Torqeedo - Stay away!
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- This video will tell you the story of my adventure with Torqeedo. It is, in fact, not an adventure, it is a story of sadness and disappointment. And at the end of the day, it is how it is. If you like to sail long-distance or even thinking to circumnavigate our beautiful globe, don't go with a Torqeedo motor. Because if something happens, you are on your own. As a German and as someone who represented my country for decades abroad, I must say: I’m very much disappointed with the support and the after-sales approach of the German company Torqeedo.
Based on my experience and well documented, my advice is: Stay away.
A small hint for my video intro: at least the wheat beer quality is superb.
Based on my experience and well documented: No problems to have a nice Bavarian beer.
Just seeing this 3 yrs later. I was close to choosing the Torqeedo 1103 for my kayak, but new Newport Vessels has a similar motor that uses any brand lithium batteries. Likely would cost me $2000 for the motor and battery rather than $3000 for the Torqeedo. The more I see your video and others, the more I realize that having the capability to use other battery brands is a big advantage - one that comes with the Newport Vessels products. Thanks.
I'm very thankful that you took the time to make this video. I've been looking at videos all week about the Torqeedo, trying to decide if I should purchase this motor. Just when I made up my mind to purchase this motor from Torqeedo, i came across this video. Thank you, because I was just about to purchase this motor. Now I know that I have to look at other motors. "JUST WHEN I HAD MY MIND MADE UP"
Sorry to hear, I’ve had a travel 1003 for many years now that has always worked fine. I enjoy watching my neighbors at the dock struggle to start their gas outboards while I jump into my dinghy and go. Early on I had trouble getting parts ie finding a place to get shear pins was difficult, now their website and ordering process is easy.
I had the battery recall as well, it went smoothly for me. They sent me the return box promptly ( to Maine). In the end I didn’t mail it but took it to a Connecticut service center who did the warranty work over the winter and I picked it up in the spring.
Like Tesla, they have had growth problems so one needs to remember the hours of maintence free ( time and expense) use one gets. It’s quiet and green, not spilling oil into the water. My outboard and car are electric, I wish there was a viable option for my diesel powered boat.
I'm happy for you that everything went smoothly. I proposed to use one of the service centers in the US. It is much easier to get there from Jamaica than to Guadeloupe: no response at all. I think they decided to ignore my claim.
Hey Don, Yes, I’ve had a few ice outboards, but they succumb to corrosion after 4 years or so where I was cruising, (tropic Australia) plus the hassle of buying and carrying fuel. The torqueedo was great for 5 years, instant torque when you need it, super quiet, clean, light, rechargeable from my solar power. It’s a great product if you live next door to a dealer! But if you’re cruising in the middle of nowhere, you are absolutely correct, you need to be able to fix everything yourself. My new setup uses a golf buggy motor, runs off the main lead acid batteries on my boat, with a speed controller I built myself, all easily maintained from a small selection of spares. More reliable long term, though not as super efficient as a new torqueedo! Cheers.
I have had a Torqeedo since 2016 and have been very happy with it! There was a service recall through my local dealer in 2019 and this was handled excellently. I cracked the skeg, and also broke a drive pin, but both were easily replaced and were not expensive. I now keep a spare pin on board, and tools to change it should I ever break t he pin again. However, it should be remembered that the pin is designed to break if you hit solid objects - so your criticism of this seems unfair.
Happy you! It would be indeed unfair to complain about one of the primary purposes of the splint. But compared to the splint in a regular fuel outboard motor, it is very delicate - one of the reasons I have plenty of spare splints. I'm not so much complaining about the technology and the performance of the motor. And as I mentioned, I was pleased with my Torqeedo. It is more the attitude of the company. To make a written promise and not keeping it, instead behaving like playing "dead man (company)" is a no-go.
I had water entering my battery in Greece last October. They sent me a metal case to put the battery in and ship it to Germany and shipped me a new one in Greece, even tho my warranty was passed for one month after the 2 years sale date. Different places, different experiences.
I've had nothing but a fantastic experience with my Torqeedo motor.
I also had a nice and good experience with the motor until my battery was called back due to a construction fault. If you are close to the service center, lucky you. Otherwise, you are on your own.
@@jschmillen06 It doesn't matter if you have the greatest product on earth if this is your approach to customer service, especially when its the company that distributed a faulty and potentially dangerous product! Plus i'm assuming a decent percentage of their customer base will be people on sailboats.. sailboat tend to sail off, that's the point of a sailboat.
@Ira Camilo if its that easy.. pls give me some technical information about how the app is doing that?
Did YOU break the prop? Did YOU break the skeg? Are you washing the salt water out after every run? Are you spraying those gold connectors with oil? Look after it, and it will look after you. Calm seas.
Well said. I did all the required and proposed maintenance. And that some things can break is not my point. Only the combination of no-after sales attendance and the delicate material (compared to a normal outboard engine) is frustrating. Maybe you are close to a Service Center and your battery is not called back. Lucky you. Calm seas and as we say here: One Love.
Joachim Schmillen Nowadays the only commitment a company can make is taking your money. German or Chinese everything is globalising for the worst.
Eben erst gefunden:
ePropulsion Spirit 1.0
mit 1273Wh Akku.
