Kapex Motor Warrantee

[Naildrivingman]

Is anyone aware if FT is still repairing the troubled motors of prior generations of Kapex?  I have an opportunity to purchase one that has hardly been used and at a very attractive price. I have not looked at the date clock on the manufacturers tag, but I’m pretty sure that it is from the series of saws that had issues with the motors.

If FT is no longer repairing these under warrantee, are they repairing them at all and if so, at what cost?

 

[Frank-Jan]

This does not affect me directly, because I do not live in the USA, but from what I derived from this forum they only fixed the motors at no cost within the 3 year warranty.

There are threads about the issue, maybe you can get pricing from that. The kapex is still a current product, so I don't see why they wouldn't repair them.

 

[ChuckM]

EB is the old model, REB, the new. Yours should be an EB. Previous repair costs found in this Forum were around $350 US.

If your motor is replaced, it should be the same motor that is now installed in an REB.

Needless to say, the majority of EB owners do not have any motor issues. I won't proactively replace my Kapex EB motor. Someone has pointed out that if the saw stops running without any bad motor smell, check the brushes.

 

[Naildrivingman]

Thanks Frank and Chuck,
I actually had my Kapex fixed under warrantee outside of the three year period, but I think it was because I purchased from a large FT vendor AND I wasn’t far outside the warrantee. I’m not surprised that the repair is not likely warranted any more.

It is helpful to know that the cost of a repair is around $350. I know of two others in my immediate area who have had motor problems. I feel that even though it may be rare, I need to consider the possibility of motor failure and repair cost when considering the purchase of another Kapex. I don’t need a second one, however if I can get one for a reasonable price, I think it’s worth the investment.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[peter halle]

Thanks Frank and Chuck,
I actually had my Kapex fixed under warrantee outside of the three year period, but I think it was because I purchased from a large FT vendor AND I wasn’t far outside the warrantee. I’m not surprised that the repair is not likely warranted any more.

It is helpful to know that the cost of a repair is around $350. I know of two others in my immediate area who have had motor problems. I feel that even though it may be rare, I need to consider the possibility of motor failure and repair cost when considering the purchase of another Kapex. I don’t need a second one, however if I can get one for a reasonable price, I think it’s worth the investment.

Thanks for the responses.

The only real official answer you will get will be if you contact Festool USA directly and make the inquiry.  They don't answer many questions here and in a situation like this I would sincerely doubt that they would.  I always recommend that people pick up the phone and act courteously while asking about a situation like this because it might be a judgement call and honey can work wonders.  So can respect.

Respect also goes toward if exceptions are made that your arrangements with them are kept between you two.

Just my  [2cents].

Peter

 

[dodeskadiv]

I just received a quote to have my Kapex fixed from the famed “blue puff of smoke” from the motor. $945 after tax and shipping so I hope you don’t get your hopes up about any $350 fix. Granted there were several $10-20 springs and shrouds they deemed worth replacing but the majority of the cost is End shield, field assembly, and a mysterious “gear” which I think is a small assembly stemming from the motor. My Kapex was primarily used in a shop setting, some trim install on site, and yes was usually connecting to my CT26 (which I’ve heard anecdotally caused undervoltage delivered to the tool).
All this on top of the shipping debacle; I ordered a box and inserts to be shipped to me so I could ship it back packed safely. Two weeks later I called inquiring to hear that it hadn’t been shipped and a reason couldn’t be provided: Two weeks later and steam was starting to emit from my motor housing. I called and an actually helpful lady got things really moving for me. Then… the quote.
I had read on here accounts of people not being charged for these parts on account of the “known issue”. But alas not in my case (for whatever reason).

 

[ChuckM]

Sorry to hear about the figure, which is way more than the last quote we saw in this forum ($350 or so excluding shipping). I thought $400 would've taken care of the inflation factor.

But each repair is different, and if the motor was not the only problem in your case, the repair estimate could be higher.

Speaking for myself, if I were in a situation like yours, I would either get the parts and repair it (with the help of someone who is technically savvy!), or get a new miter saw (unlikely a Kapex). I couldn't fathom spending almost 60% of the price of a new Kapex on fixing an old Kapex.

"I had read on here accounts of people not being charged for these parts on account of the “known issue”. I'm not aware of the existence of any such policy at Festool.

How old is your Kapex now?

 

[woodbutcherbower]

I've run a DeWalt 780 for over a decade - a great saw, but one which fills every job I work in with dust. I'd dearly love to change to something with better DC - but yet another thread like this (and literally dozens of similar ones on here) means that I'll never go down the Kapex route. Dead motors, out-of-the-box inaccuracies and other faults, bent sawbeds, etc. etc.etc. 

On a 1500-buck saw?

C'mon........  [mad]

 

[ChuckM]

tsk tsk.

As I said before, EB owners who encounter the smoking motor problem should be given a one-time break (in the form of waived labor and/or parts and/or shipping) by Festool as a gesture of goodwill even if their warranty is over. Many could swallow a repair bill of $300 - $400 for the Kapex, but anything much over that amount renders the fix being beyond economic repair to me.

