It's FRIED! My brand new $1500 Fanatec Wheelbase broke... after 2 weeks!

Well, this is not the type of video I expected to make any time soon. Sometimes no matter how "good" something is supposed to be, it still breaks. That is the case with my brand new Fanatec DD2 wheelbase. Not only was the product defective, but the customer support I received from Fanatec has been subpar to say the least. I'm not a happy customer. Let's see how Fanatec ultimately makes things right.
Have you guys seen this error? What has your experience been with Fanatec? Share your stories below.
#fanatec #simracing #simrig #iracing
Follow me on IG: @GabeOrlowitzRacing

[@georgegalea1937]

I own the new McLaren wheel, CSL DD and CSL load cell pedals. They feel great and took my new hobby to another level after owning a T300 belt drive (which wasn’t that bad). However the only FANATEC product I own that hasn’t failed is the DD wheel base. Within 4 months the McLaren wheel cracked at the shifter pivot point and where the QR is mounted. Following many delayed emails and being accused of over tightening, they accepted it was caused by a weakness and replaced the back half of the wheel. Soon after it was returned the load cell pedal completely failed. As requested by FANATEC I sent video footage before sending the pedals back. I waited weeks before emailing them to ask when they will be returned. FANATEC claimed they could not fault them and they were sent back. Within minutes I experienced the same issue. Frustrations were building due to the failures experienced compounded by the very long response times by FANATEC when seeking help for new equipment that could not used. However I yet again send an email pleading for a remedy. While waiting for a response an electrical technician overheard what I experienced and offered to inspect. Minutes later the technician confirmed a faulty voltage regulator within the circuit board of the load cell brake pedal. I have been enjoying my sim racing ever since. My only regret is not doing more research before deciding to purchase equipment from FANATEC. Take a look at FANATEC’s own forum to see how many customers are experiencing the same issues. Regardless of the failures experienced I would not have written this if it wasn’t for the very poor customer service / response times. I only hope this gets better soon for FANATEC. At the moment they are making it easy for companies such as MOZA to take over.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

You sure had it rough. I also wish I had been aware of all these fanatec horror stories. Definitely wouldn’t have bought from them had I known.

[@nephroghost1912]

Sorry to hear man! Hoping it will be resolved soon. I had some of their earlier belt driven wheels when they were a fairly new company years ago. They were mostly fine but I had to RMA one of the wheels and it was a pain with sending videos etc. They sent a replacement promptly. Recently I went with a Simucube 2 Pro wheel base and absolutely love it! It’s been solid so far.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Yea, got the replacement back and so far ok. If it breaks again though I’ll likely switch brands. Glad to hear you’re liking the Simucube 👍

[@dirtdiver2389]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 How long did it take for you to get it back? Was yours "fixed" or did they ship you a new unit?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@dirtdiver2389 took just over a month from the time it broke to the time I got the new one in hand. The original was defective.

[@s13dad82]

I am so glad you mentioned their customer support, I've had that problem before and they are the worst when it comes to customer service. I stopped buying from Fanatec because of it.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

That stinks! I don’t understand how companies think they can get away with such bad customer support. Hope you found better luck with others.

[@Masterleechan]

Sorry to hear try simucube I've had simucube 1 for almost 5 years still runs perfectly and I use it alot still runs brand new

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@Masterleechan I will consider them if the Fanatec breaks again!

[@scuderiabazzane6064]

I’ve heard of their bad customer support… btw, when my csl dd broke after a month or so, I sent it back and they sent a new one… not that bad

[@rememberthefuture944]

Hope this gets resolved. I had bad V3 pedals and would have bought the box when i initially contacted them, but the customer service was totally unhelpful. I asked for troubleshooting and sent videos and they offered nothing. When I complained they said the guy i was talking to was one of their best. i said forget it and reminded them they have an easy job selling game controllers and it shouldn't be on the backs of their American customers to make their shareholders quarter. Sharing your experience is really valuable to customers of this stuff because often reviews are done by people who have a vested interest in Fanatec and when they are basically making an ad for Fanactec of course they get a free on that works. Thanks and best of luck.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Thanks for the input. Sucks you had to go through that also. Crazy how many people are commenting similar experiences here.

