Making this thread to show the tools I send to be repaired that customers bring to my work. Could be a cordless drill, could be an $1800 air impact gun, might be an air operated grease pump or a laser transit... I will try to note what the issues are, and what the outcome is with each. To start off, I got a fresh one this morning. M12 & M18 Milwaukee battery charger. Obviously, it is not charging batteries. It's fairly new, likely covered under warranty (but how is the customer supposed to charge their batteries while they wait for a fix or replacement which will take at least a week and up to two?).
So I've got a dybabrade dynafile, (belt sander) pneumatic, 12" belts. It pretty much stopped turning. Been looking to replace or repair it, have been meaning to look into it but since you posted this I figured why not! Any advice? I realize thats hard to tell me much about the technical side of it without more details but, do I send it in somewhere? Any help is appreciated!
Not familiar with that brand, but here is their service center locator: Where To Buy | Distributor If possible, send to them and have them give you an estimate for repair, then you can decide to replace or repair. Today's contestant is a David White transit level Owner is looking at ~$200 to have it calibrated. Will be calling shortly to see if they want to proceed or not. I got a price for this up front due to past transits being very expensive to repair >>> owner declines, then never comes back for tool, sticking us for shipping.
So do you do repair work yourself out send things out to be repaired? I work in a fab shop, we send out alot of tools to be repaired. We go through alot of switches on our metabo grinders and a cord here and there, various air tools also. We aren't supposed to take the time to repair tools anymore, and we also just throw away and buy new more often than not anymore.
Isn't that a shame? Throw away society. The place I just quit, grinders went out all the time from grinding steel, most times brushes went out. Throw it away, grab another. Only a couple bucks in parts, but the cost of having someone fix it was too much that it was easier to just get a new one. Best part is, once a year(give or take) half the shop stands around because we're slow, rather than fix broken tooling or wash the disgusting walls or do anything more than push a broom. Another reason I quit.
Yes it is, on the plus side though every now and then when something useful is heading towards the trash were allowed to take it home.
What was the make/model of the other transit that the owner declined to pay for, and what was the cost of the repair?
At one time, we did some small in house repairs on power tools (triggers/brushes/etc.). The days of microfiche...lol. Being a distributor for many brands, we have always sent things out for repairs to various manufacturers. Used to reline brakes in house and at one time, even rebuilt 6 & 12 volt batteries (before my time). I generally operate with a 50% guideline. If the repair cost is 50% or less of new, I recommend repairing. Replace otherwise. I didn't get a pic of it, but sent out a 1" Chicago Pneumatic last week. Cost to repair (complete rebuild and new anvil) is going to be ~$1200 for the customer. Sounds terrible until you look up a new one and find the cost is $1800. Customer has not let me know what they want to do. This tool is above the 50% mark, but still $600 cheaper than replacing. There have been a few...Topcon is the usual suspect. Sent out a Bosch not too long ago. Calibrations are not too bad, but if they have to get inside the machine and replace anything, it gets expensive real fast. Most of the cost is labor with an occasional high dollar lens or whatnot. Can't recall specific prices.
Been slacking on this thread. Had a few slip by but had a palm sander come in today. Switch issues. Back to the mothership it goes!
18 volt impact headed out for broken anvil for second time. These units are pretty nice, but they break a lot under heavy usage.
Most all the power tool makers do...which is nice. But...I'd prefer that they just manufacture better products that don't need backing, like they used to. When I first started here, the main powertool 'repairs' consisted of replacing brushes or switches...maybe a torn/cut cord, which we kept in stock and was easy enough for anyone to do on their own. "Features" have replaced durability and longevity, IMHO. In the days gone by, if a homeowner/hobby user purchased a quality power tool, it would likely give them a lifetime of service. The standard deal nowadays is a 30 day satisfaction guarantee followed by either 3 or 5 year *limited warranty. Had a customer bring back a Metabo SDS rotary hammer this morning that was just purchased earlier this week. Chuck was seized with a bit stuck in it. Took the return in under the 30 day satisfaction deal offered by Metabo. It seems a plastic ring that is part of the lower chuck got hot or something and was bound up under the backside of the chuck, not allowing the release collar to be pushed back to release the bit. I'm thinking that the user was really laying on the tool while drilling, which is not recommended by Metabo...let the tool & bit do the work. He did not want a replacement unit and is going to try a Milwaukee unit when we get one in stock.
