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Posts: 14
| Just returned from the dealership, and now I am on my 3rd trolling motor pedal in just over 3 years of ownership. Is this common? It seems a bit ridiculous to me, According to the Minn Kota website, there is a 2 year limited warranty on all parts of the motor, the 1st replacement pedal was warrantied to me with no charge as it was within 2 years of original purchase date. However I was charged $94 for a new pedal today. Shouldnt the 2 years start over on any part that was replaced within 2 years of the original purchase date? In any regard I think its kind of lame that these pedals are so disposable. The dealer told me today there is now only a 90 day warranty on this pedal. Just curious if anyone else has had similar problems and/or what you did about it. |
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Posts: 283
Location: beloit | yes it is a very common problem with these pedals, do a search on here and you will be able to find some helpful info. sometimes you can take the pedals apart and clean the contacts but it's just a temporary fix and they will need to be replaced eventually.
Edited by Fiedler 7/31/2010 1:17 PM
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Posts: 131
| the ORIGINAL part has a 2 year warranty so it is covered for 2 years.unfortunately if it has to be replaced the new part [ANY part]only has a 90 day warranty.i know,it sucks but because people have taken advantage of the system thats what minnkota's policy is.try to keep sand[ect]out of the pedal.if you do think it may have gotten some crap in it remove the 3 screws that hold the speed control side of the pedal on and blow it out with an air hose.we usually will drown it in wd-40 to remove any left over crud from the contacts and blow it out again.with proper care a pedal should last a couple of seasons of heavy use.keeping ot out of extended exposure to moisture is a good idea too.when a board does go out just replace the board,not the pedal,it'll save you about 50%. |
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Posts: 14
| The sales person at the dealer told me just the board was $80, I figured I wasnt saving much by just getting the board, but maybe I need to buy just a board for a spare. Hate to have problems on a trip because I'm running around looking for a new pedal. Also, the pedal as well as the rest of my boat are extremely well cared for, the boat has never been left outside uncovered, it is cleaned weekly, and the only fish I feel are worthy of me getting wet for is musky for the most part, so its not all that often that the pedal would get wet. Do the rest of the models of Minn Kota's pedal have the same problems or is this specific to this model pedal? would it be worth trying a different model if possible? |
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Posts: 283
Location: beloit | replacing just the board won't help if the contacts get wore down to where they don't make contact anymore |
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| I keep a spare pedal on my boat at all times.The last pedal i had i ended up kicking it across the boat in a fit of rage.Also the guy atmhy marina said spray it with contact cleaner from time to time. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I have had the same foot pedal in service now for four seasons, always outside, rarely covered. It's a MotorGuide wireless. Great motor. |
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Posts: 968
Location: N.FIB | I don`t know if it really helps much,but I put my foot pedal in the veichle with me to and from the lake.I do that so it`s not gonna take all the bumps being in the boat,I`ve only went through one foot pedal,but I`m sure if I fished alot more I would go through more.the next trolling motor I buy will probably be a motor guide because it seems there foot pedals last alot longer |
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Posts: 462
Location: Antioch, IL | I have an old, padded lap top case. When not in use or in transit the depth finders/GPS goes in one side and the footpedal goes in the other side. I clean it once a season, as stated above, and store it when not in use. Four years running on a minn kota pd v2 and no issues. (I still carry a back up just in case) |
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Posts: 247
Location: Uxbridge Ontario | I have had the same issues with my minnkota pedal. The problem is that the slide rail and contacts loose there elasticity and crack after a few seasons of use. Then once exposed to moisture, they start to corrode, and that's the end of the game. I really wish MinnKota would rectify some of the hurt by reducing their pricing. I cant for the life of me see this costing them any more than $10 to produce... especially on mass production. |
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Posts: 196
| I have had problems with mine as well.......I just talked to a service center today ( not minn kota this time ) and they told me that the best thing you can do is flush the pedal out with water everytime you use it........I don't mean throw it in the bottom of your pool for two days, but quickly flush it with some water. They said that the main reason for failure is the same as someone up here said, the bubble pops and then water gets in and ruins it, whether it be in the form of lake water or moisture from temperature changes,etc. The reason for flushing the pedal is a little bit of sand or grime gets on the bubble....then when you push down on it the grime digs into the bubble, and after a while pops it. The flushing will help keep the grime off of the bubble......now naturally if you are already having issues and your bubble is open, this probably wouldn't be a good idea, just keep that in mind....instect the bubble ( you can see it in between the pedal and bottom piece ) and flush with water as long as the pedal is ok.......the ideal thing to use would be contact cleaner, but obviously most people don't have a can just hanging around on their boat....hope this helps you guys get a little more time out of your pedals, it has made mine last 3 years....it's just now starting to flake out. |
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