[@xklopan]

I had a Fanatec base many years ago, it had an issue and I too only got one or two emails per week, what shocks me is that all these years later nothing has changed regarding support.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

That is shocking!

[@scottkinnebrew7924]

I think your thoughts about the opportunity to build the customer relationship based on how the company handles the issue is so true. I have been in the market for a direct drive wheel and been looking heavily at the Fanatec product line. Your experience with Fanatec customer service will certainly inform that decision and likely push me elsewhere. I might check out the new Logitech G PRO.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Yea, and tons of people have commented similar experiences so not just mine. I wonder if Logitech support is any better. Good luck!

[@AlexFrush]

Do NOT buy the logitech G PRO, please, logitech is not great at the moment. I am no professional, and I use the dd1, but I know a bit. The following brands are great compared to logitech: Fanatec is still great, just not the best when it comes to support and ect. Moza is new, and its apparently one of the best. SimCube is used by pro's and is also apparently fantastic. Good luck to you.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@AlexFrush good to know, thanks!

[@AlexFrush]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 I wanted to inform you that my dd1 started working after I reset the firmware, hope you got through the RMA process

[@scottkinnebrew7924]

@@AlexFrush I've had a chance to try several of these wheels now and the quality of the FF on the G Pro is far superior to that of anything from Moza. It's a little bit of a toss up between the DD1 and the G Pro, but as stated prior... the customer service issues tip the scales in favor of the G Pro. I haven't tried SimCube, but it's just not in the budget. So they are out. The T818 is the sole competitor left that I would consider. The bottom line is that the statement "Logitech is not great at the moment." is just wrong. I don't know if you mean the company or the G pro, specifically, but in either case- it's just not true. You can prefer other stuff over the G Pro all you want, but the idea that it's not a great product is ridiculous. And if you meant the company... well- that is ludicrous. They are the best peripherals company on the planet and you benefit from that when you buy their products.

[@philbrett8626]

I had similar issues with my csl dd. I found the shaft had moved slightly forward. Release the yoke and the shaft will shift around a mm inwards. Tighten the yoke and switch back on. Fixed mine hope it helps!

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Thanks for the tip! Mine ended up being defective so they sent a replacement.

[@cobyborel]

I'm having similar issues. I got the DD1 with F1 wheel and got the Fanatec Podium Wheel V3i Peddals, Shifter and Handbrake. Getting Drives updated was a pain. The Fanatec Podium Wheel still doesn't work. I'm still going back and forth with customer support and haven't shipped it out yet. I'm like you, it broke whatever overnight a working product and a return label for the broken hardware. But nooo. Purchased Nov 22 and still don't have a working product. I wanted to spin my upcoming vacation time enjoying my new complete sim rig something that I've saved up for 2 years. I didn't even get 2 weeks. Dead on arrival. I'm in Florida so I guess it will be February before I have a working product.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

That’s brutal! The worst when it ruins your vacation. Ultimately it’ll get fixed or replaced, but they’re just so slow. Good luck

[@Stonely1974]

Hi, so sorry to hear about your experience with Fanatec. May i asked u how does the NLR sim rig hold up with the wheel base? Any flex?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Been about a year and held up fine! The rig is totally solid, no flex, haven’t had issues with it.

[@sosweed]

I got my DD1 clubsport RS wheel and V3 padel 22th september, installed it worked for one race and stoped working. after 4 days of trying i am sending it back to them. No customer response about how to fix the issue.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

That’s BS. Can’t believe they’re still having awful customer service. I guess be patient and keep reaching out to them to make sure you get a replacement. It’ll take time but they should help.

[@SpeedyPerkins88]

I thought i was the only one who got a bad wheel. I bought my dd2 two weeks ago and it bricked during the 24hr of spa. what made it worse was my team was running 1st for the 1st half of the race, until my wheel kept messing up over and over. I really want to do something about this, there customer service doesn't feel like 58mil EUR company that owns them. Keeps us updated on the outcome of it all.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

That's awful! I had that thought of it breaking during a race, and I suppose the only real way around it is to have a backup wheelbase? In any case, there definitely seems to be a theme here with people's Fanatec's breaking and then dealing with bad customer support.

