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Sail Life - Companionway hatch & don't buy Fischer Panda! 🤬
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- Опубликовано: 14 авг 2024
- NB! Do not buy the servo mentioned in the video! Fischer Panda apparently modify it (add a capacitor) before selling it as a spare part. Even though it looks the same it's not the same and will not work the same.
Pad-saver: amzn.to/3MQfMfk
Friend don't let friends buy panda merch:
sticker: saillifeshop.c...
t-shirt: saillifeshop.c...
![The Coolest COMPOSITE CHAINPLATES You'll Never See [EP 137]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qlsAsXLp9oE/mqdefault.jpg)
NB! Do not buy the servo mentioned in the video! Fischer Panda apparently modify it (add a capacitor) before selling it as a spare part. Even though it looks the same it's not the same and will not work the same. You should use the official (modified) part!
This is a hobby grade servo originally made for RC models. It never intended to survive the heat or long-term use. It will fail again. I think you should keep a spare.
Yup. When I saw it I thought hey! That looks like an RC servo. It IS an RC servo!! Oh boy, Poor Mads is screwed. Buy an upgraded one Mads.
It will fail if he would listen to Me. KST and MKS are the Best servos out there. These are what RC Jets pilots and F5J pilots use. When you fly $3000 to $15,000 RC Jets and all Carbon Fiber Sailplanes
So Fischer Panda use hobby grade parts as well as providing pitiful service. There’s zero chance that anybody doing their homework will buy one of their gensets now!
So that's a normal RC servo 😮😮😮? Wow! I'm speechless! You can practically replace it with any servo with similar specs very easily. I mean, REALLY easily! There are a huge number of brands and models, but as long as the specs are the same, you can practically use anything!
Exactly what i though. It's an rc servo costs like 6 euros for a super strong one. 😅
IDK if it's normal. Looks like a MG (metal gear) servo. Normal ones are plastic.
Hey Mads. Your speech about Fischer-Panda was very moving.
So much so I went into the attic and found the box with all my childhood Toys.
I removed all my Fischer-Price Toys and took them outside and burned them in the firepit.
Just to be safe of course.
Friends don't let friends buy from signature solar either, use Current Connected instead; same products, different attitude.
You burned Fisher-Price toys because someone on the internet had a bad experience with Fischer Panda? All new level of dumb…
So very very funny!!! Like the guy just above who didn’t get the joke. Still laughing
Fisher Panda Fisher Price. Albert Einstein once said something like: there are two things of eternity: the universe and stupidity of human kind. About universe I am not quite sure. 🫣🤔
Haha 😂 That made me laugh 😀
Mads you are 100% right being upset,Fisher panda is going to learn a lesson in customer relations. I told my employees that most customers buy our product because of our great customer service if that service goes away they will buy the product were they can find it at the cheapest price. I always stressed to all my employees that a customer is not always right, but they are Never wrong so do everything you can to make them happy. I told all new employees that our customers are what pays thier wages and if you make a customer happy providing great customer service they may tell a few people ,but if you make them mad they will tell everyone they talk too. Word of mouth can literally destroy your reputation and basically in today's competitive market with all the companies competing for business on the web it can bankrupt or at the very least cost them thier jobs. Fisher panda is about to find this out ,it may take a year or more for the result of you putting out on utube and your social media to show up on thier sales but I can guarantee you it's going to impact Fisher pandas sales for a long time if they don't eventually go bankrupt or completely revamp thier customer service and customer support. Well done Mads, Fisher panda pissed off the wrong person .
Something I've told many people in Customer Service shops is: The customer is not always right but they are always the Customer! So respond to them with status updates, explanations (not excuses) and emphasize what you CAN do for them and not what you CAN'T do for them!
Friends don't let friends buy from signature solar either, use Current Connected instead; same products, different attitude.
As a business, you can separate people into roughly three classes: potential customers, customers and non-customers. You can turn a potential customer into a customer with a compelling product and/or marketing. You can turn a customer into a non-customer with bad treatment. It is extremely hard to turn a non-customer back into a customer.
Also, both customers and non-customers are contagious, with the non-customer being the stronger contagion. That means, non-customers will turn potential customers into other non-customers. Customers will turn potential customers into other customers only if you have a really compelling offering.
So, by antagonizing Mads, Fisher-Panda has turned a fairly contagious customer into a highly contagious non-customer. No amount of marketing will compensate for the damage they did to themselves here.