1899€. Der Akku wiegt 8,8 kg
und das tollste: Du kannst das Ding über Bord schmeissen und er schwimmt. Er ist absolut Wasserdicht. Laufzeit voll Power 115 Min. 3-5 Std. bei Halbgas. Maximale Reichweite
ca. 35km.
Beim Kauf darauf achten, dass der neue Akku dabei ist.
Der Vorgängerakku hat etwa 1000Wh.
I would send a letter to indemnify and hold them responsible for any property or life/health lost due to a battery failure. You have done your due diligence in preventing a possible calamity from happening due to a design flaw in their product. Explicitly state you are documenting all communications. for future use, if needed. Also state you will include any communications to your lawyer unless you are contacted immediately and your battery issue dealt with by a specific and certain date. SCARE them into action!
I have a cruise 4.0. Similar experiences. never again, next time I'll try e-propulsion. As a motor itself it's great, silent powerful and the motor has been reliable. Unfortunately the batteries management system doesn't work at all, it never once registered 100% since brand new. And we are talking about 7000 euros of batteries here! They hardly ever reply to emails. I had them go dead flat after 24% registered on the device. So the fancy BMS simply never worked. I also chipped the propeller straight out of the box, it's so incredibly delicate. They are also pretty expensive, and they take about 2 months to send a new one. The battery connectors are not in the slightest bit water proof, and I had one totally destroy itself through electrolysis because it was wet and left on for a night. I have replaced the connectors with ones for an electric car which is pretty good. Their chargers are also super expensive and nothing special. If you like these motors, I would advise learning about using your own batteries because if you are on your own you might as well save money, easily 4 times cheaper than theirs per KWh.
Thank you for sharing. This is very useful information. Sad, but helpful
I'm glad that I came across this video. I was just about to place an order for a Torqeedo Deep Blue 25R. Customer service with me is a big deal. If I'm kicking out a lot of money on an electric outboard motor, I want to know that the company is going to stand behind their product. This was enough to scare me away. I'll be looking somewhere else.
I can confirm Torqeedo sent a letter considering the Travel 1003 battery. I have not done any action about that, also motor has been stationary for a few years. I can mention bad experiences with the predecessor Travel 801 battery. It or lets say several 801 batteries failed during a long while of corresponding and sending batteries back and forth. An upgrade to 1003 was offered including me paying the difference of value/price.
I regret the upgrade from 801 to 1003 as I had the cable kit for the 801 and had no problem with that 801 motor or cable kit.
Currently I have no issues so far with my 1003 motor or battery apart from the notice of the battery security issue that made me concerned. The 801 would give me slightly less power, but with the cable kit the possibility of a very long range and charging speed.
Lately after 3 years of usage I find the aluminium paint puffing and peeling off. I must say that they should have strict quality control. It is very hard to get this motor repaired from the dealer service centre due to spare parts shortages. We only have one dealer in India, Bombay now called Mumbai, and spares if available are nearly twice the cost compared to the European service centres. Secondly their propellor should should be of good metal that this current plastic one.
Sorry to hear that, hopefully Torqeedo becomes better not worse. In terms of prop it's plastic so UV degradation is a problem, pin is under high stress in a closed position so it is under crevice corrosion situation.
We are experiencing a problem with our Torqeedo motor (leaking Pylon) after only 6 months. Although we have a local repair station and the motor is still under warranty the company is refusing to cover the cost of repair, approx 800.00 USD. Apparently, we did have some fishing line wrapped around the shaft (such a small amount we did not see it and it was not considered relevant and not photographed by the repair station). Torqeedo stated that if the pylon was going to leak due to workmanship that it would have done so 1st time in the water so they are not considering it to be a warranty issue. We have loved having an electric engine for many reasons but quite frankly the Torqeedo has had issues from the start. The battery connections have to be "jiggled" at times to make the engine work. The propeller blades are cheap plastic and break easily and now the leaking pylon. As I said, we have had the motor for 6 months. During that time we have only used our dingy twice monthly to check on our sailboat (moored for hurricane season), so we have used the Torqeedo approximately 12 times. It is very sad that Torqeedo does not stand behind their product as we really love our motor when it works. We will most likely fix it and keep it as a spare. I would not recommend the torqeedo for cruising unless you have a backup of some kind.
I'm sorry to read that, even though it doesn't surprise me. To have a service center nearby and then still experience this behavior that hurts to read. As a german, I am especially very disappointed about the german company, mainly since I support the approach to establish electric mobility in water sports. But with such an attitude, it won't be easy to convince potential customers.
When I got to decide Torqeedo Travel or an alternative, I decided for the alternative. That was mainly for two reasons. First the gears that are working in the Torqeedo. The propelor is not directly driven by the e-motor. Second the price.
So far I am happy with the alternative, however, there are problems with service and repair. End of last season the battery landed hard on a wooden dock and the battery case shattered. Unusable. Unrepairable, the battery case must be watertight. The company told me that the battery housing is not available as a spare part. It was suggested to buy a new battery (890$) or since there is meanwhile a newer version of the motor, buy a new motor.
Finally I was able to get a used battery housing from one of their distributors. I took me an hours to change the broken housing and the battery worked fine. The cost was a fraction of the cost for a new battery, not to mention a new engine. So at the end of the day they all have their issues.
The parts that broke are sacrificial. Protecting the motor when you hit something. No mater what type of boat you should have a spare prop.
No excuse for not taking care of the battery. Double check the email address since they haven't returned a response.
