The worst customer support I have ever experienced!

[WildnCrazyGuy]

Anyone with the name "Dale" "Intimidates"...... He didn't have to say "Fish"
or "Favio" {my service mgr.}

I'm with ya Fish. I still sport that 3 on my truck... Bought my Black Chevy Silverado 3 months before he won the 500 Finally... Then I was fortunate enough to be in Daytona in March and was able to see the car in the museum and take my picture with it. Very cool.

It was a sad day in 2001.

 

[Madsaw]

Well, I would not settle for nothing less then a new saw. I have not been inside saws much but, since I have a almost new5100 in piece in the shop. I will say this. Damage like that may indicate a bad crank or rod, or missaligned bearing. The first piston out of the saw I have also had scoring on the opposite corner on the intake side. The rod bearing ran side ways into the piston causeing damage there too. The dealer I got it from rebuilt the saw due to no transfer on the cylinder. 2 months later saw was returned fried again. Now I own it. The second scoring is worse then the first go round but is heavier on the clutch side of the exhaust port. Just like the OP

Atleast call the dealer monday morning and order them to have the old parts there for you to inspect before you accept the saw back. Also take pics of all damged parts they show you.
Bob
I will update this with pics later tonight

 

[RVALUE]

Not to get in the middle of a manure fight, but did you ask Dolmar what your new warranty will be?

I suppose it should be substantial, as you are taking the risk, etc.

 

[milkman]

Don't sound good for Dolmars

Not good at all, was at the Stihl/Dolmar dealer last week to get some parts for the wrecked 025. Talking to the two service guys about the new Dolmars as the 5100S was in the running when I bought my orange one. Service said that the 4 number Dolmars were not holding up, almost new 7900 in a box on the shelf in pieces, second time around for that one. He said they were having trouble with them running lean because they leaked around the base gasket. Don't know if it's true or maybe they're dorks too, or just want to sell the Stihls. Still like the 5100, but kinda glad I didn't get one as this is the only dealer around here.

 

[Woodcutteranon]

Seriously...when you think of all the hard-earned cash we drop down on these saws we are really exposing ourselves to a thorough, life-altering screwing if 1. the saw goes sour, and 2. the dealer fails to stand behind their product.

For some of us our saws are our living, how we heat our houses, how we meet girls. If you cannot trust your dealer to back you up in your time of need...what else can we do?

I am glad you got some satisfaction...but likewise I feel bad for you that you had to deal with this garbage going into the weekend. My prescription for you now...get into the woods and take your frustration out on some poor tree.:chainsawguy:

Safe cutting

 

[Banacanin]

im glad its getting fixed, but it seems bad business for Dolmar to be getting the dealer, that was the cause of the problems, invovled in fixing the saw.

i know i would have politely said how grateful i was for Dolmar coming to the party, but did not want the dealer that, A, didnt find the problem in the first place, then, tried to fob it off on me and tell me there wasnt anything wrong with the saw when there clearly was....i would have no confidence in that dealer taking a professional appraoch to the repair, especially when they have been told by their boss to do it.......when really they dont want to, nore think they should.....i think there attitude will be even worse this time round.

hope it all comes good mate,
Serg

I figure the Dolmar rep told the dealer that he would be paying for half of the repairs and the dealer probably said yes sir thank you.

 

[REJ2]

I only own the two saws in my signature,for now, but I cant see a Dolmar in my future. I've read way to many problems and I believe the people posting these problems cant be all wrong. Word of mouth, or the stroke of a keypad, can be a powerful tool. REJ2.

 

[GrantC]

AS seems to have quite a few new people who register just to tell everyone about how their 5100 "blew up", while a surprising number of members say that they don't want to buy one because "there must be something to all these problems.

I don't have a dog in this 5100 fight (I do have one Dolmar, but it's a pedestrian 341), but I'm reminded of something that happened back in the 1980s.

Anyone remember the Audi 5000? Back in the early '80s news reports were filled with stories about the Audi 5000 "suddenly" accelerating and crashing into things - there were even some fatalities. It seemed every other day that some Audi owner came forward and claimed that his/her car, too, "suddenly" accelerated and it was only the grace of {insert your favorite deity here} that kept them from destroying their car and wiping out whole endangered species.

No mechanical fault could ever be found, but that didn't stop the reports nor did it convince potential buyers that a problem didn't exist. After a while, each news story had to feature a "prospective Audi customer" who would claim to never consider an Audi again, because "there must be something to all these stories."

It came out, much later, that the unintended acceleration issues were all driver error, caused by the brake and accelerator pedals being slightly closer together than Americans were accustomed to seeing. The damage was done, though, and Audi's sales took many years to recover.

Is the 5100 a bad design? Is there an assembly fault? Are all the problems attributable to stupid dealers? I don't know, but I'm waiting until there is some solid evidence one way or another.