Amazon could learn something from this, they do a good job of bait and switch. I purchased a dozen pair of leather gloves that were very handy and fit my large hands well. I liked them so much I bought a second dozen. They came in two sizes, but left hand x-large and other large. No satisfaction from them at all!
That "actuator" is a common servo used in the world of RC like radio-controlled cars and the like. you can basically use ANY servo that has the same ball-park rating.
Wow $15,000. I had no idea they cost so much. You were very patient with them and it obvious they didn’t care about helping you.
Friends don't let friends buy from signature solar either, use Current Connected instead; same products, different attitude.
Spend a lot of negative talk about Fischer panda
15 k for what??? he has plenty of power, waste of money
You have confirmed what others have said. I was looking at that product, Now after an impressively comprehensive video, I will now look at other products. Thank you so much for what you have done
We have a Fisher Panda bought in France ( our boat was made in France) and the French supplier service is excellent. He told us very good advices and tricks for the maintenance. FP is an excellent product made in Germany and generally I trust German products. It is compact, the casing is perfect for the noise. We have an hybrid boat with an electric motor , lithium batteries and solar panels. So the FP is very important for our safety. It is one of the less noisy genset. It is a pity what you experienced directly with this company. But there is no link between the high quality of this product and their poor customer service. Always deal with a supplier. Love your channel!
5 hour in and already 19,000 people know to never buy a Fisher Panda generator. I hope their marketing and sales department get to see this video.
Now 29,000 high value advertising targets are aware of the sociopathic qualities of Fischer Panda service department.
34.312 now
47.210 by now - people share it, obviously 😁. (21. Nov. 0841 h UTC)
Mads-level of being annoyed: "We make stickers. And T-shirts. For sale. In the merch-shop."
Even with me doubting that will have any effect on FP's "service" mentality, I highly appreciate the Mads-level of being annoyed. Been there. Made no T-shirts however.
Should post this up on their social media...
@rcaddict69 , why? They already know what level of service they provide, they plan for that every month and budget for it every year. They're fine with that. Otherwise, they would have changed all that and that case wouldn't happen.
The stickers/shirts is a-level pissed off, wow. I'm impressed.
Fantastic review and standing up for what is right. You are not the only person that has had troubles with them. I am so sorry for your troubles. Customer Service is everything!! I installed a Northern Lights and have been happy with it and customer service. I have had zero troubles with it but have reached out to customer support to provide documentation for it… they supplied it in less than 24 hours and were kind and helpful. Hope that NEW genset finally provides years of good service. You paid for it!
Hitec is a manufacturer of electronic accessories for remote control cars, boats and planes. In the RC world this is caled a "servo" and it is used mainly for steering of RC cars, boats and planes. Hitec is calling it "Giant Scale Servo" because it is made for big scale RC. I am sure you could find a similar spec servo in almost any RC shop if not the same one
Mass: make sure you grease the worm gear on the governor. I did this on a friends Fischer panda to solve the low voltage output problem. Also check fuse on the main control panel to make sure it’s not blown. Good luck. Really enjoy your videos!
So glad you finally (hopefully) have a working genset. What an aggravating experience. Companion way hatch looks mighty spiffy!
Friends don't let friends buy from signature solar either, use Current Connected instead; same products, different attitude.
Hi Mads, Just seen your Fisher panda issue. interesting. my farther bought a new fisher panda for his Nauticat. it was fitted in the UK by the dealer. he left for the med and the story is the same except this was 25 years ago!! so Fischer Panda have not changed.
Hey Mads, your frustration is completely justified! It's incredibly disappointing when companies let their customers down. Your experience with Fischer Panda serves as a reminder for all businesses to prioritize exceptional customer service. Your video will surely make an impact and influence others to think twice before purchasing from them. Keep up the great work in sharing your sailing adventures and I can't wait to see you get back out on the water!
Hi Mads. You are not alone with issues in conjunction with Fischer Panda. I had a similar multi- months ordeal with the water cooling device on my generator, when my boat was in Greece. Forget about this company!
I've been watching your videos since the beginning of the Athena refit and I've never seen you being anywhere near this negative about any supplier or product. This was a huge PR miss for Fischer Panda.
