Well, the resolution may be close at hand, but maybe I can answer some of those questions.
Some folks like to fix things and actually take pride in repairing something that is broken. I am one of those folks.
Some folks do not like the hassle of sending something back. In addition to the time and energy involved, there is also the possibility of damage incurred in transit, or at least the wear and tear on the box. I am one of those folks.
I have also seen things come back in worse condition than when I sent them in. There is always some risk in allowing someone else to take apart your toy and put it back together again. Another company took one of my scale mikados completely apart, then apparently had an apprentice put it back together again - bassackwards. And all it needed was a motor driver board, but it came back with all the rods on wrong.
Thirdly, some folks feel that things are not black and white, but rather are shades of grey. In this particular case I have owned the loco for several years (whenever they came out, I cannot remember) but had only test run it. It was idle in it's box for years. The passage of time has some effect on the manufacturer's warranty policy. Should they warranty new old stock items as well as new in the box items? If I had run the loco when I got it, like most folks would, the problems would have appeared early on. That's when problems appear, either immediately or shortly after that. Usually, if a locomotive survives it's infancy, it will live a long life. From my standpoint, maybe I hadn't tested it enough.
Who knows?
But I just got an email from Jon Z, offering a solution. You can't beat that for service.
Thanks Jon!
