GT DD PRO worried ?
Bo Jensen
Member
hi all
im new to this forum and to Fanatec products , i just ordre the Gt DD Pro Express with 8nm upgrade.
but after iv been reading this forum, there seems to be alot of people that has problems with this
firmware updates fails, or constant rumbling from the base and so on, should i be worry? or is this just i hear about the bad storys only and they really are few out of a bunch?
Comments
Yes
I'd guess that what you're hearing is the vocal minority. That being said, I myself am currently in the process of an RMA for my CSL DD and McLaren v2 wheel. Best advice is to enjoy your gear, but do make sure you keep your warranty info and original packaging handy just in case.
People without problems tend to not express their good experience and people with problems are more likely to go to the forums and write about it. I wouldn’t worry too much about it tbh
As above. My CSL DD and BMW GT2 V2 I received in November have been absolutely fine with zero issues. Fanatec have always sorted any issues I've had in the past with other products as well so if you're buying direct from them or second hand items still in warranty (with a copy of the original invoice from whoever you are buying from) then you have nothing to worry about.
I am new to the Fanatec eco system. I have a GT DD Pro and had shifter, pedals etc. Prior to that. I love my Fanatec stuff, but if I were to be honest. Stepping up from a G920 the the Fanatec product has been a bit daunting.
Logitech is a very user friendly setup and I've hardly had to do a anything other than install drivers and do the in game settings. But I found the wheel lacking in FFB and authenticity.
My Fanatec 8nm wheel is super awesome, the shifter add on is such and improvment over logitec, and I have V3 pedals that have really made driving so much better. But...
Every since I entered the Fanatec world I am troubleshooting one thing or another constantly. I was hoping the CSL and GT Pro were a step to take Fanatec into a more user friendly world, but it is still a bit of an enthusiast's eco system that takes a lot of a users attention to keep things running as best as possible. At least on PC. GT DD Pro for Gran Turismo is so far so good.
Troubleshooting mostly consisted of drivers, firmware, and calibration. I have to calibrate every few days it seems. Usualy Pedals, Shifter, or Handbrake.
I also had to have a cable replaced for my handbrake, but it was sent out quickly. And I also see a lot of RMA on the forums. Sadly RMA is not as easy as we all might be familiar with at our local stores and Amazon returns. There's shipping time, location, etc. to consider and Fanatec is a more focused product that has both benefits and problems due to that. I wish i could go to a local store and get a cable or return something that's faulty.
But I think what you might be seeing a lot of is that these wheels are a big step up in cost. It's a big investment for most of us. So a lot of us get really frustrated with any issue we have because of that. Many users try to solve the issues without RMA because of the time it takes to do it. +
Newer users expect a plug and play at the price point, and I do think that the CSL and GT DD Pro and intended to be a plug and play option for non enthusiasts who just want a direct drive experience. But I do see them working that out as these wheels enter the market more.
Most PC Sim titles support Fanatec very well on PC. Other titles we expect to be supported are not. This is most likely because companies like Logitech and Thrustmaster have more of the market share so software devs are more likely to address support for those wheels first. And from what i've seen it's in that exact same order. 1. Logitech, 2. Thrustmaster, 3. Fanatech, and the all the other companies that are fare more niche. Both cheaper and more expensive alternatives.
So I wish I had known all of this before buying into the Fanatec ecosystem, but I am not sure if it would have stopped me now that I know how great it all is when it's working properly.
I had issues with my CSL DD. As with the majority of problems I see on the forum, it's either game related, a software fix or the hardware problems I had, which you can solve yourself (when I got them, the solutions were not on the forum yet, now they are).
There's always going to be faulty products either DOA / a QC miss or it stopping to work. And we're early adopters still too, with the extra issues that entails.
Would I wish I had no problems, yes. Was I frustrated, yes. Was it a good customer experience, no. Am I satisfied now, yes.
I personally would only worry about it outside of the EU/US due to the lackluster global shipping / distribution, for in case an RMA is needed.
I'm also on the PC platform, so don't have to worry about game support and can mix and match with other brand accessories.
When the stuff works fine then you probably won't visit this forum.
Most people come here only come here when they have a problem they need help with.
Don't use this forum as a guide on how common problems are - my CSL DD, v3 inverted pedals, sequential shifter work brilliantly. The CSW 2.5 I had for four years before upgrading had no issues the entire time.
I have had to return two GT DD Pros and hoping my third works fine. It's just luck of the draw sometimes. I don't have any hesitation recommending Fanatec nor buying again. All manufacturing are gonna have issues in a small percentage, that is what warranty is for.
Been 2 years so far fully down to the Fanatec ecosystem (we have in the family 3 set ups) and never faced any issue what so ever (touch wood).
Same with the CSW V2 I had before for many many years.
thank you all for your words i cross my fingers that its all good. i made the order monday and UPS says it will be delvered today omg that was fast
I have my CSL DD + McLaren V2 + CSL pedals for 3 months now.
It has been such an experience, absolutely loving it. Updated twice so far. All is well. Fingers crossed.
No reason for me to be here, but…
I am just interested in what could go wrong and what other users are doing to resolve the issues.
The CSL DD is a very new product and so will have teething problems. Would you rather Fanatec test it out for 1 year and keep it from general public sale? Surely Thrustmaster and Logitech also have problems. I believe those are only belt driven bases…
Maybe I should just go on a Simucube forum to have a read through. But they are priced as much as a DD1/2!!! And they will not have a rim as cheap as my McLaren V2.
I've been in the Fanatec ecosystem for around three years. I've had a few problems, some hardware and some software - some still a mystery. I've generally been content with how Fanatec handle returns and repairs but there is room for improvement. There is an ongoing issue with the support webform, this is unacceptable and is easily fixed. They have on occasion sent replacements prior to having received the return which is the most convenient method. Other times they insist on receiving the return before they send the replacement. This causes needless delay.
I would be more worried about reliability of the newer DD products. Fanatec have priced these very aggressively so will have had to make design choices that enable this pricing. I know that they are also looking to shift manufacturing from China to Europe which may be wise in the longer term but will almost certainly lead to more quality issues in the short term.
But Fanatec's big weakness is in methodical software improvement. There dev cycle is a hot mess. Totally shambolic actually, beta stream and release stream are not separate, new bugs appear regularly in the release stream, there seems to be no methodical logic put into ensuring the release stream remains bug free. This won't improve until Fanatec completely overhaul their development methodology.
My hardware history
Clubsport shifter - frequently shifted into wrong gear - a common issue. Fixed myself by applying conformal coating to the circuit Boards. Zero issues since. This is a manufacturing weakness due to cost cutting.
Clubsport V3 pedals - zero issues.
Handbrake - jack broke - user error (but poor design). Fixed myself.
McLaren (V1) - RMA twice due to shifter issues. Was a common problem - hence the V2.
CSL Elite - zero issues, other than the rattly noises inherent with the technology
Universal Hubs - zero issues, but again, poorly designed - those rubber grommets!
Podium Hubs, one failed and had to be replaced under warranty.
Porsche Wheel - stitching frayed and started to unwind. This was a manufacturing defect - wheel was replaced under warranty.
PBME - ongoing issues with either connectivity, EMI or software. Been RMA'd twice. Issue remains but is intermittent. Not entirely sure what the root issue is with this and neither is anybody else. Could be any of DD2, Podium Hub, EMI, Fanalab, or a software clash with Simhub.
DD2 - ongoing software issues that Fanatec acknowledge but haven't ever fixed. Ongoing promise to fix soon. :-)
EDIT - forgot a couple of things!