i have to B*** about my dealer for a sec

[joezilla11]

so i went to my local dealer, they are a pretty big name with a few stores around, looking to buy a top handle. Mind you im pretty new to climbing and all my cutting on ground has been with a 455 rancher. I asked about the echo 355t which has been getting some good reviews and he didnt want to sell me one, kept talking up the 201t. Frustrated i said id come back and in the mean time i asked for some files so i can start sharpening my own chains. i have a 3/8 chain so he gave me a 3/8 file and i left. fast forward a few weeks and i realize the file is too small and its about that time to get my saw so i go back. I sit down and say i want a 355t. hes a good salesman so i ended up getting the 201t, which i am a little dissapointed with. while im there i tell him the 3/8 file was too small so he gives me a file that says .325. obviously i got home and found thats even smaller so wtf! some quick research on my end and i was off to the hardware store to get 13/64 file and a 5/32 for the 201t. but im still stuck with the 201t and spent all day trying to get it tuned in and am now looking to mod it. so my dealer sucks, my saw sucks, i feel like i got had, but now i can sharpen my own chains!!

 

[CR888]

Don,t be to sad the 201t is a great saw stock....even better with some mods. Sounds like your dealer is a bit of a D*+k!!!

 

[Jon1212]

so i went to my local dealer, they are a pretty big name with a few stores around, looking to buy a top handle. Mind you im pretty new to climbing and all my cutting on ground has been with a 455 rancher. I asked about the echo 355t which has been getting some good reviews and he didnt want to sell me one, kept talking up the 201t. Frustrated i said id come back and in the mean time i asked for some files so i can start sharpening my own chains. i have a 3/8 chain so he gave me a 3/8 file and i left. fast forward a few weeks and i realize the file is too small and its about that time to get my saw so i go back. I sit down and say i want a 355t. hes a good salesman so i ended up getting the 201t, which i am a little dissapointed with. while im there i tell him the 3/8 file was too small so he gives me a file that says .325. obviously i got home and found thats even smaller so wtf! some quick research on my end and i was off to the hardware store to get 13/64 file and a 5/32 for the 201t. but im still stuck with the 201t and spent all day trying to get it tuned in and am now looking to mod it. so my dealer sucks, my saw sucks, i feel like i got had, but now i can sharpen my own chains!!

So your dealer didn't know which file you needed, or did you say "I need a 3/8ths file"?

How exactly did you come to own a saw you didn't want? Can I interest you in purchasing this bridge in Brooklyn, or some ocean front property in Arizona? You can use a 7/32 on that 3/8ths chain by the way.

If the 201T isn't as great as the salesman made it out to be, why don't you take it back for the the 355T?

 

[SkippyKtm]

so i went to my local dealer, they are a pretty big name with a few stores around, looking to buy a top handle. Mind you im pretty new to climbing and all my cutting on ground has been with a 455 rancher. I asked about the echo 355t which has been getting some good reviews and he didnt want to sell me one, kept talking up the 201t. Frustrated i said id come back and in the mean time i asked for some files so i can start sharpening my own chains. i have a 3/8 chain so he gave me a 3/8 file and i left. fast forward a few weeks and i realize the file is too small and its about that time to get my saw so i go back. I sit down and say i want a 355t. hes a good salesman so i ended up getting the 201t, which i am a little dissapointed with. while im there i tell him the 3/8 file was too small so he gives me a file that says .325. obviously i got home and found thats even smaller so wtf! some quick research on my end and i was off to the hardware store to get 13/64 file and a 5/32 for the 201t. but im still stuck with the 201t and spent all day trying to get it tuned in and am now looking to mod it. so my dealer sucks, my saw sucks, i feel like i got had, but now i can sharpen my own chains!!

