MaxJax Important Safety Notice

[ct71rr]

Some of us have received this Safety Notice from MAxJax:

 

[Johns12]

Wow!!!

 

[Cobra96]

I bought mine from GES at the end of August. Has anyone else received this letter?

 

[Mr onetwo]

I just went to both the Dannmar site and the MaxJax site and there was no mention of this safety notice at all. Also, the place I bought my MaxJax from(ASEdeals) had no idea that this was going on! Very alarming...I still haven't gotten the letter!!!

 

[ct71rr]

I got mine last Friday (01/30/15).

 

[jdm5]

FYI, I emailed a contact I had at Dannmar and made them aware of this thread / our concerns - I just got a call from a gentleman (I missed his name, but am expecting an email shortly) who assured me they are taking this very seriously - he suggested I take some pictures of the welds on the carriage and send them to him and he can confirm whether mine is subject to this problem. The welds he asked me to check were the triangular ones that come down from the vertical post to the horizontal part of the carriage, and underneath/inside where the cylinder goes into the carriage. (I'll add them here when done).

Pics:
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag42/as24v/MaxJax Welds/IMG_2075_zpsxoll7ucf.jpg
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag42/as24v/MaxJax Welds/IMG_2073_zpsmg0raixm.jpg
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag42/as24v/MaxJax Welds/IMG_2072_zpsuuinfedi.jpg

I'm also stressing they should be more engaged with Garage Journal (as this is likely a HUGE base of potential customers).

EDIT As this is a SAFETY ISSUE, I'm editing this post to actually show the picture rather than just the link for the pictures. . . . Eric

 

[Denwood]

I'll take a few pics. I spoke with Miguel (may not be correct spelling) and chatted about what I should be looking for. The issue is with welds on the plate that contacts the hydraulic ram. Incorrect is 2 welds (one on each side). Correct, is four welds, or a continuous bead.

 

[FlameOut]

I haven't received the notice. I bought my MaxJax with the original group buy back in March of 2009. Maybe this problem is only with the latest builds?

EDIT: re reading the letter, I see mine wasn't built in that time span. Sorry

 

[Denwood]

My lift was purchased in the time window, however likely was manufactured earlier. Just had a peek and the welds are continuous. Pretty beefy in there.

I did not receive a letter but called anyway in case Canada/mail might have delayed a notice.

 

[neogenesis2004]

I got mine in the timeframe in the letter. I'm not completely clear on the location I'm supposed to be looking based on the descriptions above. Could someone clarify, possibly with a picture?

 

[Iroc-Z]

That stinks but I think it shows great customer service on there end addressing the matter before something happens.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

This had me concerned so I had to go back through my photos to check my installation date- 2/2/14, exactly one year ago today. Huh, I could have sworn I had the lift two years. Either way, I'm safe. Whew!

I'm pleased that the company is reaching out to make things right so quickly.

 

[plain garage]

My lift was purchased outside the time window, but just curious how to do confirm the date of manufacturer? Is there a datrstamp or serial number somewhere?

 

[jdm5]

I added pics in my post above.

 

[kevinwilly]

Thanks for posting this. I bought mine in November but haven't received anything from them. I have no idea how they would have, though. I never gave Home Depot my address when I bought it....

 

[jdm5]

Kevin - I also got mine from HD (got a great discount) - email Gayle: ggoellner a t dannmar.com (broken up to avoid spamming her) - she somehow got my contact info from HD.

BTW - the pictures I posted were ok - make sure you don't have a single spot weld (steady bead or multiple welds).

 

[Denwood]

At the base of your column is a silver label. It has your serial number and build date.

The pics jdm posted are self explanatory. You'll see four welds on the corners, or a continuous weld.

Use an iPhone or similar to snap a pic as it's much easier than trying to sneak your eyeball in there. You can also use the front facing camera with a small light to visualize the area in question.

 

[Denwood]

To compliment JDM's post above, showing four welds, here is what a continuous bead looks like:

 

[rburke65]

Wow.....pretty scary!

