I recently purchased a brand new 26'er. It was a leftover 2014 model. (The last year for the old design). The older 2014 model has the plastic wheels. The new 2015 model has real rubber wheels. So, I decided I wanted to upgrade the wheels on my 26'er from the cheap plastic wheels that came with it, to the newer rubber wheels that come with the new 2015 models.
I called Weber and tried to buy two of the new 2015 rubber wheels. They refused to sell them to me because my 26'er is registered as a 2014 model with cheapo plastic wheels. I tried ereplacementparts.com and they don't sell them. Does anyone know where a set of these could be purchased?
Another idea: Does anyone who owns a new 2015 26'er would be willing to agent a purchase through Weber for me? Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
How odd. What the heck do they care what you want to buy?
Quote from: MINIgrillin on April 01, 2015, 01:07:33 PM
How odd. What the heck do they care what you want to buy?
They told me that by putting different wheels on my 26'er than those that originally came with it would be modifying it and would void the warranty.
I needed an ash bucket when I was converting my 18 brownie to a OTG. I didn't have an 18 otg registered and they refused to sell it to me.
I called back and registered a fake 18 OTG. It may be different to fake register a 2015 26er since they might want the CN number, but if you just claim that you can't read it give them some fake numbers. Give it a couple tries and I bet you'll get a customer service rep who will sell it to you.
Sad that we have to do this...
the two letter code on my 26 starts with CU and then here is a 7 digit number that follows. my first 2 digits start with 32..... so it looks like CU32XXXXX. I have already registered mine but if you shoot me an note ill get you closer to the number and you can see if that works.
are the model numbers the same for the '14 model vs the '15 model? Mine is being delivered by Friday and now I'm curious which one I'll be receiving.... I just assumed it would be a '15 model....
I ordered mine on amazon. It came as a 15 model and that's just based on the wheels. My lack of knowledge on the unit wouldn't be able to tell the difference other than the wheels.
Quote from: docchiro on April 01, 2015, 04:05:06 PM
are the model numbers the same for the '14 model vs the '15 model? Mine is being delivered by Friday and now I'm curious which one I'll be receiving.... I just assumed it would be a '15 model....
No, model numbers are different. 2015 model number is 16401001. You will definitely be receiving the '15 model. The '14 models are no longer made or sold. I had to go to great lengths to find one of the last few remaining NIB '14 models still available.
Tell them your hired to replace the tires after your customer burned them off. Then ask them if adding hi performance exhaust pipes voids the warranty too. (its a harley issue the pussies on the harley forum sweat over)
Quote from: ramsfan on April 01, 2015, 05:19:30 PM
Quote from: docchiro on April 01, 2015, 04:05:06 PM
are the model numbers the same for the '14 model vs the '15 model? Mine is being delivered by Friday and now I'm curious which one I'll be receiving.... I just assumed it would be a '15 model....
No, model numbers are different. 2015 model number is 16401001. You will definitely be receiving the '15 model. The '14 models are no longer made or sold. I had to go to great lengths to find one of the last few remaining NIB '14 models still available.
There are some 2014 26ers in NorCal at local hardware stores. I've asked repeatedly for price breaks because it's "last year's model" even though I like the placement of the vent better on the 2014 than 2015 model. But they just won't budge :(
If anyone wants a 2014 26er I would be willing to agent and ship. Shoot me a PM. I'm still holding out hope for a CL find but have almost pulled the trigger a dozen times.
Quote from: ramsfan on April 01, 2015, 05:19:30 PM
Quote from: docchiro on April 01, 2015, 04:05:06 PM
are the model numbers the same for the '14 model vs the '15 model? Mine is being delivered by Friday and now I'm curious which one I'll be receiving.... I just assumed it would be a '15 model....
No, model numbers are different. 2015 model number is 16401001. You will definitely be receiving the '15 model. The '14 models are no longer made or sold. I had to go to great lengths to find one of the last few remaining NIB '14 models still available.
What makes the '14 that much better to go to those lengths?
The worst thing about the '15 compared to the 14 is the placement of the thermometer makes it almost useless. Other than that, I like mine a lot.
Quote from: docchiro on April 01, 2015, 06:21:44 PM
Quote from: ramsfan on April 01, 2015, 05:19:30 PM
Quote from: docchiro on April 01, 2015, 04:05:06 PM
are the model numbers the same for the '14 model vs the '15 model? Mine is being delivered by Friday and now I'm curious which one I'll be receiving.... I just assumed it would be a '15 model....
No, model numbers are different. 2015 model number is 16401001. You will definitely be receiving the '15 model. The '14 models are no longer made or sold. I had to go to great lengths to find one of the last few remaining NIB '14 models still available.
What makes the '14 that much better to go to those lengths?
Weber moved the vent in the lid for 2015. This was a change for the worse IMO. When the vent was in the old position you could smoke food with the charcoal in back near the lid bale and the food in the front near the pull handle on the outside of the bowl, so when you walk up to the grill and open the lid, the fire is on the left and the food is on the right giving you a left/right configuration.
Now with the vents moved, you have to either reach over the fire to tend to the food on the other side or reach over the food to tend to the fire on the other side or continually have to keep walking around the grill every time. Also, with the vent and thermometer now being opposite of each other, you can't adjust the top vent and read the thermometer at the same time. You now have to walk around the grill to get access to the other side or have to constantly keep spinning the lid?
The other thing is the new ash bucket has been changed. Now, it is too difficult to put it on and take it off. I am 50 years old and have arthritis in my hands. The last thing I want to have to do is squeeeeeze the handle super tight in order to get the bucket on and off. Personally, I think the ash bucket should slide in and out effortlessly just like the little compartment cup that holds the coffee filter in an automatic coffee maker.