Just an opinion from the sidelines...opcorn:

-=[ Grant ]=-

 

[husq2100]

I figure the Dolmar rep told the dealer that he would be paying for half of the repairs and the dealer probably said yes sir thank you.

sure, but where is the saw now,and who is going to fix it?

if the dealer had a bad attitude before, how do you think his attitude is now?

Serg

 

[husq2100]

AS seems to have quite a few new people who register just to tell everyone about how their 5100 "blew up", while a surprising number of members say that they don't want to buy one because "there must be something to all these problems.

I don't have a dog in this 5100 fight (I do have one Dolmar, but it's a pedestrian 341), but I'm reminded of something that happened back in the 1980s.

Anyone remember the Audi 5000? Back in the early '80s news reports were filled with stories about the Audi 5000 "suddenly" accelerating and crashing into things - there were even some fatalities. It seemed every other day that some Audi owner came forward and claimed that his/her car, too, "suddenly" accelerated and it was only the grace of {insert your favorite deity here} that kept them from destroying their car and wiping out whole endangered species.

No mechanical fault could ever be found, but that didn't stop the reports nor did it convince potential buyers that a problem didn't exist. After a while, each news story had to feature a "prospective Audi customer" who would claim to never consider an Audi again, because "there must be something to all these stories."

It came out, much later, that the unintended acceleration issues were all driver error, caused by the brake and accelerator pedals being slightly closer together than Americans were accustomed to seeing. The damage was done, though, and Audi's sales took many years to recover.

Is the 5100 a bad design? Is there an assembly fault? Are all the problems attributable to stupid dealers? I don't know, but I'm waiting until there is some solid evidence one way or another.

Just an opinion from the sidelines...opcorn:

-=[ Grant ]=-

very good post, i think alot comes back to the dealer, not the design and manufacture,and not even Dolmar USA to most points

Serg

 

[Mac_Muz]

DEMAND A NEW WARRENTY for the bottle cap and jug from the date the saw is fixed. This will mean there are 2 warrenties, for these new parts and then the rest if saw.

There is no way that is ethenol damage. I have seen ethenol damage.

I would demand to photograph the piston and inside the jug as well. They belong to Dolmar now, but there is no stopping documentation.

If the new bottle cap and jug go south, you will have legal recourse again.

This is pretty typical on engine warrenty. There should be a factory rep in your area as well.

Do not loose your cool with a rep either.

We all pretty much use ethenol gas, except for the guy who travel far and wide to get marine gas. I sure don't.

 

[Erick]

I am fit to be tied!!! This post is a follow up to my PS 5100 saga from last week. http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=113212 Just got of the phone with my local DOLMAR dealer who is currently in possession of my 4 month old PS 5100 and was told that they are NOT going to warranty the saw!
Get this, I took it back to the dealer as many of you here had suggested. Told them it won’t idle right. There fix was they dumped out MY gas and filled it with THERE gas adjusted the idle and said my fuel was old.
OK that was last week. Came home pulled the muffler as per many of you had suggested and found the damage. Took it back and told them yes you made it idle again but it’s just not the same something is wrong. Could you please take a closer look at it? That same night the tec working on it calls me up and said he can’t find anything wrong with the saw could I be a little more descriptive. I told him go cut some damm wood and you’ll see it lost its nut! He said he did cut some little stuff and it cut fine…….. so with all I had not to come through the phone I asked him if he would PLEASE run a compression test on my equipment.
I heard nothing from them for the next three days! I called them this afternoon and I was told yes they found some damage to the cylinder wall and piston and that it was caused by the fuel having to high of an alcohol content in it and that DOLMAR said they are not going to warranty the saw!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I direct him to that fact that this is pure 100% B.S because guess what jack? The fuel you’re testing claiming to be to high an alcohol content to it is your FREAKIN FUEL NOT MINE per the service order # xxxxxx you completed last week (changed fuel serviced carb low speed)! He said that’s not possible!
So now dealer and the manufacture are in bed together I am out a very expensive saw! This is by far the worst customer support I have ever experienced! It will be a cold day in hell before I ever consider there products again!
I think I am going to start drinking early today.

Sound familier??
:taped: :censored: :taped:

 

[THALL10326]

His "mini" is still 12" american, which is about 17.5 Canadian, 18.75 Euro....

so no need to follow up...

I always use the Euro numbers when lying to the women, oppps, I mean slipping them a big one,LOLOL

 

[roncoinc]

REJ2 I only own the two saws in my signature,for now, but I cant see a Dolmar in my future. I've read way to many problems and I believe the people posting these problems cant be all wrong. Word of mouth, or the stroke of a keypad, can be a powerful tool. REJ2.

I think your "reading" way to many problems into what your reading.
you wanna "read" something how about this ??

i got 3 husky's, two have needed new piston kits,3rd needed a new carb.. so 3 out of 3 = %100 failure rate..
got two stihl's,only one needed fixing =%50 failure rate..
got 3 dolmars,one needed fixing,, =%33.3 failure rate..
now what you want to "read" into that ??

