I was floating over a heavy rock patch and at a heavy drift, the TM was in the down position and got caught.. snapped the shaft (drifting at 3-4kts, crazy wind day). I couldn't lift up the TM fast enough. Literally, snapped and lost the front casing for it. I had to completely remove the TM and lay it in the deck. Crazy!
I called the guys at TM Service Center immediately that Monday, dropped it off that afternoon, and thankfully they had a new shaft in waiting. Replaced under warranty and back within the week! Doug Walker and his son... also Doug, did a great job and were super easy to work with. Good as new! I was lucky, however, as the Minn Kota centers are currently closed and parts being shipped out are delayed.
(they also put back my other TM that I attempted to self-repair the armature for and failed at, which was appreciated).
If you've ever looked at the Minn Kota website, you'll find that for warranty work you're limited to different types of servce. A Servicing Dealer (only take the TM to the location you bought it from, dealer can choose to service it or not pending where you bought it from) and a Service Center (authorized to work on MK TMs no matter where they were purchased from, with a direct parts relationship with MK). These guys are an Authorized Service Center.
Just a quick plug for these guys:
8AM - 530PM M-F
1475 Capital Circle NW
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 264-8080
E-mail - TMServiceFL@gmail.com
...they work on MotorGuides as well
Kudos to the shop. Unless it's due to a factory defect I don't think damage or breakage is normally covered under their warranty. (At least that's what my warranty states.) I thought the composite shafts were supposed to flex and be almost unbreakable... That's the first time I've heard of one breaking.