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Calling All Sportrak Owners


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:blink: I bought my SporTrak 1 yr ago and never noticed any problem with it untill i was told about this thread.....I looked at it and noticed that there were 4 cracks out of the 6 screws....i went to our local Wally world and told the person in the sports department about it.....and lo and behold......she gave me a new one....so try your local store and who knows...it may work for you also
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Just purchased a SportTrak Pro from the offroute.com site 1/21/04 and have only used it a couple of times. The D/C number is 26/03. Some discoloration around the lower 4 screw locations in the top case. So far, only noticed some slight bulging of the top case and the rubber gasket. :D Will monitor to see if cracks develop. Also considering backing out the screws slightly, but concerned about waterproofness.

 

Would not have noticed these imperfections without this thread. I have not tried to inspect the case with a magnifying glass so don't know if incipient cracks exist.

 

RLTS

 

P.S. I'm a little bummed because I recently recommended this unit to a friend because of all the good features and accuracy of the STP. He ordered his online last week.

Edited by RLTS_Montgomery
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Just purchased a SportTrak Pro from the offroute.com site 1/21/04 and have only used it a couple of times.  The D/C number is 26/03.  Some discoloration around the lower 4 screw locations in the top case.  So far, only noticed some slight bulging of the top case and the rubber gasket.  :D  Will monitor to see if cracks develop.  Also considering backing out the screws slightly, but concerned about waterproofness.

 

Would not have noticed these imperfections without this thread.  I have not tried to inspect the case with a magnifying glass so don't know if incipient cracks exist.

 

RLTS

 

P.S. I'm a little bummed because I recently recommended this unit to a friend because of all the good features and accuracy of the STP. He ordered his online last week.

You have probably considered this, but…

Since you are still in your 30 day return period, I would exchange the SporTrak Pro for the Meridian Gold. The Gold uses similar screen set up, relatively the same base map at 16 MB, and you can use any SD card for downloading detailed maps for use on the road/trails. All this and you save $25.00 on a unit you are less likely to out-grow any time soon, unless you get the feeling you MUST have a color screen.

 

I was still in my 30 period when I noticed the cracks in my STP Marine, and exchanged it for the Gold and love it.

 

Just an option B) everyone has one

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:unsure: Well change my vote as well. It appears that backing the screws off will not help prevent the cracks from forming (wishful thinking I guess). It appears the screw itself is to blame. The screw’s diameter is too large for the case housing. I have since developed a second bulge in the receiver’s case. This bulge does not appear to run completely though the case when observed under 15X magnification, but I believe its just a matter of time before it develops into a full fledge crack. This is of course VERY disappointing considering I’ve only had the unit for a month and a half. Unit was purchased on 12/27/03 and has a DC# of 3302. I think I’ll just live with the cracks (for now) and steer others away from purchasing this GPSr. Near the end of the one-year warranty, I’ll contact Magellan and submit it for repair. B)
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I have crack sign! :unsure:

DC 0403 Sportrak MAP - 2 cracks noticeable without magnification / 3 with! Returning to store to see what can be done for me.

 

SPORTRAK MAP

DC: 0403

PURCHASED: 2/09/04

COLORADO, USA

 

Wish I had noticed thread before buying. Thanks for starting the thread and to all the reporters.

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.

You have probably considered this, but…

Since you are still in your 30 day return period, I would exchange the SporTrak Pro for the Meridian Gold. The Gold uses similar screen set up, relatively the same base map at 16 MB, and you can use any SD card for downloading detailed maps for use on the road/trails. All this and you save $25.00 on a unit you are less likely to out-grow any time soon, unless you get the feeling you MUST have a color screen.

 

I was still in my 30 period when I noticed the cracks in my STP Marine, and exchanged it for the Gold and love it.

 

Just an option ;) everyone has one

Thanks for the suggestion. We are considering an exchange for another unit. How is the size and weight of the Meridian gold vs. STP? You can email me your reply if you want so that we don't clutter up this thread.

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:smile::mad::mad::mad::mad:

This is a summary of the Sportrak poll to date:

Total with cracks: 59 (79%)

Total without cracks: 16 (21%)

Reported date codes range from 1502 to 4403.

Reported date codes without cracks are: 1602, 2202, 2302, 3102, 3302, 4102, 4702, 5102, 0203, 0403, 2503, 3903.

And the usual disclaimer:

10 of 75 were reported without date codes, but I've chosen to include them in the totals anyway.

Also, anyone who reported bulging, discoloration, etc at the bolts without actual cracks (only a couple), got counted as having cracks because I didn't want to make a new category, and the issue at hand is structural integrity, and I would say their problem counts.

Sportrak Color models are not included because they have a different type of case.

It's never too late to add more posts. I'll do another summary in a few days. Thanks!

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

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ST Map D/C 2503

 

Two nearly invisible cracks just starting, on the two screws just above the keys.  I'll see what BestBuy will do for me.