 

[Denwood]

The fact that Danmar is sending out the notices reinforces the value IMHO in dealing with a reputable company. Yes, a manufacturing error was made, but it was also caught...and a strategy has evidently been put into place to deal with it. Their phone support has been excellent. As a manufacturer myself, I can't fault them.

 

[kevinwilly]

Well, as I suspected Home Depot did not have my address on file because I picked it up in the store. They would have had to pull my billing info from my credit card to have anything on file. And I would have been SERIOUSLY pissed if they were able to do that.

Anyways, Danmar was able to look up my lift (the only one that has ever gone through my local Home Depot), get my serial number, and compare it to the list. And they did all this on the phone while I was driving home from work yesterday.

Turns out I'm not affected by this. But I'll be checking anyway. I haven't installed it yet, so looking underneath at the welds won't be easy... but it'll give me something to do this weekend.

 

[Cobra96]

My lift was purchased outside the time window, but just curious how to do confirm the date of manufacturer? Is there a datrstamp or serial number somewhere?

There's a manufacture plate at the bottom of one of your posts!

 

[rancherbill]

I just went to both the Dannmar site and the MaxJax site and there was no mention of this safety notice at all. Also, the place I bought my MaxJax from(ASEdeals) had no idea that this was going on! Very alarming...I still haven't gotten the letter!!!

This is VERY POOR.

I am sure there are people who will never know for whatever reason. These lifts will be sold in the used marketplace.

TICKING TIME BOMB.

 

[lucky3]

This is VERY POOR.

I am sure there are people who will never know for whatever reason. These lifts will be sold in the used marketplace.

TICKING TIME BOMB.

Whats a ticking time bomb the maxjax?

 

[rickzack]

just received my notice today. Took delivery in December. The lift is still in the original shipping carton. Does not sound like they have a plan finished as the letter states " do not use until further notice". Dannmar sounds like GM with their recalls and no parts or plan to fix the issue. As far as I am concerned they can pick up this one and deliver one that passes the weld test.

 

[rancherbill]

Whats a ticking time bomb the maxjax?

Yes, these lifts!

There are some people that will never get the letter. There will be certain percentage of these lifts that will not be repaired.

There has to be an all out effort to get them repaired.

Next time you buy a used MaxJax of any model you have no way of knowing whether it is subject to recall. Car recalls are ALL available online.

They are hiding the recall to minimize negative publicity.

 

[neogenesis2004]

Well I looked up my order and I guess I took delivery last June so I'm in the clear (time flies...). I checked anyway and I have continuous welds everywhere. Whew...

 

[lucky3]

Yes, these lifts!

There are some people that will never get the letter. There will be certain percentage of these lifts that will not be repaired.

There has to be an all out effort to get them repaired.

Next time you buy a used MaxJax of any model you have no way of knowing whether it is subject to recall. Car recalls are ALL available online.

They are hiding the recall to minimize negative publicity.

You could say this about anything you buy used. How about older lifts, old cars that don't have safety recall info on line. Its a chance you take when ever you buy something used. Do you know how many things have recalls on them and are never put on the news. There sending letters out to the ppl that bought the ones that might be defective. WHat else do you want them to do. There trying to fix the situation. They could of just turned a blind eye and not said anything.

 

[Denwood]

If you buy any used lift, you might argue a phone call to the manufacturer with the serial number in hand would be a good idea The web if anything has become an excellent resource to share this type of information.

Every company/team/person makes mistakes. The difference between the men and the boys IMHO is the behavior when a problem arises. The guys managing the Maxjax team are excellent to deal with, are hiding nothing, therefore have my support.

Safety is a team effort, and we all need to play a part. I watched a documentary last week on Hyman G. Rickover (involved in the US nuke propulsion program for 63 years starting in 1946) and was thoroughly impressed with his basic philosophy on safety. He placed equal responsibility on his entire team when a safety issue/exception etc. came up. When it comes to working under vehicles, the ultimate goal is to walk away from every shop session safe and happy. There are many MaxJax owners here, therefore an opportunity to raise awareness in a positive way exists.

Just my 2c.

