[Axel Tillmann]

The recent productions of LGB 20940 and 21940 (the red V200) have assembly faults. Marklin/LGB has a recall action. If you bought within the last 2-3 month your engine and it is a 2008 production model (most likely the box will say made in China)then there will be a great potential of you grinding down you gears. The gearboxes have been improperly installed and Maerklin is going to fix the problem.
You can contact me under [email protected] and we can discuss. I am willing (even though you didn't buy the engines from me) to consolidate the deliveries here and take care of the problem. One of two tings can happen, I either will be enabled to fix the problem here, or I will ship them to Germany for fixing. Joint shipment are still better than individual ones - freight wise.
Of course you are free to contact Maerklin or your dealer. But definitely I wanted to let you know.

 

[vsmith]

Ah yes the missing screws screw up, thats what happens when Chinese assembly line workers think they know more a product than the engineers who designed it and try to show the company how to shave a minute or two off the schedule and save a few bucks. I hope the Chinese company has to eat the recall costs, serve them right.

Good luck with it Axel, not a good way to re-enter the market, but not anything on Marklins side engineering-wise.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Did they have them built by Kader?

 

[stanman]

Posted By vsmith on 08/11/2008 4:55 PM
Ah but not anything on Marklins side engineering-wise.


Nevertheless, the responsibility is Märklin's; their name is on the product.

 

[vsmith]

True, but unlike some other companies - they're addressing it directly, not dancing around it.

 

[Axel Tillmann]

I personally think it is a multi-part problem:
1. I am very often amazed to what level of detail you have to spell out things for others - sometimes I asked myself - "Can anybody be that ....id". This wrong assembly problem might fall into that category
2. Chinese manufacturers are under tremendous pressure, because costs are raising, and the expansion plans depend heavily on their ability to export, for the prices the rest of the world has come to expect. Needless to say they take very often shortcuts and saving a few screws here and there might be one of them. It is like - two screws hold the lid in place - right? Of course if the motor is not running, but for screws are needed for the pressure fitting needed to hold the motor into place./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif
Nonetheless - the problem is going to get fixed.

 

[Dennis Paulson]

Posted By Axel Tillmann on 08/11/2008 4:49 PM
The recent productions of LGB 20940 and 21940 (the red V200) have assembly faults. Marklin/LGB has a recall action. If you bought within the last 2-3 month your engine and it is a 2008 production model (most likely the box will say made in China)then there will be a great potential of you grinding down you gears. The gearboxes have been improperly installed and Maerklin is going to fix the problem.
You can contact me under [email protected] and we can discuss. I am willing (even though you didn't buy the engines from me) to consolidate the deliveries here and take care of the problem. One of two tings can happen, I either will be enabled to fix the problem here, or I will ship them to Germany for fixing. Joint shipment are still better than individual ones - freight wise.
Of course you are free to contact Maerklin or your dealer. But definitely I wanted to let you know.




Axel deserves a big thanks for his offer of help to all " border=0>
I do not have this model myself , but I belive Axel is outstanding in his offer ." border=0>

 

[GrizzlyFlatsFan]

Thanks, Axel for the information and your offer. I don't have a V200, but those that do will really appreciate the offer.

 

[thekollector]

From my understanding Lehmann produced the first 300 V200 power trucks in Germany even though the body and chassis came from China. Either Märklin shipped the bogie moulds to China or the assembly problem was in Hungary. Does anyone have any insight?

Jack

 

[Fritz]

Hi,

Was there a single Märklin/LGB V 200 loco of the latest run purchased by a US customer yet?
Are European made models, or models for the European market, bought in the US at all anymore?

Have Fun

Fritz / Juergen

 

[Madman]

I know this doesn't exactly answer your question, Fritz. But I do like running European models. Back in the day, so to speak, I had no time for those trains with two or three headlights, and no tender. Now I can't get enough of them. As I said once before in these forums, I marvel at the inginuity of the Eurpean prototypes. They had to do the same as their American counterparts, but with alot less space to do it in.

 

[krs]

A very generous offer by Axel, but should anyone actually have one of these engines, there is really no need to go to the expense to mail the engine to Axel or to Germany.
The recall simply involves adding the four additional screws in each motor block (at the top) that were left off during assembly. Easy enough for anyone to do IMHO.
Maerklin will be happy to send you the screws; you just need to remove the motor block, if the engine has already run, I would take the top cover off (just held by two screws on the engines that require the recall) to verify that the gears are not damaged, and then put the cover back on with all six screws.
If the engine hasn't run, just add the four missing screws.