We have had things fail and that's okay. It can be frustrating but it's what happens. The autopilot situation springs to mind. The big difference between that and the Fischer Panda situation was the customer support Garmin and Hypro were amazing. They did everything they could to fix the issue. In comparison Fischer Panda was a nightmare.
I really enjoyed your rant about the lack of customer service from your Panda pals. Three years ago I purchased a Winchrite to assist this 76 year old sailor to raise the main sail. It broke this summer and when I contacted the tech department they said it was out of warranty. I explained I sail 90% of time with just a headsail on my Catalina 36 and they told me to send it in and oh so Glorious they fixed at no cost. Now that’s true customer service. Catalina 36 Gallivant Escanaba, Michigan on Lake Michigan Jim
OMG Mads !!!! well here is a story to make you feel better I own a Triumph Bonneville America motorcycle that I bought from a Triumph Dealer new in 2013. I was having the UK MoT test done in 2023 which is a annual road worthy test done here in the UK. The MoT tester guy tells me the front headlamp has failed the dipped full beam test and it is totally focusing in the wrong direction. I find out from the Motorcycle parts catalogue that the item to replace it is going to cost me £198 approx $220 I telephone Triumph Tech services who trace the Motorcycle back to manufacture and it appears the Motorcycle was supposed to be shipped to Luxemburg in 2012 it was then re-directed to a dealer herein UK the one I bought it from. However the Lights in UK and Europe are different and the factory had not done the changes need to make them legal in UK I explained that the bike had been in my ownership from New and I didn't want to pay the £198 for a new headlamp. Triumph were amazing they arranged for the local dealer to replace the headlamp at no cost to me under warranty over 10 years later Which I thought was amazing Customer service and other companies need to take note of How it should be done so Mads there are companies out there that value their customers. GO TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES !!!!!
Dear Mads. MKS and KST Servos are Aluminum plus Brass gearing and that Servo arm should be Aluminum made. Hope this Helps. I fly Sailplane. Peace
To keep the hatch 'bug free', you can attach a brush like 'door sweep' strip to the aft end of the underside of the hatch so it seals the gap above the companionway doors. It's cheap, non-intrusive and easily replaced. They also come in white, so it won't stick out as an obvious add on... 😁
Not a bad idea. We have a gap and live in serious mosquito country. They rarely get in there but I regularly hit my head on the ***** thing. Maybe the brush thing will give me some prior warning.
Two words: Northern Lights. Had similar experience with both Fisher Panda and Next Gen. My Northern Lights just worked. Neither of the other two did; it was always something. True NL is heavier, and more expensive but in the long run well worth it. My guess is Athena will have further issues in the future .
If a relentlessly positive dude is this pissed, PAY ATTENTION! hehehe Can't wait for you guys to get back on the water.
And of a RUclipsr with over 100k subscribers can’t get any help, what are the odds of a random consumer getting help…
@@aarongrangerWhat are the odds any of those subscribers buying one of their gensets.😂
What are the odds of viewers here actually needing one? Most don't even own a boat of their own.
@@carlthor91 Well... if one out of every thousand subscribers own a boat with a genset, that's 100 possible consumers. If you watch regularly, they get spotted by other boaters in the marinas as RUclipsrs, so it's a non-zero number. Personally, I think it's more like a 1 out of 100 number, meaning that they just broadcast a substantive failure of a company out to 1000 active consumers. Want to think that 1% of those will need to buy a genset in the next 5-10 years, then that's 10 lost sales... because a company couldn't provide basic service on what is basically a brand new unit. (and I'm only using subscribers as the counting mechanism... not viewers).
Either way, if someone who can message "Fisher Panda is Crap!" to 100,000 people interested in boating can't get decent service, what's the odds of some random boater who only has a social media reach of 100 friends from work/family/school getting better service?
Believe an intermediate pad is to be used between the sader's pad and the mesh pad which prevents the hook and loop on the sander disc from wearing out.
When I saw that actuator, I recognized it as a servo I use in my R/C airplanes. Crazy they use HiTech servos.
My first thought when seeing this "actuator" in the background was "Hey, that is just a cheap part from model building". And then, later, you showed the Hitec-sticker on the spare part, which is quite a familiar company in the radio controlled modeling scene. That's just ridiculous, seeing such a part on a machine of this price! I mean, it could work just fine but I don't think these parts are up to being used continuously for hours and hours.