If the salesman refuses to take the MS201T back for the 355T, you could always have Brad mod it for you:
[url]http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw-stickies/227172.htm[/URL]

 

[Jon1212]

If the salesman refuses to take the MS201T back for the 355T you could always have Brad mod it for you:
http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw-stickies/227172.htm

+1

Or send it to Mastermind

Or find a new dealer

Or buy a 200T off of this one guy from CT on eBay

 

[joezilla11]

no its like i said, i told him what chain i had and he even pulled one off the shelf and said the file will fit.
i didnt say i didnt want it or i wouldnt of bought it, ive just heard good things about the 355t. i was never against the 201t just the price tag for a saw that has so many mixed reviews. but i have it, im working with it and it is what it is. and ive heard good things about brad's mods so for $50 and hes close by i think that might be the route i go. Ive even read that people noticed some better performance after some break in so we will see.

 

[Jon1212]

no its like i said, i told him what chain i had and he even pulled one off the shelf and said the file will fit.
i didnt say i didnt want it or i wouldnt of bought it, ive just heard good things about the 355t. i was never against the 201t just the price tag for a saw that has so many mixed reviews. but i have it, im working with it and it is what it is. and ive heard good things about brad's mods so for $50 and hes close by i think that might be the route i go. Ive even read that people noticed some better performance after some break in so we will see.

I would seriously consider a new dealer. It doesn't sound like the guy you dealt with was much of a dealer anyway, more like a "sales first" kind of person.


Well from your first post it sounded like you kind of got pressured into the 201t. The reviews have been mixed for sure. Personally I'd rather have something that worked properly, and performed the way I wanted it to without added expense, especially when buying "new".

 

[Guido Salvage]

Don't blame the dealer, you were the one who bought the saw you didn't want.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Don't blame the dealer, you were the one who bought the saw you didn't want.

Agreed

No disrespect intended to the OP, it sounds more like buyer's remorse, the saw purchased was the saw purchased. Unless this was an emergency, need it today situation, there was no reason to purchase what was not needed or wanted.

That said, Stihl has been slowly and quietly modding the MS201T to improve its performance. The newer units seem better than the first models particularly in throttle response. Remember Stihl did not replace the MS200T with the MS201T as a "product improvement", but in response to the EPA mandates. The old MS200T was the dirtiest saw in the lineup. Local Stihl dealer that has a lot to tree service accounts, including utilities, says the more the bucket guys use the MS201T, the more they are liking it. No doubt they would rather have the MS200T, but on take downs they seem to appreciate the extra torque in the MS201T. (I know the last statement was third party, but this dealer is extremely well respected and has never lied to me in the past)

Other thought, the MS201T is a strato design, meaning it will take a lot of fuel to break in, I suggest you leave it stock, and run it. If you start altering it, you're throwing away the warranty on a $600+ saw. The dealer will be 100% justified in not covering any claims.

As to the file size, 5/32 fits 3/8 lo-pro. Ihe dealer should have asked, but if you were discussing top handles prior to asking for the file, he may have just assumed that's what you wanted.

Hope the situation improves.

Take Care

 

[jeepyfz450]

Here we go again.......

 

[roberte]

There sure is a lot of dealers with 3rd degree burns lately.

 

[Trailtrimmer]

It was posted before that there is a service bulletin for revised tuning procedures for the 201t. If your local dealer doesn't know them, perhaps one a little further away will.

 

[alleyyooper]

My old dealer doesn't get 3 degree burns. I just don't go there any longer or recommend them to any one if asked. I send them to a dealer 30 miles away or suggest the internet.

The dealers are starting to relize that with the internet we have more options than we did a few years ago. I went to buy a belt for my lawn tractor mower a week ago. the dealers price was a shocker and I said no thoinks I'll get it off the internet. the dealer suggested I'd pay more when the shipping was added in. I went out to the truck got the lap top fired up and showed him the same belt Kevlar for 20.00 cheaper than him and free shipping unless I wanted it over night, two days the belt was still nearly 15.00 cheaper over the net.

I paid the net price at the dealer.

Al

 

[blsnelling]

The latest 201s make no more power than they did. They are absolutely pathetic as they come from the factory. Fortunately, that can be easily fixed.

 

[Saw Dr.]

Other thought, the MS201T is a strato design, meaning it will take a lot of fuel to break in, I suggest you leave it stock, and run it. If you start altering it, you're throwing away the warranty on a $600+ saw. The dealer will be 100% justified in not covering any claims.

