Hobbywing Max8 G2 fire and warranty replacement reported in Amazon review...

[KnowAir]

I bought a Max8 G2 combo recently and it didn't catch on fire but it acted strange from the start. Getting the run around from their warranty support. Got the 3 options from them which are clearly designed to screw people over. After experiencing the so-called warranty on a brand new combo I'm inclined to say avoid the Max8 G2 but also to avoid Hobbywing altogether.

Sorry to hear. You're definitely not the first person I've heard of having issues with the G2 sadly.. the warranty runaround is icing on the cake. Definitely will avoid the G2 stuff myself. Ive had great luck with the Quicrun, Xerun and even Max6.. Given the price of the Quicrun and EZrun stuff, I'll keep buying/using as long as they're available. Just too cheap to pass on for me. I hope they get you squared away with warranty. Maybe just sell the new one when/if they do? Take the hit and move on, IDK.

 

[Moirae]

After powering on, it runs with throttle limited to a crawl for a period of time. Initially it was probably less than 10 seconds but it's worse now, closer to a minute of that. Unplugging the sensor cable makes that problem go away. Even when it allows normal throttle, it has a strange lag to throttle inputs that is inconsistent (not sure if running sensorless solves that as I haven't tested it enough that way). They say it's a problem with a PCB in the ESC but I'm not sure I even want to send it in, as I'd bet money they declare it to be my fault.

This actually happened to me the other day. Exactly as you described. The other day it lasted longer than the normal shorter duration. I also randomly get jerking when I full throttle from a dead stop and I thought it was my battery but now you have me thinking maybe my g2 is busted. It's been doing this from day 1 and we definitely didn't do anything to it.

 

[BentShaft]

Well my G2 esc/motor combo is on the way to HW for inspection. I really don't have a good feeling about the outcome but we'll see.

 

[Moirae]

Well my G2 esc/motor combo is on the way to HW for inspection. I really don't have a good feeling about the outcome but we'll see.

Please keep us updated!

 

[parcou]

Well my G2 esc/motor combo is on the way to HW for inspection. I really don't have a good feeling about the outcome but we'll see.

What did they say. I have a new one as well installed in a rig since ran it a few times

 

[Surchaufeur]

Jason perin i believe on youtube also had his go in smoke. Had to pay 50$ for a warranty one.

 

[BentShaft]

What did they say. I have a new one as well installed in a rig since ran it a few times

They claimed I did something to damage the ESC (over voltage) but as a 'courtesy' they replaced it for free under warranty. So I ended up paying shipping both ways and that's it. The ESC had the problem straight out of the box and I never connected anything other than 4s packs to it, so I don't know how I would have put too much voltage to it...well I'll be blunt, there's no f'n way I caused it. I'll be avoiding HW when possible in the future.

 

[morrjr71]

I wouldn't give up on Hobbywing because of an issue with one of their products. It's the nature of the business to not find out issues until an item has been used by customers for a while. I equate it to the first year of a new car: they often have undiscovered issues until they get out in the general public.

There's also a thing in the electronics business known as "infant mortality". It's the situation where a component fails early in its life for unknown reasons. There is always a small percentage of components that experience this, and most manufacturers replace the item without issue.

It sucks that some folks have had a failure with the G2 ESCs: hopefully HW will honor their warranty for current customers; examine the failure modes carefully; and implement any required changes in production to prevent future failures.

 

[Moirae]

I wouldn't give up on Hobbywing because of an issue with one of their products. It's the nature of the business to not find out issues until an item has been used by customers for a while. I equate it to the first year of a new car: they often have undiscovered issues until they get out in the general public.

There's also a thing in the electronics business known as "infant mortality". It's the situation where a component fails early in its life for unknown reasons. There is always a small percentage of components that experience this, and most manufacturers replace the item without issue.

It sucks that some folks have had a failure with the G2 ESCs: hopefully HW will honor their warranty for current customers; examine the failure modes carefully; and implement any required changes in production to prevent future failures.

What good is all of this if they typically give people the run around. seems like both top esc companies have some really poop customer service when it comes to trying to force blame on customers.

 

[KnowAir]

What good is all of this if they typically give people the run around. seems like both top esc companies have some really poop customer service when it comes to trying to force blame on customers.