We have a Next=Gen on board. Have had two problems, automatic voltage regulator failed and the exhaust elbow developed a leak. Both times I called, both times they were extremely helpful, and the parts were shipped promptly. They were at the Annapolis boat show were I stopped by to have a few questions answered. And they use a Kobota diesel engine.
I talked to them too at the boat show 🙂
Mads, I started watching you after seeing your channel on Cruising the Cut (Refleks diesel collaboration) and today David released that he bought a 48 year old fiberglass boat! First thought: oooh insulation??? Second thought: he enjoys DIY but bumbles and swears…. Third thought: oh wow, will he needs Mads’ help! You both collaborate sooooo well!
He bought a new boat? I'll need to get back to his channel! Last I heard he had moved back onto land
Ahah I think I followed the same path. Found Sail Life from Cruising the Cut and the rest is history. Very happy to see David back on the canals.
Note to self: NEVER BUY A FISHER PANDA.
Never, ever!
Agreed, and I would like to get a generator for my boat, but it certainly won't be one of those
As soon as I saw the label Hitec I knew exactly what others hear have already posted. A large scale RC servo, which is most likely not of marine grade quality.
Lol, I fly model planes that's just a standard servo ... . Not sure I would expect that to run constantly for long periods . Rc planes get used once a week for short periods .
Mads, you're such a positive guy, to hear you be this clear about how bad Fischer Panda is, must be really bad. Thanks for helping those who have the same problem -- owning a FP genset. I've seen quite a few as i run charter boats, and that exact problem was on on in Grenada last year, intermittent low voltage. Now I know.
That is a large scale servo for RC aircraft which I buy for $21 US from my RC modeling supplier.
Some nice DIY with also some ohhh glorious sanding and using good Made in The Netherlands paint Mads🎉..I was ready for all the ooohh glorious Fisher Panda short-circuiting there😮 and the frustrations about it..😅
If I'm not mistaken, that part is nothing more than a HiTec servo as used in radio control models.
17:40 Matt's going full beast mode, I like it.
Matt’s that is the best information and advertisement for Panda that you could give to future gen set buyers ! Just never forget their customer service and give them all the advertisement they deserve at the beginning of every show and the next time you go to one of the boat shows make sure you tell everyone there also and even the people checking out their booth ! That will be the unhappy Matt’s .
No matter what brand we go with the next time I will put a lot of effort into figuring out how their customer support is before pulling the trigger.
100 %
Mads, I am impressed with the way you handled the Fischer Panda situation. You mentioned months ago it was not functioning, I assumed you were working in the background to get it fixed, and sensing your good nature, I assumed you were being deliberately quiet until you had a solution. Unfortunate their actions warranted your response! I assumed all along this video would come. They have a HORRIBLE reputation for customer service.
I think the hatch being white works well, making that area brighter and seem larger.
I wish you had finished the little home built generator, that thing was cool.
Northern Lights, Westerbeke, Onan or Kohler gensets all seem to be field tested and dependable, and would be my choice for the top four. Mase, Nex-Gen, Phasor all seem to be reliable second tier units. Fisher-Panda would be at the bottom of my list. Sorry for your troubles.
The only gensets I have had good luck with are Northern Lights (or potentially another 1500/1800 rpm design). It isn't just that 1500/1800 rpm gensets are easier on the engine it is that companies that make them are selling improved reliability and that ends up in the electrical side of things as well.
Great video. Sorry you had to go through all that trouble. You obviously did your due diligence trying to work with Fischer Panda. The t-shirts are a nice move and I hope the manufacturer watches this video. Maybe they will change their ways.
That's an RC servo used on planes and other radio controlled models! You can get it literally anywhere!!!
genssets are a scourge, all solar all the way. tougher on a mono, but you added more electrical doohickeys to Athena than a Mega Yacht.
In your To Do board talks, I notice a container of Old Bay in a place of prominence over your right shoulder.😀
Hitec HS-755MG servos are fairly good when used in drones, model airplanes and boats, etc (yup that is what they are designed for), but in my opinion a poor choice for use in a $15k generator. There are more reliable (and compatible) model servos available for only a few more $.
