timsrv wrote:
twigger wrote:
Dometic has clearly tried to guide blame in the direction of wattage of the electric heating element, when the ACTUAL CAUSE OF FAILURE LIES IN DOMETIC'S WELDING METALLURGY AND WELDING PROCESS CONTROL.
Only problem is that the rebuilt cooling unit is another Dometic, so some other weld will probably fail in a year or two.
Bottom Line: DOMETIC HAS A MATERIALS, WORKMANSHIP AND PROCESS QUALITY CONTROL PROBLEM, BUT SHAMEFULLY WON'T FESS UP TO IT AND DO THE RIGHT THING.
I have suspected this same thing, but have no proof. I personally think it's caused by a combination of cheap grade metal and not enough of it in the important places. The thing that has always bugged me about Dometic's statement to the NHTSA is: how can 29 watts make that much difference? Even 354 watts is admittedly within Dometic's own acceptable range of +/- 10% variance. I am now constantly seeing boiler failures on Dometic refers. 10 years ago this was a rare occurrence. I just replaced one last week that was not part of the recall (it was made a year before the recalled refers). Last month I saw the same thing on an RM2510. There are many more examples I see of this on a regular basis. It's becoming common place. Up until 2 years ago, when I sold a refer, chances were I'd not have to warranty it. Out of the last 10 refers I've sold, 3 have come back with failed cooling cores & 1 was bad out of the crate! At least Dometic gave that guy a new refer. As for my trouble to install, Dometic was generous enough to pay me a total of $60 (driving up to his remote location to install, repacking, shipping, and completing the paperwork was on me). Okay I'll stop, sorry for the rant :(.
My thoughts on rebuilt cooling cores: I quit using those about 3 years ago. I had used them for years and never had a problem. Then around 2004, about half of them I had recently installed started failing.
10 years ago installing a rebuilt core made sense because the end cost to the customer was about $500. At that time replacing the refer cost around $1,000. Failure rates on rebuilt cores were low, so this was fine. Now with inflation, higher shipping costs, and higher cost of doing business, end cost to customer is roughly $850 for rebuilding vs about $1,300 for a new refer. I guess a $450 savings is hard to pass up, but I trust rebuilt cores less than new refers, so over the long run, I think going with rebuilt will likely cost you more (except maybe for guys like twigger that have the skills and motivation to do their own).
When purchasing a new refer, at least you get a 3 year warranty. Most rebuilt cores only come with a very limited 1 year warranty. To get labor and shipping covered, the failure must occur within the 1st 30 days, and most remanufacturers only offer a maximum $50 labor allowance (actual labor is about 5 times that). At least Norcold and Dometic have motivation to make your refer last 3 years ;). Tim
Yes, I am a diehard do-it-yourselfer and was able to save a fair sum by replacing my cooling unit myself. And I agree that for most people the rebuilt/DIY route may not be feasible or economical "over the long run". It's a risk. But having done this repair once now, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, if necessary. And deprive Dometic of at least one sale of a new refrigerator.
I am a retired mechanical engineer with experience in metallurgy, failure analysis of metal parts and weld failures. I'm fairly certain that Dometic's engineers (probably under pressure from upper management bean counters), or possibly just incompetence, have used improper steel alloys and/or weld metals or failed to specify proper heat treatment. The weld metal has to be right for the steel tubing being welded. Pre-heating of the weld area and heat application after welding are often required to relieve induced stresses to prevent cracking. Hydrogen embrittlement can also cause cracking depending on the alloys used.
SO, I WOULD CHALLENGE DOMETIC TO MAKE PUBLIC THE EXACT METAL ALLOYS AND WELDING PROCESS SPECIFICATIONS THEY USED. They would consider this to be "proprietary information" and not want to disclose it. But proper welding with proper materials really does not qualify as a high tech "trade secret". The only thing Dometic stands to lose is the respect of its customers - - - Oh, and also a lot of money due to lost sales of their shoddy product.
