ER1 on Suunto Cobra 2

[glewbel]

Hi, All.

I sent Chris@suunto.com a PM but it bounced, so if somebody else at Suunto is catching these messages, please reply via this board. Suggestions from anyone else who might have dealt with this issue would also be much appreciated.

My daughter has been diving my Cobra 2 as a backup for a D9. Today when she started up the Cobra 2 to check the battery, the display said only ER1. Is there any way to bring it back to safe diving condition, or is this a fatal error?

If the latter, does Suunto have any customer loyalty program to get divers back in the water with replacement Suunto instruments? The Cobra 2 is off warranty.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Scott]

I have never seen an ER1 code, are you sure it is not ER?

Look on page 18 of the manual, is that what you are seeing?
http://ns.suunto.com/Manuals/Cobra2/Userguides/Cobra2_users_guide_EN.pdf

^^^ Disregard, it seems that ER1 is a code that requires Sunnto to have a look.

 

[glewbel]

Thanks for the quick response, Scott. This Cobra 2 has been resting quietly in the dive bag for months since its last dive, and it worked perfectly then and shut itself down normally then. The code is definitely ER1. After I posted the original message, I talked to Aqua Lung's Customer Service and Tech Support, and they said it's basically "end of life" for the electronics. They advised us not to dive this computer again. I'm hoping that someone from Suunto might jump in on this thread and save the situation.

 

[Hendrik@Suunto]

Glewbel,

AquaLung has provided you with the correct information. Unfortunately, this is issue is an unrepairable fault. With your computer being out of warranty, there is nothing else that can be done except a module replacement.

Best Regards,
Chris from Suunto

 

[glewbel]

Thanks for the reply, Chris. Does Suunto have any kind of trade-in/upgrade program that would ease the financial cost of replacing it? I'm concerned that changing the computer module would probably be not much different from the retail cost of a new replacement.

 

[Hendrik@Suunto]

glewbel,

There was a trade-in program going on quite a few months back, but is no longer available at this time. I will let you know if one comes about in the near future. A cobra 3 replacement module would be at a discounted price, but would be installed into your current console and hose. So the decision would really be up to as how you would like to proceed. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Best Regards,
Chris from Suunto

 

[glewbel]

Thanks, Chris. Please email the total cost to me including shipping, tax, etc. You can send it via PM if you're more comfortable with that.

 

[KrisB]

This seems to be a known issue with Cobra 2's that aren't getting wet on a regular basis.

My father's just failed with the same issue, and paired with the VERY short lifespan of the "2" in Suunto's lineup, I have a strong suspicion that this is a known issue that isn't being acknowledged. His computer has ~25 dives total.

As a loyal Suunto customer (I'm on my second Cobra and second D9, and countless student recommendations), this pains me to say... But I may have recommended and purchased my last Suunto product. The very least Suunto could do is offer a "3" to replace these in the $100-200 price range.

 

[KrisB]

Chris: is there any offer you're prepared to make other than "buy a new one at full price"?

It seems like the Cobra2 was a real dud, and the least Suunto could do is offer some sort of replacement plan... Especially because it seems the product should have been recalled.

 

[glewbel]

I have been informed by Chris@Suunto that their current offer is to charge $600 for a Cobra 3 module to replace a Cobra2 module that has an ER1 failure after the factory warranty has expired.

With regards to KrisB's comment about recalls, I don't know common this failure mode is. Unless there are lots of these dead units out there, I don't think Suunto is likely to step up to the plate and admit that this is a design or manufacturing failure. Anyone else who has this problem might want to add to this thread for that reason.