Guest rockmeupto125 Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Those of you who have been in my garage know that I have a large collection of weapons.....er tools that I have amassed over the years. The greater portion of those are Snap-On brand, and are decades upon decades old. They've served me well, and helped me make a pretty good living in my younger days. Now these tools are starting to show their age, and I'm starting to wonder about getting things back in shape. Back in the day, I used to simply hand a broken, worn, or otherwise FUBAR'd tool to my Snap-On guy, and he'd hand me a new one back. Rounded off or chipped tips on screwdrivers, cracked or rounded out sockets, it didn't matter. Ratchets he would rebuild while I waited. More complex tools he would take for a week, and return with a functioning unit. None of this cost me a dime. I seem to recall something about a lifetime warrantee....but cannot find any sort of discussion about warrantee on Snap-On's website. Can anyone here corraborate this, or have knowledge of Snap-On's warrantee policies? I'm pretty comfortable in my assumption that if the warrantee is strictly the responsibility of the individual dealer, I'm not going to get a real positive response when I call him up and say "hey, stop over here, I've got about $1000 worth of tools that I want you to replace for free." I don't know the dealer because I haven't needed a Snap-On tool in ages, and that may not be the best way to meet him. I'm not starting a buying relationship because I have most all the hand tools I need from Snap-On....I simply want to utilize the lifetime warrantee that I thought I was paying for. Any knowledgable thoughts or guidance from your experiences? Additionally, my Snap-On branded (Blue Point) butterfly wrench has took ill, and can't do its job. I kinda doubt that Snap-On actually built the thing, and suspect they rebranded a component...and because its at least 35 years old, chances are they wouldn't stock parts. Does anyone know what brand that butterfly might actually be? And if parts aren't available for it, can anyone recommend a low torque high speed drive tool? A low torqure ratchet might not be a bad replacement, as I have a slow, high torque ratchet at present. I really like being able to pull a valve cover off my car in 60 seconds..... Thanks in advance for any info... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dion Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 I don't know what the policy is now but yours are for life. IIRC it's on broken tool not worn tools. we use to keep a six foot pipe to make sure they were broken. Go to the nearby garage and ask em when the guy comes around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauls0311xx Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 I turned in a complete set of 3/8 drive sockets that were about 20 years old and they gave me a brand new set for free. They will fix or replace anything for life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rockmeupto125 Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 I don't understand that one. Each piece was broken? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauls0311xx Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 All the sockets were just old, rusty and did not have the flank drive on them. Swapped them no charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porterb123 Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 Joe, if it truely comes down to you getting nowhere, PM me. My uncle is pretty high up in Snap On Those of you who have been in my garage know that I have a large collection of weapons.....er tools that I have amassed over the years. The greater portion of those are Snap-On brand, and are decades upon decades old. They've served me well, and helped me make a pretty good living in my younger days. Now these tools are starting to show their age, and I'm starting to wonder about getting things back in shape. Back in the day, I used to simply hand a broken, worn, or otherwise FUBAR'd tool to my Snap-On guy, and he'd hand me a new one back. Rounded off or chipped tips on screwdrivers, cracked or rounded out sockets, it didn't matter. Ratchets he would rebuild while I waited. More complex tools he would take for a week, and return with a functioning unit. None of this cost me a dime. I seem to recall something about a lifetime warrantee....but cannot find any sort of discussion about warrantee on Snap-On's website. Can anyone here corraborate this, or have knowledge of Snap-On's warrantee policies? I'm pretty comfortable in my assumption that if the warrantee is strictly the responsibility of the individual dealer, I'm not going to get a real positive response when I call him up and say "hey, stop over here, I've got about $1000 worth of tools that I want you to replace for free." I don't know the dealer because I haven't needed a Snap-On tool in ages, and that may not be the best way to meet him. I'm not starting a buying relationship because I have most all the hand tools I need from Snap-On....I simply want to utilize the lifetime warrantee that I thought I was paying for. Any knowledgable thoughts or guidance from your experiences? Additionally, my Snap-On branded (Blue Point) butterfly wrench has took ill, and can't do its job. I kinda doubt that Snap-On actually built the thing, and suspect they rebranded a component...and because its at least 35 years old, chances are they wouldn't stock parts. Does anyone know what brand that butterfly might actually be? And if parts aren't available for it, can anyone recommend a low torque high speed drive tool? A low torqure ratchet might not be a bad replacement, as I have a slow, high torque ratchet at present. I really like being able to pull a valve cover off my car in 60 seconds..... Thanks in advance for any info... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXTi Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 If I need Snap-On service, I try to find a guy on a Snap-On route around town. I'll meet him with the broken tool and get an immediate replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 My son is a mechanic and uses only Snap On tools. The guys stops in all the time (son owes him many $$$'s). He might be able to get them replaced for you but there would be shipping involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vetteman Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 they do have a lifetime warranty. whether they need to be broken or just worn out looking depends on the dealer. one of my dealers would either break them or tell me how to. just find the dealer in your area and call him or shag him down at one of his stops. in a pinch you could contact snap on through their website. i emailed mac when we lost our mac guy and they sent me prepaid stickers to mail the broken tools back to them, and offered me a job as a mac dealer which i passed on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rockmeupto125 Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 "and offered me a job as a mac dealer which i passed on." ROFL....did they send you a T-shirt, too? Thanks to all who replied. I'll now get my ducks in a row regarding what is cracked, rounded off, and too dusty to use, and call the local Snap-On guy. I really didn't want some local dealer having to eat warrantee replacements on sales made before he was born, but it sounds like Snap-On Corporation replaces those parts to him. Thanks for all the individual offers of assistance. I'll keep them on the shelf if I run into problems. And while I have your attention..........what brands have you found to be as good as or better than Snap-On in terms of quality and strength versus cost? I know I can buy sockets at Harbor Freight that won't break any sooner than Bonney or SK, but the sidewalls are a half inch thick, and I can't lift that much in my dotage. Also....doesn anyone know of a small "personal" inline oiler? I'm looking for something that might go inline between the hose and the tool, possibly only delivering oil when a button is pushed. I don't want to mist up my entire air system...I use it for cleaning, the blast cabinet, and tires as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vetteman Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 "Snap-On Corporation replaces those parts to him. " thats correct. no skin off his back at all. some dealers are just better about it than others, your experience may vary. about other brands, i have found matco to be similar or better in quality at a slightly lower price (still expensive off the truck though). dealer service, at least in my area, has been excellent. our dealer even warranties holesaws and cobalt drill bits larger than 3/8. he even warrantied one of those rebranded (3rd party made and everyone else put their name on it) electrical do-dads for me that i bought off the mac truck.as always the best deals can be found on ebay. mac tools are also similar in quality but the dealer network really sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 I know I can buy sockets at Harbor Freight that won't break any sooner than Bonney or SK, but the sidewalls are a half inch thick, and I can't lift that much in my dotage. Dotage: 1-feeble and childish state due to old age; senility. 2-a doting; foolish or excessive affection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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