Artvi

My winch, windlass or motor controller is dead

Mail-in repair of Kelly KBS/KBL winch and motor controllers, windlass control boxes and other 12/24/48 V control electronics, Australia. AUD 175 bench diagnosis, credited; repairs typically AUD 300–650; six-month warranty on the work.

Post me the dead unit. I diagnose it on a bench set up for exactly this, tell you in writing what’s wrong and what the repair costs, and you decide. Before you post anything, read the free fault notes: the most common Kelly “fault” isn’t one, and the note tells you how to check with a multimeter in ten seconds.

How a mail-in repair runs, from the bench fee to the decision Optional first step: read the free fault notes, which may save the postage. Then pay the AUD 175 bench fee and post the unit tracked, I diagnose it on the bench, and you get a written diagnosis and quote. You then decide: say yes and the repair runs at typically AUD 300 to 650 less the bench fee already paid, with a six-month warranty on the work; or say no and the unit comes back with the written finding, with nothing owed beyond the bench fee and postage. read the notes free, may save the postage pay AUD 175 post it tracked bench diagnosis on a bench set up for it written diagnosis and quote you say yes repair, typically AUD 300–650, less the 175 six-month warranty · ships in 5 days you say no unit back with the written finding nothing owed beyond the fee and postage

Swipe the diagram sideways to see all of it.

The bench fee is the only thing you commit to, and it comes off the repair. If the answer is that it can’t be economically repaired — or you simply don’t like the number — the unit comes back with the written finding and that is the end of it.

Prices
Bench diagnosis AUD 175, paid before I open the box. Credited against the repair.
Repair or upgrade Quoted after diagnosis, typically AUD 300–650 parts and labour. Nothing is done until you say yes.
No fix If it can’t be economically repaired, you owe nothing beyond the bench fee and return postage. You get a written finding and the unit back.
Warranty Six months on the work I did, not on the rest of the unit. Same fault, same cause, within six months: repaired again free, you pay postage to me, I pay postage back. This is on top of your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, which can’t be excluded.
Return postage At cost, tracked. The unit is at your risk in transit both ways; say on the form if you want extra transit cover and I’ll add it at cost.

Capacity and turnaround

I take 15 units a month so that every one gets proper bench time. The current status is in the footer of every page and updated monthly. Turnaround means the time from your unit arriving to the diagnosis and quote being in your inbox; once you say yes, repairs ship within 5 business days. If the queue is longer than four weeks, I raise the price before I cut the bench time.

What I repair

Not: mains-powered equipment, chartplotters and displays, radar, engine ECUs.

How to send it

  1. Pay the bench fee — [payment link to be added] — and keep the receipt number.
  2. Print and fill in the repair slip: [docs/repair-slip.pdf to be added — source: docs/repair-slip.md]. It asks for your name and return address, email, the make and model from the label, the symptom in a sentence or two, the voltage system and what it drives, and whether it’s a dealer job.
  3. The repair may wipe the settings stored in the controller (the ones that match it to your winch). If whoever installed it saved a settings file, include a copy; if you don’t know whether anyone did, say so on the form. Refurbished or salvaged parts may be used in the repair.
  4. Pack it properly. Anti-static bag if it’s a bare board; padding all round; the harness or connectors that came with it if they’re relevant to the fault.
  5. Post it tracked to: [postal address to be added]
  6. You get an email when it arrives, a written diagnosis and quote within the published turnaround, and the unit back by tracked post when it’s done.

Trade terms for dealers and marine electricians

Dealers who send units regularly get bench fees billed monthly on account instead of per unit up front, priority in the queue, a returns label, and my notes on the fault so you can talk to your customer. You hold the relationship with the boat owner; I hold the bench. Ask through the intake form with your business name.

What I won’t do

Diagnose over the phone, or by email from a description. The bench fee exists because the honest answer to “what’s wrong with it” is “let me look.” If you want to try first, the notes are free.