I recently killed my DeWalt 18V XRP Hammer Drill and was almost in tears because we had been through so much together. So much material that is. See, that’s what did it. I stopped drilling wood and concrete to try and mix some mortar. The 5-gallon bucket full of tile mortar and large mixer attachment finally did me in.
I had already done like two buckets of mud without any incident, but something changed on this last mix. Complete with smoke and that nasty burning electrical smell, the drill gave up the ghost. The motor froze up solid. I begrudgingly had to get out my corded DeWalt 1/2″ drill to finish the task. Berating myself for not getting the right drill to begin with, I chalked it up to a lesson learned. I figured I was out of luck because that 18V XRP Hammer Drill was about 5 years old. The warranty must have expired by now.
What to Do…
I didn’t have the heart to get rid of my old friend just yet. I put it under my bench and forgot about it for a while. One day, a few months later, a friend told me about the DeWalt Repair Service program. I figured I needed to check it out. Let’s face it, in these tight times, the last thing I wanted to do was fork out three hundred bucks for a new drill. (Actually, I would love to have a new DeWalt lithium-ion XRP hammer drill which recently came to market.)
Really, Don’t Throw Away That Broken DeWalt Tool
I first turned to the DeWalt web site. From there, I followed a link to find my nearest factory service center. Conveniently, the factory sits just an hour away. I gave them a call, and they explained to me the whole scenario. The Factory Owned DeWalt Service Centers use the Guaranteed Repair Cost (or GRC) Program. This takes the guesswork out of the repair process. They promise the price of a repair will not exceed the published replacement price for that tool. What that means is if you send in your drill because it has a broken switch, they only fix the switch and charge you for that plus the shipping back to you. The repair cost is NEVER more than a set amount for that tool. Most times it is less.
Take my toasted drill…I sent it in via a flat rate shipping box from the post office to the indicated address. Within a few days, I received a call from the service tech. He said that my drill was beyond repair, but they would send me a newly remanufactured drill that was the exact same model as the one I sent in. Get this: The total price for the new drill and the shipping was less than a third of what the drill cost new! I received the drill a few days later and was back in business again. The only problem with the new drill is that it did not have my name written all over it like the old one and the over-molded rubber grips were not polished smooth yet!
How It Works
As part of the GRC Repairs program, they do a complete teardown inspection, which includes a thorough cleaning & lubrication, replacement of worn & damaged parts, and a full performance & safety test on the tool. There is word out now that since Porter-Cable and Delta are part of the DeWalt family of tool brands, they also repair them now. The DeWalt Service Network includes over 85 factory-owned locations so chances are that there is one near you. Should you need to ship a tool to a service center for either warranty or non-warranty service, please be sure that the tool is packaged securely and that it is sufficiently insured to cover any loss or damage that may occur while in transit. For additional information regarding service-related issues or service related questions please contact the service center nearest you.
So don’t throw away that broken DeWalt tool. For more information on the DeWalt repair service, go here.
