i-Pilot: 2 mos old and repair needed

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...IMG_0011-1.jpg
Here you have a shot of my i-P remote after 20 trips. The rubber covering several of the most used buttons began cracking after about 10 trips. Shortly thereafter, water began seeping into the unit and fogging the display. No permanent damage yet, but not good. Especially for a unit that cost more than every other TM I've owned--added together!

I took this unit to my local M-K repair shop & a replacement rubber cover is on the way - covered by my warranty. At the rate this thing fell apart, my next warranty claim should be about 10/1...then 1/1/11...etc.

Whats all the white stuff on it? Scales?

Are you storing it in your minnow bucket?

Mine's almost a year old. Looks and works like new.

Clean that thing regularly and put some Armorall protectant on the rubber to keep it like new.

Quit letting your dog chew on it and it will last a little longer.

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Originally Posted by Quicksilver1958

Are you storing it in your minnow bucket? Mine's almost a year old. Looks and works like new.

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It doesn't sit still long enough to be stored anywhere.

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Originally Posted by wilbur

Whats all the white stuff on it? Scales?

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Minnow scales. I'm baiting hooks and running the motor with the same two hands. :D

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Originally Posted by GCD

Clean that thing regularly and put some Armorall protectant on the rubber to keep it like new.

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I'll try the Armorall--good suggestion.

Armorall protectant is the last thing I would put on rubber. You do know tire companies will not warren-tee a tire if armorall has been put on it. All it does is make a tire look shiny, has no real uv additives in it.
product 303 is NOT CHEAP but will prolong life of rubber etc. This stuff will also polish the clear lenses on cars headlite systems.


303 Products, Inc.: Use 303 Products on EPDM, Latex, Inflatables and other rubber items

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Originally Posted by jaxsprat

Armorall protectant is the last thing I would put on rubber. You do know tire companies will not warren-tee a tire if armorall has been put on it. All it does is make a tire look shiny, has no real uv additives in it.
product 303 is NOT CHEAP but will prolong life of rubber etc. This stuff will also polish the clear lenses on cars headlite systems.


303 Products, Inc.: Use 303 Products on EPDM, Latex, Inflatables and other rubber items

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You should read this:

Armor All® - Product Detail

Try using the auto-pilot and cruise control, you won't wear the buttons out so fast! I fish 3 or 4 days a week with mine since November, no problems.

I agree with Jaxsprat on the 303 but will also add Bass Boat Saver.

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Originally Posted by feelay

Try using the auto-pilot and cruise control, you won't wear the buttons out so fast! I fish 3 or 4 days a week with mine since November, no problems.

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I use autopilot and advanced autopilot all the time, but I have no use for cruise since most of my trips are spent sitting on BPs, beaver huts, and laydowns. Spot lock, on the other hand, gets heavy use UNLESS the spot is too tight for GPS control. Also, I never use the foot control. I'm only averaging about two trips a week this year, but most of them are on TMO lakes and last 10 - 12 hrs. That translates to roughly 20 to 25 hrs. of TM usage per wk. Are you saying that the same product has held up to 30 to 50 hrs. of usage per week for 32 wks?

Looks to me like that's not NORMAL use. It looks a little abused also.

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Originally Posted by sac-a-lait

Looks to me like that's not NORMAL use. It looks a little abused also.

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What's abnormal about 2 fishing trips per week? Feelay says he's using his for 3 or 4 trips per week. During a normal trip, I bait 4 to 8 rods with minnows and catch fish. That means my hands are wet and slimy--again, a normal part of crappie fishing.

According to Dictionary.com, the verb "abuse" means to use wrongly or improperly; misuse. The remote always hangs around my neck on the M-K lanyard and I push the buttons with my bare fingers--what could be improper about that?

M-K claims the i-P remote is "encased in a watertight, fully gasketed remote that floats." When the encasing rubber gasket cracks open, the product is no longer watertight.

Yes....Feelay probably averages 25 hrs of fishing per Week. Maybe more....he only works 10 days a month.

Where do you store the remote when not in use? Mine had the button array break and MK sent me a new one for the swap...this was a known problem with a batch of button arrays..bout 5 minutes to replace and 2 days to receive. Other than that, I've been running mine since about April with no other issues. Course, I'm lucky to average 8 hours a month. :( Still, my remote would look like new if I wiped it off. I'm guessing yours may be getting UV damage from constant exposure combined with wear.

Regardless.....I'm confident MK will fix you up.

Wannabe...

sorry to hear of the problems, something a car show guy told me one time,,,, he uses sun tan lotion to protect rubber,vinal, on his cars for uv protection, I use it on my boat seats. ??

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Originally Posted by GCD

You should read this:

Armor All® - Product Detail

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Yep, all just advertizing to get folks to buy the stuff, ask firestone or Goodyear what they think-they will tell you put that stuff on our tires and your warren-tee is out the window- now they are the folks to believe not the guys making money off their stuff....................
But hey its a free country( so far) do as you please, have a good day. :D

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Originally Posted by Wannabe...

Where do you store the remote when not in use? Mine had the button array break and MK sent me a new one for the swap...this was a known problem with a batch of button arrays..bout 5 minutes to replace and 2 days to receive. Other than that, I've been running mine since about April with no other issues. Course, I'm lucky to average 8 hours a month. :( Still, my remote would look like new if I wiped it off. I'm guessing yours may be getting UV damage from constant exposure combined with wear.

