I’m now on my 3rd set of vector 3 pedals following a number of issues - battery covers, failing to connect and the latest - power keeps dropping out and getting right power sensor missing. I’ve tried all the fixes -replaced battery covers, changed batteries, disconnected, reconnected, repaired, etc. I’ve seen a few posts where people have placed cardboard or cork under the connections but I don’t want to try anything that messes with the mechanics of the pedals for fear of invalidating the warranty.Ii’m at the point now where these re-occurring issues are driving me crazy. I did a 120 mile 12,000ft of climbing ride at the weekend, my goal event and having power drops was so frustrating. I turned it off in the end to stop it messing with my head.
I’m pretty confident that if I return my pedals again under warranty I’m going to be coming up against similar issues in the future and I think Garmin should have completed a product recall as I know there are ongoing issues with these pedals.
I’m going to start a case with the consumer watchdog in the UK as I’m fed up of being a Garmin customer beta tester and receiving products that are not fit for release. These come at significant cost and it’s about time Garmin started to have to address this issue. To help with the case, I’ve been advised to collect examples of similar issues the Vector pedals to show that there are fundamental, ongoing issues with the pedals and not that I have just been unlucky with having to have 3 sets in a year.
if anyone has had issues with their vector 3’s could you please post here.
This seems also a carbon copy of what I have gone through!! I am also on my third pair now and guess what, I am now getting power dropouts for approx 10-15 per time and then they read up to over 7000 watts (I wish!) to somehow try and make up for the watts that have been missed!
For such an expensive piece of equipment, they really are far from good enough…
Be interested to see how you get on with the consumer watchdog?
Where to start… I stopped at two( maybe three ?) videos about the shitshow my original set were. Documented over on YouTube.
The replacement set sat on the shelf for six months. I didn’t want to touch them. I’d already lost a week of time on the first pair. I finally revisited them when I had the time…
Thanks. I’ve seen your videos and feel your pain. I’m at the point where I’m fed up of buying Garmin stuff and having issues. But these pedals take the biscuit and I’m trying to push to get something done to actually stop them taking people’s hard earned money in exchange for products that are not fit to release.
My replacements where fine for about 12 months…now completely rubbish intermittent connection, dropouts, right sensor missing. just cannot rely on them.
Where are you getting replacements from? Garmin, or a shop/online store? If the latter could it be that they’re still shipping old stock which still has issues?
I have no first hand experience so can’t fully comment but what I’ve read online indicates later versions seem to have these issues fixed.
Haven’t noticed that but I’ll take a look. I believe there is a 2 year warranty on pedals but don’t want to start taking them apart as Garmin will say I’ve invalidated the warranty. I’m now pushing for a refund so don’t want to risk that.
Silly question guys, but are you putting a mineral oil like baby oil between the batteries and also on the terminals of you vector 3s. Also cleaning the black dust out each time you change the batteries?
The drop out problem can be down to “Fretting” where the batteries rub together, due to the vibration on the pedals, creates dust and that breaks the connection. (see the article)
I had the same issues with my V3s. I don’t have the time to deal with the troubleshooting with garmin to fix them, and garmin flat out refuses to take them back to do the troubleshooting themselves.
So, they sit on a self and are not likely to ever be used again. I should have known better, as I repeated the stupid mistake of buying a garmin product upon release–I bough the edge 820 when it first came out, which was a disaster too. Fortunately, after about a year garmin was eventually able to fix most of the issues with the 820 via software updates. These PoC pedals should have been recalled, as they have massive mfg defects.
I’m sorry I don’t have anything to help you out but this just settled the score since I was considering these or Assioma Duos. Best of luck getting this resolved. Too bad that Garmin put out a product like this with so many defects/issues. It’s a premium product and should people should be able to expect more from such a big company.
So frustrating. Shouldn’t Garmin fix yours under warranty? I’ve asked for my money back. Pretty sure I’m going to end up in the small claims court but there is so much evidence to support the obvious defective nature of these pedals.
Do the baby oil anyway @Chester_Grimpeur I have only seen a little dust inside, but the last few battery changes there was almost none. However it is best to check all is clean inside - a cotton-bud/q-tip dipped in a little baby oil just wiped around inside will pick up any muck. Then using the clean end just a small smear on each side of each battery and the end terminals, before assembly.
Rinse and repeat with a new q-tip on the other side. Pinch tight on the caps.
Give it a go - perhaps with new batteries, or even the existing ones.
I had real drop out problems to start with - now I do this - nothing (Touch wood).
My understanding has been that there were battery problems with poor connections for the first year. From around Nov 2017. I got my V3s as a warranty replacement for Vector 2’s where the spindle had worn. That was around Sept 2018. Mine came around then and I think by then they were the modified V3s. But you still need the baby oil solution.
I always see folks dismissing the Vectors in favor of the Assiomas, but those have issues as well. I’ve been 90% happy with my Vectors, and the customer support I’ve gotten from Garmin on this product has been superior compared to Wahoo and others. If I were considering a power meter pedal, I’d be fine doing the Vectors again today - especially now that they’ve had 18 months to work out the kinks - or perhaps the PowerTap pedals myself. YMMV. I would be concerned about customer support as a US customer for the Assiomas.
My first pedals, I had the battery cover issue which was resolved quickly and easily, with minor inconvenience, and the pedal body separation issue which was a little bit tougher to crack but even less inconvenient, and those were first rollout pedals which I purchased in January of 2018. Both cost me zero downtime in terms of training. Hundreds of rides with issues on maybe 10 rides total.
Limited experience with the fully replaced pedals I just got (after 18 months of ownership), zero issues with BLE or ANT+ connectivity, or anything else so far.
Your experience may differ from mine, but I disassembled my pedals to check lubrication and take photos for Garmin support and they gave me no problems whatsoever.
The pedal body seperation can be observed simply by looking at the pedal - no disassembly required.
That said, as I’ve read the thread, if you’re not doing the baby oil on the batteries, I would suggest that’s your first/easiest/best solution, and likely the first step Garmin support would recommend. Works well for me.
I agree with @PhilSJones about the baby oil. I had dropouts, power spikes, and batteries lasting only 1.5 weeks, but once I started putting the baby oil in, I haven’t had issues. I periodically get “right power sensor missing” but only when I’ve stopped and the batteries are starting to get low. That’s actually my first indicator that I should be carrying extra batteries in my bag, that the batteries may be getting low.
Full disclosure: I actually AM a beta tester for the Garmin V3s. I started with the original doors, and have gone through three different sets as they were working on the design. I’ve been pretty happy with the pedals overall.