Need help with my 201T upgrade kit

Ok so this has inspired me to sort out the duff 201, I went to the shop showed them the part number (gleaned off here)
They're ordering the bits and I will get them to fit them.

There's no point in having €600 sitting there doing nothing. I will keep you informed.
 
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  • #27
This deal just gets weirder. I took it to my local Stihl dealer yesterday morning. They called me today and told me it was ready and the charge was $41. I asked what was wrong with it and they said that they really didn't know. I asked to speak directly to the mechanic that worked on it. He said that he took off all of the parts that I had put on and then reinstalled them and it had fire. He said that as he was taking everything apart he was looking to see if I had put anything on wrong, but he said it all looked good. He doesn't know what caused it to start working or why it wasn't working to begin with. Funny thing is this is the second time something like this has happened to me this month. Earlier my T180 Bobcat had a hydraulic leak. I mean it was absolutely pouring fluid from behind the right rear drive motor. I took that to the dealership and a few days later they said that they couldn't find a leak. Sure enough I picked it up and it wasn't leaking and they hadn't done a single thing to it. I've put about 10 hrs on it since then and still no leak. Maybe I'm just going crazy.
 
This deal just gets weirder. I took it to my local Stihl dealer yesterday morning. They called me today and told me it was ready and the charge was $41. I asked what was wrong with it and they said that they really didn't know. I asked to speak directly to the mechanic that worked on it. He said that he took off all of the parts that I had put on and then reinstalled them and it had fire. He said that as he was taking everything apart he was looking to see if I had put anything on wrong, but he said it all looked good. He doesn't know what caused it to start working or why it wasn't working to begin with. Funny thing is this is the second time something like this has happened to me this month. Earlier my T180 Bobcat had a hydraulic leak. I mean it was absolutely pouring fluid from behind the right rear drive motor. I took that to the dealership and a few days later they said that they couldn't find a leak. Sure enough I picked it up and it wasn't leaking and they hadn't done a single thing to it. I've put about 10 hrs on it since then and still no leak. Maybe I'm just going crazy.

I doubt it, man. (That you're going crazy). I've noticed lately that if something at work goes south--very nearly a daily occurrence--I just make it a point to try to live with the new pain in the neck for a time. It's amazing the clarity and perspective that just a little bit of time can bring.
 
Ok so this has inspired me to sort out the duff 201, I went to the shop showed them the part number (gleaned off here)
They're ordering the bits and I will get them to fit them.

There's no point in having €600 sitting there doing nothing. I will keep you informed.

Please do Mick. My company will buy me the upgrade kit, if I press them to. I'm just not really sure whether I should, since a 540 is very nearly within my grasp. I'm just irked with Stihl at this point, and would really rather not pour more money into that pig. Your experience with the upgrade would be invaluable.
 
And buy the parts. They're not openly admitting a problem. It's a shame you gotta spend $180 on a $600 dollar saw to make it run like it should've from the start. I'm just dealing with the ones I gotta run and keep my 200t's in as good of shape as possible.
 
Their mechanic is away this week, so it'll be the end of the next before I get it back.
I also have a later good 201 and a 540 so it'll be an interesting test.
 
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  • #36
I paid $600 for my 201. I noticed the other day that the dealer had one on the shelf for $700. I paid $200 for the upgrade kit. So if you got one of the old ones you end up paying $800 or better whereas the same saw is $700 right out of the box....Not cool Stihl....Not cool at all. Not to mention the emotional drama it has caused me because for the better part of last year I spent thinking I dumped $600 down the drain on a saw that was no better than my 192T. I just hope this upgrade kit is worth it. I had just purchased my 201 when I saw Reg's video on how to modify/upgrade the 201. At the time I thought "huh! that's a strange modification". Now I totally get it Reg.
 
Can't really blame them for trying.
And it works surprisingly great for them..

It did work great. And that's how the next saw failure will be handled as well. It's because the users allowed it and went along with it. Why on earth would a buyer pay the manufacturer for parts to correct a faulty product? Why do people tolerate this from the manufacturer?
 
If I buy something that isn't performing correct I bring it back to dealer to be either fixed or returned and money refunded.
Most here think the same and do the same, some buy thru internet and have trouble getting it fixed there...
Not good enough internet connections to send them thru Iphone I guess.
Uplink may be down... I don't know...
 
I never owned a MS201T so I can't share the other end users frustrations.
But I do agree Stihl should have offered the upgrade kits with installation..... free or don't offer them at all. In the long run the company would probably retain and acquire more of their customers. Maybe the new MS201T C with the micro processor control proves to win lost customers back.:dontknow:

As much as I like to brag about my past owned 200's I can't forget all the grief with the stupid carb problems they had over the years.
 
Its a problem buying any first model production engine. They will find upgrades and your the ginue pig. Im glad my first one fell off the truck and got sniped. I love the new one, and happy to get rid of the old 200ts and make a hefty profit on the one i sold new in box.
 
Yeah I heard about that 200 you sold brendon:D
I hear the MS200 T is still manufactured out of Brazil. Would be a great gig to import some of those little puppies and make a little profit:lol:
 
It did work great. And that's how the next saw failure will be handled as well. It's because the users allowed it and went along with it. Why on earth would a buyer pay the manufacturer for parts to correct a faulty product? Why do people tolerate this from the manufacturer?

Cos life is too short, if I complained about everything in my life that doesn't work as it should I'd never get anything done.
Ie, telephone line, mobile phone signal, terrible french mechanics, GPS, tyre fitters, thermos flasks, my dog that eats cat shit.
The list is endless.
 
Cos life is too short, if I complained about everything in my life that doesn't work as it should I'd never get anything done.
Ie, telephone line, mobile phone signal, terrible french mechanics, GPS, tyre fitters, thermos flasks, my dog that eats cat shit.
The list is endless.
Sooooo, because life is short you willingly take a good screwing without a fight?
 
If you like to learn how and think it is worth investing MANY hrs in learning a new profession the hard way I can see why you would do it yourself.
But if you have a profession you like and are not interested in learning all stuff needed to service saws, best is to get professional help.
The money spent getting it right is likely earned as fast as spent in shop.
 
It did work great. And that's how the next saw failure will be handled as well. It's because the users allowed it and went along with it. Why on earth would a buyer pay the manufacturer for parts to correct a faulty product? Why do people tolerate this from the manufacturer?


I agree. Really shoddy customer service. It's the kind of treatment that ruins reputations. The thing that would get their attention is if the sales of their new 201 just completely dropped to zero, along with a massive letter writing campaign. Come to think of it, this has "class action lawsuit" written all over it. I wonder just how many people have suffered an economic hardship (lost production, cost of parts and labor to replace, etc.) due to the sales of a product that was defective out of the box?

Tim
 
As an addendum to what Chris said, since the duff 201 I have bought another (which was and still is a good un)
But have also bought 560xp 562xp 540xp 395xp which adds up to approx €4000 euros to the red side as opposed to the orange.
You cannot win an argument with the big boys but you can vote with your feet.
 
Whats the class action going to be for?

Not much of a case, the saws ran and cut with a sharp chain.
They also met new EPA standards mandated for importation.


Go back and find a early 200T, much of the same was said about them. Just not on the internet. ;)

Like La becasse, I just speak with my cash.
 
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