Lenco Trim Tab failure and upgrade

[Rocky Lou]

Sadly, after just getting my boat from annual service, my starboard trim tab (operated by port switch) failed. I swapped the deutsche connectors, located in the bilge area, and could operate the actuator on the starboard; swapping back moved the problem. Hence, I was fairly confident the actuators were working. Contacting Lenco, I heard, 'no worries, it's your switch that is covered under 5 year warranty (mine is 1 y.o.) and it's "Plug and Play". I suppose if you were working on a dinghy it might be plug and play. On my Cutwater, it's extremely difficult to even reach the switch...forget the cup holders and coming up from the bottom takes a child size hand. Hence, I returned to my service dealer who swapped out the switch in about an hour. He said this was an extremely difficult reach and he likely cut his arm in the process. Also, wiring in the head (behind mirror) and main panel had to accessed and rewired...all that way above my pay grade.

It was a $550 repair and well worth the effort that I watched while working on my laptop. I estimate an average mechanic charging 2-3 hours as this guy is extremely talented. The only good news is that I upgraded my switch to the LED version and I can now actually see what is going on with my TTs.

I sent the bill and a note to Lenco requesting some reimbursement and told them what needed to be done to get this 'plug and play' repair of a device which certainly should not have failed. No idea what they'll say, but, I'll make sure they get the message that their parts only warranty doesn't work for many of their customers.

 

[BB marine]

I was at the SWF rendezvous and helped a fellow Tugnut troubleshoot the same issue. We concluded that the switch at the helm had failed. The tug owner was going to remove his refrigerator to gain access. There should be better access to Helm accessories. Remote control, thruster and trim tab control switches fail. These components are plug and play for a reason. When access to these items is limited it takes the plug and play design and changes it to large labor cost. Good luck with getting reimbursed. It does seem that the switches faile soon.

 

[Rocky Lou]

Thanks Brian. I'm pursuing the reimbursement and having some challenges figuring out the email address for Lenco CEO, Sam Mullinax. I found the email for Richard DeVito, their President. I've no strong hopes for reimbursement, but, want to make it known to them that they cost me a lot of time and money.

However, the upgraded LED switch is extremely helpful and I think worth the cost, had I been in for a regular service rather than a special trip. Given that my boat is so sensitive to trim, the LED readout makes the job much simpler and effective. I know Bennett has LED switches also.