GPX 6000 Coil Cracks

[RoobyRoobyRoo]

Keep an eye out boys n goyles 

 

[D&P-OR]

With all the problems reported with this detector--it looks like a good one (to stay away from)!

[Northeast]

After this was posted on Prospecting Australia Forum I checked mine and yes, there are fine cracks on both ears of the 11" coil. 

Have contacted Minelab and it will be sent back in the next week or so and have been assured that it will be changed over.  Have also been advised that since the original batch there have been changes made so that this does not happen again. 

Not great but at least with Minelab you know that warranty issues will be dealt with and it is reassuring to know that things are being done so that the issue isn't simply repeated with the new coil.  

Cheers, N.E.  

[phrunt]

2 hours ago, Northeast said:

Not great but at least with Minelab you know that warranty issues will be dealt with and it is reassuring to know that things are being done so that the issue isn't simply repeated with the new coil. 

Fingers crossed you don't swap your good working coil for a EMI infested unstable one.

That's a real bummer about the faulty coil ears, Did they indicate how early on the problem was found, as in how many people will end up with the fault that were part of the original batch? Was yours a very early 6000? I should be all sweet just having had my coil replaced a few weeks ago as long as it wasn't new old stock.

[RoobyRoobyRoo]

1 minute ago, phrunt said:

Fingers crossed you don't swap your good working coil for a EMI infested unstable one.

You wrote exactly what I was thinking, bloody ridiculous. 

[Northeast]

So, I actually asked a few questions and got some good answers.  I am uneasy about cutting and pasting someone's personal email responses on here but can give a brief outline.  

I did have the same thoughts as my current coil actually works fine.   Would be a real P.I.T.A to send a good coil with slight cracks to be swapped for an intact coil that did not perform as well.  I even enquired re: if they would send back the cracked coil so that I would have a perfectly good spare if required.  I even thought about holding out on sending back the current coil until it was well and truly cracked properly.  

The end result is that Minelab will not return a faulty product once it has been sent in, even if it is still in working order.  I understand that policy as some people may deliberately force little cracks, send the coil back for a new one and then essentially have 2 good working coils.  

The email also referenced "the original batch" was prone to the cracking problem.  Mine was one of the 'first cabs off the rank' from JP so I think definitely an original batch.  

I also queried about warranty as I thought that the new coil would start the 3 yr warranty period again.  This was actually a "No", the replacement coil starts from where the old coil left off - approx 20 months of warranty left.  I suppose this is also so that people don't get to 2 years and 11 months of warranty, force some cracks and then request a new coil with a new 3 yr warranty.  

All in all, not great to have to go through the situation but at least it is being dealt with on an individual level and at an ongoing product level.  

Steve H has previously stated that it is Version 2 of everything that is the one to wait for.  My guess is that the GPX6100 will have coil ear issues, speaker issues, EMI issues, shaft issues, etc, all sorted.   The early adopters may have had some hassles with this release but I'm sure not complaining too much as my gold poke (increased finds) and R) arm (decreased weight) are happier than ever.  

👍

 

[RoobyRoobyRoo]

3 hours ago, Northeast said:

My guess is that the GPX6100 will have coil ear issues, speaker issues, EMI issues, shaft issues, etc, all sorted.

So to follow your logic you’re saying previous detector problems were resolved with the release of the GPX-4600, GPX-5100, SDC-2400, and a GPZ 7100? I don’t recall them being released….. mainly because back then Minelab produced and released fully tested detectors that didn’t need to be essentially rebuilt to fix multiple flaws like we’re seeing now.  At this point with the 6, if they made cars you’d be better off jacking up the ignition key and putting a new car under it if you started having problems…. That’s what I did, got my warranty replacement and once I tested it and determined it was working properly flogged it off before it changed it’s mind.

[Aureous]

My 6000 coil is one of the 'good ones' and nope...no cracks yet. The crack can be fixed (if you have a good coil and don't want to take a gamble on the replacement being worse) by simply buying a small amount of MEK or Acetone and cutting small pieces from an ice cream container (white of course) or obtaining scrap propylene from elsewhere and mixing the 2 together in a glass jar for a few hours. The resulting paste can be used as a repair glue by forcibly smearing it into the crack, with a smooth over-cover to reinforce. It sets and seals within an hour or two.

I anticipate any future cracks in my coil being irrelevant soon, when the NF Xceed coils become available, coz I wont use the std 11" mono anymore. Waiting.....waiting.....waiting............

[Aureous]

58 minutes ago, Jennifer said:

 At this point with the 6, if they made cars you’re be better off jacking up the ignition key and putting a new car under it if you started having problems

Sounds like anything made by Jeep....or Landrover lol   They seem to spend equally as much time in the workshop as on the road.

[Norvic]

Ah checked mine yes it has the cracks also but it will not be going back, I`ll go with the acetone repair. Its earnt a few repairs, am currently running the Coitek 10x5 mighty little coil for poking through the FNQ grass.