Problems with a certain piece

[legomaniac83]

Wondering if anyone else has had a problem with this piece:

I have had 3 break on me, and the conclusion I have came to is that, when under pressure, the spring eventually gives way.

When I found this recent one busted, I was taking apart 8445, and in the finished model it is always under pressure.

Lego did send me a replacement when I found my first broken one about 6 years ago. Plus they are around $3 a pop on Bricklink New. (I wouldn't trust a used one....)

Anyone else notice this?

Edited January 27, 2011 by legomaniac83

[CP5670]

Yeah, the original 1999 batches of these parts were notorious for breaking. The later ones were more reliable. TLG was sending out free replacements back then, but I'm not sure if those parts are still in production today.

[Rufus]

The original two I had from the 8448 Supercar both broke: Lego sent me replacements about a year or two ago. They tried to charge me, then let me have them for free when I whinged

I haven't used the new ones though, so I can't say if they have the same problem.

[Destroydacre]

Lego is usually pretty good at sending out replacements as long as you let them know what happened. It sounds like they know about the poor quality of this part and from what I've heard the translucent plastic that Lego uses can be very brittle. I don't know if that was a factor here, but it wouldn't surprise me. According to Peeron this piece was still in production in 2008 so I'd contact TLC and see if you can get some replacements.