Is an old fantastic fan worth fixing?

[Sheanhoxie]

I have a fantastic fan that's 25 yrs old, but is still running like a champ. The plastic cover, and main body though, have seen better days.

There doesnt seem to be any replacement body parts for this old thing, but I might be able to patch the plastic parts that have chipped on the main body, and replace the garnish with a generic one.

Has anyone had luck repairing the old brittle plastic body that screws to the roof? These fans are definitely not cheap, so I'd love to salvage it.

If I should replace it, are these $300+ fans worth the price?

[specta]

No. Toss it in the garbage.

[towpro]

I seem to recall there is a life time warranty on the lid for the original fans. One blew off my dads motorhome, current Fantastic fan owners sent free cover.

I had modern ones installed in last 2 truck campers. I ended up replacing motors on both as they started to sound like crickets were in the motor. I still have some laying around and was going to experiment with drilling a hole to oil the motor bearings. But its the plastic that goes bad over the long haul that you might not be able to get.

[notsobigjoe]

Sheanhoxie wrote:
Thanks ferndaleflyer, I have all of the original papers when the original owner first registered all of the products back in '96, including this fantastic fan. I'm going to reach out to Dometic (looks like they bought them out?) and see if they wanna replace it!

IN MY OPINION, Dometic customer service is fantastic. They're products on the other hand are not what they used to be. But if you can get a free one......

[Sheanhoxie]

Thanks ferndaleflyer, I have all of the original papers when the original owner first registered all of the products back in '96, including this fantastic fan. I'm going to reach out to Dometic (looks like they bought them out?) and see if they wanna replace it!

[ferndaleflyer]

A couple of years ago mine quit and I went to my local RV parts place and he told me he would get a replacement. I was surprised when I picked up the new one and there was no charge as it was guaranteed for life

[HMS_Beagle]

I removed a new one put in a couple of years ago and replaced it with a Maxx Air. At this point, much better product.

[Sheanhoxie]

Thanks for the advice, I'll hang on to the motor. Most likely will be replacing the fan & vent though, upon closer inspection the body is pretty warped all around the edges with more cracks around the screw holes than I'd like.

[notsobigjoe]

The new ones are terrible. I switched to Max air.

[Lwiddis]

The new Fantasic fans ain’t what they used to be. Fix it IMO.

[BobsYourUncle]

I once bought an older used, but in great shape FF off Craigslist for 50 bucks.
Might be worth checking out, you never know what you'll find.

[monkey44]

Practically any old part is worth salvaging and repairing today. Compare it to the worthless junk we can buy now that breaks when you look at it. Yes, salvage it if you can.

[Bedlam]

I would buy a new one and keep this one for parts. Stay with the basic model that has the manual lift hatch and 3-position switches rather than the ones with sensors, remotes and lift motors.

[mockturtle]

The new ones are junk, IMO, compared to the old ones. If you can fix it, do so.


BTW, PPL often has parts you can't find anywhere else.

[ScottG]

That motor is smoother and more quiet than the new ones are. I would save it for that reason alone.
If nothing else, at least save the motor!