Sorry to hear about the Panda generator,but NOT suprised ,when you stated you were going to purchase that unit, i suggested you reconsider, as i had read a number of times about them not standing behind the VERY COMPLACATED unit and suggested something simpler,like i have,which is a single cylinder Kubota Diesel belt driving a Large frame 150 Amp alternator, fresh water cooled via a heat exchanger with a remote controlled panel, sips fuel. I have a Inverter for any AC on board,made by Ample power,who unfortunately is no longer in business [sold to another co.], however there is another Co. in Seattle, Washington that builds the same design,don't know their name,but have seen their add sometime back,good luck.
I bought a Beta engine from an authorized dealer and installer. The alternator fried on my initial trip to Alaska. Neither the dealer of distributer would cover it under warranty - 30 days after returning the boat to me. I ended up spending and additional $1,100 dollars on a new high output alternator and grounding cable. Its a long story but my experience is that if it burns diesel and is in the marine industry, they love to take your money but they have never heard of you if you have a problem - especially if it is their fault.
Fun fact, just e few miles further up north from Grenada you would've found a dealer that just had the part sitting on a shelf.. Heck even with a spare if you wanted that. I understand the frustration but my message is just that the support of a brand is only as good as the supporting network they built. FP reders to work with their dealers instead of direct with end user and this means that your experience will directly depend on the dealer you are working with. If a dealer doesn't have a part known for failing, find another one. Still, happy you ended up getting it to work
The Hatch looks great! You should buy 2 more of solenoids & have them shipped to a relative in the US for you to pick up when your there next.
I wonder what would happen if a few (hundred) of Mads's viewers sent links to this video to Fischer Panda's sales and service teams. It might generate a wake up call that could get them to look at how badly they failed him and the damage that failure has caused their brand.
It will easily be hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost sales for blowing off a warranty repair on a $50 dollar (retail) part.
You could probably do a business school case study on this.
that's true and maybe they would reach out to help Mads but it's to little to late. if they see the videos and decide to help after the fact from bad pr then f them. they had their chance and they blew it. we see how they treat the average customer without the internet following
They are only going to give very token words and actions and count on this "ALL BLOWING OVER"
I was part of a email campaign like that for the Wynns when they got into trouble with new sails a few years ago. That went well😉
FP might take notice from this video.
This is the greatest “do you know who I am?” video ever. Love it
To be honest I don't think they give a hoot. I had a segment in a video a long time ago showing some of the issues. That in no way helped.
@@SailLife They most likely won't give a single flying eff. Too big to fail. And too nice a commission drawn by their sellers for each'n every piece sold (which is part of why their prices are where they are). Some of them bad apples just don't go away.
"Yes, that's still the address of YOUR service partner!" 🤣🤣🤣Hilarious and delivered cold and dry as it should be!
A number of years ago there was many posts on Cruiser's Forum about the Fischer Panda crappy equipment and even crappier service. They don't seem to have improved either much over the years. Good luck.
Marine generators? One word - Onan 👍
Loved the ‘don’t by Panda’ rant 😂 hatch looks good to me.
Thanks! :)
Great video and good for you.
I cannot bare bad service and it’s when things go wrong that you find out how good there aftercare/customer service is.
I'm the same way. I don't care that a piece of gear fails if the customer support is there to help.
That part is a servo from RC airplane, and could have been purchased from any online hobby store, The only aggravation you would have had was the connector, But you could have resolved that issue with one hand tied behind your back. Hitec HS-755MG is available from Tower Hobbies for $39.99. FisherPanda did you so wrong.
For a minute there I thought you were talking about the RV industry! LOL!! I would have gone for a higher up after the first ghost. Hope it's fixed!
Hi Mads i’m impressed how long patience you have. And even so you still give Panda the credit for having a instruction video for the douhicki…. No Company are bytter than the costumerservice. Everybody Can sell stuff.
I was thinking that it was just a standard RC servo, just with a different connector, and when you showed the Hitec sticker I wasn't surprised :P I would have expected Fisher Panda to atleast put a sticker or something over the original one, but yeah :)
As a someone who used to build a lot of RC stuff back in the day, it was fun to see :)
It all started when the custom baby genset didn’t make it down the companionway steps. Oh man I miss how excited you were getting the adapter plate and running it. I was devastated for you when you said ope well I guess it wasn’t meant to be. Id be right pissed if I had to deal with that too!!!!!!
Northern Lights gen sets are the best I know of for marine use. Popular on fishing boats up here in New England.
Fishing boats named 'Panda'?
