Excal repair update

[erikk]

Here is an update for all who are thinking of sending in your excals for repair. Spoke with them yesterday about the excal that I had sent in and they had received on July 2nd.
Seems that it will take a minimum of 40, yes that is 40 WORKING DAYS before someone will even get around to open the box to see what is wrong and then who knows how long to call, fix the unit and get it in the mail
Now don't get me wrong-the excal is a great machine but in order to hunt like we do down here in FL one machine just will not stand up to constant use and that is why I have 3 of them. It just seems a shame that when you pay over $1000 for a detector that they can't be made to keep running a while or if not get repaired in less than a couple of months.
Garrett, Whites and Fisher can do it in a few weeks-what is wrong with Minelab? I really don't need to hear that crap that they are behind because of the confusion of moving the operation from NV to IL because I sent mine to NV and that is where it is being repaired.
And the BEST PART....when you call you get "Welcome to Minelab where we make the best detectors in the world" They should also add "But they are the most expensive, we can't keep them running and if you need them repaired-GOOD LUCK"

 

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[Sandman]

Sorry to hear about the long repair times for the Minelabs. My Excal doesn't need any repairs but mine is one of the older 1000's. If I was still dragging my butt over all that sand on the coast I would make sure I carried a Sov GT.

 

[erikk]

Sorry to hear about the long repair times for the Minelabs. My Excal doesn't need any repairs but mine is one of the older 1000's. If I was still dragging my butt over all that sand on the coast I would make sure I carried a Sov GT.

But I bet U R not hunting it 5-6 days a week 365 & the one in for repairs is one of the older ones (blue phones-second time for repairs, same problem-threshold) I also have the Yellow and the Excal 2 Don't do the sand-knees R shot

 

[FloridaBill]

Sorry to hear about the long repair times for the Minelabs. My Excal doesn't need any repairs but mine is one of the older 1000's. If I was still dragging my butt over all that sand on the coast I would make sure I carried a Sov GT.

But I bet U R not hunting it 5-6 days a week 365 & the one in for repairs is one of the older ones (blue phones-second time for repairs, same problem-threshold) I also have the Yellow and the Excal 2 Don't do the sand-knees R shot

yup there is really no call for that from a huge company like Minelab it's very simple your machines are over $1,000.00 then you should be able to afford more help period........................

 

[Captain Loosechange]

Wow! I belong to several MD forums and this seems to be a very widespread problem. Why don't someone with some technical/electronic know how open a Detector repair shop specializing in Excals. Then everything out of warranty could be sent to them, they would need help obviously from all the posts but someone out of work or retired could make a full time job out of it, it seems. If they did good work and had a quick turn-around time they would get all the business they could handle. Wish I had the know how to work on them but I only know how to use 'em, not fix 'em. So there you go, a million dollar idea for free, if someone does this and makes a fortune, please remember me for the idea and send me $20,000. Then I could get a nice Pontoon boat and we both would be happy

 

[erikk]

Wow! I belong to several MD forums and this seems to be a very widespread problem. Why don't someone with some technical/electronic know how open a Detector repair shop specializing in Excals. Then everything out of warranty could be sent to them, they would need help obviously from all the posts but someone out of work or retired could make a full time job out of it, it seems. If they did good work and had a quick turn-around time they would get all the business they could handle. Wish I had the know how to work on them but I only know how to use 'em, not fix 'em. So there you go, a million dollar idea for free, if someone does this and makes a fortune, please remember me for the idea and send me $20,000. Then I could get a nice Pontoon boat and we both would be happy

Think Minelab will let U get your hands on the parts to fix them?

 

[JOE(USA)]

erikk ,

Definitely not! Minelab will not sell / supply ANY person not even a certified Metal detector repair business with any Minelab parts. Joe

 

[Captain Loosechange]

Wow! I belong to several MD forums and this seems to be a very widespread problem. Why don't someone with some technical/electronic know how open a Detector repair shop specializing in Excals. Then everything out of warranty could be sent to them, they would need help obviously from all the posts but someone out of work or retired could make a full time job out of it, it seems. If they did good work and had a quick turn-around time they would get all the business they could handle. Wish I had the know how to work on them but I only know how to use 'em, not fix 'em. So there you go, a million dollar idea for free, if someone does this and makes a fortune, please remember me for the idea and send me $20,000. Then I could get a nice Pontoon boat and we both would be happy

Think Minelab will let U get your hands on the parts to fix them?

Like I said, I'm no electrician but most of the repairs that I have seen posted about are for knobs, coil wires and headphone problem, replacements. If someone did this kind of stuff it would leave the Minelab techs available for the other stuff that only Minelab can fix, if their is such a thing, I don't know what "parts" are in these detectors but I'm sure some savvy repairman could come up with the stuff to do most repairs. I maybe wrong.

