Fogging Dash

[CTS]

Has anyone been successful in convincing Deere to fix a fogging dash in a tractor that is out of warranty?

Our 4400 has less than 200 hrs. and the warranty expired in June last year. The dash has always fogged, but I did not know there was a fix until I read about it here a month ago. Now our dealer tells us that Deere won't do anything about it because it is not under warranty.

It is painfully clear, looking at the other posts on this subject, that there was a design or manufacturing flaw. It seems to me that Deere should do the right thing, and stand behind their product.

Does anyone know of a contact at Deere that could resolve this issue ?

Thanks,
Mike.

 

[beenthere]

Had mine fixed, but wouldn't expect it if it was out of warranty. Just play the music soft and slow.

I would give the dealer the opportunity to make it right and see if he will go to bat for you, but not at the expense of ticking him off. Too many bigger issues that could come up. How long have you had the 4400?

The biggest pain with the fogging was that I couldn't read the hour meter when it was fogged.

When the dealer received the replacement instrument panel, it came with the "glass" separate such that it wasn't part of the unit. I originally thought it was all one unit, so it all had to be replaced and the fix plan was to spray anti-fog on the inside. Maybe the dealer's mechanic would help you remove your "glass" so you could fix it with anti-fog spray.

I could never understand why there was condensation on the inside. Seems to me that high humidity in the unit could be the only cause. I often wondered (and would have tried if not replaced with a unit that doesn't fog) if drilling some small holes in the "glass" (which I suspect is plastic) would allow the moist air to escape. Anybody tried that?

 

[JDgreen227]

Hopefully you have the problem documented in writing while it was still under warranty. My 4210 started fogging the dash after 10 hours and the dealership cheerfully towed it in and replaced it under warranty (at 63 hours) and when I got it back it began having condensation problems instead. They likely let it sit outdoors in the steady rain we had that week so I wasn't surprised. Deere considers fogging and condensation to be two separate problems, do a search on this forum and see what you come up with.

 

[centex]

I just ignore the "problem". It only occurs on my tractor when I run the engine at high speed and quickly goes away when I shut it down so it has never really bothered me much except when it was new. I suspect that any "fix" will be temporary anyway. I know most people will disagree with me and I am not trying to start an argument. It is just that in the grand scheme of things I do not consider this a problem worth worrying about. I have 600 hours on my tractor in just under 2 years and now I hardly even notice when the dash fogs up.

 

[JASTN70D]

I had this problem on the 4100. I was able to repair it by taking it all apart and sealing everything. don't know if it will work in your case but it was quite simple.

 

[rpatton]

CTS good luck ,I finally got mine covered on my 2003 4310 with 48 hrs. took a phone call to deere in which they flat out said NO!. asked to speak to a higher up and they retuned my call and said they would fix it. Dealer also turned me down when I first asked and said fog is not a defect ,same answer deere had.

 

[DK_Farms]

I sent my 4610 to the dealer for the recall and asked them to fix the tilt wheel and fogging problem while it was in the shop. The fogging problem was fixed by replacing the entire instrument panel. Seems to be okay now, but I noticed after 3 hours of operation, my hourmeter showed, can you guess? Yeh, 3 hours of operation. I called and asked the dealer if there was any way to put the previous 80 hours back on the meter. Their answer was "No, just add 80 to the number to keep track of your service intervals." Beware of this if you get the same fix I did.

 

[NIXON]

Just throwing in an idea for a temp. fix . Gaseous nitrogen .
I don't know how expensive, or available it is . But when I was in the AF we used it to dry out electronics when someone left a canopy open . It works immediately . Of course , we weren't paying for it ,and it was available all over the flight line . John

 

[JC4HD]

I had the same problem but it was under warranty. The dealer put in a complete new instrument cluster no questions asked. It is a documented problem that they should fix! Ask to speak to a "Higher Up".

Good Luck! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[PerryWhite]

For the last several months I have noticed quite a few
folks with the fogging dash problem. I bought my 4310
in April 2003 and did not have any problems until yesterday,
May 22, 2004. It now has 136 hours on it. It was extremely
humid outside today and I went out and ran the 413 rotary
mower along both sides of the road for a 1/4 mile each way
from my driveway. I was out for about 90 minutes and
I noticed the fogging just before I quit. So... it looks
like I will be talking to my dealer to get a new dash/instrument
panel since it is still under warranty.
Does anyone really know the root cause of the fogging?
Is there a gasket somewhere that is failing? Does vibration
after a few hours of running cause the problem?
All of the Deere dealers in our area leave their entire
product line of 4000 Ten series tractors sit outside until
they are sold. Even though I bought mine in April 2003,
I think it was manufactured in Sept 2002 and sat
on my dealer's lot all winter of 2002/2003