Very happy with my explorer 2....not to happy with minelab repair dept.

[eddie72876]

Hi All,
I have not posted in the last 2 years or so. When my son was born my free time all but vanished and I've only been out a handfull of times. Anyway I thought this might be worth posting for anyone who has an older minelab detector. For quite a while my explorer 2 was acting up on me. It didnt want to turn on when the power button was pushed and I'd have to push it more than once. The issue got worse as time went on until it wouldn't turn on at all. I sent my detector back to minelab hoping and praying it could be fixed. They told me that after testing the machine it needed a new PCB and a couple of other things. They said ir would be $600 to $800 to make the repair. I couldn't afford the fix or a new detector so when it came back I decided to take a look at it myself. I'm pretty handy with a lot of stuff, but electronics was a new one. I took the machine all apart and noticed the ribbon wire that goes from the keypad to one of the three circuit boards had a discolored wire in it. I followed the circuit from the power button to the ribbon wire and it went right to the discolored wire. To try and make a long story short, I soldered 2 small wires to the plug on the board where the ribbon cable goes, drilled a hole in my detector housing, and hooked up a $3.79 push button switch that I bought at Radio Shack (see pic). My explorer 2 works great!!! As happy as I am (having fixed my detector for around 5 bucks total and a couple hours of time) I can't help but to be dissapointed with minelab's repair facility. The PCB and everything else is good in there too. I've heard before that minelab does not seem interested in fixing the older units and just wants to sell new ones. Looks like that may be the case here.
In closing this post I will say that even though I'm not thrilled with my minelab repair facility experience I WOULD buy another one if I had to. I like the machine that much.

 

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[eddie72876]

Sorry...forgot the pic

 

[Keppy]

I am glad that you could fix it good luck....................That is why i do not buy minelab now .... To me that is just a plain rip off..... dishonest .... To me not trustworthy................... If they wanted to do right by the ones that buy there detectors they would have fixed it.......

 

[pongo]

Shame on you Minelab,just when I thought their service was starting to get better

 

[jeff of pa]

If you buy a Vehicle & The Ignition switch
gets a Faulty Wire.

The Dealer will Not Drill a Hole & hook up a
Push button starter or even
run a pypass wire.
even if you Beg them.
Small town repair Shops will.

Manufacturers/Dealers will Insist on a new Ignition.

point being I can't fault Minelab for not being willing to Jury Rig
their Products. I still wish they kept
Extra parts for all their Products
on hand But understand This is wastefull also.
imagine having all the parts in stock for a 40 year old detector cool but Why ?

Cool you were able to fix it though

 

[Desertfox1]

Right on, Jeff. If I had to send my Minelab in for repairs and they sent it back like that I'd never buy another machine from them. I expect any manufacture to fix my machines and fix them right. If they tell me 600 to 800 bucks to fix something then I have the option, like you, to decline and do what ever I want. To Bad Mouth a manufacture because you don't want to fix it right is just plain wrong! They fix it they have to stand behind that repair, you fix it and it breaks again you just toss it in the trash.

 

[jeff of pa]

& Yes !
I Complained also when Minelab couldn't
Repair or Replace my Stock Sovereign Meter

Didn't Help get it Fixed,
But complaining made me feel a little Better

& Minelab still Rocks

 

[Keppy]

If you buy a Vehicle & The Ignition switch
gets a Faulty Wire.

The Dealer will Not Drill a Hole & hook up a
Push button starter or even
run a pypass wire.
even if you Beg them.
Small town repair Shops will.

Manufacturers/Dealers will Insist on a new Ignition.

point being I can't fault Minelab for not being willing to Jury Rig
their Products.

Yes I see that you have a very good point there.......... I don't know of any Auto dealer or manufacture that would Jimmy Rig there product..........

 

[Jason in Enid]

Sorry Minelab wouldn't help you, but good job getting you machine running again!

 

[eddie72876]

Jeff, I agree with your point completely. I also would not want a manufacturer to rig anything. My point is that while fixing the machine myself, I found out that the only part that it needed was the Keypad and ribbon wire (it's one piece). The keypad plugs into the PCB. My gripe is that the repair dept. wanted to sell me a new PCB that it does not need.This is where the largest portion of the expense came from. They also did not mention anything about any parts being unavailable. My complaint is one of ethics. I have no complaints with the quality of the product and I would buy another minelab.
I suppose it is possible that one of the techs made a mistake in the diagnosis of my machine... I guess I can give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Keppy]

Jeff, I agree with your point completely. I also would not want a manufacturer to rig anything. My point is that while fixing the machine myself, I found out that the only part that it needed was the Keypad and ribbon wire (it's one piece). The keypad plugs into the PCB. My gripe is that the repair dept. wanted to sell me a new PCB that it does not need.This is where the largest portion of the expense came from. They also did not mention anything about any parts being unavailable. My complaint is one of ethics. I have no complaints with the quality of the product and I would buy another minelab.
I suppose it is possible that one of the techs made a mistake in the diagnosis of my machine... I guess I can give them the benefit of the doubt.