I've had issues with my 4.0
I have 2 lithium batteries and after 4 years, one is in the begining stages of failure. A used replacement battery from the factory was only a few hundred less then a brand-new battery.
KEEP TRYING. Try a USA dealer.
Good Luck!
I committed to electric 10 years ago, with a 1003. I loved the sound and lack of exhaust travelling back and forth a half a kilometer to my solar-powered island most days in the summer. Then the honeymoon ended. Within 1 year, the battery lock-down pin had broken the dogs that hold the battery to the shaft. Bad design.
Within another year, the motor started sounding like the drive bearings weren't lubricated. The service centre is closeby, so I took it in. They fiddled with it for a while, and a year later, I was back with a worse noise. This time, they replaced the lower drive unit, plus the controller card located in the battery housing. Total cost was $1200 Canadian, or almost 2/3 the cost of the motor. That is after 3 years.
A couple of flimsy props and another 3 years later, the battery began to refuse to charge. The mickey mouse charge connectors were failing. I replaced the male on the charger, and it worked for a year, then the battery started dropping from 80-90% to 10% instantly. The service centre suggested replacing the battery. I took the battery to a company that services electric bikes, and they said the battery was fine, but it needed to be charged with 28-32v charger.
Fine, got that, then 2 years later, I start getting an E42 message, "charge with proper charger". A uTube video identified the problem as blown fuses on the controller card. I replaced then, and when re-connecting the battery, I got a spark that burned the board and blew the fuses. I think I just bought another controller ($650) or battery ($1300).
There is a moral here: It is a nice device, but what you pay for the motor is just a down payment . Also, my advice is that you buy a good pair of oars - you will need them.
Sounds like you have had a bad experience, but we have been using a Travel 1001 on our tender for 4 years now with no issues whatsoever - including an episode where the tender flipped on the mooring in high wind and the whole motor and battery was submerged for 20 minutes while we righted it. That was 2 years ago and it has still carried on performing with no problem. The only negative I have found (other than cost!) is I don’t like the screw thread battery and control connector plugs as they can become cross threaded sometimes. I feel like there should be a better solution to this. Everyone will have their own views but for me the positives vastly exceed the negatives and I would totally recommend them.
That said if I was going somewhere off the beaten track where access to parts / support was an issue I might prefer to stick with a petrol motor.
I can’t comment on the after sales as I have never needed it as the motor has always performed flawlessly since we got it, but the authorised dealer is only a few miles down the road so hopefully wouldn’t be too much of an issue.
I am glad about your good experience. I'm not complaining so much about the engine as about the manufacturer's behavior, who does not keep promises and then plays dead man/company, i.e., does not answer emails and does not communicate with the end customer.
I ordered the engine from a large maritime online order company, and somehow they push the responsibility back and forth. No one takes responsibility for the necessary inspection in an area not covered by a service center. In Starnberg (Headquarters of Torqeedo), they probably think that a center in Guadeloupe is enough for the Caribbean. But you can get to Europe by plane faster than to Guadeloupe.
I appreciate the electric motor's alternative very much, and I had, except this matter, mostly positive experiences. Here in Jamaica, we also want to equip the boats of the administration of the various fish sanctuaries with electric motors. I cannot recommend a company that does not care about the after the sale. But there are alternatives in the meantime. Stay safe.
I became a Torqeedo Travel 1003s owner 9 years buying a used motor that was 2 or 3 years old.
While my motor broke, I do have an official Torqeedo repair center an hour away. They fixed it very quickly ($530) and said probably 3/4 of the bill was maintenance that should be done every 5 years anyway, and replacement of the propeller and shear pin.Although I use it in salt water some of the time, they said there are basically no corrosion. I rinse after use, and try to take it on a lake with in a couple days after salt water use.
My wife & had had hundreds of fantastic adventures over many years. We have a Sea Eagle Paddleski (both 435ps & 437ps models and transport it all in a sedan. When the Torqeedo came out, there was nothing like it and no competitors. Today there are some, but Torqeedo distribution appears to be far greater than any of the competitors, and they have over 100,000 motors in circulation.
The real question is ask yourself how much you trust the Chineese ePropultion or the other competitors that have surfaced in more recent years. Do you think you'll still be able to buy a new battery more than 12 years later? How far do you have to go to get it serviced? Is there even a service center anywhere near your region? Can you go locally like say West Marine who sells Torqeedo and buy various parts you may need over the years like a battery, prop, shear pin, charger, magnet and other parts? Several places sell Torqeedo around here (USA). Do you feel the company will even still be around in a few years? I'm sure many of them will disappear quickly.
Tested the motor today after repair, so far, so good. Thank you Torqeedo for making such an innovative product. Sure others will copy. They better have a significant price reduction if anyone is going to trust them, not just a slight reduction. Do you buy Coca-cola or Sam's Choice? At least the Sam's Choice is way cheaper.
I got the warning from the dealer but they never mentioned the fire risk. It was only after 2 months that I looked into it further and came across the fire risk warning! I took it back that day and insisted on a replacement or refund that day and I got it after mentioning the fire risk and New Zealand consumer law. I have also had the same issue with the prop pin. The paint is also falling off the Ali housing.
Great concept but really bad product from Torquedo.