Regardless.....I'm confident MK will fix you up.

Wannabe...

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When not in use, the remote normally stays on the front seat of my truck or it comes in the house. It's only exposed to the elements when I'm fishing. There's nothing wrong with the buttons themselves, just to rubber seal. Exposure to UV, water, and wear are normal for a top of the line outdoor sporting product. MK did not balk at my repairman's request to replace the rubber under my warranty, so I have no complaints about the service. I'm just surprised that a best-of-breed product is falling apart like this and would caution other owners to keep an eye on the rubber seal. Once it starts cracking, water begins seeping in, the display fogs, and more serious damage can't be far behind.

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Originally Posted by jaxsprat

Yep, all just advertizing to get folks to buy the stuff, ask firestone or Goodyear what they think-they will tell you put that stuff on our tires and your warren-tee is out the window- now they are the folks to believe not the guys making money off their stuff....................
But hey its a free country( so far) do as you please, have a good day. :D

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Ok, I guess you think you're the only one that is right on this subject? I've used Armor All for over 20 years with excellent results, but not on vehicle tires. I use the tire spray foam for that because that's what it's designed for.

I've never heard of the Product 303, but if Dong endorses it... it might be good enough to try, but then Don is getting pretty old and senile... so there's that to consider too! (you got that voodoo doll back out yet old timer?)

There's more than one way to skin a catfish yanno.

Have a great evening JS.

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Originally Posted by GCD

Ok, I guess you think you're the only one that is right on this subject? I've used Armor All for over 20 years with excellent results, but not on vehicle tires. I use the tire spray foam for that because that's what it's designed for.

I've never heard of the Product 303, but if Dong endorses it... it might be good enough to try, but then Don is getting pretty old and senile... so there's that to consider too! (you got that voodoo doll back out yet old timer?)
There's more than one way to skin a catfish yanno.

Have a great evening JS.

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Didn't expect you to know much about Hi-Tech stuff...You just need to stick with vaseline....:D:D

VOODOO doll must be working...Seems as though you can't sleep...:eek:

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Originally Posted by DonG

Didn't expect you to know much about Hi-Tech stuff...You just need to stick with vaseline....:D:D

VOODOO doll must be working...Seems as though you can't sleep...:eek:

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.:p

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Originally Posted by DonG

Didn't expect you to know much about Hi-Tech stuff...You just need to stick with vaseline....:D:D

VOODOO doll must be working...Seems as though you can't sleep...:eek:

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Shouldn't you be trying to get rid of the training wheels on your digital camera or something?:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Cane Pole

.:p

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Okay MOF that made me laugh!:D ... thanks for the chuckle!!!

Time for an update to this 2010 product report.

I'm now using i-P remote replacement rubber cover #2. Replacement #1 delivered 82 trips (about 900 fishing hours) before the rubber failed. This time, the cracks developed more gradually & were limited to the "left" and "right" buttons--the most used controls on the device. Clearly, the material & construction in the first replacement cover outperformed the original cover--4 to 1. (Did M-K improve the part or was I luckier with part #2?) If replacement #2 performs no better than #1, it should fail shortly before the Terrova's warranty expires. At this rate, I will start paying for replacement parts early in 2013.

Here's an update on mine while we're at it. My right steer button rubber cover has failed. I sent a message to MK on 06-28-11 and have not heard back from them. I sent anothe message on 07-08-11 and still have not heard back from them. First time I've gotten such a slow response from them on anything. Sorta takes the bubbles out of my coke a little bit on them. When I do get ahold of 'em, I'll see if I can't get a warranty replacement and order a spare while I'm at it.

Wannabe...

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Originally Posted by Wannabe...

When I do get ahold of 'em, I'll see if I can't get a warranty replacement and order a spare while I'm at it.

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My M-K authorized repair shop is just under 4 miles away, so I take all my TM problems to Josh and he contacts M-K for warranty authorization. First time, M-K asked a few questions and then shipped him a replacement remote--not just the cover, the whole unit! Most recently, they authorized the warranty replacement of the rubber cover after a brief conversation. No charge both times & quick service.

Update: Called MK this AM and talked to a nice guy. They shipping my replacement cover and I should have it in 4 or 5 days. Prolly only took 3 minutes on the phone to confirm my address and what not. That put the bubble back in my coke on 'em. :)

Wannabe...

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My M-K authorized repair shop is just under 4 miles away, so I take all my TM problems to Josh and he contacts M-K for warranty authorization.

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Richard, is this Virginia Trolling Motor (formerly Wells) on Jeff Davis? Thanks in advance.

#4. After 12 to 15 trips, another busted rubber cover on my iPilot remote. This one performed about the same as the original unit (see picture at the top of this thread.) Rubber around all of the frequently used keys was shot.

Are you ready for another replacement Wannabe...?

Mine is still holding up.....course, I don't fish but maybe once a week average. 2 trips in a week is fairly rare for me. Corker, you see that announcement about the redesigned remote? Suppose to be available 1st of the year and one thing mentioned was beefed up cover for the boats.

Wannabe...

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Originally Posted by Wannabe...

redesigned remote...beefed up cover

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That will certainly be an improvement. I don't care how hard you use a product - if it's top-of-the-line it should last more than 15 trips. Both the Terrova and the iPilot work great. It's a shame this component blemishes an otherwise excellent product.