Could be they are getting cheap...... Charge more for there detectors.... And hireing tecks that do not know so much............ So they can get away from paying them a good salary..... Hireing a warm body at a low wage....................

 

[Born2Dtect]

My electronic training tells me a colored wire (brownish maybe) has had high than normal current flowing through it. I suspect the repair will not last but not a bad try. I would have test a few voltages and the current through the on switch. The board may still go up.

Having said this I am not totally impressed with Minelab. Replacing the board seems to be a standard. A really good tech could go to component level for a cheaper cost. I know this is what was taught years ago in Navy Electronics schools.

Ed D.

 

[Keppy]

My electronic training tells me a colored wire (brownish maybe) has had high than normal current flowing through it. I suspect the repair will not last but not a bad try. I would have test a few voltages and the current through the on switch. The board may still go up.

Having said this I am not totally impressed with Minelab. Replacing the board seems to be a standard. A really good tech could go to component level for a cheaper cost. I know this is what was taught years ago in Navy Electronics schools.

Ed D.

I agree with you and it seems like they do not have any good tech's there............

 

[eddie72876]

My electronic training tells me a colored wire (brownish maybe) has had high than normal current flowing through it. I suspect the repair will not last but not a bad try. I would have test a few voltages and the current through the on switch. The board may still go up.

Having said this I am not totally impressed with Minelab. Replacing the board seems to be a standard. A really good tech could go to component level for a cheaper cost. I know this is what was taught years ago in Navy Electronics schools.

Ed D.

Thank you for the info.... I was so happy I could use the machine that I didn't think of that. I've got a friend who knows more about eletronics than I do. Hopefully we can figure out what the voltages are supposed to be and make sure the unit is fixed permanently.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Question for those who think Minelab repair is just trying to make money off of you.....

If you have a $1000 laptop and your USB ports on it are broke and no longer working what is the standard manufacture fix for it? It is to install a new motherboard, they do not replace the USB ports on your existing motherboards, you have to pay hundreds of dollars to have a new motherboard installed, or you buy a new laptop....

Can the motherboard be juried rig to have a USB port, sure you can open it up and drill a hole in your laptop, cut off one end of a USB jumper cable, feed the wire through the hole you drilled in laptop case, solder the USB jumper cable to the motherboard where an old USB port was wired, extend the cable out of the laptop. It is a fix, it works, but it is not something any manufacture will do or tell you to do....They will tell you that you need a new motherboard or laptop....

 

[Iron Patch]

I have been saying it for over 10 years.... Minelab will soak people for a circuit board every chance they get, even if the unit doesn't need one! The price before was HALF of the lower estimate they quoted, so it's very obvious they're screwing every Explorer XS and II customer so they can move more new units. $800 to fix it. What a joke.

 

[Keppy]

I have been saying it for over 10 years.... Minelab will soak people for a circuit board every chance they get, even if the unit doesn't need one! The price before was HALF of the lower estimate they quoted, so it's very obvious they're screwing every Explorer XS and II customer so they can move more new units. $800 to fix it. What a joke.

I have been saying it to......... Your right Iron P.... I use minelabs but when they use those tactics they get me PO ... I am not like some Minelab users that no matter what minelab does is just fine and they find reasons to excuse Minelabs..... minelab don't want to give a good fair repair Price......All they want to do is sell.......... And screw the people that keep buying there detectors......

 

[Cleetus]

That's the first thing I would have checked....the on/off switch.........for a company to tell you you need a new computer board installed is just plain bull.....My background is Ham Radio, and I'm no stranger to a solder ironing...I have built gobs of equipment and wired some pretty complicated circuits from scratch. This is just like the crooked mechanic, who tells the naive housewife, that her car will need a new engine to get it running. When all he has to do is replace a cheap ignition switch.........

 

[LI Tom]

I'm also very happy with my Explorer II,but the tales of woe from Minelab owners trying to get their units fixed,far beyond that any other major brand,should give give people considering investing big bucks in one pause.