I had a torqedo 1003. Absolutely your right. I had a multitude of problems and the company wouldn't warrentee anything. Would not correct or upgrade the on going issues. Love a electric outboard. Not this brand.
You don't mention if you transferred the advance money as required by them.
That's Torqeedo's email in german:
Sehr geehrter Herr Schmillen, vielen Dank für Ihre Anfrage. Sie erhalten in Kürze eine Auftragsbestätigung mit Zahlungsanweisung für den Umstieg auf den 915Wh-Akkus von uns. Nach Erhalt der Zahlung schicken wir Ihnen den neuen Akku zu und holen Ihren bisherigen Akku per Spedition ab. Die Transportkosten übernehmen selbstverständlich wir. Wenn sie das Angebot annehmen wollen bitte sie um eine kurze Antwort. Bei weiteren Fragen melden Sie sich gerne.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen | Best regards
Torqeedo GmbH
As far as the transfer of money is concerned, which you mention in your comment, the decisive sentence is translated into English as follows: "You will receive an order confirmation with payment instructions for the switch to the 915Wh battery shortly." It is an unfortunate fact that I never received this payment request. That was when the whole thing turned so negative. I asked for this ominous payment request several times but never received it.
The amount of plastic used and the lack of marine-grade material are big warning flags with me. The motor will work for a little while, but problems will soon be coming your way when you're half-way around the world and can't get any support.
For the price would t I be better to buy 5 Chinese knockoffs and throw them away as they break?
@@bengrizzlyadams6187 and where are these motor you speak of?
@@bengrizzlyadams6187 There are none. That's the problem. The only product "anything" like Torqeedo is ePropultion, and that "knock off" costs even more than the original! Crazy, I know...
If you owned a trolling motor and went to a Torqeedo Travel 1003 like me, you'd know what I mean by the huge differences. The place I visited on the ocean the other day, from the boat & motor that came out of the trunk of my sedan, I would likely not made it back to the boat ramp with other cheaper electric motors as they don't provide the kind of power Torqeedo provides to go through riptides like the one I unexpectedly went through a couple days ago. Thank God I had a real motor, and not a cheap electric motor or I'd be out to sea.
@@n8goulet What I said was dumb at many levels, but it was more a bad joke than an actual plan.
My experience with the Travel 1003 has been terrible. When I first got it, it would take about 10 seconds before it would start running. After two months, it now takes about 2 to 3 minutes before it decides to start running - this is both annoying and dangerous. I would absolutely not recommend anyone buy a Torqeedo.
I'd absolutely recommend people buy Torqeedo, but only if it's the Deep Blue outboard. For smaller horsepower stuff, gotta go Ray Electric or EP Carry
Come on. You bought it in Germany and based on that they offered to send a new one to you with free shipping.
You can’t expect it to be shipped everywhere in the world.
If you really wanted it, you would have let it ship to your dealer or a friend in Germany, organizing further transport yourself. But this was to costly I guess.
I think you don't understand the message or haven't watched the video up to the end. Torqeedo agreed to the procedure, as you can see in the exchange of emails, but never implemented it.
I haven't had any problems with Torqeedo motors. (models 401, 1003c) It looks that Your motor is driven fast on rocks. Accident with rocks will make damage to any type of motor and guarantee will not help with repairing.
I don't see that you are challenging my argument. Torqeedo agreed and confirmed (in a written statement - as you can see in my video) that they will change the battery and will cover the transportation cost to Jamaica. And I opted not only for a replacement. I agreed to upgrade to a bigger battery capacity - and to pay the extra costs. There is absolutely no problem to bring a battery by air to Jamaica. I did that several times, including lithium batteries. No other company had ever a problem to fulfill the order I placed. Therefore I don't know what you are talking about.
I'm not discussing that a propeller can be damaged by a hit. I hit several times the ground with my normal outboarder, without things falling apart. The Torqeedo part a delicate and absolutely not comparable with the resistance of the parts of a "normal" motor. You touch the ground with a Torqeedo - and you are in danger to rip off your propeller. I don't care if a company is big are small. In fact, I like to give small companies a chance to challenge the big ones. I knew that I was going into some sort of uncharted water, but I don't like behavior where you make promises to solve something and then you disappear and nobody will hear from you again. Therefore:=> Stay away from such a company - in this case, Torqeedo
Danke für die Warnung.
Da werde ich mich dann wohl für einen Haswing Protruar 2.0
entscheiden. Der hat zwar keine eigene Batterie, aber für den Preis eines Torqueedos
bekomme ich F Ü N F !!!
Haswing Protruar 2.0 Motore.
Vielen, vielen Dank.
Wenn Dir das wasserdichte Design von Torqeedo/E-propulsion nicht wichtig ist, sind die Protruars 2.0/3.0 sicher eine Alternative - der 5.0 hat angeblich thermische Probleme.... Ich hab' noch einen einen zwei Jahre alten 4.0 an meinem Schlauchboot -(mit 1.800W peak ... den scheint es aber nicht mehr zu geben). Der hat auch für ein erheblich schwereres Boot genug Schub. (hab ihn mal zum Spass an mein ca. 900kg Motorboot angehängt - das schiebt er mit knapp 5 kn durchs Wasser) ..aber beim Schlauchboot Ist es irgendwie ein doofes Gefühl in der Adria, wenn das Meer nicht gerade spiegelglatt ist einen 2kWh Li-ion Akku, der eigentlich nicht wasserfest ist, frei im Inneren herumkugeln zu haben ... Wenn ich mich nochmal entscheiden könnte, würde ich einen Antrieb mit wasserfestem, am Motor angebauten Akku vorziehen!