[@thepalmpilot3g]

I feel super bad for you and I hear your pain. I currently have the F1 DD1 package coming my way with V3 pedals and actually the same chassis your running. You shouldn't have to make a video to try and get them to try harder for customer service. For all of you who say just buy something else, Fanatec is branded as a global sim racing company and have race series based on their equipment. They are also the only one that is Console compatible without using usb work around hubs. They are a great product and I hope there customer service improves if I ever have to use it. Wishing you all the best and would love a followup if you have any further info.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Thanks, you wouldn’t know based on their global presence just how poorly they treat customers behind the scenes. Update is in other videos.. they ended up sending a replacement as this one was indeed defective.

[@Kuba200488]

This is what happens when a company pays more attention for promotion than quality, and people still buy it.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Yep

[@LeMamour]

And what is the best Brand for quality base? Because im looking for my first DD base and Fanatec is on my radar

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@LeMamour I really don’t know. Since they sent the replacement mine has been good. I’ve never had anything else though.

[@mutha_fnmikey2325]

If your want to play on ps5 and Xbox with the same equipment there isn’t another option. Their customer service is abysmal but I haven’t needed them thankfully and I have a DD2, clubsport csw 2.5, clubsport V3, clubsport shifter and Ebrake, and the cal pedals.

[@mutha_fnmikey2325]

@@LeMamourfanatec does have great quality. They have a really bad QA problems and even worse customer support. They are a big company that has a lot of competition now that didn’t exist just a few years ago. I believe they have no choice but to improve in both of those areas. With so many videos circulating from the last year surprised they haven’t already released something addressing it and attempting to change it.

[@wwjnz9263]

They should send you a new replacement, but they probably didn't. This video is about a month old, did they get you back up and running?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Yes they ended up sending a replacement after a month. I’ve been posting new videos since then, so far so good. But definitely a bad experience with them early on.

[@lawerancelanham]

I think I've got the same problem. I'm awaiting an rma at the moment. I've had it for @2 years now but it's still a huge let down to have to go through the shipping processes.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Crap! They ended up shipping me a new one, but didn’t even tell me what happened or why it broke. At least you got some more mileage out of yours. Sorry you have to go through it too

[@lawerancelanham]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 I'm having to send the dd2 the podium hub and the module. I'm hoping if needed I actually get s new one like you did. About how long of a turnaround time did you have?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@lawerancelanham from the day it broke to the day I received my replacement, it took just over a month, and that was with me going as quickly as I could on my end in terms of contacting them, getting it shipped to them, etc.

[@redn8y965]

Sucks when it's you, but these things are quite rare. good to see it get sorted. When's the iRacing content coming my guy?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

True, overall should be a great sim experience despite the hiccup. Very soon, next couple weeks I’ll start posting racing content!

[@abwatson100]

Not rare - check fanatec's their socials

[@steveramundo4946]

I had this exact same error about a year ago.....Did they resolve this for you? I have been lucky as thier customer support was good with me.. Had to replace a DD2 Wheel Base that was under warranty and they gave me no trouble and were timely... Hope you got it sorted out!

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

I’m happy it worked out for you! I wish it would work out more like that for others.

[@steveramundo4946]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 did they replace the unit?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@steveramundo4946 they did. It took a little over a month I think. I posted a follow up video sometime after.

[@gonzo420THC]

This makes me have second thoughts on the DD2.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t hesitate to try another brand

[@KnowerofThings]

please update, is the replacement still working?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Yes, so far so good.

[@KnowerofThings]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 that is good to hear

[@mutha_fnmikey2325]

Did this happen during a firmware upgrade?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Not that I recall. Just went to turn it on one day and didn’t work.

[@qiaoz6511]

Hi there, I am dealing with the exact same issue with my 3month old dd2. Just curious, when they send back your stuff, did they send the hub and the dd1 together or separately? Thanks

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Sorry to hear. Hope it gets resolved asap. The wheelbase and hub were both in the box if I’m not mistaken, just as if I had ordered the DD2 new.

