Midwestern Model Works Redux

[ScaleCraft]

So one sycophant just chimed in, with apparently a great deal of legal knowledge, but limited spelling or language skills. Worth checking out for entertainment purposes.

You mean "futal"? "or any other model"?
One rants on the issue that the manufacturer/importer/collector of ducats has a pre-production prototype.
Means NOTHING as far as production units.
BTDT with a PRC manufacturer with US importer..pre-production barely ran or didn't run at all.
And same thing were NOT as advertised when those were delivered.

To ascribe delivery to existence of a prototype is...ludicrous.

But, we shall see. MMW might just pull this rabbit out of his as...errr...hat.
You know the scary thing?

"Any disassembly of drive subcomponents or attempts to modify subcomponents will void warranty. Any impact the model may incur that will cause the model to sustain moderate to major damage may result in complete or partial nullification of warranty. Any service work done to the model’s drive system, should the need ever arise, MUST be done by Midwestern Model Works or a certified MMW dealer."
http://midwesternmodelworks.com/

Not too many serious 0 scalers who don't at some point open the drives for inspection and lubrication.
And that voids your Limited Lifetime Warranty.

"Current project – SD45 and related locomotives (reservations for the SD45 project are now closed – delivery scheduling information will be posted soon) "

An this is one of THOSE sites with NO dates anywhere. Other than the date in 219 where the BethGon reservations opened.

[bob turner]

Well, George the lawyer but not speller might take a look at this. I did not read it all, but I am sure posting it over there would get me kicked off if I wasn't already banished:

https://www.localsolicitors.com/consume ... ered-goods

[bob turner]

I missed the recent thread by Larry - I would have tacked on to that if I had seen it - it is only about four down from the top.

[ScaleCraft]

surprises the crap outta me the morons haven't locked or deleted the thread.
Must be busy in meeting with their 75 lawyers.

[ScaleCraft]

So many things about this bug me. Red Flags and all.

One thing just kept nibbling away in the back of my grey matter.

The bit about if you open the drives your warranty is void.

Hit me starting last night.

In the old days at least in H0, we'd get noisy drives...especially, it seems, plastic housing Athearn diseasemals.

The fix was to open the drives, clean ALL lubricants out, put Ipana (light abrasive) toothpaste in, run them in.
Lapped all the gears together.

I've done just that, Lord, 60+ years ago, and boy, did it make a difference.

Take them apart, CAREFULLY clean all of the Ipana out, lube and assemble....and NEVER mix parts between gearboxes.

An ancillary was if there was gear count that made same spots come together regularly, they had to go back that way.

I wonder if to make these "quiet" and ask the money being asked, the gears are lapped, and open them up...he can't guarantee you'll get the parts back right, and they'll be noisy.

Just a thought

[bob turner]

No - he is a talented machinist. If he ever delivers, these will be quiet and smooth. Some of his custom work is "out there" and maybe even in the hands of a forumite.

[ScaleCraft]

No - he is a talented machinist. If he ever delivers, these will be quiet and smooth. Some of his custom work is "out there" and maybe even in the hands of a forumite.

so, why void the warranty if you open them?

[bob turner]

I can think of several reasons - one being that if you mess with his work he does not want to fix your mistakes. If it is a good guarantee and it doesn't work perfectly, presumably he will fix it.

My guarantee is similar - if I work on a mechanism I guarantee it - but if you want brake shoes, no guarantee.

If I put a NWSL box in, and then the owner re-installs those tiny self-tapping screws wrong, I do not want to re-do his mistakes.

I have had failures, and have fixed things for free, but if I were supplying thousand-dollar precision gearboxes, and you put toothpaste in there, I would not honor my warranty.

[ScaleCraft]

if I were supplying thousand-dollar precision gearboxes, and you put toothpaste in there, I would not honor my warranty.

Boy, you're getting real good at misreading commentary.

I cannot imagine having something I could not open, clean, inspect, lube and re-assemble..especially after spending that much.

So, have to ask because I don't really care......how many engines has he produced?

I thought I read he did repower work, right?

[Chris Webster]

I cannot imagine having something I could not open, clean, inspect, lube and re-assemble..especially after spending that much.

His customers are spending that much because they've been promised that they will not have to do any of that maintenance -- you're not supposed to open up and lube a mechanism that has its own built-in oil circulation system!

[ScaleCraft]

I cannot imagine having something I could not open, clean, inspect, lube and re-assemble..especially after spending that much.

His customers are spending that much because they've been promised that they will not have to do any of that maintenance -- you're not supposed to open up and lube a mechanism that has its own built-in oil circulation system!

Yeah......like my Jag. pull the canister oil filter, drop the oil from the sump and INSPECT the bottom of the canister for anything that ain't supposed to be there.
Or the pan on your automatic transmission.

I could go on. And on. Own built-in circulation system. Cowabunga, dude! Seals never go bad. No leaks. Any fine particles from gears (and if you think that doesn't happen.....) and they get caught by the disposable, replaceable filter. I suppose if you can't, won't, or are unable to open and inspect, the key is to listen for when something DOES go bad.

I have seen similar stuff. Folks with money, spend money, often without care for usefulness long-term of the item, just had to have because it's NEW and nobody else has one.

This is all the ultimate in armchair railroading. Buy it and never, ever have to do anything to it. Neat-o.

And you like the red highlight above? I am impressed with his "promises" thus far. Was it "six weeks instead of six years" or was it seven? Hard to tell on his delivery timelines, as the promises are "couched" in nebulous terminology apparently written by lawyers to defer any legal action.

[bob turner]

Two different subjects. Apparently , no, he has not delivered complete models, and may never do so, if one takes past performance as a guide.

The warranty is totally separate from that issue. First, a supplier ought to be able to put any condition he/she wants on a warranty, with some legal limits which I could look up if I cared.

And a purchaser not happy with those warranty conditions does not have to purchase, at least if the product is a model train.

My opinion is that Erik's transmission is indeed good enough to function without customer disassembly, and that a warranty contingent on that is at least way better than most other 2-rail suppliers offer.

[robert.]

Many items purchased new have a security tape over some screws. Break that tape and your warranty is null and void.

[E7]

One teensie einsee fact. If it is NEVER delivered, it will NOT ever suffer a failure, thus no warranty can be violated. No point in speculating about all the other BS until one is actually delivered.

[bob turner]

I think he has actually delivered transmissions. I saw some over a decade ago.