why SO is so freaking expensive

[toddmorr]

gotta chuckle. all the guys that thought a scan tool couldn't cause such a problem appear to be wrong. At this point the only thing I'm skeptical of is the $3500 price tag. But it doesn't matter whether it's 100 bucks or $10k, the fact that SO took liability in this situation is, in my view, nuts. But whatever, it's their business not mine.

 

[PassnThru]

years ago I worked for IBM. If you weren't on their maintenance program for their machines, all bets were off. heck, even if you were, they weren't liable for other damages.

Now you're talking my language (We actually had an Amdahl mainframe but other IBM midrange computers).

Yet you believe SO would do this for a tool bought at a pawn shop? I guess your friend convinced them that he bought it from them (which would be difficult since I assume they keep semi decent records)? Honestly, if true, he scored.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I have heard of that happening before but never experienced it but I also don’t own a Snap-on scanner.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[jonesg]

..because its worth it.

 

[chevy302dz]

While not exactly the same issue, it does add some provide some ancillary proof that the story given to the OP is true.

https://diag.net/msg/m1cgjxxvnwfho964ndt02zkkd8

 

[Hobby_Man22]

was talking with a guy in my neighborhood the other day, he might even be on GJ. Anyway, he bought a SO scanner at a pawnshop a while back. Plugged in to a late model Lexus and it promptly fried the computer running the power seats. Yeah, bricked it. So he calls SO and they, no questions asked, picked up the $3500 bill at the dealer to get the computer replaced, and gave the guy a free update. SO was well aware of the issue, implying this kind of treatment wasn't ground breaking.

i guess SO knows it's business, but if I were a stockholder that would kind of piss me off.

That's called good business practice. Yeah they could tell him to pound sand and he could walk over to the mac tool guy and lose a customer forever.

 

[Dumber than lumber]

Regarding the SO pricing. Take a look at the Festool pricing, for example. And then go look at what Mafell tools cost.
For the prices Mafell charges you might think they would be guaranteed for life.
Point being that SO seems to know the customers they actually have. The unofficial SO motto could be “when failure is not an option“.
BTW - I do not on a single snap on tool.

 

[toddmorr]

yeah clearly it works for SO. I don't mean to sound too critical. More amazed than anything. For me I guess the takeaway is that if you don't need that kind of support, why buy, because the cost is well baked into the product. That's surely not a new insight, this just seems an extreme example of it.

 

[username2]

I used to be in that industry.

The BOM is probably less than $100. Of course that does not include in of the software development costs.

40 years ago, the absolute cheap automotive electronic module you could build was about $20. $5 for the housing (metal for heat dissipation), $5 for a bare 2 sided circuit board (most now a days are 4 or 6 layer) and $10 for the male and female halves of the connector.
etc.

Has there been work in the industry to standardize on different tiers of ready-made boards? I've never been convinced of the value of having so much proprietary stuff, it's as if each car company had it's own tires.

Which, as a side note, makes me wonder why there's such a push for companies building/speccing complete computers for high-end scan tools. Dunno if they build the motherboards from scratch with something like an ARM and an embedded OS or if they just purchase PC tablet guts in Asia somewhere. Generally, I've seen it work out better to separate a product between the stuff the customer can buy on their own (like a laptop or tablet in this case) and the manufacturer's secret sauce (like a USB dongle and software).

I realize that this kind of thing exists, but a product like a Bosch $4500 scan tool would scare me as any kind of hardware failure (which could be practically all done with COTS stuff) kills the whole gizmo.

 

[Rinspeed]

Why is a Ferrari so expensive.

 

[wafrederick]

Snap On is not the most expensive sometimes,Koon Trucking has a video on this on their youtube channel.It is this video,

 

[username2]

Why is a Ferrari so expensive.

Dunno.

All the supermodels seem to really dig on my Snap-on 1/2" combination wrench.

 

[richfinn]

Why is a Ferrari so expensive.

Traditionally the Ferrari road cars were only sold to fund Enzo's racing team!!!

They can kind of get away with it because of that heritage

 

[username2]

yeah clearly it works for SO. I don't mean to sound too critical. More amazed than anything. For me I guess the takeaway is that if you don't need that kind of support, why buy, because the cost is well baked into the product. That's surely not a new insight, this just seems an extreme example of it.

Sometimes it's someone else's money.

Kitted out a large lab one time with all Lista workbenches, cabinets, drawer units for absolutely no good reason. We might as well have bought folding tables from Costco and cheap filing cabinets.

The world is a funny place. We are rolling up from the bottom as the inexpensive stuff becomes good enough for most uses. Whether it's a Hanes t-shirt, Tekton wrench, or cheap flat screen TV, the cost on the margin as you go upscale is worth it less and less.

 

[PelicanPines]

Why is my wife so expensive?... LOL... never mind.. I know why. Oh Yea... I know why.