 

[RVALUE]

A Tach in the hands of a moron, or a newby, can destroy a saw real quick
too.

Please elaborate.

 

[Nicholas]

Speaking from a dealer's point of view. Warranty only covers manufacturing defects in the material and craftsmanship of the product regardless who manufactured the product. Power equipment manufacturers and power equipment dealers have absolutely no control over the manufacturing of fuel. We have no control over fuel stations increasing the gasoline/ethanol mix ratio to make a few extra pennies either. I haven't seen any Dolmar, Stihl, Husqvarna/Jonsered gas stations around. Have you? We have no control over Joe Homeowners 30 year old rusty gas can he decides to mix his fuel in either. We have absolutely no control over what the EPA decides to force/mandate. The EPA mandates every piece of power equipment to be screaming lean, creating excessive heat and rpm issues.

A dealer must always error on the side of caution everytime someone comes in with warranty issues. Most of the time they are looking to get something for nothing. They are not afraid to lie/cheat to the dealers face to get it. Manufacturers, dealers, and their employees are not stupid. If a warranty claim get rejected by the manufacturer, guess what? The dealer gets to pay for it out of his pocket. That mean's less money make payroll, less money to pay bills/insurance/taxes, and less money to take care of his family. Yep, dealership owner's and their employees have families to support too. Dealerships can also be investigated, hauled to court, and fined if the manufacturer suspects you're passing frivolous warranty claims. So THINK before you whine and cry to your dealer over a rejected warranty.

I just finished repairing 3 month old Dolmar PS-5100 S w/a leaky intake boot, scored piston and cylinder. The customer was also running mix fuel out of his pontoon boat from last summer. So a combination of an air leak, excessive rpm, excessive heat, and rancid improperly mixed fuel destroyed his saw. We were able to warranty the leaky intake boot and some of the labor.

Old fuel burns at a much higher temperature. Old fuel also burns very inefficiently, causing starting trouble, idle trouble, power trouble, excessive carbon build up, and can ultimately destroy your equipment. Manufacturer's and dealer's will automatically reject a warranty if old fuel is suspected. If your fuel is older than about 3-4 weeks it's junk. Plain and simple. Mark your fuel cans with a purchase date and a 3-4 week expiration date. Always use a quality name brand mix oil. Remember, your air cooled saw engine runs 2-3 times the rpm your liquid cooled car/truck does at full throttle. Saw engines operate at much higher temperatures than you car/truck does. Fresh fuel, quality mix oil, proper carb adjustments, and air flow are all that keep your saw from burning up.


Nick

 

[THALL10326]

Wow

This thread has gone kinda wild with alot of what if's and you should this and that. I say Dale should just let em fix the saw and go from there. No need for anymore finger pointing and should have's or could have's and on and on.

Fact is a chainsaw loosing a cylinder, no matter the cause is no big deal. All saws regardless of brand loose a cylinder from time to time.

The big deal pointed out goes back to sqaure one, service after the sale. In Dale's case service after the sale failed much more so than the saw. He by no means should have had to go through all that to merely get his saw repaired. Dolmar's fault, not really, dealer's fault, 100%. No manufacturer can police every dealer for every dispute that flares up. In most cases the manufacturer never even hears about these disputes at all. There are going to be disputes regardless of brand. From what I read Dolmar took the dispute and resolved it witihin 1 hour after talking to Dale. Far as I'm concerned Dolmar did good. One phone call and they took care of it, can't ask for much more than that.

The saw in this thread got a bad rap because a poor dealer. This is how most saws get a bad rap. No matter the brand or model if you got a bad dealer standing behind it and a problem does come up the saw brand gets the bad rap, thats just the way it is...

 

[matt9923]

I think your "reading" way to many problems into what your reading.
you wanna "read" something how about this ??

i got 3 husky's, two have needed new piston kits,3rd needed a new carb.. so 3 out of 3 = %100 failure rate..
got two stihl's,only one needed fixing =%50 failure rate..
got 3 dolmars,one needed fixing,, =%33.3 failure rate..
now what you want to "read" into that ??

Get another stihl and see if it fails. It wont, have a tie breaker. Stihl will win!!

 

[Madsaw]

Here is the pics of the dead 5100 I have here. I have not pulled the saw apart to check over the other piston yet. Want to pressure vac test it first
Bob

 

[REJ2]

I think your "reading" way to many problems into what your reading.
you wanna "read" something how about this ??

i got 3 husky's, two have needed new piston kits,3rd needed a new carb.. so 3 out of 3 = %100 failure rate..
got two stihl's,only one needed fixing =%50 failure rate..
got 3 dolmars,one needed fixing,, =%33.3 failure rate..
now what you want to "read" into that ??

I'm reading that out of eight saws, you got three that run. Hope your luck is better at the card table. REJ2