[@qiaoz6511]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 Thanks for the info. I got a tracking number from Fanatec yesterday, but it's only 2 lbs. DD2 obviously weighs way more than that. No sure what is going one.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@qiaoz6511 hmm. Before they sent the replacement they confirmed that the wheelbase was defective. Did they confirm that with you?

[@qiaoz6511]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 Nothing from them. I only know there is update to my repair since I got a tracking number. This whole process is so confusing.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@qiaoz6511 very frustrating. If I had a dollar for every one of these types of complaints here in the comments…good luck

[@JohnLewis-gi5vp]

Wow and i was thinking of buying that model.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

You know, I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I would say even putting aside the fact that it broke, I’m still not overly impressed given the price point. While the strength and torque is there, it still feels numb to me. It doesn’t have the fine vibrations that I expected. Good luck

[@JohnLewis-gi5vp]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 thanks. I have the csl dd it’s nice but I’m looking for more. Been thinking of going to simagic ricmotec is the dealer and they do all warranty repairs on site.

[@MrAlfasul]

more expensive is not always better, got a thrustmaster tgt2 -tlcm peddal set to ps4 works fine no overheating or electronic problems so far !!!

[@Prophecy-bs9ds]

Man that blows. Hope they do right by you. I don’t know what that thing costs but give them a chance to make it right. I’m sure there’s a refund policy in place if that happens again.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Thanks Haro, yea a bummer for sure

[@mauroleonardi390]

Well one year later they still doing the same customer service... got a defective base 6 months ago and they just seems to don't care... respond 1 email per week and refuse to replace or refund... very frustrating... just want to move to another brand

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Makes me mad! Sorry to hear

[@LeboPrince47]

Did you boys end up fixing your bases ?

[@SackyX]

I had to send mine in or repair not long ago. I hate the fact that you can't talk with them and their email system really sucks as they will get back to you weekly. Fanatec is good though on repairing and getting your hardware back to you (took a week to get it back) but it takes a while to get to the RMA stage to get your product to them.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Yea I’ve been hearing similar stories from everyone here. Let’s hope it’s one and done in terms of breakage! Good luck to you 💪

[@miguelgaspar2670]

What

[@BRANDON.MUSTANG]

Good video damn fanatec yes im so agree whit you they should care us much more than they do...allready scare to order new base from fanatec..my wheel just arrived it takes only 1 month hahaha

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Good luck!

[@maurits2450]

I have exact the same issue for the second time!! Their support is horribele 😡😡 Totally not customer-friendly! So i advice everybody; do not buy any Fanatec products. What did they fix on your steering wheel? Main PCBA?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Two times?! My gosh, sorry to hear.

[@maurits2450]

What did they do to fix your wheelbase?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@maurits2450 eventually sent a replacement because it was defective

[@maurits2450]

Hope they will take their responsability soon 🙏🏻

[@wandrinsheep]

I’m never touching anything Fanatec branded again, I’ve learnt my lesson. They got super poor QA

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Wish I learned that before I spent $1500 on a wheelbase. Lesson learned. To be honest, I’m not even impressed by the DD2 when it works.

[@DiscoStu30]

buggy kill switch?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Not sure, I don’t think so but the never specified what was wrong with it.

[@freddaniali]

Gabe, this sucks, I know exactly how you feel!

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

That’s right Fred.. this happened to you with a more expensive, more yellow toy, ain’t that right? 😉

[@freddaniali]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 lol, yeah, but Ferrari customer service was awesome! They even offered me a loaner 488 gtb. They will fix your wheel.... eventually.

[@davidorlowitz]

damnnnn bro, this got worked out right?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Yea bro took a month but got it sorted

[@Wachito78]

Why does everybody hate Fanatec, yes, they were slow delivering my bundle in thanksgiving but after I have made 2 more orders, and everything has worked fine. Maybe i've been lucky, but the hate has to stop. There is no such thing as urgency, we as a society have become to impatient, we want everything for yesterday, things dont work that way. Im waiting on my 6sigma cockpit, its been 3 weeks, thats life. Exposing only creates more drama and hate.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

I think people just want honest and fair customer service

[@garryburns6659]

😲Well that's Fanatec for you they have had more people sending there stuff back than they are selling😀+now the company has internal problems, so if I was you I'd be asking for my money back and changing systems like Moza or sim magic they have a much better machinery and much better customer service, all the best with it dude👍🙂🚗

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Thanks, I will definitely consider those options for the next one.