с дуру можно и х.. сломать. пользуюсь уже четвёртым двигателем этой фирмы- менял так как выходил новый и был конец гарантии- нареканий нет, всё работает так как и должно и написано в инструкции! винт тоже был изуродаван и у меня, но это не потому что он плохой, а потому что я сам поздно мотор из воды поднял и побил его об каменное дно - но! не сломал а побил!
Thanks for your advice, I was very eager to buy one, but customer service is the key for me. Unfortunately I decided to look at other alternative brands.
What alternative brands?
I only know of one, which is a knock off product. It's more expensive, and likely to be much harder to get service for and replacement parts as I don't think it's nearly as widely distributed as Torqeedo.
It made improvements on noise, and ran a tad faster. So what does Torqeedo do, they offer a Travel 1003 version that is basically the same motor, but perfectly silent, 10% faster, and at a higher price. Reason to buy the knock off????
The only other option would be going with a trolling motor, or dealing with the disadvantages of a gasoline motor (and for us small car owners, that's a huge thing). I previously had a trolling motor on my boat, and there is no comparison to a Torqeedo if you want to be able to boat in places a trolling motor will only get you in trouble.
A trolling motor + car battery (deep cycle) will be much cheaper, but you get what you pay for in a boating experience.
@@n8goulet epropulsion
@@ccccczzzzz They are the only competitor on the market I know of for Torqeedo. Torqeedo & the Travel 1003 motor has been around for almost a decade. ePropulpotion many years later decides to more of less copy the design, and charge "even more" for it. I'm like....even more expensive for a knock off? They made it perfectly silent instead of fairly quiet, and added just a tad more power. So how does Torqeedo respond? They offer a Travel 1003 motor that is perfectly quiet and a little more powerful for a bit extra money. Why would someone consider the knock off? Now I'm not saying the ePropultion isn't a good motor. I'd be worried about servicing, repairs, and most importantly, getting replacement batteries many years from now. Torqeedo "best I can tell" is a much more established company. They've sold over 60,000 of these motors. They offer 15 service centers in the USA, though some other marinas will do some work on them as I recently found out. Torqeedo motors can be purchased locally all over the USA. Several places with in an hour of me sell them, and an official service center is about an hour. I occasionally see Torqeedos on the water. I've never seen an ePropultion on the water no anyway in all my boating FB groups that owns one. It's a lot of money to spend from what could be a fly by night company. But who knows? Maybe their pretty good?? I think there is plenty of room for a "cheaper" alternative than Torqeedo, but not a lot of room for "ever more expensive" but very similar products.
I do totally understand why Joachim feels the way he does, and it doesn't sound like he was treated too well. My experiences with contacting the company in the USA were much better than his. His location may have a lot to do with how he was treated, though it's really no excuse if he was promised one thing and they did something else. Was it headquarters he initially contacted or some place in Jamaica. I've heard of no other stories like this one, but I hope someone makes good on it for him as he deserves to be treated better than that.
@@n8goulet you are right maybe epropulsion doesn't have many service centers in the USA but I'm good in Europe. if you have really looked at ePropulsion you will notice it's cheaper and the performance is way better (direct drive, silent, light, floatable battery, etc) i don't call something a copy when it's way better. as for design.. I think yamaha and mercury look almost the same without a logo while i can easily tell the difference between epropulsion and torqeedo. just my opinion.
@@ccccczzzzz The ePropulsion is a very similar design to the Torqeedo and clearly, inspired by it. They are the only light weight, gasoline equivalent powered lithium motors on the market.
"direct drive, silent, light, floatable battery". Those are minor differences. Torqeedo offers a model of their same motor that is totally silent if you want to play a bit more. The noise is so minor compared to a gasoline motor, it doesn't bother me at all. Also exaggerated in videos vs real life use.
What's most important is the ability to buy another battery when they reach end of life, to buy replacement parts or get a motor serviced. I have more faith in Torqeedo, but they aren't perfect.
Ideally I'd like to see another company come out with a "far less expensive" similar product, with equal power and "affordable" batteries that are compatible with standard 12V deep cycle batteries too.
not the first time i have heard horror stories about the torqueedo company's poor customer service...
I don't understand why you went to Torqeedo and not the dealer. When there's a callback for your car you go to the dealer, not the manufacturer either? According the (dutch) law, the dealer needs to come up with a decent solution.
Thank you for the question. The situation was that the company agreed to test the battery and to make the final decision at their Service Centers (Torqeedo Service Center). I don't know wich agreement they had between Torweedo and the mentioned companies.
Mine has a reoccurring e30 issues... these motors are terrible.
Still no reaction from Torqeedo? And we were even thinking of using a Torqeedo pod as our main engine, lucky escape...
Unfortunately no reaction at all.
@@jschmillen06 Pretty sad for them to promise you a replacement improved battery for a more reasonable fee, then go back on their word. I hope Torqeedo USA treats us better than that!
I do wonder though, have you tried alternative methods of contact other than email? A lot of messages can get lost via email. I'd try regular mail, or phone. Or tell your story to Torqeedo USA and see if they will help.
they are a good brand
Scary, considering how expensive these motors are. I hope they made it right.
