Shimano Repair Center

[skrilla]

Send to factory for warranty. Pros... worry free service mostly. If the rod or reel is fubar'd you may get a replacement or even an option to upgrade to the newer or next model up for a small fee.

Never sent reels to a shop but a pro is they may be a little more lienient if you have upgraded drags, bearings, or want it lubed a certain way with preferred lubricants. Each shop varies though so consult with the tech before handing over your reels.

Service and upgrades I do myself. The obvious pro... I know the work is done exactly how I want and will only cost what I put in parts.

[alanw]

I never needed to take a reel to them yet but I have taken rods. Buy the better lifetime warranty rods and they will repair/replace and even upgrade if your rod is no longer produced. I even took a cheaper 1yr warranty rod which I broke the tip off and was past the warranty period and they did a "one time" replacement service. Having a service center local in OC makes it a no-brainer.

[newportdogs]

I’ve been using them for 5 years. When in doubt about brand I go with Shimano because of the service they provide. They’ve never charged me more than $25 per reel, spinning or bait caster, even when I’ve lost parts. Last year in Catalina we lost parts overboard on a Curado 200, screwed it up even more trying camp ground repairs and $25 still applied.

The quality of their repair is excellent. I’ve had one Cumara and one Crucial rod replaced under warranty. They upgraded the Crucial to a Cumara at no cost because the Crucial was no longer in production. Depending on the season be prepared for a couple of weeks lead time.

[Amish Ed]

I can't speak for mail in service, but walk in is awesome. I'm really hard on my reels, 1/2 the time they just replace them with service stock. Never more than $25. Last time my Cardiff 200 was in they forgot to give me my old spool back, it had Power Pro on it. They sent me a 300 yard spool of 30lb, no questions asked. I did hear on Let's Talk Hookup once that they are a bit more lenient with walk ins too.

[jorluivil]

Thanks for the great feedback, I guess I'll head down there today or tomorrow. I've used some of the local shops but everytime I go I can't ever get an honest answer on turn around time or even an estimate on repairs. I'm never expecting an exact cost on repairs but something would be nice.

[wiredantz]

Ive used it. THey always take care of me. This last time they just replaced a reel for a flat fee because they could not open it.

[fishingfiend]

+1 for Walk In Service! I dropped off 4 reels last week. I remember when all service was free, but that ended a few years ago. Still the best way to get your Shimano reels taken care of. The same can be said for Daiwa walk in service located in Cypress.

[jorluivil]

Welp...........Let me keep it simple.

Shimano kicks ass!

Dropped off the reels at 430pm yesterday, I received a call at 2pm today saying replacements were ready.