Lionel has told me that they are not in the parts business anymore much. Tearing down defective units is exactly how they repair other engines. That is why units years old are not repairable except with aftermarket motors and E-units where available.
Today, I learned of another quality control problem with the Geeps from a dealer. Boxes labeled for the UP engines have Santa Fe's inside. To get buyers the right engine the wrong one has to be shipped back to the distributor who then has to send them to Lionel. The guy at Lionel who has to deal with replacement is on vacation till mid January. Buyers are dead in the water on getting their engine till then.
I wonder if all the O Gauge people are suffering with quality control with new releases along with Flyer people?
