Dometic CFX Series
Verified109 reviews
Our Waeco fridge from the caravan is now in the garbage tip at Grawin opal field after failing on our last trip. The Waeco fridge in our ute also let us down a couple of years ago. Our waeco power supply also ended up at a dump after numerous issues. I have a Bushman fridge in the Ute now and am buying an Engel for the caravan and won’t be touching Waeco/ Dometic products again.
What a piece of rubbish. From the first time I have used it I've had trouble running it on 12V. it turns on then shuts itself off constantly. I have had to constantly mess around with it to get it to run then it stops. I thought it may have been the batteries in my camper so i put new batteries in. I had one trip where the fridge functioned ok so… Read more
I thought i had found the problem. Started it the other day before heading off it kept constantly tripping on 'Low compressor speed'. I wasted more than 3 hrs trying to work out what was wrong when it should have been a simple plug in and walk away job. Runs perfectly on 240V. I am completely done with this piece of junk. I will be buying an Engel. I would not recommend dometic products to anyone.
Reviews with attachments
Irritating high pitch frequency – I would give five stars for this cooler as it does all that it says it should. The compressor generally is quieter than other brands however on start up, it has a very irritating high pitched frequency like a Cicada. It can barely be heard in the shop environment however in a quieter location it is most audible and upsetting. We haven't had this… Read more
unit on the road yet so I cannot comment there, but have tested all the features at 32°c. I don't know how it will fare in the back of a car with passengers in the rear, nor how it will impose on us sleeping in a nearby tent in the peace and quiet of a bush setting with no other campers. I'm at a loss what to do as we cannot return this item and would love it otherwise. If you have a ute and don't sleep lightly, I imagine you would have no problem. We have only found one other review referring to this issue in the CXF3 series and we're surprised not to find more. If you have experienced similar issues could you please add them to product review for others to see and also indicate any solutions you found to help dampen the noise.
Just more Chinese rubbish – Bought ours from BCF back in Oct 21, only used it a dozen or so times. It first failed [complete shutdown] in August 22. I have taken it back to the Service agents three times, every time I was told it was fixed and ready to go it would last less than an hour before failing again. The last time I took it back to the agents in October Dometic… Read more
decided to take it away. It’s now down the Gold Coast somewhere… Received an email from Dometic in the past few days saying they haven’t got to it yet because they are busy remodelling their shop!! So since the 13th of August we have had the fridge for less than an hour [working] and have spent several hundred dollars on fuel taking it back and forth to the agent. Dometic have said they will not refund or replace the fridge, they will only repair it.. We have had to go and but another fridge for our Christmas road trip !! In short, the product is crap and the service is worse, do yourself a favour and buy something else… even an esky with a bag of ice is a better option.
Cfx40 Poor Quality Electronics that fail and Dometic unhelpful – The main PBC board failed causing it to go from +2 to -22 without warning and freeze and explode the contents. Dometic wanted $66.00 to access the fault and another $221.00 to replace the PBC board. The fridge is just 4 years old and only been used a total of 10 weeks since new. Dometic customer phone support when asked the live span of CFX40 said… Read more
at least 5 years trouble free service, but Dometic Service wont honour warranty for a known part failure and dont return phone calls to service department and service division needs a major shake up cleaning out the deadwood. I have a ENGEL 40lt running 24/7 since new and no problems In 19 years operation.
