What's wrong with Deja Vu?

[BarryH]

I've always wondered...why is Deja Vu down more often than it runs? I've never understood why it is down so often.

 

I guess I'm lucky since I rode Deja Vu at SFOG. I didn't get it ride it at SFGAm though. I'm not sure how my luck will hold at SFMM.

[DRWP2005]

Its a Vekoma! And that explains it all.

[jarmor]

When I was at the park earlier this year I asked some of the "higher ups" the exact same question. And the reply was "Well, if we knew the answer it would be running". Apparently the problem is SF's alone because the coaster was already released to them from vekoma before all the mahiem began. Man I feel sorry for the six flags parks.....

[DejaVu The Ride]

Well, the track really sucks and SfGam had to have the whole train welded back together during the 2003 season.(Hence the reason it didn't open until late July of that year.)

 

Also, it has many PLC errors which cause the ride to go down for unknown reasons and once the train at SfGam even split with half the train stuck between the loop and second tower and the other half between the Loop and Cobra Roll.

 

So in short, there are a lot of things wrong with DejaVu.(But at least they are improving, right?

[ebl]

Things were done backwards. See, when a new product comes onto the market, it's usually been tested before being offered; a prototype has been built and the bugs worked out first.

 

In this case, Six Flags decided that Vekoma's Giant Inverted Boomerang would be a cool addition to SFMM, SFoG, and SFGAm. So, they ordered one for each park---untested. That meant that the parks themselves had the honor of getting the bugs worked out.

 

Pretty much the same problem with X.

 

Eric

[Jordan Shankman]

When I was at SFMM last week I noticed a very strange piece of equipment toward the back of the train. Also, according to a few friends of mine, Deja Vu at SFOG is also recieving this. Could this be it? Do you think that this is what the Vekoma engineers have come up with to fix it?

 

I hope so...

[pvcoasterguy]

Maybe they got something that can push the train when it gets stuck, after evacuated. (Might replace the crane?)

 

Anyways, there are probably a ton of problems with the catch car, and, as DRWP2005 said, "It's a Vekoma!" Combined with some of the maintainence at Six Flags (cough Magic Mountain coughs), you've got a ride that only runs 45% or less of the operating season.

 

Great America's actually ran pretty well last year. Let's hope for the best this year.

 

Kyle "Deja Vu was actually really scary!" W.

[Jose Eber]

Its a Vekoma! And that explains it all.

 

Well, I'm no coaster expert -- but I'll throw in my two cents:

 

"Meh"

 

-- the park and environment make a big deal too. I've been on a Vekoma many a time at MGM and its been down once.

 

I've been on an Intamin at DCA and its been down significantly more times. We're talking 5 or 6.

 

So...can Vekoma be really that bad?

 

Discuss

[kenshinmac]

The whole selling a prototype seems to be fairly typical business at Vekoma these days.

 

First was the Stealth at PGA (now the Borg at Carowinds) which was determined to have too low a capacity because of slow load and unload times so most future versions had a dual loading station.

 

Second was the Giant Inverted Boomerangs which became the Deja Vu's (no sure on the ride names.

 

Third I believe the Booster Bikes were sold as a production prototype to Toverland.

 

I believe the tilt coaster is also being shopped in the same way. I honestly wouldn't want to be the first with a tilt coaster either... Can you imagine all that could go wrong on that... :shock:

 

Remember though that most companies don't build full prototypes ever. There are often problems when the first ride goes into service. Arrow has some classics that were pulled out because they didn't work. Intamin built the Xcellerator as a prototype as far as I know. So it isn't limited. I think B&M has some that are technically prototypes too. But realistically their main vehicles haven't changed much nor has their track.

[NitroJoeC]

Its a Vekoma! And that explains it all.

 

-- the park and environment make a big deal too. I've been on a Vekoma many a time at MGM and its been down once.

 

I've been on an Intamin at DCA and its been down significantly more times. We're talking 5 or 6.

 

So...can Vekoma be really that bad?

 

Short answer - yes. I would have agreed with you about RnRC before I started working at MGM recently...however, the past two to three weeks, the ride has been down LITERALLY everyday!

 

I don't know if it's a fluke or what, but everyday it's up and down. I'll ask people how long the wait is or if they have a FP, and they'll tell me it's closed. Granted it's not the longest downtime, but I never used to see it close, and lately it's been down a lot. Who knows.

 

JC

[Jose Eber]

the past two to three weeks, the ride has been down LITERALLY everyday!

 

I'd be curious to see what C. Screaming operators would say.

 

Truth be told -- Space goes down about once a day too I hear so...

 

Wow -- so you work at that attraction -- cool.

 

One of the coolest sights I saw the other week was for the first time when I was on the ride I didn't look at what was ahead but everywhere else -- seeing -- tracks, and then a glimpse of a train coming out of the initial bizarre loop -- its quite a tall loop there -- 80 ft or so.

 

Man, what I'd give to work there just a day and take in all the mechanics and systems..

 

NERD

 

lol

 

If I see you, I'll do what I can to say hello.

[coasters 4 me]

but would one of the problems be the vertical lift chain? After all, it is going vertical and has to handle alot of weight. But that wouldnt cause it to be closed all the time. It probably wouldnt the chain anyway.

[deathmole]

Simple, its a prototype, and was most likely rushed, ALL proto type rides have bugs that need ironing out, X at SFMM does/did and an example of a ride in the UK is Air at AT, the first year of its operation was a joke - and that s a B&M and Consign AG development, bothare known for reliability aswell.

[timetrial3141592]

Simple, its a prototype, and was most likely rushed, ALL proto type rides have bugs that need ironing out, X at SFMM does/did and an example of a ride in the UK is Air at AT, the first year of its operation was a joke - and that s a B&M and Consign AG development, bothare known for reliability aswell.

 

Well, XLR8R is a prototype, and it almost never is down, but the "second generation Rocket" TTD is often down and sprayed exploding launch cables all over everybody once.

[pvcoasterguy]

^But Top Thrill Dragster is over twice as tall and a little over fourty miles per hour faster than Xcelerator. There is a ton more stress on the launch cable. Plus, Xcelerator has two trains compared to Dragster's six.

[NitroJoeC]

the past two to three weeks, the ride has been down LITERALLY everyday!

 

Wow -- so you work at that attraction -- cool.

 

 

If I see you, I'll do what I can to say hello.

 

Actually I don't operate Coaster, I take Photopass photos in front of it (and everywhere else in the park).

 

But I'll only be doing that this Tues and Wed and then again next Tues, because A. Going to California Wed night til Mon night and B. leaving Disney to be a server at Wolfgang Puck in Downtown Disney. YAY!

 

JC