Thank you for exposing this. O was going to power our 10’,12’ dinghy models with an electric system but I can now rule out torqueedo as an option. We pride ourselves on our quality and support. This does not fit with our tradition. Morris boatworks.
Thank you for sharing this insight!!! Their customer service in this case is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE, and even more so for a German company. I considered buying a cruise 4. I will NOT BUY from Torqueedo - EVER, after hearing your story. Endangering the client, not keeping their word, playing dead and letting you hang out there somewhere to dry. There is no excuse - none. Besides, this is a high end product with a more than matching price tag. Also they must know what the use of a fully operational dinghy means to a cruiser. This case says a lot, everything, about the company and not a hundred other opinions or some fancy high-gloss marketing brochures could balance that.
I don't know if I made it crystal clear. I like the technology and the idea to sail green as much as possible. And I had nothing to complain about the operational part in using the motor, meaning going to a beach or a snorkeling side. You are not going fast, but hey, that wasn't my idea anyway. If I sail, I have time. That is my motto.
But the service and the general approach of the company Torqeedo sucks.
They don't care. Torqeedo doesn't have a reliable after-sales policy. To think to send out a warning, is enough is ridiculous. Especially for people you are going on long-distance and have to rely on trustworthy service support.
It is very sad to hear your story. I've had better luck in responses from them than you however. I'm in the USA. I also have a service center just over an hour away.
I purchased a used Torqeedo Travel 1003 in 2014 I believe it was. After a few years, the battery would no longer hold much of a charge. I replaced it with a 915 battery last year. My battery reached end of life basically.
I've used the motor many times, and really loved it. About 3 weeks ago the motor hit bottom at low tide. I didn't think it hit too hard, but I don't know. Shortly after, if you ran at the higher speeds you lost almost all thrust. If you ran half speed or so, it seemed to work. I assumed the common issue of a broken shear pin or a broken propeller would likely be the issue. It took serious effort to remove the propeller as it would not come off. Torqeedo instructed me to whack it hard with a 2 x 4. It came off, and sadly, my original shear pin was not broken nor the propeller looking damaged. This means internal expensive problems. Torqeedo mentioned the Pylon likely needed to be replaced. The part is over $600 plus the fees of the service center. I used the motor two more times and it worked fine except reduced speed. The next time I turned it on, I got endless E30 errors. I couldn't get it to spin at all. I've disconnected everything a dozen times, have the motor setup at home and can not get rid of the E30 error. This means the wiring probably also needs to be changed, further adding to the expense. I think at least $150 for that. The service center had been on vacation during the height of the season, and back logged for 3 weeks.
I found a reasonable deal on a used motor without battery which I bought. I'm praying their are no problems with it. I took it out today. It worked, but I'm not yet sure if 100%. Could have just been my imagination the speed was slower. I didn't have a passenger as I usually do to weight down the front, and the water was particularly calm. Wake in back from the motor seemed normal. The motor is nosier than my old one. The seller tells me a Torqeedo service center inspected the motor just last week, and put on a new propeller & shear pin.
I could be all upset, but really, there is only one competitor for Torqeedo, called ePropulsion and they are much newer. Instead of being less expensive offering a knock off product, they are actually more expensive! I feel there is a need for a similar reduced cost product. If you think service is tough with Torqeedo, imagine finding a service center for ePropultion? Torqeedo is a much more established company, and far more likely likely to offer replacement batteries, parts & service for the motor.
The only other option is a trolling motor. I've gone that route, and although much cheaper, there is no comparison in what you get. And if you don't want to drag the weight of a car battery as I did, your looking at least $500 for a lithium battery for your trolling motor, a big part of the Torqeedo expense.
I don't see a gasoline motor as an option for me. I transport my boat in a small sedan, and inflate every use. I don't want to smell gasoline in my car or worry about spilling oil under any circumstances. And those vapors don't leave too quickly. I want to be able to go boating in places a trolling motor is inadequate to cut through strong winds & currents out on the ocean.
Is isn't cheap, may be less reliable than a gasoline motor for longevity but I really don't see any other real alternatives to Torqeedo. Even if you have to buy one of these motors every so many years, it's still a lot cheaper than paying for a boat slip and other common costs associated with regular boats.
I have the exact same dilemma and circumstance. I inflate and deflate my boat every time. I caved in and bought a trolling motor and a gasoline motor, for different situations. Just in case, a small 6hp Suzuki is only about 50lbs
You can always buy a Propane outboard. Mercury and Tohatsu sale them. I have been running propane for years. And just so you know Propane outboards don’t have the carb issues of gas outboards and they don’t smell the car up or the house
@@darkerbrother1 That's true. I don't hear a lot about them. I really need the "always on" feature of an electric motor when using the sail rig.
A friend of mine near by was given a 3HP Tohatsu propane motor, and a couple years ago he offered to loan it to me if I ever wanted to use it. I've considered doing that. I dunno if he still has it as it's been 2 or 3 years. How long does one can last vs a full gas tank. Which size motor do you have?
Another fear I had was propane blowing up in my car if I were in an accident. But some people convinced me recently it's kind of a silly fear that there is still a gas tank in the car to worry about, and pretty remote chance of that. The lithium battery would not be good in a fire I understand.
thank you for your insite.
I have to agree. I do not have a favorable opinion of Torqeedo.
