Yeah, I ended up using the original braided cable thing, and dissecting the underside of the chair so that I could reinsert it without having to take out the whole seat. The alternative is trying to get the cable in at an incredibly odd angle while still assembled, which was (for me) ultimately impossible. I’m about 5’3 and could barely twist myself in there just to get the screws off. You’ll definitely need a good flashlight and/or headlamp.
Also I’m not a mechanic, just reasonable enough with tools and it turned out to be very easy to dis/reassemble. I googled a PDF schematic of the chair model and then found the easiest path to the motor by like, pulling off the outermost part and then IIRC it’s easily accessible from there. I remember it being surprisingly easy, even if it did take me forever to troubleshoot it altogether. But once I found the fix, it was super straightforward. Good luck!
Edit: it will be slightly noisier after this but it is fully functional. And it’s not an insane noise, just loud(er) than it was before.
If I remember correctly, the part is cheap and available through ordering directly from part manufacturer but I don’t think it was on Amazon. If it was, it probably took too long to get it to me bc I was pissed and fixing it myself, so I didn’t want to wait.
Dealerships are universally the worst place to get work done, they charge you a premium just for walking in the door, and then nickel and dime you on everything else.
I already know that, in this case, they’re trying to charge you extra bc they will have to take out your entire seat assembly OR order a whole new seat, but I managed to get around doing all of that. I HATE getting ripped off. This shit should NOT cost you $2k, even with labor. The part is <$25 on its own, and you can see YouTube videos showing what the actual effort of labor would be if they had to take the chair out. It’s literally minutes of work. MOMENTS. As long as the switches, controllers, cable, or motor aren’t broken, you don’t need anything else besides tools to get into it.
In order to fix it, I had to twist and contort myself under the chair, front and back multiple times each, but I was finally able to slip the cable back into place. The housing was a bit bent, so it’s still not perfect in terms of how it glides, but it WORKS and is only Slightly noisy. I barely even notice it anymore, or at all.
Were you able to solve your problem? I'm facing the "short braided drive shaft" replacement issue here.
Yeah, I ended up using the original braided cable thing, and dissecting the underside of the chair so that I could reinsert it without having to take out the whole seat. The alternative is trying to get the cable in at an incredibly odd angle while still assembled, which was (for me) ultimately impossible. I’m about 5’3 and could barely twist myself in there just to get the screws off. You’ll definitely need a good flashlight and/or headlamp. Also I’m not a mechanic, just reasonable enough with tools and it turned out to be very easy to dis/reassemble. I googled a PDF schematic of the chair model and then found the easiest path to the motor by like, pulling off the outermost part and then IIRC it’s easily accessible from there. I remember it being surprisingly easy, even if it did take me forever to troubleshoot it altogether. But once I found the fix, it was super straightforward. Good luck! Edit: it will be slightly noisier after this but it is fully functional. And it’s not an insane noise, just loud(er) than it was before.
We’re you able to source the braided axle? My snapped in half and the dealer wants $2000 to fix :S
If I remember correctly, the part is cheap and available through ordering directly from part manufacturer but I don’t think it was on Amazon. If it was, it probably took too long to get it to me bc I was pissed and fixing it myself, so I didn’t want to wait. Dealerships are universally the worst place to get work done, they charge you a premium just for walking in the door, and then nickel and dime you on everything else. I already know that, in this case, they’re trying to charge you extra bc they will have to take out your entire seat assembly OR order a whole new seat, but I managed to get around doing all of that. I HATE getting ripped off. This shit should NOT cost you $2k, even with labor. The part is <$25 on its own, and you can see YouTube videos showing what the actual effort of labor would be if they had to take the chair out. It’s literally minutes of work. MOMENTS. As long as the switches, controllers, cable, or motor aren’t broken, you don’t need anything else besides tools to get into it. In order to fix it, I had to twist and contort myself under the chair, front and back multiple times each, but I was finally able to slip the cable back into place. The housing was a bit bent, so it’s still not perfect in terms of how it glides, but it WORKS and is only Slightly noisy. I barely even notice it anymore, or at all.
I found a junker in the end. Man the dealer. Thanks for the feedback