 

[ct71rr]

I checked mine out today. Looks like I'm good:

Sorry, not the best pics.

 

[lucky3]

I checked mine out today. Looks like I'm good:

Sorry, not the best pics.

I believe your not. I thought they wanted to have a continuous weld. NOt 4 welds, and you look like you have the 4 welds.

 

[Denwood]

4 welds or continuous is OK. Two spot welds are not.

Remember that there are two plates..one hidden inside (that we're taking pics of), and the one visible from on top. Both would have to fail before a vehicle would drop.

 

[Cobra96]

Checked mine today..., bought at the end of July. Both plates have a continuous weld. To me..., anything less would bs unacceptable.
MHO!

 

[BONDOSPECIAL]

I was the first person I saw to report getting the initial letter in the mail from Maxjax on this issue. I just got a notice from USPS that I have another letter from Dannmar waiting at the post office today (certified mail). I wonder if this 2nd letter will be a duplicate of the first, or whether it will be new information. I'll have to go pick the letter up tomorrow morning. Stay tuned

 

[rickzack]

The second letter is the same as the first. It appears Dannimar is listening to their lawyers about notifying customers about the potential issue via a traceable medium. I am very curious to see what the ultimate plan is. Mine is still in the original shipping carton. I really do not want to open up the carton until I am ready to install. As it stands now i can slide it out of the way and not have to worry about pieces in different locations in my garage. Each situation is different. I spoke to them last week and they have no plan at this time as they are working with the lawyers. I suggested what i would like to see based upon my circumstance and to tag my file with the information, however, we will see what happens once the lawyers get more involved as well as the certification ramifications of this lift. I would think Dannimar would make it right with very little time demanded from the people who might be affected with this issue.

 

[glennda5id]

I was seriously considering a maxjax but have some reservations. It seems like quality has gone done since these were originally introduced.

Do you folks consider the Maxjax to be a safe product? I am also looking at the Triumph C-7000 which I just stumbled upon. Seems like they are available now after not being available for a while. Not much feedback on them yet though.

 

[neogenesis2004]

I don't consider my maxjax unsafe at all. I've been under it every weekend almost since I got it mounted 3 or so months ago. They had a qc issue and seem to be addressing it. I'd assume that any ones shipped since they discovered the issue no longer suffer from the problem.

 

[lucky3]

I've had mine since 2011 and i have no problem getting under it and i don't consider it unsafe. But i almost sold it the other day to get the c7000 lift. If that lift was available when i was looking for one i would of bought it instead of the max jax. The c7000 just has more features then the max jax. I have to say that reading about the max jax buyers now it looks like the quality control has gone down hill. All the QC issues i see now i have never had them.

 

[Cobra96]

I was seriously considering a maxjax but have some reservations. It seems like quality has gone done since these were originally introduced.

Do you folks consider the Maxjax to be a safe product? I am also looking at the Triumph C-7000 which I just stumbled upon. Seems like they are available now after not being available for a while. Not much feedback on them yet though.

After you iron out all the QC issues, the maxjax does what its designed to do. They have scaled the quality way down from the beginning. I mean they went from real hand grips to rubber sleeves for grips on the pins that would fall off. Had to silicone them on. The hydraulic fittings........, all in the trash, useless! The PD58 anchors..., useless.
If you have limited headroom and you want a lift with total under car clearance then go with the maxjax, upgrade the fittings and check all the little issues before install and you will be in good shape.
if you have a little more head room, go with the C7000. Better bang for the buck IMHO.

 

[glennda5id]

The one very positive thing Maxjax has going for it is the great support provided by Dannmar. Based on all the glowing reviews about interacting with them I was very confident about my purchase. Sadly as I read more recent reviews about the QC issues with the Maxjax I started considering a full size jack again... (which would eclipse most of my usable garage space!) I'm very glad I discovered the C7000 but my impression is that Triumph (Northern Tool?) is just starting to get into the home enthusiast market with the C7000 and they may have a bit of work to do, but that they are a reputable lift company. Figures crossed, I will be pulling the trigger soon, most likly on the C7000.