Tip: Cut the brush in half or down to 75% of it. then you won´t get any threads loose while painting. Brushes comes in various density. the more dense the brushthreads are the smoother it is to paint. And.....the cheaper the brushes are the more loose the threads are. Wait a minute between the strokes, so the paint can settle easily in any gap or void.
A cheaper way to replace backing pad velcro is to buy velcro tape. You can grind the previous velcro off with an angle grinder and stick pieces of the velcro tape on the pad. Then trim with scissors. I've used that method a lot, although I don't use a vacuum cleaner connection. I guess finding the holes for the pad are a bit more work, if you use a vacuum cleaner.
@FischerPandaGenerators - I do hope you understand that Mads' 114K subscribers are almost all sailors and boat owners - your customer base. I do hope that you are going to positively engage at this stage!
Fischer Panda are going to find out the power of social media/RUclips. All for the sake of timely communication, following up issues and appreciation of the value of your customers. You have been "yammering" on about them for ages. You would have thought someone in the company would have picked up on this and sorted it out. Hey ho, their loss. I think the companionway hatch will have another effect, apart from looking spiffy. The before and after photos showed just how much more light the newly painted undersides diffused into the boat. Thanks or sharing.
That's nothing but a standard RC servo with the connector changed!! Sure I posted a comment about that in the past when you talked about this before!
For long time I see that whole on the navi station ha ha ha !!! finally I will se it in "gloryus" fixing ha ha ha, by the way your boat looks amazing "TEO" and "Duca" must learn a lot with your projects
It would be really interesting to hear about what Fischer Panda had to say to that whole situation. Something tells me they might not even hear about Mads from RUclips with his 114 k subbies talking 'em into the ground, and if so nonetheless, might not give a single flying eff. It's a sad thing how some of the really big players get away with customer "service" like that for years and years. A special thanks for sharing, Mads.
I looked at installing a Fischer panda genset years ago…. But asking around I heard lots of bad stories about them and their support…. Watching this I’m glad again that I stayed clear.
Very frustrating when it’s such an expensive piece of equipment
Yeah, I think for the next genset we’ll go with something much simpler 🙂
I was interested to hear that you also had a bad experience with Trinidad customs. I had to pick up a part at the customs warehouse at the airport. I rented a car and drove two hours through heavy traffic to pick it up, but when I arrived they told me that I was not allowed into the building to do the paperwork. The reason? I was wearing shorts!
Oh glorious Mads, it look’s amazingly much better, as always when you do something. Thx for the joy you give us, always a smile on me when some new videos are uploaded.
We removed our fisher panda at 500 hours and replaced with an Onan, best decision. The $/hour spent on keeping that thing going was ridiculous. And getting any authorized dealer to work on them was just as difficult.
Hi , In the future the servo you have can be bought at any radio controlled model aircraft shop, they are used to move the control surfaces, look on line.
Mads, that part looks identical to an RC Servo, MG goes for "Metal Gears". It has a different connector, but I'm pretty much sure it's possible to find a pin-out.
Thank for the MG explanation :) That is good to know. The connector is no issue. I don't have a deutsch crimping tool but I could just solder the wires to the old plug :)
Regarding the part: Is that a HITEC servo? Is there anything else to buy but a servo and a special plug on it???
Upon looking at it closer it looks like a freaking standard HITEC servo...it is!!!! With a special plug. Coming from the RC car/plane world, those are very common, though they use a different plug.
Fischer Panda has always been $hit. When you originally installed it I wondered if they would deal with a popular YT'er differently, I am glad they do not show favouritism, this will show thousands of people how pi$$ poor they actually are.
Haha, in this one instance I wouldn't have minded slightly better treatment ;) Just kidding. Yeah they're apparently just shit to everyone.
Ah, would sir like a shit sandwich with one's new genset?
I have a friend who has the same experience with trying to get help buying a new control panel from Fisher Panda!
Unfortunate for you Mads, but lucky for us that things are always breaking. That way we get the much preferred DIY videos :)
PS - "irregardless" is not a word :)
Cheers, Sev
Hehe :) We'll survive it's just a frustrating situation to be in.
irregardless ... www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless :)
Fully agree with your comments of Customer Service ! But glad it is sorted
Revenge of the Polar Bears! Clearly the Panda is an ally....Keep on truckin Mads
Did that part say hitec …looks like an rc servo with a special cable lol guess upside is you now know how to get a replacement without deal with the manufacturer
That actuator is actually a servo for model aircraft or cars, the brand Hitec has been around for many years and are radially available. You can use other brands too, looks like a larger 1/4 scale servo. There’s no difference from US or EU servos at all. Only difference is the connector they put on it
You're not alone! A group of us cruisers were discussing Fischer Panda over a few beers and the customer service here in SE Asia is just as bad!