Quote from: ramsfan on April 01, 2015, 01:11:15 PM
Quote from: MINIgrillin on April 01, 2015, 01:07:33 PM
How odd. What the heck do they care what you want to buy?
They told me that by putting different wheels on my 26'er than those that originally came with it would be modifying it and would void the warranty.
IMO Weber is skirting the line here, proving the customer guilty prematurely and risking exposure to The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act
In a
practical sense, the Act probably might not apply here. On the other hand, performing a wheel swap --- ESPECIALLY with their own compatible part! --- can't conceivably harm anything else with the grill, and that's what makes their policy utter bullshit.
Quote from: addicted-to-smoke on April 02, 2015, 08:01:41 AMthat's what makes their policy utter bullshit.
I love my red kettles but I do NOT like many of Weber's polices. As I resident of the US, why can't I buy an Ivory kettle and Pizza Oven? 8)
^^ Those aren't warranty issues, they are market size/business decisions.
I have heard of people having issues getting parts for grills that they do not own, but never experienced it myself. In fact I just placed an order for a lid thermometer and bezel a couple of days ago..I just gave them the part number and they ordered it. Maybe you can call back and talk to another rep? Maybe you got one that was not educated.
ereplacements.com is an obvious workaround for all of that malarkey, but it seems to take a good year or so before Weber will supply them with parts for current-year models.
Quote from: Red Kettle Rich on April 02, 2015, 08:28:18 AM
I love my red kettles but I do NOT like many of Weber's polices. As I resident of the US, why can't I buy an Ivory kettle and Pizza Oven? 8)
there's been a couple on ebay.co.uk recently, but local pick up only.
@Red Kettle Rich
just go to a dealer and get the serial #'s off a floor model. pisses me off when I hear this crap from Weber.
Quote from: swamprb on April 03, 2015, 03:54:07 AM
just go to a dealer and get the serial #'s off a floor model. pisses me off when I hear this crap from Weber.
I thought of that already, but what happens when that grill eventually sells and the new owner wants to register it with Weber and my name comes up? I don't want to create a problem for some stranger later on. The other thing is that I already registered my new 26 with Weber. I guess it would look pretty strange to show me buying two new 26'ers in the same week? I'll just have to wait until ereplacementparts.com starts carrying them?
they only asked for the 2 letter code when i got the replacement grate for my 26.
i thought it was an AH but it was an AU. it didn't matter to them. they sent me a new one free of charge.
"They told me that by putting different wheels on my 26'er than those that originally came with it would be modifying it and would void the warranty."
This made me lol
Hey guys, just wanted to give everyone an update on the continuing story of the new 26'er I recently bought two weeks ago and the upgraded wheels I was having so much trouble getting from Weber. About a day or two after a Weber CSR refused to sell me a set of the new 2015 rubber wheels, I called back late in the evening and tried again. I had better luck on the second try.
This time, I didn't mention anything about already owning a 26'er, I simply stated I wanted to buy a set of the new 2015 wheels for a 26.75 kettle. The woman I talked to didn't ask any questions. She simply looked up the price and I told her I would take two. Problem solved!
The wheels arrived today and I have already installed them on my 26'er and I must say, they are a significant improvement over the old plastic ones. I figured they would be better just by their appearance on the floor model of the new grills on display at my local HD.
First of all, I don't know how many of you have had a chance to see these new wheels up close or have had a chance to try them out and play with them, but they are sharp! Holding an old one in one hand and a new one in the other hand to compare the two, I would say the new one is almost double the weight (or at least 1.5x the weight of the old one). Although they don't have ball bearings in them, when they roll they seem as if they do. The wheels roll heavy, quiet, and smooth. No rumble, wobble, or noise when your rolling them. The sound of the old wheels rolling remind me of the sound of the plastic wheels on a kid's Big Wheel tricycle. It has that distinctive rumble of hollow plastic rolling across concrete.
The new wheels come with spacers that fit between the flat end of the leg and the inside hub of the wheel. The wheel covers are different as well. The old covers (pre 2015) won't fit the new wheels (I tried already). The look and the design are different as well. Overall, I would definitely say that it is a significant improvement in looks and function.
I have the old set of wheels w/wheel covers and new nut caps if anyone is interested or needs to upgrade their wheels? I'll let them go cheap. I don't need them and just want to recoup some of my money back for the upgrade. These are 8" wheels for a 26, so they won't fit a 22.5. Send me a PM if you're interested? Thanks.
could you take a pic of the rubber and plastic wheels side x side? I may be going down this road myself
Ramsfan, I forgot to write in & suggest you do what you did.....Weber is a lot like the IRS....still, even with some of the C / S changes they have made....
If you don't get across to them & get what you want, wait a day, or two & call in at a different time, get another person & the likelihood of accomplishment goes way up....glad you got it figured & thanks for the rundown !!!
Now, if they could just upgrade the whole thermometer / lid vent thing to something useful...... :o >:(
Quote from: swamprb on April 07, 2015, 04:10:13 PM
could you take a pic of the rubber and plastic wheels side x side? I may be going down this road myself
I would like to see this as well. Also, I may have missed it, but how much did the new wheels cost?
New wheels were slightly less than $15 each. When the $7 delivery and state tax was added in, the whole thing came to about $38. The new wheels are a huge improvement and are significantly better than the old ones. I was completely blown away after they were installed and I began to roll the kettle for the first time with them on. They look sharp too. With all the changes Weber made to the 26 for 2015, this was the only thing they got right.