Need help w chronic TZ Touch issues

blbpdsusa

New member
Hello,
In 2017 I did a complete Furuno upgrade on my 38 Fountain, bought two TZTouch14's, 48" array, autopilot, two sounders, etc. Spent well over $20,000 incl install with Furuno-certified installer to be safe and state of the art on the water. Since then I've had nothing but problems. BOTH TZ units have required motherboard replacements (both repeatedly shut down with no warning a year apart), and even though I've only had boat in the water three of the past five years (Covid), BOTH TZ units have badly delaminated.

I paid in full for new motherboards and one delamination fix (over $4,500 so far), but now I'm being told the second delamination issue is not fixable by Furuno. Last week the factory rep said I need to "talk to a guy named Mike in Florida" to have my TZ screen fixed, because Furuno is not servicing/fixing their own units. I have now tried to used my new TZ's for three NJ boating seasons, and have had these issues each year.

I read a comment on a closed thread in this forum that "other companies have these problems too". I know for certain that very few of the boaters in my local Beach Haven Tuna & Marlin club or local competing clubs have had these issues with brands other than Furuno. We all talk regularly.

Surely a top company in marine electronics is not telling me to "go see a guy named Mike"? I'd like to request how to get full replacements for these units, since the issues are clearly chronic with the equipment. Right now my $25,000+ investment isn't worth a box of hammers, and I can't take my sons out on water again this year. Please, I am asking for help beyond what the front-line customer reps have offered. Thank you in advance.
 
Welcome to the forum. I understand that having a problem with your electronics can be frustrating and I apologize for the inconvenience you have encountered. I haven’t seen any disbonding issue keep the units from being used. I am sorry you can’t take your son out. This forum is normally focused on solutions and not axe grinding of individual grievances, but I understand the concern. Our products have one of the best warranties available in marine electronics and comes with free technical support. Like most companies, we have a published two-year factory warranty, covering any factory defects. We can normally offer repairs via our service center for much longer time frames. I would assume you have spoken with the Furuno Service manager about your case? I checked with our repair center, and they said that the units in question were sold in 2015. They said they referred you out to someone who is known to have parts on hand. The repair center no longer has new panels to offer, unfortunately.

When LCD panels are used for the marine environment, they are either bonded or not bonded. The inherent challenge is non-bonded panels have a chance of condensation and bonded panels have the chance of dis-bonding. This is a challenge for all manufacturers and a fact for all involved. Others have seen issues with both methods, as have we. There are many variables that impact both methods and how long each will last (heat, sunlight, moisture, hot to cold transitions too quickly or vice versa, customer care, etc). We don’t like failures regardless of the challenges. We have improved the bonding process to reduce the small percentage we were seeing on TZT series one, to zero on our current process. Unlike others, we created a policy to provide customers an extra two years of coverage for the TZT panel, just in case.

Unfortunately, our replacement availability options have changed on this part. These are strange times. COVID has created disruptions and shortages of every kind, in every industry. Following that, incidents in the semiconductor industry created unimaginable shortages and delays in electronics manufacturing. If that wasn’t enough, the deep freeze in the deep south took out a polymer production/storage facility that supplied much of the raw materials for production of items from glue, paint and even plastics. In this case the company making those TZT14 panels for Furuno can longer get the needed components.

As such, despite our deepest desires to, we simply cannot acquire the materials needed to facilitate your repair with factory parts. The unit should still be repairable if you call the point of contact, provided. If not, I would talk to the Furuno Service Manager because I am sure there could be something workable possible.
 
Thank you for responding, Johnny. Writing in this forum was/is a last resort for me to try to find a way to use my electronics. Apologies if it came across as axe grinding. I will reach out to the Furuno Service Manager again.
 
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