Mares Airlab

[Ed Hatfield]

My Mares Airlab is giving me grief. It is over two years old so it is likely out of warranty. The buttons are no longer functioning. I have cleaned it as best I can and still it wont respond to change the settings or access the log. It will go into dive mode and provide the 'during dive data'. I need to know if there is anything I can do before taking it to my LDS. (Soak it in hot water? Whack it with a stick? Any suggestions?)

I really like the darn thing and would prefer to repair than replace.

 

[bayliner]

I had the same problem with my Dacor Darwin Air. It was just under 2 yrs. and Mares replaced it with a Nemo Air. I guess they don't have parts left. I wish they did, it had more features.

Larry

 

[Ed Hatfield]

I bought mine in January of 2006. I'll wait for a response from one of the manufacturer's reps before I take it to the LDS where I got it. It was a major expense when I bought it and I expect more than 3 years of use from such a hefty investment ($500). Since I am only a recreational diver it's not like it gets used every day - it has less than 200 dives on it. I haven't checked the warranty personnaly but I suspect it will be two years. I have been a loyal customer of my LDS and most of my gear, including 2 BCDs, is Mares equipment - hope it counts for something.

 

[MountainM]

Ed,

If you had given us a chance (Travel Sports) first I'm sure we would of had it looked after for you. Next time why don't you just give us a call?

Doug Jr.

 

[Ed Hatfield]

MountainM - 'Travel Sports' is the BEST. I was hoping to determine from the manufacturer if there was a design problem that might have a recall associated with it. I did not want you to incur any out of pocket expense if the repair would be partially covered by Mares. You guys have done so much for me free (repairs, air fills, discounts, advice) that I sometimes feel like I'm taking advantage. I will be there tonight; Airlab in hand. I had hoped to hear from Mares first so I would have some idea what the problem was. The computer components are sealed in a gell and I don't think this will be a quick fix.

 

[CODMAN]

Ed, it's great to see that you have a LDS that cares! Hats off to them!

 

[MountainM]

Follow up:

Ed,
Come down or give us a call, we've got your problem resolved. We don't have your work number!

Cheers,
Doug Jr.

 

[Ed Hatfield]

I would like to thank my LDS, Travel Sports, for looking after me once again. The Mares rep did not post in this thread because he dealt directly with the people here in London, Ontario.
I'm ready to dust off the Mares dry suit and start the season.

 

[shaky6]

You know, I've been having issues with my Airlab as well. It's almost ruined two dive trips for me. One was off shore North Carolina, I did a test check on my gear before we left the dock, and then when we got thirty miles out it wouldn't read any tank data. I freaked, of course because I didn't have any kind of back up, and then I disconected it, took the batteries out, reinstalled them, and reconected everything. I finally got tank data and everything seemed peachy. I did two dives just fine after that. Of course, because I'm stubborn and cheap, I took it to Cozumel three months later and had the exact same issue once we got out to our dive spot. The Airlab wouldn't read tank data after a sitting in pre-dive mode during the boat ride out. Wierd. What's bad, I'm seriously considering taking it back to Coz next month! I really like it, I've had it since March 2006, probably only have 35 dives on it. I just couldn't imagine using one of those little chinsy un-integrated set ups. I didn't get it through a local dive shop though, I bought it from Scuba Toys online.