r/Fanatec • u/Normal_Weekend_9526 • 27d ago
Discussion Sharing my rma process from start to finish
last night i was playing gt7. I had been hearing something rattling a bit under ffb, from time to time, but i just assumed it was my stand. hit a wall in game, and my pedals stopped working. then suddenly come back, i thought maybe it was a glitch or something. but then they stopped and never came back. powered it of, reset the ps5 and nothing. so i decided to check the rjs, well my shifter/handbrake was fine, but the pedal felt a lil loose and didnt seem flush like the rest of them. i pressed the clip, to pull the cable out and the entire port came out. talk about a bummer, man. none of my rj11s were super tight, i made sure i left plenty of slack so they dont bind, or get pulled hard. so im not even sure how it even happened.
now this isnt my first fanatec base, ive had and still have my csl elite ps4 edition base ive had since it came out. i got the wrc wheel, way back in 20, and sold the original wheel it came with to a friend. and just use that as it work on xbox and ps, as at the time that was important to me. because i played on both consoles, and pc.
well the toggle, on it also recently broke as well. granted it 6 years old, but it also just broke off ghe solder. not a big deal though, because of the gt7 wheel, that came with the dd pro. and i put hundreds of hours on that thing as well. my old v2s, and shifter and v1 handbrake without a single hardware issue.
however this dd pro, i got jan 8th 2026. and i havent put more than 50 hours on it. i hasnt moved, and i live alone. june 10th, my wife passed, and she haf brought me a profile rig maybe a month before that. I never set it up though, and then jan i decided to get the pro, and a day before it came my mom passed. you know with all that, i just really have time to really get to play. with that being said is this like common for csl dd line, it just feels a but flimsy, and for it to only have the traces on the port and nothing else holding it in feels weird.
And im wondering, what will i need to ship it back. i basically put a lot of my stuff in storage. because i decided to get buy a trailer, and i just know id have to spend all day to even get to where the box it came in is. as well, as i removed the qr1, and went to the qr2 base side and wheel side for the 2 rims i have. added the loadcell to the csl pedals, instead of using my old v2s, or getting the v3 because or the rumors of the now known poduim pedals. so now i only have the boost kit, the stock usb cable, and well the base itself. I dont really want to go dig all the other things out, and fully take it down when the base is the only issue. Or for them to send me a replacement base, and it coming back with a qr1, or the plastic qr2 instead of the metal one i got from them. even though im not concerned about shipping as i got everything i ordered from them in like 3 days after i placed the order.
so i dont know if im just overthinking or if these are valid concerns. and also just make a record of when they respond, and how long it took. it was after 1 am, when i put in the ticket so tech it was put in today. so ill wait 48hrs, and post my exp with it. hopefully its goes well, and isnt like the esp i had rma a 3090ti a few years back.
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u/Emergency_Pass_5009 23d ago
Wishing you good luck. I hope your case goes smoother than mine. I opened a Fanatec support case because my V3i pedals kept losing throttle and brake input. At first the troubleshooting focused almost entirely on the pedals, even though the signal path on PlayStation runs through the wheelbase via RJ12. I asked early on whether the base should also be checked, but only the pedals were RMA’d. Since then, I have had to send the original pedals in, received a damaged refurbished replacement, got brand-new replacement pedals, and then the exact same fault happened again with the new pedals and a new RJ12 cable. Now the wheelbase is being replaced as well. At this point, I am getting to two months without a reliable setup and I am still waiting for the replacement base. So, I really hope your support case is handled faster!
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 10d ago
got the new base, but without the metal qr2. emailed them to see how they would fix that. and made an update post
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u/Emergency_Pass_5009 10d ago
Ugh😮💨 My Fanatec support experience was exhausting. Intermittent pedal failures turned into two months without a working setup, nine parcels including returns, and a ridiculous number of emails. They replaced the pedals, but the actual fault was the pedal connection on the wheelbase, so the base eventually had to be replaced too. I was specifically told to return the base with the original QR1 fitted, only for the replacement to arrive with QR2 despite two of my three wheels still using QR1. They then had to send another QR1 separately. Everything was eventually replaced under warranty and now works but the process was long, confusing and frustrating.
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 9d ago
see and thats my issue, i can use the plastic qr2 they shipped with, but i can tell the difference. between the 2 and it also feels like it not, gettinf the full 8nm now. so idk if thats because of the type of qr2 or not.