I replaced a piece of a screen cover as could not read the numbers. A 25 cent part cost $14. Shipping was $20. I can afford it but what a ripoff
Thank you I will not be buying one of their kayak motors because of this video.
Moin Joachim, wie ist die Geschichte denn schlussendlich ausgegangen? Hat Torqeedo die angebotene Lösung realisiert? Schöne Grüße 🙋♂️
Nein. Die stellen sich tot. Reagieren nicht. Auch die Intervention des großen Onlinehändlers aus dem Norden D’s, bei dem ich den Torqeedo gekauft habe, hat nichts gebracht. Echt unglaublich und hätte ich auch ehrlich gesagt nicht erwartet. Es war oder ist ja nicht so, dass ich etwas gratis von denen wollte. Das Angebot der Umrüstung auf eine größere Batterie war ja nicht unbedingt ein Schnäppchen, und nur den Umständen geschuldet. Ich bin von denen sehr enttäuscht. Ich fühle mich wie ein Idiot: habe ich doch noch vor dem ganzen Serviceversagen von Torqeedo bei den Wassersportaktivisten hier Werbung für diesen Motor gemacht. Von der Sache (Elektroantrieb für Beiboot) bin ich nach wie vor überzeugt, aber so wird das nix, kein Wunder.
Don Olyopper probably means, that the logistic costs are covered to the country you bought and not international.
It seems, that Torqeedo is exchanging the battery and only the logistic cost is your problem? - That you also want free delivery to any place in the world? But this you would not get from any company.
So, for this, you really can not blame Torqeedo and the offer for an upgrade is quite good, I guess.
Pay the logistic cost (not neccessarily need to be sent from Germany, I guess), or travel to the place, you bought the Motor (or any dealer closer) and pick up the same battery for free (or the upgrade for the agreed oncost) - and all is good.
I am really agree with you, i dont understand what is his problem really..¡¡
I don't see that you are challenging my argument. Torqeedo agreed and confirmed (in a written statement - as you can see in my video) that they will change the battery and will cover the transportation cost to Jamaica. And I opted not only for a replacement. I agreed to upgrade to a bigger battery capacity - and to pay the extra costs. Therefore where is your argument?
Hey, I like that Red Stripe you are drinking!
👍🏻
Let me tell you about my experience with a Swedish company called Volvo, yesterday my engine was fine, today everything is seized, so if anybody has a solution because I am to dump the whole lot overboard harness myself and swim in front of the boat because My options are shrinking by the minute. I want to setup an electric inboard, any ideas?
@Don Olypopper why not?
@Don Olypopper Well it depends, if you are far from the shore and with redundant charging (solar, regen, wind, generator, why not an outboard for safety) and enough batteries and a good motor - water maker - you don't ever have to refuel. Some electric boats can stay out forever literally. You are going to run out of veggies and rice, but that's why sushi uses sea weed until you swap to sashimi. Problem is price point for a good system. But yest it's far from being mainstream, however propulsion is mainstream and awfully expensive. Same stealer logic than cars.
@Don Olypopper I don't mind being blown on such a boat, this one has optional sails: www.silent-yachts.com/ starting at 1.4 mil Sterling.
yes you are right when they have got your money they do not want to no,kind regards adrian uk.
wow, I was just about to place an order. lucky save, Epropulsion it is or a DIY one. thanks for the video.
Say no to e-Propulsion!!! They are no where near the quality of Torqeedo... I've suffered with mine before tossing it. Definitely DIY before epropulsion. What application is this for? Cause depending on application, Ray Electric (the best-built electric outboard made period) or EP-carry are two fantastic choices
@@sawmaster6095 main drive for an etap23
@@lightend100 Definitely Ray Electric 100%. Obviously get it in the longest shaft possible. Only downside is they're expensive, but they put out 300lbs of static thrust, are very efficient, and most importantly last forever/are bullet-proof. One of the few American-made products left haha
@@sawmaster6095 Thank you for your advise, I am in the UK so will see if I can get anything Ray Electric's.
@@lightend100 Let us know how it goes! Whatever you come up with, please post a video of the setup!
This is the weirdest way of providing a review from someone who had one bad incident. I am a torqeedo distributor and I have always appreciated their customer service. Always prompt and ready to help.
In my personal opinion considering I have installed 3 separate types of electric motors into sailboats I would disagree and say that torqeedo was one of the easier setups to install and could installed more easily than other companies.
The oceanvolt system we installed has 4 different brands of equipment which then requires $2000 of diagnostics equipment. You also need to know what you are doing.
Torqeedo offers a "plug and play" installation with all of their own equipment.
Just would just because you had a bad experience doesn't mean that people should stay away form torqeedo.
Happy you. But this comment seems to me as if you have not watched the video in total. Torqeedo had every chance to refute or correct my opinion about their totally unacceptable customer service. A company that does not keep promises made in writing and simply plays dead when the customer tries to find a compromise solution is a no-go. As long as basic services are not provided, and this includes communicating as a minimum standard, I will stick with it: Stay away.
Thanks for the video! I was considering buying one as well here for the canals in NL. Now, I wont for Sure! I value CS experience a lot.
They have very poor costumer service ,they wont take responsability most of the times.i thought that was only here in Usa but i see thats how they are as company...stay away,too expensive and too fragile ...
