Bosch Colt disappointment

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DaveO

New User
DaveO
About 2 years ago I bought the highly recommended Bosch Colt. Loved it, it's very handy for a lot of little jobs very a bigger router is a pain to use. About a year later I started having problems with the spindle lock button. It seems to be a common problem. I found out that if you contacted Bosch they would send you a wrench to lock the spindle. I did and they did. Back in business for a little while. Recently I went to use the Colt and found that the supplied wrench was just rounding off the flats on the spindle. Now I can't get the collett nut off. I don't have it tightened excessively, but without a way to lock the spindle I can't do anything.
To add insult to injury the bit stuck in the Colt isn't one that I have much use for. It's a small core box bit. If it was a round-over or chamfer bit that would be better.
I don't know if it's worth contacting Bosch about this problem. It definitely isn't user error or over-use. But the router is over two years old and I am sure any warranty has expired at least a few days ago.
:realmad::realmad::realmad::realmad::realmad:

Dave:)
 

JimmyC

New User
Jimmy
Dave,
You've got to contact 'em , even if you get an answer that you expect. If they don't back up their product then any *****in' will be justified.

I hope that they back their product.

Good Luck.
 

WoodWrangler

New User
Jeremy
To be honest ... the Colt I have hasn't been anything special to me either. In fact, I would not recommend it to anyone as a first choice. I mean, it works but so does my Harbor Freight trim router.

This sounds like a common problem ... I would be talking to Bosch.
 

RayH

New User
Ray
Dave,
For sure, give Bosch a call. I believe they have a pretty good reputation for standing behind their stuff, and I believe they put out some pretty good stuff.

Is it the flats on the shaft rounding off or the wrench giving way? The wrench they sent me is made of pretty soft metal. I would expect it to go before the router shaft.

Yeah. I guess I'm a Bosch cheer leader. But then I also have a Bosch dishwasher that has been recalled:tinysmile_cry_t:. It, too, is out of warranty, but they are fixing it.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

Ray
 

WoodWrangler

New User
Jeremy
I've always heard that Bosch is EXCELLENT with customer service issues. The wrench was a good first step, but the next step should be a replacement nut or new one.
 

DaveO

New User
DaveO
Dave,
For sure, give Bosch a call. I believe they have a pretty good reputation for standing behind their stuff, and I believe they put out some pretty good stuff.

Is it the flats on the shaft rounding off or the wrench giving way? The wrench they sent me is made of pretty soft metal. I would expect it to go before the router shaft.

Yeah. I guess I'm a Bosch cheer leader. But then I also have a Bosch dishwasher that has been recalled:tinysmile_cry_t:. It, too, is out of warranty, but they are fixing it.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

Ray

Ray I just e-mailed them we will see how it goes. I made sure to let them know who I am and where I voice my opinions. Impress me and I will tell a bunch, don't and I will tell anyone who will listen. I have been impressed with Bosch's customer service in the past. My wrench just showed up at my door with no questions asked. It is definitely the flats on the shaft that are rounding out which concerns me greatly. Before I got the Bosch wrench I ground down one of my own to work in the narrow space, and I can't even get it to hold.

I've always heard that Bosch is EXCELLENT with customer service issues. The wrench was a good first step, but the next step should be a replacement nut or new one.

Jeremy I wish the problem was related to the collet nut, that would be an easy repair. But this is the actual shaft of the router. I suspect the only way to fix it would be a new tool. We'll see how they do this time.

Dave:)
 

CrealBilly

New User
Jeff
Man Dave that's tough luck - I guess we'll see what Bosch is made of soon enough. I have Bosch 1617EVSPKBP 2.25 HP Combination Plunge and Fixed Base Router with the bonus pack and used the **** out of it. I bull nosed 1000's of liner feet of 5/4 cedar deck plank. It's lived up to my expectations and then some.
 

rick7938

New User
Rick
Looking forward to the resolution, Dave. I have a H-F trim router that I am wanting to replace with the Colt if the darn H-F will ever wear out. The Bosch feels so substantial and well made that I find it hard to believe that Bosch won't stand behind such a nice piece.

Good Luck.
 

Glennbear

Moderator
Glenn
To be honest ... the Colt I have hasn't been anything special to me either. In fact, I would not recommend it to anyone as a first choice. I mean, it works but so does my Harbor Freight trim router.

This sounds like a common problem ... I would be talking to Bosch.

Looking forward to the resolution, Dave. I have a H-F trim router that I am wanting to replace with the Colt if the darn H-F will ever wear out. The Bosch feels so substantial and well made that I find it hard to believe that Bosch won't stand behind such a nice piece.

Good Luck.

Sorry about your troubles Dave, but I am starting to think I made the right move choosing the HF over the Bosch. For your sake I hope they stand behind the product. :wsmile:
 

Alan in Little Washington

Alan Schaffter
Corporate Member
I don't know if anyone has noticed this on their Colt, but my Colt has two detents on the spindle, a half turn apart, where the spindle lock can go. One detent is very shallow however. The spindle lock only goes in a very small amount and can slip out easily. I suspect a lot of folks use this one often and ended up wearing down the lock. Just speculation, but if true for all Colts, points out a design problem. By always using the deep detent, I have not had any problem with the spindle lock slipping.
 

DaveO

New User
DaveO
Well Alan, you made me go down and check on mine. And as you say the spindle lock button won't hold in either indent, although one is deeper that the other. This is not visible, but can be felt and ISN'T documented in the owners manual. So I tried the wrench and the deep indent with the button...still slipping. Seeing as this has become a "boat anchor" to me I considered grasping the shaft with Vice-lock pliers. That will ruin the threads but I can't see the collet nut tightening down any farther. Well the pliers don't even fit between the nut and housing so I can't try that method. Hoping to hear back from Bosch as this tool is no more than a boat anchor to me now. Any one need a dedicate ¼" core box bit router...great for fluting :roll::roll::roll:

Dave:)
 

DaveO

New User
DaveO
Well this is the response I received back from Bosch, within their two day time frame -

Letters BLOCKQUOTE, OL, P, PRE, UL { margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; } BLOCKQUOTE { margin-left:.5in; } BODY { margin-top: .75in; margin-left: 1in; margin-right: 0.56in; margin-bottom: 1.35in; height: 11in; width: 8.5in; }
Dear Dave,
Thank you for contacting Bosch Power Tools and I'm sorry for the trouble you've had. Please send the tool along with a copy of this e-mail directly to Bosch and
we'll see what we can do for you. Without seeing the tool I can't promise anything, but we'll do what we can for you.

Send to:

Bosch Factory Service Center
121 Corporate Blvd.
S. Plainfield, NJ 07080
800-346-4103, option 1
If you need further assistance please write back.
John Chorkawciw
Robert Bosch Tool Corporation
National Customer Care Center
Technical Support Consultant (PT-BNA/ASA3)
901 S Rohlwing Rd
Unit A
Addison, IL 60101 USA



So I guess I'll be packing it up and shipping it off to the NJ. It would have been nice if they could have covered the shipping. But maybe when they see that it's a design flaw they will :dontknow:




Dave:)


 
Last edited:
M

McRabbet

If they cannot fix it, I'll betcha two bits they send you a new one!
 

DaveO

New User
DaveO
That's what I am hoping, and that they will return my core box bit that is stuck in it. It's boxed up and ready to go out in tomorrows mail. We'll see how it turns out.
Dave:)
 

cpowell

Chuck
Senior User
I hope they send you a new one. Better yet I hope the new one they send has corrected the design problem.

Keep us in the loop.


Chuck
 
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