Contact the manufacturer or just replace it?

[Merlin]

Hi all,

 

I noticed this distressing sight yesterday...

 

 

The back piece of the front derailleur is cracked almost right through. I've never seen or even heard of a problem like this before.

 

It's been on the bike for a couple of years and there's little chance of me finding a receipt for it.

 

Should I bother contacting Shimano about this, as a clear manufacturing defect or should I cough up and replace it without a fight?

 

HtF does that even happen?

 

Thanks.

[Iron]

I would not even bother contacting them , just get a new one , it owes you nothing.

 

How it happens , well that no one will know .

[SURFER]

Buy new one

[Mike Bike]

it well out of any warranty period. the stress and pain of trying to get a claim versus the 200 bucks for another one is not worth it

[reteid]

just get a new second hand one on the hub.

[Tumbleweed]

Should I bother contacting Shimano about this, as a clear manufacturing defect or should I cough up and replace it without a fight? HtF does that even happen? Thanks.

 

How so?

[Wipeout2]

I say give it a shot.......it is good as a designer and manufacturer to be made aware of these type of things as it then helps them to improve on future designs.......they may be so appreciative they may throw in a bike

[MTBcrazy]

You probably fell on it somewhere along the line or knocked it on a rock. It is a disposable part, I don't think it is a design or manufacturing fault and neither will Shimano.

[Mackie]

It's been on the bike for a couple of years....and you considering contacting the manufacturer?

[DR ◣◢]

Agreed. Just replace it with a new SLX unit and forget about it.

 

Good to know though. I have an LX unit on my one bike. Might be worth checking it.

[Merlin]

Perhaps I should've written post a l'il differently...

 

When necessary in the past, I have gone the claim route for parts that have failed erroneously, but I have no problem replacing something myself when necessary and due.

 

WAY back when, I used to work in bike shops and I was generally very active in the bike world. I've never seen a crack develop like this, and as you can see from the rest of the derailleur, it hasn't been struck or damaged externally in any way.

 

Maybe manufacturers would like to be told about unusual breakages?

 

I'll take the bike in for a new one when possible.

 

Thanks for the input.

[Eugene]

Warranties are there to protect you against manufacturing defects for a specific period of time. If it is out of warranty, you are going to have a tough time convincing them to replace it. Also considering that it is a mountain bike that generally takes a lot of knocks.

 

Just buy a new one. They are cheap enough.

[Robrider]

couple years = not a manufacturing fault.

 

R200 = not worth the effort.

[TheV]

Just buy a new one, it's a consumable item, it has clearly given you good service!!!

[JA-Q001]

If you wondr why, it is a concentrated stress point. The forces needed to push the chain up to the next ring is normally high. Over time that is where the metal slightly bent each time. This slight bend causes it to become soft and brittle. It may be caused by someone that pushes quite hard on the lever, but most of the times people replace the parts before it becomes defect. It could also have been caused by the punching proses in which they produce the plate. during the punch proses there could have been something in the press, that caused a stress point to form.

 

If this happend in the first year or 2, then they would have been interested.

Edited August 6, 2012 by JA-Q001

[Merlin]

Thanks for the explanation.

 

These days I put very little mileage on my bike, so it's probably been developing for quite some time.