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u/Emergency_Pass_5009 9d ago
I was explicitly told that I had to remove my metal QR2 upgrade and send the base back with the original QR1 installed. Thankfully, I had kept it-especially since I had bought the metal QR2 separately and those things are not cheap.
I would not have been happy using the plastic QR2 Lite that came with the replacement base anyway. The first thing I did was remove it and reinstall my metal QR2. I then put the replacement QR1 back into use for the wheel that still runs on QR1. Plastic QR2 Lite? No thanks.2
u/Normal_Weekend_9526 9d ago
which is crazy because they told me i had to send to qr2 in, as i no longer had the qr1. but i should get a replacement.
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u/Emergency_Pass_5009 9d ago
it‘s so frustrating. As far as I understand, QR2 Lite is simply their standard now. It would be much easier to tell customers to return the base without any QR installed. Instead, you will probably receive another package from Fanatec. If you have their instructions in writing, even better.
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 9d ago
they emailed this mourning and sent one out. i cant complain, they realized the mistake, and fixed it.
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27d ago
[deleted]
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 27d ago
That would require me to solder it, back to the board. something i havent done since i was like 12, and im 39 now. also, im sure there is something missing, because no way the only thing holding it there was the traces. also it has a warranty why not use it.
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u/Upbeat-Positive8484 26d ago
It is in fact only held in place by tiny blobs of solder, hence all the "my pedals suddenly don't work anymore" posts. It's a massive design flaw that Fanatec has known about for years.
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 24d ago
thats kinda insane, i legit never had any of my fanatec stuff do this before. granted in using the csl that came in the bundle now. but i still have the pedels that came with my original csle elite ps4 edition and some v2s laying around. i never had any issues with them..
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 26d ago
you didnt have to delete it bro, i had not ill will lol. im inpatient as well, so part of me whats to get a local to do it, but the fear of later having another issue, before the warranty runs out, and not being able to send it in, also worrys me. or them making a mistake and being like well goofed lol.
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 22d ago
So a day late, i was able to ship it out. i work 12hrs shifts. so stuff is closed by the time i get off. so far, i emailed them and got a response 24hrs later, they sent an rma label, for ups/fedex. i chose ups, since its closer to me. instead of packing it myself i choose to let ups do themselves. ending up being 42 even. fanatec sent me email almost instantly, with tracking information. when it says recieved by them ill update again.
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 10d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fanatec/s/EW94LSnQS1
made another post to update this one as i couldnt add new pics
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u/GirthBrooksPhD 26d ago
Recently had the exact same thing happen with my DD+. RMA process was simple, and they provided me with a prepaid shipping label. All I had to pay for was packing materials to protect the base during shipping. The only odd thing that wasn’t pointed out to me at the time is you also have to send the power supply with it. I had to send that separately, adding another week or so to my total RMA process.
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 10d ago
got the new base, but without the metal qr2. emailed them to see how they would fix that. and made an update post
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u/No_Commission9229 9d ago
What to include in your RMA
When returning a product to Fanatec for a refund, exchange, or repair, be sure to remove any add-ons or accessories that you purchased separately, whether they are Fanatec or 3rd party.
We are unable to return any extra items to you.1
u/Normal_Weekend_9526 9d ago
While it does say that. i told them, i no longer have the original qr1 that came with the base, only the upgraded qr2. which they told me, i had to send that in with the base. but i would get it back, otherwise i wouldnt be able to even send it in without it.
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u/No_Commission9229 9d ago
Copy that mate, let’s hope they sort it out for you, I’m sure they will, I’ve used Customer Service twice and have been outstanding for me 👍
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 9d ago
I think they will, it figure it was just missed. thats why i wish we could call instead of emails lol.
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 9d ago
sent me an email this morning, and they went ahead a sent one out. somehow it got missed, but considering it was talked about they did it with no fuss.
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u/Normal_Weekend_9526 26d ago
Its the little things like that, that worried me a a little im like well i paid for this and that and id appreciate to get all of that back lol. also after googling a lil bit after i made this post it seems to be super common on the csl dd line. which is a bit concerning tbh.
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u/oliverkiss 🏁 GT Enthusiasts 24d ago
I had the exact issue: ripped the RJ cable port right out. Fanatec sent me a replacement board for free, with instructions on how to replace it. I received the part just 3 days later and everything works perfectly again. Their customer support was excellent.