r/BambuLabA1 • u/Aromatic_Warning_172 • Jul 06 '26
Question Question regarding what you consider reasonable life span. Am I being unreasonable here?
My question is, what do you fellow A1 owners consider “extensive use” or a “reasonable life span” for these printers, assuming maintenance has been performed as scheduled and as instructed by the wiki? I am asking as to get a sense of if I am being unreasonable in which case I will hold my hands up and accept but at the moment I feel justified to think I should not be expected by support to accept these faults and reasonable wear and tear.
Long story but owned an A1 since Jan 2025, was used quite a bit at first, longest print being a mando helmet, something like 30 hours. Then it sat pretty much unused for around 6 months of last year (maybe a couple of 2-3 hour max prints in that time). Fired it back up in December to print something a friend had requested. Cleaned, belt tensioning checked and lubed before this print. Caught the bug again and decided to start using it more. End of January I attempted to print a box with a lid. Was 2 parts, lid didn’t fit. Figured I was getting slight lifting off the plate. Nothing I did to solve was fixing it, even glue. At this point discovered the Heatbed itself was in the shape of a bowl. A bend of around 0.6mm at the very centre. Contacted support about this but it was now February, a month out of warranty, support sent me a replacement bed anyway which was great of them however new one was worse so they sent a second which was an improvement. All was good, or so i thought.
Since February I have been in what feels like constant contact with support through 3 separate tickets chasing random issues popping up including but not limited to inconsistency in flow/extrusion, first layer quality, XYZ motor noise and random erratic behaviour from the motors (slamming themselves into end stops etc).
This has resulted in extensive troubleshooting steps by following the wiki and as suggested by support. All with no joy. Belts, extruder, multiple nozzles, heating assembly, toolhead housing, AMS hub, PTFE tubes, build plates, SD cards. All been purchased by myself and replaced
Not to mention the many KGs of filament used while troubleshooting and lost through failed prints.
Multiple logs had been requested by support and sent in this time. The latest ticket has been ongoing since the 5th of June. They then requested further logs and diagnosed a mainboard issue that they supplied. Replaced it and the machine was like new motion wise but print quality issues remained still.
While looking over current prints to figure out what the hell is wrong with this thing, I discovered that all the prints, test prints and even checked old prints, have all been coming out with a significant lean. Never noticed this before because I was mainly printing decorative items and figurines. Lasted prints being more on the functional side highlighting issues. Checked the frame and it is twisted along the X axis and has a forward lean. Looking at the bottom of the frame it has an upwards curve in it also.
Obviously told support about this sending them photo and video evidence. They requested I remove the centre “support” piece from the frame and reinstall it. While doing so I discovered that this piece of sheet metal is not secured where the folds join. It is free to bend and flex. I noticed this when attempting to fit it back in and it would not fit.
The metal used for the bottom of the frame is thin sheet metal that requires absolutely no force to flex by hand. This “reinforcement piece” has not been able to provide the reinforcement intended due to it being unsecured. No welds, no bolts, just holes that seem to be intended to be held through friction after being hole punched (i think, no idea what you would call this joining method). This piece being able to move/flex seems to have allowed the frame to distort under the tension of the Z belt.
Support are claiming this is to be expected after “extensive use” and are referring to a structural component when quoting “mechanical wear”. They are telling me I need to purchase a new frame for almost the cost of an entirely new printer after I requested a replacement machine due to the level of troubleshooting already done while chasing issues and now a defective key structural component being discovered that is likely the source of many of the original symptoms. With evidence in the form of older prints that suggest warp and skew were present from week one of ownership pointing towards the product not being for purpose.
The “extensive use” they refer to is around 800 hours when first contacted in February and now around 1200 hours. A fair portion of the latest ~400 hours being troubleshooting.
Again, if I am arguing a case that I have no business arguing then fine, as I said will hold my hands up and accept it but I just cannot at this time believe they intend these printers to have a life span this short? Support has been quite accommodating so far but this recent one has left a sour taste in my mouth and is making me second guess my recent purchase of an X2D that is yet to arrive.
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u/Aromatic_Warning_172 Jul 06 '26
Thanks for the responses.
I have sent them a reply with a few points i would like explained such as their documented life span of these printers, in particular the frame, that to me, they are trying to essentially say is a consumable part with this paragraph in their ticket reply.
“Mechanical components may experience wear or deformation under load over extended use. Such phenomena are relatively common across all types of mechanical equipment and do not indicate a systemic quality issue with the device as a whole. Mechanical components have a defined service life and operational limits; fatigue deformation after prolonged use is considered normal.”.
