Suunto D4 color replacement strap . Do they fail at the same rate of original ?

[buddhasummer]

Well I have just had an email back from Suunto.

"We are truly sorry for the inconvenience you've been through. As you already must know, the warranty for Suunto accessories is of 1 year. We would kindly recommend to purchase another strap for your Suunto D4"

So 13 months since I recieved the strap which they claimed was the new improved quality one and it broke, but thats great because its outside the warrenty and they dont give a damn, and have no responsiblity for it.

DO NOT BUY THESE COMPUTERS UNLESS YOU WANT TO HAVE YEARS OF HASSLE AND EXTRA EXPENSE. Just about all other makes of computers do not appear to have this reoccuring problem with something as basic as a strap. (and yes I already know people with D4i's that they too are already experiencing this problem). Steer well clear!!!!

This is and many similar reports is exactly why when my Vyper dies I'll never purchase another Suunto. Their customer service needs some serious improvement.

 

[Flash_Gordon]

Flash_Gordon,

How old is your computer and what model is it? How many dives have you put on your computer since the last service?

Best Regards,
Chris from Suunto

My Suunto D4i is just shy of 2 years old (summer 2012) and it had a new battery installed beginning of May 2013 by a Suunto authorised repair through A quanauts Kingston (south london) and has logged 200-250 dives since.

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk

 

[Spalpeen]

The D4 strap is an appallingly bad design. It consists mainly of big holes with tiny 3mm pieces of material holding it together. There are about 50 of these potential failure points on each strap, so if just one goes the strap is a write off. As many people have said here, the 'new improved' material is every bit as fragile as the original straps. I'm on my third one and I don't expect it to last any longer than the others.
What I can't understand is why Suunto don't just admit it was a bad design and replace it with a solid strap that doesn't have those big holes through it. There seems to be a kind of pig-headedness here, and it's costing them both sales and reputation.

 

[Wout3r]

Yesterday I got my D4 NOVO strap and fit it on my 'old' D4. It's incredibly expensive for a f'n rubber strap (about 45 euro's, excl. shipping), and I haven't tested it yet ofcourse, but it certainly looks a lot more durable than the original D4 strap. Feels a lot more comfortable too.

 

[Spalpeen]

Well I finally sold my D4i, and I won't be buying Suunto again. The second last straw was when I picked the thing up and the strap just broke off. The last straw was when I took the replacement strap from a box in a drawer where it had been kept. About two years since I bought it as a replacement, new, never used, kept in a drawer and yes, made from the supposedly 'new' material.
It was covered in tiny drops of a sticky liquid, like condensation on a beer glass. When I picked it up it had all the strength of warm chocolate.WTF? It just fell apart. A new unused strap? So I bought a new $35 strap and sold it quickly before that fell apart too. That's me done with Suunto products.

 

[dwonk]

First post and apologies posting to an old thread but anyone tried these knock-offs on eBay?

Silicone Replacement Watch Diving Band Strap for Suunto D4 D4i Novo Bracelet | eBay

 

[smudge13]

Just ordered one. I'll let you know!

 

[Fires]

Having read through this thread I am not sure what peoples problems with the straps are.

I had my original d4 with the old strap and wore it for 5 years (never taking it off for anything), many dives, miles, swims, hikes, feck you name it! Then got a D4i with the new silicone style strap and it was equally as strong.

Just my 2c. Have been loving Suunto so far. Next purchase is a Eon Core.

Re the above: I would just buy the original

 

[smudge13]

Having read through this thread I am not sure what peoples problems with the straps are.

I had my original d4 with the old strap and wore it for 5 years (never taking it off for anything), many dives, miles, swims, hikes, feck you name it! Then got a D4i with the new silicone style strap and it was equally as strong.

Just my 2c. Have been loving Suunto so far. Next purchase is a Eon Core.

Re the above: I would just buy the original

I'll send you pics later. I had one strap less than two years old break as I was exiting a dive at Santa Barbara Is in CA. Replaced it with a factory strap. It broke while sitting at my desk. I purchased another strap from a local dive shop here in Hollywood, FL and waited a month or so to install it. When I went to install it, it literally went to pieces in my hands. Went to return it and the shop had gone out of business. (related to other issues I'm sure)

 

[Fires]

I'll send you pics later. I had one strap less than two years old break as I was exiting a dive at Santa Barbara Is in CA. Replaced it with a factory strap. It broke while sitting at my desk. I purchased another strap from a local dive shop here in Hollywood, FL and waited a month or so to install it. When I went to install it, it literally went to pieces in my hands. Went to return it and the shop had gone out of business. (related to other issues I'm sure)

Thanks for the reply. Maybe it was the US batch at those times? Must be honest, out of all the people I know using Suunto's in SA, I have never heard of anyone complain of such issues.

Very odd that the one side of the world would receive such bad quality, and the other better.

Different manufactures enlisted maybe?