It is my experience that one failure tends to beget the next. This can erode confidence quickly in an electro-mechanical system. Let’s hope the genset behaves brilliantly after testing. If not, there are deeper problems in the design and materials. Pull the Panda ASAP and cut your loses. Someone sailing close to shores can bite the FP bullet better than long distance travelers. 🇺🇸⚓️
I don't comprehend why companies don't understand customer service is EVERYTHING! I had the exact opposite experience with Oakley over 30 years ago...I'm a customer to this day. With your experience, I will never be a Fisher-Panda customer. I'm sure there are 100k -ish people who will say the same.
I’ve heard many horror stories about F-P gensets. Onan Cummins by contrast has an excellent reputation in the USA. 😎
$15,000 USD Fisher Panda genset !
Looks like FP has a long history of poor customer service . . . .
Better Business Bureau rating B-
02/09/2022
". . .The water pump with is a FP installed water pump failed and caused the damage. I don’t understand why they would deny the warranty claim. No proper explanation was given. They manufacturer of the boat reached out as well and was given the same resistance. I offered to accept the party’s and I would pay for the labor. Again, they refused to honor the warranty claim."
geoffschultz Dec 15, 2001 SailNet Sailing Community
". . . All in all my experience with Fischer Panda has been very negative. I could never recommend one of their generators to anyone. Maybe the cause of the problem was the initial drop, but the fact that they didn''t detect the cracked block on any of the two times the unit was back to the factory is inexcusable. And the fact that they are ignoring my e-mails can''t be forgiven."
Did FP ever respond to you or this video? Curious what the outcome was. Great job explaining it all.
Good tip about the Panda Gen!
Having just seen your video on your fishing panda you stated that you were getting some black smoke and you're exhausted and shoot on the water a plugged exhaust elbow is not uncommon with those especially if they're run with a heavy load I would suggest that if this exciter does not out your actuator does not solve the problem you might want to pull that exhaust out below and double check it
I had one many years ago and it never worked properly. The exhaust and oil would go black immediately and I determined that it was due to the Kubota engine being overdriven. It's not possible for it to be driven so hard in a continuous way. I have replaced that genset with a simpler one using the same Kubota engine but drive it at half its capacity. It seems much happier
Yikes! I hope the new actuator will cover us for the next few years :)
If there is one thing I have noted over recent times is the deterioration of communication skills in a number of service areas.
But aren't Fischer Pandas quiet. Unless they actually start. My friends unit just specialises in leaking diesel. My experience with O/S companies. I couldn't get a part for my Volvo engine in Australia. Smarting from my 10 week delivery of a water pump pulley, I placed an order with Parts4Engines in the UK. This was 10pm on Thursday. At 3:00am Friday I got a text saying my parcel had arrived at Manchester airport. I thought, someone is pulling my leg here. I had a variety of bizarre updates (eg. Your parcel is on a camel in Doha etc.) Tuesday morning at 05:30 I got a message stating my parcel would be delivered today. 7:15am Tuesday, there it was. Four days, seven hours and 15 minutes from Sheffield UK, to Brisbane, Australia.
What is the strangest part here is that "part" is just a servo used in model aircraft. Made by Hi Tech as well and I'm certain you could have just used any servo for that. LOL
Mads I have made a of things from delrin including a couple bow rollers for my boat. The cost of the delrin is about $40.00 USD for your roller so a really fair price!
I've used a fair bit of Delrin back in Denmark too :) Really nice to work with :)
Those actuators are used and sold all over the place. I fly radio control airplanes, and those are the things we put in plane to ailerons, rudders to get the plane to go where we wanted to go. They can also be called servos.
I talked to a local Fischer Panda service rep. He has done 3-4 servo replacements this year. Sounds like it is a common failure point and maybe FP should look for a more robust solution
@@SailLife it’s pretty easy to do the research they make tons of them all with different torque ratings, steel bearings, plastic insides, etc. I would crack the old one open and you may find a bunch of plastic parts in side versus the higher-quality ones