Tomorrow I will be sending my Bachmann 2-8-0 back to Bachmann for service, it quit running. Does anyone have any experience with Bachmann’s service department? I’m just wondering about how long I can expect my engine to be gone. I don’t want to bug Bachmann sooner than necessary. Thanks.
Will,
YOU are the consumer! BUG all you want! Contact them and ask what their “Normal” turn around time is for your type of repair. It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. A friend of mine waited 1 1/2 months for his BLI GG1 to be repaired and returned. BLI did do a good job though and he was satisfied.
Be reasonable but don’t play shy with manufacturers! You, me and the rest of us here are what keep them in business. Period!
Peace!
I know of at least three Bachmann engines that were sent in for repair, and in each instance they replaced the items instead of trying to perform any repairs. Turn-around time was two to three weeks.
My wife had to send in two of her Bachmann N scale engines that ran poorly right out of the box. One, an Alaska F9, they had in stock and replaced it. Turn around was about a week. The other, a Santa Fe 4-8-4 was out of stock. They offered a 4-6-2 Spectrum as a replacement, but my wife wanted the original. Turn around on that one was about 3 months, which they let her know up front it would be 2 to 4 months. Both the new engines run flawless! From her experience, I would have to rate their performance as excellent.
I’ve had an experience with Bachmann’s service department and have been treated like a king.Their product may not be as good as hoped,but their service is top notch.
I have had to send several engines in and have had excellent results. I would call and talk to them first however. The worst time to send things in seems to be before xmas and right after, they get swamped and the turn around time suffers. They are first rate and willing to work with you, just don’t send in decoder equiped or custom pained shells as they will likely just replace with a new unit. You should keep what you can’t replace.The time is between 2 to 3 weeks average.
Good to see another thread which discusses top notch service.
Same here. Twice I would buy Spectrum diesel that has a bad motor. I called Bachmann and both times they sent me a replacement motor.
However in your case I would try to determine what is wrong with the engine. By taking it apart you will NOT void the warranty. It could be as simple as lose wire.
Take it apart, connect the engine to a track (assuming it is not DCC) and see if it rotates. If it does, just look for contact problem. If the motor turns out to be broken, maybe brush has gone bad. Just ask Bachmann to sent you a replacement motor. In both times I delt with them I did NOT have to send my engine. It costs more to you and to them. If the engine is not on warranty I belive you can just get the motor for a small price.
If you have enough skills to connect rails and set up turnouts, I am not even talking building a layout, then you should be able to take the engine apart 
Bachmann has a good record for service. Sometimes with any electronic item it may take TIME to do a proper job. Or simply issue you a replacement unit. Their forums are just crammed with kudos on thier service with a occasional dissatisfied person like any other repair operation.
Bachmann customer service is excellent. I have returned a couple of small steamers in the past. Rather than repair them they replaced them. They even changed road name on one of them at my request! Just follow the instructions on their website. I usually call them as well. I recently ordered a new motor from them. Total turnaround time, 3-days. Hard to beat!
I have sent three engines into Bachmann for service an all were replaced fairly quickly. This is one of the reasons I will continue to buy their products. I have been really impressed.
I too have had good results on several occasions with Bachman service and also obtaining parts for kitbashing cars.
As with anything you can have a bad experience but mine have all been positive.
I know lots of folks put down their products but I have six Spectrum F40’s, four in Amtrak and two in VIA and until recently they were the only game in town for those engines. All have provided excellent service. Similar experience with their Amfleet cars which until recently were the only ones available and then another company finally came out with the same cars. Guess which ones run trouble free and which are problem cars?