 

[Silver Surfer]

They have had mine since June 23rd and I dont expect it back before the middle to end of September... MTpockets machine took 90 days..
I could see the problems if it were a seal (Like the BHID had) or something like that, but the problems they have seem to be random and varied. Some are headphones, some are boards, some are coils.... That is just not right in my opinion, especially on an old design that they have been making for over a decade.. They should have had the "bugs" all sorted out a long time ago and the only repairs should be on very old or abused machines.... NOT machines well taken care of and under 2 yrs old... I wonder if they have any idea what this is doing to their reputation, or if they really care?
I know if mine breaks again, I am not sure I will keep it... PI found me a very nice ring yesterday, and that makes two since I bought it about a month ago..

 

[BareBones]

I agree it is unnerving about Minelabs support, especially for the price you pay for the machine. I personally own Whites, Garrett and Minelab equipment and I have dealt with Garretts and Whites customer service in the past and it has been a very pleasant experience.

While I have not had an issue with my Excal that I could not fix myself yet, I'm dreading the day I ever have to send it in for repair. Another thing that does not speak very well about Minelab as compared to other brands is, their warranty is NOT transferable. You have to love that, something else to consider when buying a Minelab or at least a second hand one.

The control knobs are total crap and will eventually break off. I had one break first day out with the detector on the volume knob adjusting it, but it was not a huge issue on the hunt. I decided to change them all out and I did have another one break in the change change out process. It would have surely broken on me in the near future as well.

You can get some superior replacements from the factory ones at Radio Shack - 2 pack of knobs for $1.99 It seems totally ridiculous that you have to change out the factory knobs with something better on a $1200 detector. I feel the same too about the shaft and putting a knob guard on which I did since day one. I've never used the S shaft it came with and Minelab should do themselves a favor and include a knob guard as a standard factory accessory in the box.

I understand that probably 60% of people who ever buy a metal detector, that detector will end up in the closet collecting dust after the first month of purchase. Another 20% after the first year will have the same result. 10% will hunt maybe just when the weather permits or seasonal with 8% being consistent weekend warriors and only about 2% being full time dedicated treasure hunters.

I also understand that manufacturing companies take this into account when building a machine and in selecting the materials to use in the manufacturing and engineering process to maximize profits. But if you look closely at the Minelab product, there is something out of kilter with their business plan. They seem to be more motivated with profit then with building a quality product and standing behind it, much less servicing their product when it breaks.

They are probably of all the metal detector manufacturers that have their machines sold at retail locations, the most expensive of them all and this is one time where you can't say you get what you pay for.

Someone recently told me they heard a rumor that Minelab was going out of business. I personally don't hold much truth to that, but by all the reports of service problems; it is evident that there is something seriously wrong internally with the health and structure of the company. And it truth, it does make me nervous owning a Minelab product that at some point in it's life cycle will need a repair that I can not perform myself.

The Excal does have it's place in my arsenal, but in truth if it ever goes tits up I'm not sure I would replace it. That is just my opinion though, so you Minelab fanboys don't get your panties in a bunch. HH and may you find gold in your scoop on every hunt!

 

[erikk]

I agree it is unnerving about Minelabs support, especially for the price you pay for the machine. I personally own Whites, Garrett and Minelab equipment and I have dealt with Garretts and Whites customer service in the past and it has been a very pleasant experience.

While I have not had an issue with my Excal that I could not fix myself yet, I'm dreading the day I ever have to send it in for repair. Another thing that does not speak very well about Minelab as compared to other brands is, their warranty is NOT transferable. You have to love that, something else to consider when buying a Minelab or at least a second hand one.

The control knobs are total crap and will eventually break off. I had one break first day out with the detector on the volume knob adjusting it, but it was not a huge issue on the hunt. I decided to change them all out and I did have another one break in the change change out process. It would have surely broken on me in the near future as well.

You can get some superior replacements from the factory ones at Radio Shack - 2 pack of knobs for $1.99 It seems totally ridiculous that you have to change out the factory knobs with something better on a $1200 detector. I feel the same too about the shaft and putting a knob guard on which I did since day one. I've never used the S shaft it came with and Minelab should do themselves a favor and include a knob guard as a standard factory accessory in the box.

I understand that probably 60% of people who ever buy a metal detector, that detector will end up in the closet collecting dust after the first month of purchase. Another 20% after the first year will have the same result. 10% will hunt maybe just when the weather permits or seasonal with 8% being consistent weekend warriors and only about 2% being full time dedicated treasure hunters.

I also understand that manufacturing companies take this into account when building a machine and in selecting the materials to use in the manufacturing and engineering process to maximize profits. But if you look closely at the Minelab product, there is something out of kilter with their business plan. They seem to be more motivated with profit then with building a quality product and standing behind it, much less servicing their product when it breaks.

They are probably of all the metal detector manufacturers that have their machines sold at retail locations, the most expensive of them all and this is one time where you can't say you get what you pay for.