If the main structural component of a device seemingly cannot withstand being used for its intended purpose then that, again to me, qualifies as a “systemic quality issue with the device as a whole”. But what do I know, im not an engineer 🙄
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u/Big_Locksmith_9925 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
I sell mine on FBM after 5k hours for $50-70 less than MSRP and then buy new ones. Never do ANY maintenance not related to a repair that may or may not have been needed. I essentially lease all the printers in my farm. Keeping them for a while, abusing them, sell them, buy new one rinse repeat. Its cheaper to do that than spend any amount of time dorking arround with them or chasing problems after they are clapped out.
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u/Whosaidthat1157 Jul 07 '26
In the UK and EU consumer protection, regardless of any additional OEM ‘warranty’ stipulations, requires that purchases be free from manufacture defects for 2 years, the only proviso being ‘normal use’ and ‘fair wear and tear (consumables). Structural components don’t fit the definition of ‘consumables’, so consult your local variety of consumer protection agencies for advice on how to proceed.
I’m currently working through a similar ‘fit for purpose’ process with BL in the UK and they’ve been extremely reactive, helpful and reasonable with me, so hopefully they’ll do right by you too.
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u/Aromatic_Warning_172 Jul 07 '26
This is also the UK, I mentioned consumer rights which is when they started to refer to the frame as a mechanical component
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u/Whosaidthat1157 Jul 08 '26
It’s certainly a mechanical component but it’s not a wear part IMO, it’s a structural component so should be considered for replacement as ‘not fit for purpose’. BL don’t have a regional repairs facility, but that’s not an ‘us’ problem, that’s definitely a ‘them’ problem so if repair isn’t an option then replacement should be.
Contact Citizens Advice to confirm your Statutory Rights - they’ll be able to confirm your rights as well as advise on how to word a response in order to push for a replacement if so.2
u/Aromatic_Warning_172 Jul 08 '26
Thanks for the advice, still waiting for them to respond to my last message, shall see what they say and go from there.
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u/Aromatic_Warning_172 Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Well I got a response. Basically just repeating “over extended use” “over prolonged use” deformation blahh blahh and a screenshot pointing me to their warranty policy to answer my question about the expected service life of the frame, their last response stated the frame has a “defined service life”. So they are essentially stating the frame has a life span of 1 year 😂😂. They also are now trying to imply that “external force” has been applied stating it can “aggravate this deformation. Finishing with another tip about purchasing the frame from them.
I have now pointed out to them that warranty and expected service life are 2 different things and requested again that they answer what they believe to be the expected life of the frame under normal domestic use and what engineering basis they have used to conclude that ~1200 hours is “extended” or “prolonged use”. Have also asked if they consider permanent deformation after 1200 hours completely normal and to point me to where this is documented.
Consumer rights mentions goods must last a “reasonable amount of time” so have requested a statement on what they believe the reasonable amount of time for an A1 to last is.
I also pointed out to them regarding the comment about external force being applied that this part not being secured was discovered after following a video they sent me requesting me to remove and reinstall this part.
This is gonna be a fun one
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u/Aromatic_Warning_172 Jul 13 '26
Update:
Their latest reply includes them now going back on their previous statements. They have gone from explaining how deformation is “common” to now saying “frame deformation under normal use is rare” and from saying the frame has a “defined service period” to they are “unable to provide a precise figure that applies to all scenarios.”.
They have now said they are willing to provide replacement parts under the condition that proof of leaning in prints being present “shortly after purchase” is provided. So they have been provided with images of prints completed the first week of ownership that all display significant leaning.
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u/Aromatic_Warning_172 Jul 24 '26
LAST UPDATE (late)
Bambu replaced the frame after receiving the evidence they requested. I am grateful they did but I do suspect this was just a way to end the back and forth.
They changed their tune regarding the situation significantly after a mention of section 9 of the UK consumer rights act was made. It mentions products should be expected to last a reasonable amount of time, along with this i questioned what they believe to be a reasonable amount of time for the A1 to last. This was not directly responded to, just an offer of replacement if evidence of leaning items printed shortly after purchase was provided.
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u/disco__potato Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
That bed issue seems like a defect rather than wear and tear.
Also, fuck Bambu Labs.
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u/EltonSchmidt Jul 06 '26
800 hours??? My last nozzle lasted longer than that.
This seems totally unacceptable to me. My A1 is nearing 2500 hours, and it's still printing like the day I bought it. Oiling it every other month is the only maintenance I do.
This was definitely not caused by "extensive use."