Too late. He has already admitted to adjusting on it. There is a special non-standard adjustment procedure for the 201, and I suspect it is part of the problem. Electronics are very good when you work with them, very bad when you work against them.

 

[blsnelling]

Too late. He has already admitted to adjusting on it. There is a special non-standard adjustment procedure for the 201, and I suspect it is part of the problem. Electronics are very good when you work with them, very bad when you work against them.

? It's not MTronic. I tried the new recommended settings, and IMHO, it does nothing for the saw. Plain and simple, Stihl totally neutered their pro top handle saw. Makes no sense to me.

What good is the saw or warranty if it runs like a dog? I'd rather have a tool that runs like it should, like the saw it replaced.

 

[apn73]

There sure is a lot of dealers with 3rd degree burns lately.

This is one of the unfortunate side affects to a "service economy", they seem to think that the customer really doesn't matter any more and "if it's needed or wanted, they will come no matter what, and we can treat them like crap in the process. More customers will come because they need us." The major equipment purchases that I have made are at a small shop about 25 miles away, the more local guys don't offer as good a service, not as knowledgable and definitely fall into the mindset above. Even the "good" shop has ticked me off a time or two, and I have kept one eye open for other dealers, not easy to find. I also have noticed that several hardware stores in the area have picked up Stihl, and they obviously have no clue about the machines themselves.

Remember, a salesman is only as good as you let them be. In other words, don't let someone talk you into a purchase that you're not sure about. Research, and trying someone elses saw first, is the only way to go. Most salesman will let you down, because they are in teh business of making as much money as the customer enables them to.

 

[Chris J.]

so i went to my local dealer, they are a pretty big name with a few stores around, looking to buy a top handle. Mind you im pretty new to climbing and all my cutting on ground has been with a 455 rancher. I asked about the echo 355t which has been getting some good reviews and he didnt want to sell me one, kept talking up the 201t. Frustrated i said id come back and in the mean time i asked for some files so i can start sharpening my own chains. i have a 3/8 chain so he gave me a 3/8 file and i left. fast forward a few weeks and i realize the file is too small and its about that time to get my saw so i go back. I sit down and say i want a 355t. hes a good salesman so i ended up getting the 201t, which i am a little dissapointed with. while im there i tell him the 3/8 file was too small so he gives me a file that says .325. obviously i got home and found thats even smaller so wtf! some quick research on my end and i was off to the hardware store to get 13/64 file and a 5/32 for the 201t. but im still stuck with the 201t and spent all day trying to get it tuned in and am now looking to mod it. so my dealer sucks, my saw sucks, i feel like i got had, but now i can sharpen my own chains!!

Find a new dealer ASAP. Your post indicates that you need a knowledgeable and honest dealer who will take care of you without taking advantage of you.

 

[Shockman]

Inquiring minds want to know...cuz there are only acouple larger outfits with multiple stores?
If the initials are M.E... I can understand your frustration.

 

[qbilder]

The dealers are starting to relize that with the internet we have more options than we did a few years ago. I went to buy a belt for my lawn tractor mower a week ago. the dealers price was a shocker and I said no thoinks I'll get it off the internet. the dealer suggested I'd pay more when the shipping was added in. I went out to the truck got the lap top fired up and showed him the same belt Kevlar for 20.00 cheaper than him and free shipping unless I wanted it over night, two days the belt was still nearly 15.00 cheaper over the net.

I paid the net price at the dealer.

Al

The problem with that is with overhead and shop front. The stuff you buy online comes from a warehouse that doesn't have a store front to pay for. They sell high volume at low prices & make money. Your local dealer cannot stock that same part & sell it for the price while still making money because he's selling one at a time, not one or ten every day. Internet warehouse sales really defeat the old school little town guys. If your dealer has to sell everything at a competitive rate with the internet, then kiss your dealer goodbye. He will most certainly go out of business. Luckily some manufacturers like Stihl & others, will only allow the shop to sell retail. That prevents internet outfits from selling cheaper & putting the little guys out. I have come to accept the price difference, and any chance I get to support the local guys, I do. Same thing with groceries, clothes, etc. A local small town shop really has no chance at competing with internet sales. They simply cannot do it. The personal face to face service is worth something to me.