waeco fridges

HI AG, I had no troubles until yesterday (3 years old) when I got my fridge back from lending out to (outlaw now). It copped a spike from an electrical storm and stuffed two parts, one is the thermister, not sure what the other part is called. Luckily they passed under warranty (top bloke) as it was spiked not classed as warranty but he rang me this morning so I was lucky or should I say outlaw is. He had just as many engel's,waeco's,chesscolds etc everywhere. I got chatting to him and asked what was his opinion on the two major brands (waeco,engel) He said it's like a Toyota versus Nissan, ford virsus holden thing. Who ever owns either brand they say its the best but his opinion was they all have thier faults. He said at the end of the day generally they all work as good as each other, some have faults like the waeco's too lighter fuse issue, the current issue with mine (very common) but once fixed will be better then current set up. Sounds like you did get a bit of a lemon though. Hope he fixes it for you and is the last issue with it. WHG

I hope Murphy is'nt around while I post this. I've had my 40lt Waeco for over three years and the only problem I've had was a broken 12v connection in the fridge itself. My fault for not securing the fridge and plug properly when running over a lot of corrugations. That was fixed under warranty and no charge at all.

I'd say you've been unlucky.

Can't fault our 80L, Mate has the same, his is perfect as well.

We've camped with a lot of W owners, all good.

Had an Engel prior to the W, it kept stuff cold too.

Jim.

I have 2 waecos 40lt and 2 Engels. I feel bias and say I have more confidence in the Engel - probably because they are Australian. One Waeco burnt the fuse out in 1 month from new. I have since found out it is a common fault fixed on warranty. Also you need to be sure you have adequete power supply to fridges - all fridges or you will do damage and quickly flatten your battery. I have since rerouted 6 mm2 wiring to all fridges - cost a bit to buy a roll from coventrys but worth it. I also removed the cigarette lighter connection for proper low volt plugs. I do like the layout of the Waeco with the parcel shelf and the interior light. What I notice is the Waeco seems to not get as cold as the engel on freeze and jucks in the towel quicker with low volt even set to the lowest volt settings.

I am with Jim our 80 ltr is six years old and still going fine..... Sorry Offroad Bob but they are all built in China now mate including Waeco/Engle and a camping store owner said he is having heaps of trouble with all of them now.

Cheers Bruce.

The new engels do have a digital read out - albeit not accurate. Call me a bit old fashion but I prefer the old mechanical dial to the button electronic temperature setting that the Waeco has. The less electronics I need to rely on while off road the more comfortable I am. I do acknowledge most gear has lots of electronics in it now and you cant get away from it.

I have a CF 50 (I think) that has been through hell in the back seat area of our Trition (we put it on thick foam to absorb some of the shocks) - never missed a beat for 5 odd years then a month or so ago I discovered it was becoming more and more difficult to close the lid securely.

I found out who the agents were in Adelaide (after being told by Waeco and camping shops it was "out of warranty") and they said Waeco had a problem with lids buckling some years ago and they had replaced them free.

I then sent an email to Waeco explaining the statutory warrantiers in the Trade Practices Act - and the fact that they are not time bounded - to the service manager. I was eventually offered a new lid at half price and I accepted that.

I still don't see what I (as the consumer) could have done to cause the plastic lid of a fridge to buckle and I feel dissappointed at being required to pay anything for their mistakes (in their choice of materials) but even I give in to their silliness occasionally!

Happy days

George

GDay HG

Had a CF 50 (one of the old ones) that stuffed up every time I went on a trip. No Joke. Got it fixed under warranty each time.
Includes boards replaced etc. On the last occasion I was told it was out of warranty. No good enough.
Emailed Waeco and listed all of the problems, when it happened, where it happened etc. Told them I would never recommend Waeco to any one.
Within a day I received an email to take the fridge to the repairer. All fixed at no cost to me.

Cheers

Howard.