Regarding Stihl's warranty, it's far from worthless, but as with any warranty, its enforceability is dependent on the person(s) between the manufacturer and the customer. Some dealers, having sold an MS180 and made relatively little profit, do not wish to see the saw again, and will frustrate the customer's attempts to have it serviced under warranty. These dealers clearly have plenty of business, and can afford to have some angry customers, I guess.
The guy I work for sells more Stihl than the other 4 dealers in the area combined. A few weeks ago, an older fella came in with a 180 that wasn't idling well, and was a bit slow on the trigger. We have found that the carbs on the 180s rarely respond well to cleaning or adjustment, so I popped on a replacement carb. Retail on that carb is about $30, labor to install about the same. The guy came to pick up the saw, admitted that it was three years old, but that he had bought it from us. Rob asked for the price of the carb, the guy was thrilled, and Rob ate the labor. I got paid, and that $30 or so in labor that went uncollected will buy us more goodwill than five times that amount spent on advertising. In the same vein, if a homeowner saw comes in and needs a carb during the warranty period, we do the repair and submit the claim to Stihl. Stihl seems to be aware that the carbs are less than perfect, and makes good.
My point in all of this is that the warranty experience has a great deal to do with the dealer and his representative from Stihl, and Stihl shouldn't be condemned for the policies of some of their dealers. There are good ones out there, for whom profit is essential, but not the only concern. Stihl, from where I'm standing, has been quite responsive, particularly in this age of disposable goods.
There are saws at the home center for $200, designed to work briefly and fail, for which there are no parts available under their meaningless warranties. Or there's the MS180, a perfectly decent little saw, built by a company that builds power equipment and nothing else, with a meaningful warranty and excellent parts availability, at your (hopefully good) Stihl dealer for the same money. Buy $12 worth of oil and get the warranty doubled.
We had a newish 660 last week, bought elsewhere, that was losing power in the cut. Pretty clear evidence of having been leaned on with a dull chain. Stihl bought the guy a top end and paid me to install it, because they don't want folks walking around talking about a 660 that doesn't cut well. I don't expect them to pay every warranty claim, particularly in cases where the equipment isn't at fault, but I respect a company that stands behind their product.
Also, they don't build vacuum cleaners.