[@garryburns6659]

👍🙂🚗

[@101wilku101]

Trilled by your history, dude , this thing happens all the time and they will repair it. No worries

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Yea they ended up sending a replacement about a month later since this one was defective.

[@seebarry4068]

I guess at least it’s covered under warranty. Only because it’s the law.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Yep

[@jrmyquartararo90]

hello moza racing:)

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Ha, quite possible if this replacement ends up defective also. Do you have a moza?

[@AdamOutlaw87]

Moza quazo and joza is not any better. Everybody has a problem with every product out there in the world it just matters what the company does about it is all that really matters. If they fix the issue great, if your treated bad or unfair well this is where we must stand strong against these places because this Sim gear is getting out of control with pricing these companies will live or die on how they treat us. Sorry for you man and how u felt basically on your own that had to mske u rage

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Agreed! Customer service is where these companies can really make or break their reputation.

[@elvish4432]

Super sad for you- 😥😥😥

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

No need to be sad

[@sircliff1]

Well at least they appear to be treating us all the same. Obviously still not good but...🤐

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Yea, it’s a bummer 😔

[@Fred_Bassett]

I've read for a long time that Fanatec customer service is crap. I'm looking for a DD wheel base, wheel, pedals and shifter later this year but I just don't want to buy from them due to the lack of any kind of decent customer service. Sorry it's happening to you. One thing you said at the end about them maybe sending you a refurbished unit or trying to repair the original one. I don't think you have had that wheel base for long. They need to send you a new one. You spent a lot of money, you expect new and working, not repaired or refurbished.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Well, based on my experience and many others’, that seems to be the case. It’s got me wondering how they’ve gotten to be as big as they are in the first place. Luckily I did end up getting a new replacement. Good luck with your search and whatever you end up with!

[@tomashopper2034]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 Because for the longest time they were the only game in town with higher end stuff. It was them, logitech, and thrustmaster. Not the case anymore but the still seem to get a lot of endorsements. They give no updates about stuff being out of stock for months. Like I said above they have always been known for crappy customer support.

[@user-cg3vs9cl1p]

The board are fried,do troubleshoot everything not gonna help

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Thanks, they ended up replacing the unit

[@videogamemadness88]

they only are slow for us americans for ppl in europe they are alot more responsive

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Hmm if that’s true that’s quite disappointing

[@JoseFcoBN]

You're wrong friend, in Europe customer service is the same or worse, I've known them since 2006 and luckily, I only bought one product, which I ended up fixing by myself, a year later it went straight to the trash, and never again Fanatec. ..

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@JoseFcoBN at least they’re consistent in how bad they treat the customers

[@enzoman444]

Welcome to fanatec . Rma after rma. Terrible products

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Apparently

[@enzoman444]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 you have my sympathies.

[@TIUCIKEIR]

good luck. fanatec has the worst tech support

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Thanks. Got the replacement a while ago now, so I’m hoping I don’t run into this again, otherwise I’ll switch brands.

[@TheBuzzorca]

Get your money back and buy simucube 2 pro and you will be happy

[@erelster]

Why so dramatic? Just get it RMA'd...

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

I did

[@dirtdiver2389]

Just get it RMA'd. Downtime of over a month for something you paid $1500 for.

[@erelster]

@@dirtdiver2389 this is manufacturing, shit happens. Sucks that it does but that is how it is. Why are you lot being such cry babies?

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

@@dirtdiver2389 trust me I was trying nearly every day to get the process moving and get a working product. It was fanatec that was slow, not me.

[@dirtdiver2389]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 My reply wasn't directed at you, it was directed at the guy that told you to just RMA it.

[@IlFidiputtDefinitivo]

15 mins of work for me. Than your same error occurred.

[@gabeorlowitzracing8273]

Wow, that stinks. Hope you get it fixed soon.

[@IlFidiputtDefinitivo]

@@gabeorlowitzracing8273 Ty man. I hope too.