Are you completely reasonable with your recommendation to stay away from Torqeedo? Understanding Torqeedo clearly promised covering the shipping cost, I'd expect them being caught off guard in the midst of recall campaign with your actual location. Please google regulations on shipping of large size lithium polymer batteries _legally_ so you'll see. To some remote location problems are even more pronounced. My experience is from following obscure shipping routes of relatively small
I don't know where such a delivery would be a problem, but I'm sure not here in Jamaica. You can have delivered any battery or other dangerous goods without any problem and with an extra cost of 2 USD per item because of the special delivery (compared to standard stuff). You have to pay any item per pound, and the prices are very reasonable - otherwise, there would be no business. If transportation costs would be so high or such a problem, why would Torqeedo ask you to send the battery to one of their service centers? In my case, to Guadeloupe. Anyone living here in the Caribbean knows that a flight to the USA (or sometimes to Europe) is faster and cheaper than an internal Caribbean flight.
Of course, the prop hit something. How else could it be damaged? I had several out boarders and since some years the Torqeedo. Where a "normal" prop is laughing about the ground touching the Torqeedo plastic prop will be broken. That is the reason that I always have a spare prop. I have not even complained about it before; I considered it a special "price" to use this kind of motor. But all in all, I don't think that Torqeedo should not make any written proposal and then is playing dead company. I was even willing to share costs.
When i like to make my Coment i get elliminatet i fully agree with you
i Have two of them , Booth of them have WATER in the Pylon so they are not WATERtight i spend over $15000 over the last
13years most of the time they where in the service So they are not worse the money
Sorry, that you had such a bad experience.
@@jschmillen06 Danke fuer Ihre Antwort,Ich war sehr zufrieden mit den motoren wenn sie den Funktionierten,aber das taten sie nicht sehr oft,Gruesse aus Kanada
@@nadinefox9797 Tja, das ist eben das Problem. Torqeedo verspricht mehr als sie halten (koennen/wollen) und wenn man ausserhalb der Service-Center wohnt, hat man Pech gehabt. Das ist nix, womit man die Segler - oder allgemein die Wassersportfreunde gewinnen kann. Ich war auch sehr zufrieden mit dem Motor zu Beginn und habe über manche Shortcomings hinweggesehen. Aber fuer das, was die bieten oder um präzise zu sein - nicht bieten, ist der Preis überteuert. Der Service ist eine Katastrophe.
So. ist es@@jschmillen06
First things first. For every 10 happy customers there is always 1 unhappy one. The problem is that he is usually the loudest one.
1. Your propeller looks damaged at the outer edge which indicates that it hit something, and probably that caused the whole blade to snap off.
2. You do know that batteries are the single most difficult thing to transport? Airplanes limit the the capacity at 100W, even through cargo so that's a no go, and there are even some limitations through land/sea cargo. I am assuming they are ignoring you because you want them to ship to Jamaica, which for them is probably impossible,
3. You chose to buy an innovative product from a relatively small company with a limited distribution and service network. What did you expect? And just for reference if you break something "uncommon" on a Volvo Penta in the Med, there is still a good chance you are going to be waiting 2 weeks and you will spit blood before you get the part from them. And we are talking Volvo in the middle of Europe.
I don't see that you are challenging my argument. Torqeedo agreed and confirmed (in a written statement - as you can see in my video) that they will change the battery and will cover the transportation cost to Jamaica. And I opted not only for a replacement. I agreed to upgrade to a bigger battery capacity - and to pay the extra costs. There is absolutely no problem to bring a battery by air to Jamaica. I did that several times, including lithium batteries. No other company had ever a problem to fulfill the order I placed. Therefore I don't know what you are talking about.
I'm not discussing that a propeller can be damaged by a hit. I hit several times the ground with my normal outboarder, without things falling apart. The Torqeedo part a delicate and absolutely not comparable with the resistance of the parts of a "normal" motor. You touch the ground with a Torqeedo - and you are in danger to rip off your propeller. I don't care if a company is big are small. In fact, I like to give small companies a chance to challenge the big ones. I knew that I was going into some sort of uncharted water, but I don't like behavior where you make promises to solve something and then you disappear and nobody will hear from you again. Therefore:=> Stay away from such a company - in this case, Torqeedo.
Aber wer?
They r garbage, too much problems and crates too much future problems. I am happy with my gas powered one
I think all e motors servises sea or land baloon .It means servises not safe .They are only on papers and before selling owww we can do every thing for you they say if you have problem they say user error
MY Torqeedo is a great motor. just look after it
You have propeller like this
You do not care at all for your staff, you do not respect the new technology, it’s a pity stop to drink your beer and take care your torqeedo.
((((
Da ist aber einer beleidigt. Lächerlich dieses Video.
Sorry. Knapp daneben, ist auch vorbei.
Dude, stop wining. By your own admission, you bought the engine in Germany so you have a German contract. It is then only logic that shipping costs for any replacement parts to the RoW are on you. Why even bother posting a video!?
As I mentioned in the video, the company Torqeedo and I agreed about an upgrade to a new battery (more capacity) as the solution for their technical problem for a certain amount of money. Part of that agreement was sharing the transportation costs, which the company first agreed to and never kept their promise. So, maybe you can explain what the old contract has to do with the new agreement? It is simple as that, they don't kept the promise and they don't care.
Torqeedo customer service is utterly terrible