Your Wenax has stopped playing ball. Could be leaking from the bottom, flashing red, throwing a "check pod" error - whatever it is, I've probably seen it before. After years of fielding these questions from customers, nearly all of them boil down to the same handful of fixes.
Same goes for the Sonder Q and Q2 since they run on the same Q pod system. If your Sonder is playing up, you're in the right place.
Try These First
Seriously - before you read any further, do these four things. They clear up about 80% of "not working" complaints.
- Yank the pod out and push it back in. Hard. A loose connection is behind most of these issues.
- Wipe the contacts on the bottom of the pod and inside the kit with a dry tissue.
- Check there's actually liquid in the pod. Obvious, I know. But it happens.
- Plug it in and charge it. A dead battery looks a lot like a broken kit.
Sorted? Great. If not, keep going.
Wenax Pod Leaking
Most leaks aren't a fault with the kit. Nearly every one I've seen comes down to how the pod is being used or filled.
You're Overfilling It
By far the most frequent cause. Every pod has a max fill line. Go past it and you're creating pressure inside the pod that pushes liquid out through the seals. Side-fill pods are worse for this because you can't see the level as clearly while you're filling.
Keep it to about 80%. That air gap at the top matters - it's what stops liquid being forced through the coil too quickly.
Your E-Liquid's the Wrong Thickness
Wenax pods and Q pods are built around 50/50 VG/PG nic salt e-liquids. Thick 70/30 or max VG juice can't wick fast enough and pools around the coil until it leaks. Too thin and it seeps straight through the seals.
50/50 is the sweet spot. Stick with it.
You've Gone from a Cold Place to a Warm One
Classic winter issue, this. Leave your kit in a cold car then walk into a warm office and the air inside the pod expands. That pushes liquid through the seals.
If it's happened, pull the pod out and blow gently through the mouthpiece over a tissue to clear the excess. Let it sit for a minute before you reinsert.
The Pod's Had Its Day
Rubber seals wear out. Magnetic contacts degrade. If you've been on the same pod for two weeks or more and it's started leaking even though you're doing everything right, the pod is done. Bin it. Fresh pod, problem solved.
It's Not Sitting in the Kit Properly
Should click in with a clean, solid connection. Wobbly? Liquid will seep down into the battery contacts. Pull it out, wipe any juice off the contacts, dry them properly, and push it back in until it clicks. No gaps.
"Check Pod" Error
Your screen says "check pod" - or on a screenless model like the Sonder Q, it's not responding at all when you inhale.
The kit can't read the pod. That's it. Almost always one of these:
- Pod isn't pushed in all the way. Push harder.
- New pod still has a plastic cover or sticker over the contacts on the bottom. Peel it off.
- Dirty contacts. Wipe the gold pins on the pod and inside the kit with a dry tissue.
- Try a different pod entirely. If that one works, the first pod was a dud. If nothing works, the kit might be the problem.
On the Sonder Q2 specifically, "check pod" doesn't show on screen because there isn't one. You'll just get zero response when you inhale - dead silent, nothing happens. Same fixes apply.
"Coil Out of Range" Error
Only shows up on Wenax models with a screen (Q Pro, Q Ultra). The kit's reading a resistance it doesn't recognise.
A few reasons this happens:
Pod went in while the kit was still warm from use. Switch the kit off, pull the pod, wait ten seconds, reinsert.
Gunk on the contacts. Even a thin layer of dried e-liquid throws the reading off. Clean everything.
Dead coil. Sometimes a coil just fails internally - burns out or shorts. You won't see it from the outside. If cleaning doesn't work, try a new pod.
Wrong pods. Needs to be genuine Geekvape Q pods. Third-party ones sometimes sit at slightly different resistances and the kit flags them.
Wenax Not Firing
Won't produce vapour at all? Work through this.
Red light blinks 3 times - it can't find a pod. Pull it out and put it back in. Clean contacts.
5 red blinks - battery's dead. Charge it fully, then try.
8 red blinks - short circuit. Pull the pod out, press the fire button on its own. If you get 3 blinks now, the coil resistance is too low - grab a different pod. Still 8 blinks? Clean the connector pins inside the kit with a dry cotton bud.
Red light holds steady for about 10 seconds - overheating. You've been chain vaping. Put it down and let it cool.
Nothing at all? No light, no response? Flat battery. Plug in a USB-C cable and give it 10–15 minutes. If it still won't respond after that, the battery's likely reached end of life. Time for a new kit.
All these LED codes work the same on the Sonder Q and Sonder Q2 since they share the same internals.
You're Using the Wrong Resistance Pod
This one catches people out. Wrong resistance for your draw style = gurgling, spitting, leaking.
Tight draws (MTL): 0.8Ω or 1.2Ω. Lower wattage, tighter airflow.
Bigger draws (RDL): 0.4Ω or 0.6Ω. More power, more open airflow.
Where it goes wrong: MTL pod with the airflow wide open floods the coil. RDL pod with airflow cranked tight creates back-pressure that forces liquid out. Match the pod to how you vape and most gurgling/leaking issues disappear.
Replace the Pod or Replace the Kit?
Swap the pod when:
- It's over 7-10 days old and flavour's gone flat
- Rubber seals look worn or the pod feels loose
- It leaks even after you've tried everything above
- A different pod clears the error
Swap the kit when:
- Multiple pods all fail (tested, cleaned, still nothing)
- Won't charge at all
- LED is completely dead
- Contact pins inside are visibly damaged
Pod Leaking Right Now?
Stop vaping it. Pull the pod out and stand it on a tissue. Wipe down everything inside the kit - especially the battery contacts. Get it properly dry. Liquid on those contacts can cause shorts and stop the whole thing working.
Once it's dry, pop the pod back in and test. Leaks again straight away? Pod's done. Bin it.
Replacement pods come in packs of three from Ecigone, both top-fill and side-fill. Side-fills hold 3ml (2ml TPD) with colour-coded resistances. Our Sonder Q2 review and pod guide breaks down which resistance works for which vaping style.
