It seems like when I first got my grill it got up around 560 degrees no problem. Now I have talked to 4 different Recteq reps and tried multiple things but my grill barely gets to 500. Sometimes it won't even get to 500. I have tried multiple types of pellets (2 types I have gotten the grill to 560 degrees with in the past). It has been in the mid 90s with the grill shielded from wind. I smoked ribs at 225 the other day and it still held temp like a boss. I asked Recteq about the auger motor upgrade and they told me that by no means do they recommend doing that.