My MGI ZIP NAVIGATOR tipped over and the main shaft broke completely in half

[Spokane]

I was golfing about 2 weeks ago.  I was heading to the 2nd tee box and my Navigator was about 20 feet away from me going up the mound to get to the top of the box.  It started to tip over and I couldn’t get there in time to catch it.  This has happened about 3 times before.  I’ve played maybe 30 times with it.  I went to pick it up and it was in 2 pieces.  I walked it back to the car and rented a push cart thinking this would be covered under warranty.  I brought it to the local retailer and they said they would take care of it.  I was told by MGI rep in Las Vegas that they have never had this happen, it is not a defect and wouldn’t be covered by warranty.  I’m guessing the didn’t believe me and it didn’t happen the way I described.  They gave me the cost to replace it and a YouTube video instructions. $175 plus $10 shipping. Thoughts?

Edited December 1, 2021 by Spokane
Add photos

[Middler]

I don’t see the back wheelie bar in the pic, was that in place at the time? It’s a must. And you can’t go diagonally up hills or curbs either. Even though mine is an AT, I “drive” my Zip manually, holding the handlebars, when I go up really steep hills as a precaution to avoid tipping.

I’m confused regarding service, did they give you $185 in parts or charge you $185?

[Spokane]

My mistake, it was $175 total and that included $10 shipping (no, they never offered it for free). Regarding the fifth rear wheel, no, I had forgotten to pull it out.  Yes, my mistake.  Having said that, having secured the equipment, it is an easy operational thing to forget.  I’d done it a few times before (to my embarrassment), but simply put it back upright, pulled out the fifth wheel and away I went.  This happened approximately 3 times in 9 months (30 rounds).  I was shocked that it snapped completely in 2.  My initial thought was product defect.  The “Global Service Coordinator for MGI”, Tom ) and Nevada service rep Joanna Tapia, both assured me it was not a defect and that it’s not under warranty.  However, Tom very graciously offered me a 20% discount on parts (no sarcasm emoji available).  On another forum, the exact same thing happened to another customer with the exact same cart, and the part was shipped next day for Free.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Spokane
Missed a thought

[GaDawg]

I have the same electric cart that you have and it has tipped over 2 - 3 times the last 18 months. I have not had anything break. I know of another member on the forum that had an issue sometime back and was able to get replacement parts at no cost, he is chisag.

Personally, I feel that this main component should be covered under warranty by the manufacturer. I would try and reach out to someone other than the rep you spoke to in Vegas.

Edited December 1, 2021 by GaDawg
Correct Spelling

[Spokane]

Thanks, I picked the broken cart up from the local retailer that thought it would be covered too,(they carry the MGI line now) Wide World of Golf in Spokane (they are also in Boise) and visited with mgr, nice guy, and he was surprised too and let both stores know to be very careful when explaining the fragility of this main shaft.  Unfortunately I purchased this MGI ZIP NAVIGATOR in December 2020 and they never picked up the line until 2021.  If I had purchased it from them, he said they would have covered the repair no matter what.  They’ve been in Spokane for over 25 yrs and they’ve proven this type of service.  Unfortunately The “ Global Service Coordinator for MGI” merely offered a 20% on the part.  Don’t know who else with authority to contact regarding the issue. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I can't  help it I'm a fixer. Measure the inside diameter and get a piece of pipe that size. Undo the wiring. Cut the pipe long enough to go down inside but stick up enough to go into the upper piece. Drill and tap a hole on each side upper and lower pieces. This attaches both to the pipe. Before you slide the top piece on add a little epoxy to the broken area. Slide it on tighten the screws. Re-wire.

Fixed for good! 

[Spokane]

. Sounds like a perfect fix and easily understandable (not sure about the wiring part) and easy to do by a person with a fixable mind like yours, unfortunately, I’m at the opposite end of fixable guy.  I’ll certainly consider it though.  I’m probably not going to get any relief from MGI, but that doesn’t mean I’ll  stop letting every person(and business involved with MGI worldwide)I can, of the poor quality of that shaft before I’m done.  Update, Tom Roy, “Global Service Coordinator”, explained that even though some people will get that shaft free of charge from breaking the exact same way, and overnighted the replacement part, mine was almost a year old and therefore doesn’t qualify, so he’s adamant about MGI only offering a 20% discount.  
Thank you for the suggestion!

[Middler]

On 12/1/2021 at 8:40 PM, Tom the Golf Nut said:

I can't  help it I'm a fixer. Measure the inside diameter and get a piece of pipe that size. Undo the wiring. Cut the pipe long enough to go down inside but stick up enough to go into the upper piece. Drill and tap a hole on each side upper and lower pieces. This attaches both to the pipe. Before you slide the top piece on add a little epoxy to the broken area. Slide it on tighten the screws. Re-wire.

Fixed for good! 

I have an MGI Navigator and If I’m seeing what I think I am from the OPs pic, it wouldn’t be that easy - the two parts have a different ID. The top piece fitting has an ID to fit the bottom OD. 

And I assume I’ll get flamed, but it’s important to avoid letting the cart tip over - no matter what brand, not unique to MGI. Clubs make the unit top heavy, no way around that without making the cart itself heavier. I never go up/down steep hills diagonally and I never take curbs diagonally either. When I go up a steep hill, I have a hand on the handlebars so I can manually steer and adjust speed if needed. And most of all, you MUST use the back wheel, fully extended or you will tip over your cart - it’s your own fault if you don’t. Doing otherwise is asking for a tip over, but again flame away. It’s your $.

[Spokane]

Just as a follow up.  Talked with person with authority and we reached a totally agreeable result.  I am now back in the camp of really  enjoy using the MGI Navigator.  Except , unlike some, my handicap hasn’t gone down.