Magellan replaced my unit with a new one, D/C 3703. We will see if/when this one forms cracks, and advise. :smile:

 

Incidentally, they threw a couple of accessories into the box for me: A belt holster, which I sent back, because I don't like the clip design :mad: ( I use a generic padded cell phone holster instead ), and a serial interface cable, which I kept as a spare. :mad:

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I got my sportrak map back last Wed. It took a little over two weeks for it to go and come back. I dont think that is to bad. They replaced the top cover with the cracks in it, put two new batteries in it, loaded the latest firmware, sent two new manuals( one english, one french) and sent a holder for in the car. I was pretty happy with the service and quick response.

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Im not sure if it is still an issue as far as the units not cracking again. The issue of whether they take care of their problem is solved as far as I am concerned. They did what I expected them or any other company to do. Fix it. And they threw in some goodies also. Only time will tell if they fixed the problem of the cracks in the cases.

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Hello all.

 

Bought STM D/C 4502 today (Feb 29th 2004); so far of course, nothing, but I wish I had found this site before I made my purchase.

 

I also own a Meridian Gold and figured the STM would be a good unit to allow my hiking buddies to handle.

 

I have noticed, as someone else pointed out, that the screws appear far too big for their mounts which would definitely be the cause of unwanted materials expansion.

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Got my Sportrak pro back from repairs today. No cracks on this one as far as i can see. Actually i did not receive my old unit, but it´s not new either :lol:

 

The first i did was to back out all screws a little, i don´t know if it will help, time will tell!

 

D/C on this unit 0403

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:mad: --yep i got cracks also--purchased about a year ago--!!

date code = 3102

i use it in my truck when traveling to and from other towns, geocaching/benchmark hunting--in my work vehicle to see just how far i have gone -- and on my bicycle!!----well dang it -- was hopeing that was not the

case here but unfortunately yep i got em too--!!

 

archuka--cheyenne, wy

guess i will keep a watch out for what happens--!!

<_<

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After reading this thread I checked my receiver. There was a very small crack developing at one of the screws. I contacted Magellan and they were very polite and corrected the problem. Their customer service is top notch. Magellan has made me a customer for life! Thanks to Karma Hunter for bringing this subject to light.

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I used to think Magellan's customer service was top notch too, but after hearing about how many people here have been lied to (the "I spoke to my coworkers and we never heard of this" syndrome), I would hardly call their service top notch. Last year I put in a support issue for the 5.0 software crashing bug and was given the "never heard of it" response that many here are getting on the case cracks. It seems that rather than admit a problem and pursue a fix, Magellan is instead choosing to pretend that the problems simply do not exist. Now I am facing the case cracking issue...

 

For the record, it appears that if you want to get RMA service from Magellan, you have to call them, not fill out the online form. I've filled out the online form _twice_ now for the case cracks and haven't gotten a single response from them (other than the automated 'we received this and will respond within 72 hours' thing)! I have nothing against calling them... it's just the principle of the matter: If you have an online form, somebody should be answering it!

 

Quite honestly, I am very disappointed in Magellan's support and in Magellan as a whole. I have in the past recommended Magellan products to others, but recent events have been changing my opinions on that matter greatly.

Edited by M-Class
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SporTrak Pro, D/C 4402, puchased from offroute.com on 9 September 2003, shipped to Alexandria VA (I'm an Aussie - I was on holidays at the time, and decided to take advantage of the low, low prices). No cracks. I'm not exactly gentle with it - it lives in the glove box of the car or the bottom of a backpack.

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For the record, it appears that if you want to get RMA service from Magellan, you have to call them, not fill out the online form.

 

Not true - I filled it out and got back an e-mail that said - "please call us at..." I was too busy to follow up on it and didn't call them back - that was two weeks ago. They actually called me yesterday - and get this - BEST NEWS YET - they offered to replace my Sportrak Map with a Sportrak Pro!!! I guess it's because I already sent in my unit once - I was very happy when I got it back, but my unit developed new stress cracks, so I called them back. No, I didn't drop it. I must say, any of you who think Magellan/Thales has bad customer service, you are dead wrong. They honestly have the best customer service I have ever encountered & I work in a customer service-laden industry - anyone who has encountered any customer service for internet, computers, software, or anything electronic in the amount I have will instantly recognize Thales as, hands down, having a great customer service. Yeah, maybe they produced one product that is having problems, but it's a really great product, other than that, and they are taking care of it. I know it's hard having to wait two weeks to get your repaired unit back, but hey, that's two weeks of planning your next cache, downloading the waypoints of your next twelve-hundred finds and two weeks more of complaining in the forums! <_<

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So that's why the forums tend to be so negative??? Between Garmin click-sticks and Magellan stress cracks we've developed a negative crowd. Hmmm... maybe I should just pop my head in randomly and say something to cheer everyone up! I had better get a flame resistant suit first...

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ST Pro date code 4902. Small cracks are just beginning to appear at the center screws. As an engineer involved in high-level assembly of electronic products, I would say that this is most likely a design problem with the screw holes being placed too close to the outside of the case, ie the material is too thin at this point to take the pressure exerted by the screw. I don't buy the "bad batch of material" excuse. Screws that are over-sized, or over-torqued could be a contributor. I hope that we can all get some resolution to this problem, because I really like my Sportrack. Magellan should come clean and offer a no-charge repair/replacement with a redisigned case. Companies that don't strive to satisfy the customer are not going to remain competetive.

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