Positive reviews
Great fridge, just needs small design changes to make it perfect – Bought my fridge 4 years ago, it’s on 24hrs a day, 7 days a week in my car, worked great on 12v cigarette plug for first 2 years then didn’t hold temp. Replaced plug, still had same issue. Ended up getting an Anderson plug and not a problem with power any longer. Unfortunately the problem I have now is the lids no longer clip shut all the time… Read more
(causing raises in temp and overworking of the fan) as the plastic clips are worn and the plastic frame on the body of the fridge has moved. I have had to solve this by carefully installing some Engle clips on the fridge and doors to keep these close. Thankfully, this has solved the problem, but this is not something I should have to do. Despite these two issues this fridge has been perfect for the last 4 years, it holds temp at 2 degrees in 35 degree temps, its power consumption is minimal considering its size (I have 100amp agm that will run 10 led lights for 6 hours overnight along with the fridge being opened continuously and fridge never loses temp AND battery protection never comes on as battery never gets below 75%). Pretty happy with this purchase, just wish dometic had resolved these two issues by now with small design changes, but unfortunately they have not.
Very reliable great fridge – Three years in and this fridge has performed great. It has not been switched off in this time frame and has been running on 12v and sometimes 24volt permanently mounted in a vehicle. The fridge has been exposed to very cold climates and also very hot climates at the top of Australia and has done a great job. It has mainly been used as a freezer… Read more
over the last 12 months and has no problem keeping temperatures at minus 15 degrees in both compartments. I have had two upright 12/24 fridges(other brands) to compare this chest too and I would say that the Dometic Waeco has been by far the better fridge freezer. I would certainly recommend and would buy another if needed. Fridge is kept out of direct sunlight and I also use the insulated bag.
CFX65 Dual Zone - decides to freeze – My CFX65 Dual Zone is 12 years old and been a good reliable camp fridge or freezer. It has just started to freeze everything at -15. We had it running at -2 and usually works fine. Now it wants to just freeze up by itself. Any suggestions please? Not looking at spending big money due to its age. But happy to spend a small amount as it’s been a great fridge. Show details
Negative reviews
Faulty product – Compressor runs continuously on 12 and 240 volts. On a 22c degree day can only get to -1 on both compartments. Can pull 40 amps overnight when on 12 volts. Show details
No help from Dometic 3 weeks out of warranty – I have a CFX375DZ. Three weeks out of warranty it has leaked all its gas somewhere in the wall of the fridge. Can’t be repaired and Dometic don’t want anything to do with it. Absolutely rubbish for a $2000 fridge. Show details
Poor product support, poor service – Pity I cant give negative stars. Totally disappointed that after 7 years simple parts are no longer available and I have to write off a $1000 fridge. Dometic Australia totally unhelpful. No more Dometic products for me. Show details
Recent reviews
Good Fridge - Highly Recommend – Good product. We used it in Northern QLD while going through Carpentaria. It kept everything cool and worked flawlessly. My only gripe is that I wish it could be placed on it's side. This will allow it to use less space in the car. Show details
WOULDN'T BUY..SHORT TIME ITS LASTED – Brought from new in November 2019, so have had just over 4 years, well looked after, not bashed around, elderly owner and now it has lost its gas, electrical problems and have been told it will be approximatly $500/$600 to re-gas and fix electrical. Surely being a DOMETIC PRODUCT should have lasted longer than this. Show details
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Works great. So far, so good – Have done 4 trips now and worked well. It is a big beast but holds everything. Prob uses a little more power than advised. Show details
So much for a “Name Brand” Item – I purchased my CF40 Waeco fridge freezer new on 30/12/2017 and it stopped working approx 5 1/2 years later (April 2023). I’ve previously owned an Engels which worked for roughly 33yrs (purchased new in 1984), and an Evakool which lasted approx 3yrs (purchased new in 2014) because I couldn’t afford another Engels. I then purchased the Waeco… Read more
(purchased new in 2017) because it supposedly has a good name & I expected it to last a lot longer. It worked quite well up until it failed and now, it won’t run on either 12v DC or 240v AC and it’s going to cost me around $100 in advance for a fridge repairer just to see what’s wrong with it.
None of these fridges were run full time, however the Engels took a lot more punishment throughout its life. Not happy with a so-called name brand. Maybe the new owners of Waeco or rebranding by Dometic can bring back the quality. Meanwhile, I’ll be looking at other brands that might last longer (I still can’t afford an Engels).