Someone recently told me they heard a rumor that Minelab was going out of business. I personally don't hold much truth to that, but by all the reports of service problems; it is evident that there is something seriously wrong internally with the health and structure of the company. And it truth, it does make me nervous owning a Minelab product that at some point in it's life cycle will need a repair that I can not perform myself.

The Excal does have it's place in my arsenal, but in truth if it ever goes tits up I'm not sure I would replace it. That is just my opinion though, so you Minelab fanboys don't get your panties in a bunch. HH and may you find gold in your scoop on every hunt!

Agree 100%
My new knobs (Radio Shack) customized

 

[BareBones]

I opted for the smaller knobs only because I did not want them to interfere or be awkward with the knob guard.

 

[erikk]

I opted for the smaller knobs only because I did not want them to interfere or be awkward with the knob guard.

Tried those but couldn't keep them from loosening and some broke while trying to tighten Also the brass screw will react with the aluminum shaft in the salt. The larger knobs allowed me to use SS set screws that can be tightened with an hex wrench and much easier to turn with wet hands

 

[BareBones]

[/quote]
Tried those but couldn't keep them from loosening and some broke while trying to tighten Also the brass screw will react with the aluminum shaft in the salt. The larger knobs allowed me to use SS set screws that can be tightened with an hex wrench and much easier to turn with wet hands
[/quote]

Just so you know SS will react with aluminum causing electrolysis much more then brass on aluminum will. Dissimilar metals will corrode when in contact with one another expedited by water and both aluminum and brass are non ferrous metals while stainless steel is a ferrous metal. The best metallurgic combination you could hope for would be all aluminum, but aluminum set screws would be very weak and darn near useless.

Also, I'm pretty sure most if not all the aftermarket knobs have a brass collar insert that the set screw screws into. There might be some out there with an aluminum insert, but those probably have brass or steel set screws.

I had not really given much considered for the potential corrosion factor, though it could very well explain why Minelab chose to use an all plastic knob in their design. If that is true, they certainly could have come up with a more robust nonmetallic knob.

 

[S.S.Tupperware]

Sure keeps me from buying one... nuff said. I'll stick with whites, 3 weeks door to door.

 

[ken(Toronto)]

One easy way to solve this problem: STOP buying their machines!!
When a company gives poor service like that, it means ONLY one thing....they don't need your business, they have too much already!

IMHO

Ken

 

[Kiwijohn]

It's a pity http://detectormods.com/Minelab_Mods.html this guy does not do Excals.

 

[digum smacks]

i just do the repairs myself.unless the circuit board is shot you can change coils and headphones yourself.but heres the tip you must do it right the first time. im working on 3 machines right now.i am always getting new coils and if i knew electronics i would be set.the most ive done on the circuit board is change the electrolytic capacitors you can get them from digikey

 

[Tank69]

It's kinda funny if you watch these forums an the complaints about the machines an the issues that the company involved has with repairs an how they are dealing with their customers.

Tesoro has been playing this water proof connector game a lil over a year now , people are pissed but yet 7 out of 10 will go "oh it's ok " tuck their head back in the sand an let things just happen , read this spot 40 business days just to be looked at OUCH. Once again 7 out of 10 will get pissed an scream that's not right while the rest enjoy that sand ...

It's funny to me an be serious when you think about this ........whether it be your 1971 Pinto wagon or your 2011 BMW ......if you took it to a shop for repairs an they told you "ya park it over there after you pay the bill to have it towed here an we might look at it in 40 business days" ...."or your car sits there for a year while they say hmmmmm sorry we just cant find that simple part for it in the last year ". "yes we know a guy who's machine was over at brand T for over a year for repairs "

what would you do ? No really what would you do ?.........like me you would tell em stuff it where the sun don't shine an find somebody who can take care of the problem , if it was left at the shop you'd start at the bottom an yell till you hit the one in charge or the one with the answers .......of course 2 people would still be in the sand .

What do we do here folks , people are pissed the company don't care their still getting there big bucks but where is our voice for them to hear how mad we are at all this crap? Seems like when it comes to our detectors we dont want to hurt any ones feeling or look like a bad guy so nobody says anything ..


just my 2 peso's Tank

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Just so you know SS will react with aluminum causing electrolysis much more then brass on aluminum will. Dissimilar metals will corrode when in contact with one another expedited by water and both aluminum and brass are non ferrous metals while stainless steel is a ferrous metal. The best metallurgic combination you could hope for would be all aluminum, but aluminum set screws would be very weak and darn near useless.

Also, I'm pretty sure most if not all the aftermarket knobs have a brass collar insert that the set screw screws into. There might be some out there with an aluminum insert, but those probably have brass or steel set screws.

I had not really given much considered for the potential corrosion factor, though it could very well explain why Minelab chose to use an all plastic knob in their design. If that is true, they certainly could have come up with a more robust nonmetallic knob.

I have been using the larger knobs with the SS set screws for years, with out any issues...