MTH Repair Time

Good to hear they are getting better

I sent in Coors reefer for repair after April York and received call this week it is repaired. About 10 weeks to get repair. Seems like a long time. Lenny

6 weeks (May 14 to June 24) to swap a pair of scale trucks with the hi-rail ones that were supposed to be on the b-unit.  It was explained to me that even through mine wasn't technically a repair, they put it into a standard first-come-first-served type queue.

So it looks like it was:

10 weeks in April

6 weeks in May

1-2 weeks in June

Some folks just don't live right.

Parts availability could be an issue.  MTH is dependent upon Chinese sub-suppliers & suppliers, and ocean carriage delays.

1-2 weeks sounds like very good service to me. 10 weeks maybe not so good. Stocking parts could be an entirely different story? Seems like no one wants to have anything in stock these days. No idea if MTH has the same view with their parts?  

I have not needed any repair services from MTH so far. I have ordered parts a couple of times and got them very quickly. However, I was unable to order them online and had to call to order, but got good service each time I called. All of my dealings with MTH have been positive, no complaints here.

I suspect it also has to do with how soon after Christmas you need work.

I sent in an Imperial Big boy with multiple issues and had it back in my hands in just 3 weeks including shipping not long before Christmas a couple years back.

All the stuff that fails right after Christmas makes a huge backlog they have to work through.  I am surprised it takes until April, but I do realize they have to get the parts pipe moving again after Christmas as well. It gets consumed by the Christmas rush for product.

SEQUEL:  I was called on July 3 that job was done, and that the power truck on my new loco (a PRR mu unit) had been replaced.  Not having received it by July 9, I called MTH and was told it hadn't been shipped yet.  An hour later the USPS postman delivered it. 

And I find that the one motor (w/o the tach tape) still doesn't run until high speeds, even though it is getting the same voltage as the other ( shows wiring is ok).  So it's back to MTH again.

Does it run OK on the track?

 The tach-less motor will run faster if you are holding it up.

No, you can hear the tach-motored truck slipping as it strains to pull the unit.  If it is held up, the tachless motor doesn't run until you get the speed up to over 10.  Since it's under warranty, I don't intend to try to fix it.  If it weren't, I'd replace the motor.  Doesn't appear to have any binding.

OK,sounds like a new motor is going to be required.

Sent it back 7/14.  Still "in queue."

Last year on my older layout a PS 3 Railking Steamer would not work. Got an RA from MTH and mailed it. They received it 7 days later and 20 days after that they sent it back repaired.  I think anything under a month is GREAT TIME for a factory repair.

Thanks MTH!!!

Just sent two locomotives today.  After a trip to the Local Hobby store and three weeks later, they said they found nothing wrong with it I figured maybe it was just a bad day on my layout so I put it back on and the same thing happened as before.  I checked the line and all was good.  The other locomotive i have a bad feeling about after opening it up!   It took multiple times to register in my DCS and its just not running good.  So a brand-new locomotive is also being sent back!!!  So today i have two locomotives out for repair.  One going to MTH and the other going back to the original place of purchase.  With my luck both will be okay and there is something wrong with my layout!(which I doubt BUT?)