I hear ya, but look at it from the flipside.. how many people do we see misusing them here on the forum, YouTube, ect.. they have no control or true knowledge of how these products were used. If ya ask me, it's a business I wouldn't wanna be in. LOL.

 

[Moirae]

I hear ya, but look at it from the flipside.. how many people do we see misusing them here on the forum, YouTube, ect.. they have no control or true knowledge of how these products were used. If ya ask me, it's a business I wouldn't wanna be in. LOL.

Tbh i don't care about the flipside after I've spent my money and didn't do anything wrong. I would be a little more understanding if these esc didn't have the capability to just randomly have problems. When random poop can happen with your products it seems so unfair to me for it to just be auto blamed on customer. It's not like it's some secret too. Both hobbywing and castle should be aware of the problems to the point where they know it's not the customer fault. It's like castle trying to blame me for my esc dying when they know damn well im not the first or last it's happened too. They're just being cheap asses and trying to save a buck when they know there is a problem. I can't pretend they're innocent or ignorant of the problem. All of this is a waste of time though because none of them are going to do better

 

[KnowAir]

Tbh i don't care about the flipside after I've spent my money and didn't do anything wrong. I would be a little more understanding if these esc didn't have the capability to just randomly have problems. When random poop can happen with your products it seems so unfair to me for it to just be auto blamed on customer. It's not like it's some secret too. Both hobbywing and castle should be aware of the problems to the point where they know it's not the customer fault. It's like castle trying to blame me for my esc dying when they know damn well im not the first or last it's happened too. They're just being cheap asses and trying to save a buck when they know there is a problem. I can't pretend they're innocent or ignorant of the problem. All of this is a waste of time though because none of them are going to do better

Fair enough. Thankfully I haven't had a failure that wasn't my fault I guess. I'll admit, I have a low budget.. with matching (low) expectations, LOL.

 

[sumguy75]

I don't really mind Hobbywing asking questions about how I use their stuff if I have a problem with it. What's aggravating is they didn't ask me questions, they simply explained how great they are and how I must have done something wrong. Very condescending customer service attitude from my experience.
I still by their stuff because on average they are good, but I know when I buy don't expect good customer service.

 

[Surchaufeur]

I guess the new best costumer service esc providers is horizonhobby

 

[KnowAir]

I guess the new best costumer service esc providers is horizonhobby

HaHa!! I hear it's pretty much "no questions asked".. uh, another one? Okay, we'll ship one out to you..

 

[Moirae]

Fair enough. Thankfully I haven't had a failure that wasn't my fault I guess. I'll admit, I have a low budget.. with matching (low) expectations, LOL.

I don't really mind Hobbywing asking questions about how I use their stuff if I have a problem with it. What's aggravating is they didn't ask me questions, they simply explained how great they are and how I must have done something wrong. Very condescending customer service attitude from my experience.
I still by their stuff because on average they are good, but I know when I buy don't expect good customer service.

lol I haven't dealt with hobbywing support yet but castle had the nerve to tell me I should gear under stock when my xlx2 died. Why the hell would I spend 260$ on an aftermarket esc to run stock gearing? it's insulting af and shows zero respect for the customer. That line really put me over the edge, funny enough I ended up sending in my logs with an email as requested after that call and they never said anything back to me after the logs.

 

[Surchaufeur]

HaHa!! I hear it's pretty much "no questions asked".. uh, another one? Okay, we'll ship one out to you..

Or jennysrc for the win.

 

[KnowAir]

Or jennysrc for the win.

Yup! I poke fun at the Firma 150 but, out of 4 or 5 my brother has in his rtr's, none have failed yet..
I don't actually own any, well I do have a Firma 130 in the Lasernut. I don't think it's had but 8 or 10 packs through it in over a year. Seems okay in that.

 

[Surchaufeur]

Yup! I poke fun at the Firma 150 but, out of 4 or 5 my brother has in his rtr's, none have failed yet..
I don't actually own any, well I do have a Firma 130 in the Lasernut. I don't think it's had but 8 or 10 packs through it in over a year. Seems okay in that.

Mine acts funny during winter even when dry. But fine in summer
What i don't like about spektrum is the over complicated useless tech.

 

[KnowAir]

Mine acts funny during winter even when dry. But fine in summer
What i don't like about spektrum is the over complicated useless tech.

I agree. Alot of fluff..only thing I like over say Redcats 150a is the 7.4v bec. So, if under $100 I'd consider it. Retail, nah.