Jesse
Well Known Member
I just had and experience that I thought was necessary to share. I hope it was an isolated case, but I couldn't shrug it off as no big deal.
I had a vacuum pad driven backup alternator installed on an IO-540 in a -10. It wasn't working. In the troubleshooting process I noticed that the alternator wasn't turning when I turned the prop. Naturally, I called Plane Power, which is now Hartzell Engine a technologies or something like that. The tech guy I got was not very friendly, but said there is a sheer pin that can break, causing the alternator not to spin. Naturally, I told him that the alternator was perhaps a year or two old, but had never been run until a week ago. He said that the Plane Power warranty was 2 years from date of purchase, no matter how much it is used or when it is out in service. Now, here's the kicker. I asked him how much they would charge to fix it. He told me, "We don't usually fix them. You should probably go to Aircradt Spruce, or wherever you buy your parts, and buy a new one." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!! We don't service our products, just buy a new one?! What a crock.
It turned out the engine had the wrong vacuum pump drive adapter, so the alternator wasn't bad, but what kind of pathetic customer service is that? If Dynon told customers with a bad screen, "We don't usually fix them, just buy a new one," people would drop them faster than Avgas evaporates from a hot Florida ramp.
I had a vacuum pad driven backup alternator installed on an IO-540 in a -10. It wasn't working. In the troubleshooting process I noticed that the alternator wasn't turning when I turned the prop. Naturally, I called Plane Power, which is now Hartzell Engine a technologies or something like that. The tech guy I got was not very friendly, but said there is a sheer pin that can break, causing the alternator not to spin. Naturally, I told him that the alternator was perhaps a year or two old, but had never been run until a week ago. He said that the Plane Power warranty was 2 years from date of purchase, no matter how much it is used or when it is out in service. Now, here's the kicker. I asked him how much they would charge to fix it. He told me, "We don't usually fix them. You should probably go to Aircradt Spruce, or wherever you buy your parts, and buy a new one." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!! We don't service our products, just buy a new one?! What a crock.
It turned out the engine had the wrong vacuum pump drive adapter, so the alternator wasn't bad, but what kind of pathetic customer service is that? If Dynon told customers with a bad screen, "We don't usually fix them, just buy a new one," people would drop them faster than Avgas evaporates from a hot Florida ramp.