Just over 3 years old. FREEZES everything! – Purchased January 2020. Used it on a few trips, but mainly as a shed fridge for drinks. No issues until recently started freezing regardless of temp set. The switch is on NORMAL USE, not EMERGENCY. Obviously the thermistor is not working correctly. For such as expensive piece of equipment I thought it would have lasted longer.
Just out of warranty and the control panel quits – It's been used daily for just over three years. It's had an easy life not abused, several of the control panel buttons are not working now. Pretty disappointing for the cost of these things.Edit on the plus side I got the WI-FI going and got it going again. Show details
If I could give 0 stars I would – We bought it. It did not work on 12V. We got a warranty repair - the 12V cord was faulty. It worked for 2 days. It stopped working again on 12V. Won’t even turn on. We are on a road trip without a fridge. I’m going to go buy an Engel. I need a reliable fridge and know they work. Might even leave this one on the side of the road at a rubbish bin. It’s that bad. Not fit for purpose. Show details
No customer warranty care – Our 10. Month old fridge stopped working. We took it to the Dometic repair agent but we needed another fridge to continue on with. Oh NO that’s customer service. We were treated like it was our fault the computer board died. Even with our continued persistence and harassment it took 5 1/2 months to return the fridge fixed. JUST DONT BUY A DOMETIC THEY DONT CARE WHEN IT FAILS Show details
Pathetic customer service – Emailed support as my new cfx 75dz does not work on dc power. I advised I was going off grid camping after Christmas. They did not have the courtesy to tell me that they were finishing for the year. I was asked to try a few things (none of which fixed the problem) I emailed advising this. When I got no response I rang the help line to hear a recording they had finished for the year. Boxing Day I’m going to buy an Engle.
lack of response and extensive delay on repairs – I sent my Dometic portable fridge to Atlanta Refrigeration in Adelaide for a warranty repair more than three weeks ago. I was told the repairer has been waiting for a part and the supplier has not advised ETA. I had to ring up Dometic directly to find out the status of the part. Not a happy experience and the customer service is poor. Show details
Fridge cannot hold temp required, shuts down food all defrosted – We purchased our fridge a few months ago we are in our first trip, we cooled it down with 240 v prior to leaving home, once connected to our vehicle it struggled to maintain temp all the frozen food defrosted we arrived at site and connected it to the camper batteries still unable to bring temp down to correct levels , we then connect to 240v… Read more
mains seemed to lower temp for an hour or so then shut down, not a happy camper I will be calling Anaconda today and asking for a refund should have chosen the old reliable Ingle
Find out how Dometic CFX Series compares to other Portable Fridges / Freezers
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Just out of warranty & she's done – Fridge worked well in my Ute for a yr then had problems which was fixed under warranty no questions. Now 3 1/2 yrs old and the digital control panel has given up. Rang Dometic and the response was "you'll have to wear the cost". Considering this was the price of a household fridge at $1400 I'm very disappointed it's only lasted 3 n a touch yrs.… Read more
Hopefully the cost of a control panel is cheap enough. Not sure I can bring myself to purchase another waeco.
Just purchased – I just purchased today, maybe I should have read more reviews, hope I have not made a bad decision. Not looking good though. Show details
Awful These fridges are duds – Bought this fridge new for our big trip down the Birdsville track and up to Broome. (In December 2021 for $1300 )Now stuck in Alice with an ice esky!!! When on our 12 volt lithium battery or any other 12 volt system, the dometic won’t hold temperature. Compressor runs for about 15 seconds then shuts off. Keeps cycling like this until battery runs… Read more
down . I have to use 240 v to cool it down but as soon as you disconnect and put it on the car or any other 12 volt system it’s hopeless. Havnt tried to contact dometic as yet because we are on the road . It’s under warranty . Very disappointing to say the least!!!!!!!
