Have I been had?

I had a board on a sd40 about 3 years ago go bad..... it took 8-10months to get a replacement, not unusual timeline for these....

Within the last month I've heard numerous train shops complaining about the lack of MTH parts being available.  I overheard one gentlemen say they have been waiting 2 years for a part.  

I know Alan.  If he says he's waiting on the part, then he's waiting on the part. 

MTH parts are often slow, but 6 - 8 weeks is the worst I've seen.  4 weeks is much more the norm.  The longer times are the cases where we don't have a part number and must rely on the folks at MTH to figure out what we need based on our description of the part.  An emailed photo seems to help a lot.

The answer to the OP's question is YES, you've been had.  Replacement boards are readily available, but ONLY to MTH Authorized Service Centers and the part numbers for these are well established in all the literature available to MTH authorized techs. 

There are several MTH techs here on the forum authorized to do repairs for trains purchased anywhere (NASC's).  Your best bet is to use one of them if the place where you purchased your train is not an MTH Authorized Service Center.   FWIW, I am an authorized MTH tech and do repairs for the LHS.  Per MTH official policy, as an Authorized Service Center (ASC) we limit our repair service to trains purchased from us.

If someone has been waiting 2 years for a part, he has a problem other than MTH's  slow parts deliveries.

Pat Marinari posted:

 

The answer to the OP's question is YES, you've been had.  Replacement boards are readily available, but ONLY to MTH Authorized Service Centers and the part numbers for these are well established in all the literature available to MTH authorized techs. 

So you think that he's just sitting on the engine for no reason other than to keep having a customer inquiring every few months?  Alan is a very respectable member of the Pittsburgh train community.  He worked and did repairs at Iron Horse with Frank Hare and is a TCA member.  I sincerely doubt he's been "had".  But then again I know the man he's dealing with so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

I Have been waiting on parts for two years. I don't have the problem. MTH has the Problem. Midge at MTH is nice to deal with however if they don't have the part what can you do. I truly think MTH's slow service and lack of part will be there down fall. Most of there engines are 3rd cycle runs. by this time they should have parts in stock for every loco they catalog.

Marty:

"So you think that he's just sitting on the engine for no reason other than to keep having a customer inquiring every few months?"

That would be a pretty stupid assumption on my part.  I didn't mean to criticize Alan.  Is he an MTH trained and authorized tech?  If not, he can't buy boards from MTH.  Obviously, there's more to this story than originally related.  There is no possible way that someone could "wait 2 years" for a board.  MTH part service is generally pretty poor and it recently hit a snag when Jeff Strank left MTH.  But service seems to be improving lately. And 2 months is the longest I've ever waited for a part and in that instance, I was partially at fault by not providing enough information. 

Additionally, there are some parts, especially cosmetic items that are simply not stocked as replacement parts.  In those instances, a long wait for a new production run might engender a wait of some years.

Pat Marinari posted:

There is no possible way that someone could "wait 2 years" for a board.  MTH part service is generally pretty poor and it recently hit a snag when Jeff Strank left MTH.  But service seems to be improving lately. And 2 months is the longest I've ever waited for a part and in that instance, I was partially at fault by not providing enough information. 

I don't think the OP said he's been waiting 2 years, I believe he posted 7 mos.  Others have stated the 2 year wait.  Also, yes I believe he is a certified MTH tech.  The long wait for MTH parts is something that has been repeated here over and over.  I personally have yet to need one so I cannot first hand comment but see what others have posted here in this thread and past.  My surgeon, who also is into trains, last year also relayed a similar wait for parts with a MTH engine.

We have no idea what the engine is so it may well be a part that outdated and waiting for a replacement.  Bottom line is we don't know the details other than what the OP has posted.  I can only go by personal experience and knowledge of the man working on the engine.  Based on that I believe no one has been "had". 

I do appreciate your insight Pat.  I do hope with new blood in the MTH service department we have less of these threads.  Hope to see you at York!  My sitting on the engine comment was uncalled for, I apologize.

There was another thread asking how the quality of today's trains compares with the quality of those made in the past. Is the availability of parts and service, and repair turn around times a measure of quality?

Find a repair shop that has connections!!

I deal with JR Junction out of Syracuse, New York.

Took a MTH mallet, both boards in the tender were fryed.

they ordered and fixed the problem in less than a month.

So I don't know if they have an inside track for parts, but they were very

quik and did the repairs fast.

http://www.jrjunction.com/

as a side note, I had a Lionel Corp(by MTH) standard gauge 384 go bad. I striped a drive gear. Contacted Midge from parts/MTH.

I had the part in a week.

midge@mth-railking.com

Jason from MTH R & D has taken over the job and will do a great job cleaning things up.   I have never heard of any parts taking that long.

You may not have been had.  What is the locomotive?  PS-2 3V processor boards where in low supply and at one point out.  They have been restocked, but it is limited.  Ultimately the PS-32 board is the replacement.

The caveat is Flash Processor boards are Out and there will be no more.  So if your engine is unique in needing the PS-2 3V Flash processor (Operating Pantographs, small smoke, Quillable Whistle, Bi-directional LEDs, COORS Light Train) your out of luck and the wait could be extended.

I have pigeon holed AE-14 Flash boards for this reason.  Until more PS-32 code is written (it is suppose to be in works), some engines will require extended time to repair unless you get the engine to a repair tech that has stocked Flash Boards.   G

All the more reason to have spare engines for those stuck on the R.I.P. track.  Seriously! 

Delayed parts and service has been the basis of  discouragement for me over the years.  Be it race boats, hot rods or trains, my fun factor was always supported by multiple back-up of personally stocked parts and service shops.  IMO, do not depend on any single support source.

Plus, I no longer purchase anything that is broken or in need of a paint job.  Preempt your grief.

Agreed, Midge is great!

I think I would have picked the engine up and tried a different route after a couple of months. (upgrade kit, convert to TMCC.  

Dan, if I were in your shoes I would stay the course. MARTYE, says that Alan is a honest guy that would be good enough for me. I know it can be frustrating to wait a long time for a repair but I am sure you have other locomotives you can run. I do not believe you have been "had". 

Just my opinion. Good luck. I hope he gets the board and you get it back soon.