Officially, the smoking problem has not been a system-wide issue (according to the Festool merchant I spoke to, which by the way, is one of the largest Festool dealers in the country, the smoking motor problem may exist in some of the forums, but on a day-to-day basis, they had handled very few repairs of that nature).  If that's indeed the case, few EB owners would need the financial break.

Oh. For the sake of peace of mind, my Kapex draws power from a circuit separate from that for the shop vac.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Yeah, I would have a hard time putting that much money into an already expensive saw.
Although, I don't know what I would do if I needed to replace my miter saw. I have been using a DeWalt    DW717 since 2009. I got the first one to replace a DW712, which is an 8 1/2" SCMS. It was great, did all I needed, but getting blades in that odd size was a bit of a challenge back then. Strangely enough, that one is still available, but the 10" DW717 has been discontinued?
When I needed a new one in 2019, they were still around, not anymore.
It does take up a ton of space though, so I may have to replace it, when it has to fit in my small shop at home someday.

 

[mino]

Yeah, I would have a hard time putting that much money into an already expensive saw.
Although, I don't know what I would do if I needed to replace my miter saw. I have been using a DeWalt    DW717 since 2009. I got the first one to replace a DW712, which is an 8 1/2" SCMS. It was great, did all I needed, but getting blades in that odd size was a bit of a challenge back then. Strangely enough, that one is still available, but the 10" DW717 has been discontinued?
When I needed a new one in 2019, they were still around, not anymore.
It does take up a ton of space though, so I may have to replace it, when it has to fit in my small shop at home someday.

Shame the KS 60 is NAINA.

For non-pro use it is IMO a better fit. Can do 90% of what a KS120 can, just cheaper and at a smaller footprint. Most of what it cannot do goes into the carpentry line of work anyway.

---------------------------
As for the OP - I think the $1k quote comes from the "problem" of the Festool service policy being commercial-focused.
They boast of "making your tool work like new" and they do deliver. But this means that the older a tool sent - the more wear and tear even on the parts which are still "working" - the higher the "renew" cost. And so the more expensive the repair as FT would replace also worn-beyond optimal parts. Not only right-out broken ones.

On the other hand, you get an effectively a renewed tool which is, functionally, like a new one.

Just thinking, should FT officially have two "service" tiers possibly ? As in:
- a "repair" tier where only the trully failed parts are replaced, this would aligh what the industry usually considers "repair"
- a "renew/refurbish" tier which would be their current policy where everything that is not-up-to-spec gets replaced

Ideas ?

 

[woodbutcherbower]

In the UK, anyone sending Festool a tool for repair has to specifically state that they just want it fixed - not restored to 'as good as new' condition. I can well imagine the shocks some customers will have received who weren't aware of this.

The absolute best example I can think of which illustrates outstanding customer service is that of Ford Commercial in the UK. They introduced a new 2.0-litre Euro 6 turbodiesel engine for the Transit Custom in 2016. One of the changes over the previous 2.2-litre engine was that the timing chain was replaced with a 'wet cambelt' = a timing belt located inside the engine which runs in the engine oil. For various reasons which I won't go into, some belts would break under certain conditions causing catatrophic engine failure - despite the owners having done nothing wrong, and having followed Ford's recommended service and oil change schedules to the letter. Some of these engines were failing after just 30-40,000 miles, with a replacement cost of around £7,000.

As soon as this started to become apparent, Ford recalled tens of thousands of these vans to carry out a fix, and also provided free replacement engines for anyone affected - including for those vans which were well out of warranty. I have no idea exactly how many engines Ford have replaced, but it has to be an awful lot - the Transit Custom has sold up to 50,000 units per year in the UK since its launch in 2013. As a Transit Custom owner since 2017, it makes me glad that I spent my money with the right company.

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.
Just thinking, should FT officially have two "service" tiers possibly ? As in:
- a "repair" tier where only the trully failed parts are replaced, this would aligh what the industry usually considers "repair"
- a "renew/refurbish" tier which would be their current policy where everything that is not-up-to-spec gets replaced

Ideas ?

This can easily be done without creating a new service arrangement. All Festool needs to do is to list in the repair quote what is required to fix the reported problem (e.g. a smoking motor) and its cost. If other unrelated consumables and fixes are deemed desirable (e.g. as part of a preventive maintenance), list them with costs separately. The owner can then confirm what she or he wants to be done.

When I send my car to the dealership for regular maintenance or repairs, I always get such offers or recommendations -- verbally and/or by email with an inspection report. In a couple of incidences, I either did the fix myself (they quoted me $400 plus tax for a job that I could handle with a non-OEM $49 part from Amazon, after watching a YouTube video) or had some other shop do it because it was 50% cheaper. (If it's a safety issue (e.g. brake wear-out beyond acceptable limits) and I refuse to let them do the job, I'll be asked to get the car towed to a place of my choice.)

If dodeskadiv could share an image of the quote from Festool, we might be able to tell the real cost of fixing the smoking motor alone.