Mine has stopped running on 12 v 2 times – Had it fixed buy a fridge mechanic the first time, Now it's back with the same problem and now needs new compressor module. Not sure why I'm having so many problems . I thought it was a good buy. Show details
Riddled with issues – Purchased in 2020 at Anaconda. Performed as it should for a year until it started fluctuating in temperature. Let it go as it wasn’t bad fluctuations. Then it progressively got worse to the point it would freeze one zone and not cool at all the other which resulted in loss of food. This happened twice. Sent in for repair in Clayton. Boys there… Read more
were great and got it sorted, but good luck trying to contact anyone if you want updates on progress. Having my food ruined and a unreliable fridge whilst out in the bush has left a sour taste and i can no longer trust it. Sold and got a Bushmans. Known for reliability
Great fridge – Love the fridge,no issues.Had it for over a year now and all good in the caravan,sits in a hot tunnel boot and just works well.Keeps everything frozen on one side and nice and cold on the other. Show details
Great fridge but cuts out on 12v sometimes – My fridge was cutting in and out on 12v but hook it up too 240v worked fine It ended up being fuse holder at cigarette plug end of the lead was loose Tightened up works fine Great site Show details
Excellent 12volt 4wd Fridge – Purchased around 2014. cigarette type power socket tends to melt, direct hard wired into 12volt electrical system works great. 8 years of floorless operation in two seperate 4WDs Setups, used on a day to day bases for work and on weekend camping trips and on 7 day camping trips. Show details
Design faults and very high power consumption – We have the CFX 35. Firstly the power consumption in freezer mode is extremely high. In fact in 30 degree ambient temperature it never goes below -6 degrees despite the compressor running 24 hours and day in emergency override mode. Secondly, there is a design a fault. The electrical control board is not insulated from the freezer so it… Read more
condenses on the back of the board causing it to corrode - it lasts about 14 months before failing. Thirdly the handle clips are very thin weak plastic and feels like they have been designed to break. We have been waiting over 12 months for a replacement handle from Dometic - they are saying covid issues for spares - but there are plenty of parts for new fridge/freezers!
Worst fridge ever, going back to CF110 – My CFX95DZ have consumed 5 fans across 3 years and going to repairers take a couple of months, and it only seen to die while we're away. Runs fine with half a dozen cans of drinks in it and now it won't drop below-10. It's still under warranty, but I'm over this rubbish. Last waeco purchase for me. My 20 years old CF110 full if rust is going to… Read more
replace a 3 year old fridge, and U can't stomach of replacing fan and selling it to some poor person, Waeco have been bouncing me if the repair guys and new fans. So am U suppose to keep a box of spare fans handy?
This is perfect for my wants and needs – Big Fan, good size fridge for campers/caravaners etc. Love that you can use it as a any combination of Fridge, Fridge Freezer or Freezer to suit your needs. Never missed a beat, its on a fridge slide in the back of our car for several years and have never had an issue, including crossing the nullabor several times. Run it off 240/12v car outlet… Read more
or our 75 amp Thumper battery which does the trick very nicely (solar recharge). It is a relatively big unit so may not suit smaller campers/trailers. Sorry to hear that some users have had issues but that is not the case with us, so far cant fault it. Also have an older model 80L which is still going a treat and would give it a similiar review
Warranty is a joke (30days) – Failed to keep things frozen with outside temp being only 27 degC. After only one week of use, 240V stopped working, fuse not blown. Tried to take it back and they want me to send it away for repair.. Not good enough for a new fridge with 3 days of use... I have had to put in a complaint with BCF to try and get some help, hopefully I get somewhere but I'm not holding my breath. Show details
Been crap since day 1 – Bought fridge from snowys about 3 1/2 years ago . Intermittent faults from day 1 , only used about a dozen times for trips from 1 week to 3 months . Main board failed 3 months after warranty up . $780 to repair. , Waco covering price of parts . Waiting couple months now. I need this fridge back Show details
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