
So many trains and so little time.
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by dickinsonj
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