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Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:48 am
by Sangiovese
Does anyone know [abbreviated profanity deleted] a company that does repairs to Gun Vault safes?

I've had mine for about a year and a half and now the door will not latch closed. Unfortunately, they have a 1 year warranty (go figure...) and even worse, they do not do any repairs other than warranty units.

I had been very happy with the safe, but don't think I want to buy a replacement from them if I can't get it repaired if the next one develops a similar problem. 200 bones is a lot of money to pay for 18 months of use.

Anyway... if anyone knows of someone who does repairs on these at reasonable prices, I would love the info.

Re: Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 4:22 pm
by flintknapper
From their FAQ’s:
Q. Can I send my GunVault in for repairs?
A. No, there are currently no repairs being made. Any GunVault received without an RA# (Return Authorization Number) are returned to sender or destroyed.
I don’t consider that to be particularly good customer service!

Not applicable to your problem (not latching) but….
Q. My brand new GunVault door will not open.
A. Place the unit on a flat service, turn the key, and hit the top/side of the safe with your palm. In rare occasions you may have to use a flat head screw driver by placing the head between the body of the unit and the door. You might also have to bang the lower left edge on the ground.
Maybe the inverse would make it latch. ;-)

Seriously, no... I don't know anyone that does repairs. Sounds like you'll have to tinker with it yourself .

A local locksmith might be willing to look at it.

Re: Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 4:49 pm
by DoubleJ
where's that thread where the member took it apart and replaced the thing in the lock that actuates the sumpin-er-other????
any one remember that?
had pictures and everything.

Re: Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:55 pm
by Texian
DoubleJ wrote:where's that thread where the member took it apart and replaced the thing in the lock that actuates the sumpin-er-other????
any one remember that?
had pictures and everything.
Have you tried using the search function? :headscratch

Re: Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:17 pm
by DoubleJ
I've heard of this thing.... :biggrinjester:

and after sifting through *only* 5 pages of posts.... Here ya ear. I mean are...

Re: Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:32 am
by stash
Some locksmiths work on safes. Might look in the yeller pages.

Re: Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:19 am
by Syntax360
Sorry to hear about your troubles... As you can see from the previously linked thread, I had issues too :grumble. I say get it open and pull back the foam and get the locking mechanism off - it's not too difficult. Worst case scenario is that you break it and you are right back where you started, but it really isn't very complicated - I'm sure you could figure out what's wrong and post up some pictures and we can all go from there. :leaving

Re: Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:42 am
by ttorion
Call them and see if they have any suggestions on what may be the problem.

Re: Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:54 am
by Sangiovese
Thanks for the link. I had searched for anything similar but didn't find it. Your search is better than mine!

I'll give it a go. I'm much more of an electronics geek than a mechanic... but it's not like I can make it any worse.

I am thinking that I'll be getting a new safe from a different manufacturer for the nightstand though. Due to having munchkins around the house, our guns have to be locked up when they aren't on our bodies (pretty much only when we're sleeping or in the shower) but if I need access to the ol' pistola at 3am I need to have confidence that I will be able to access it reliably.

Re: Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:34 am
by Syntax360
Exactly! Nothing beats the mechanical type that I always see at the Will Rogers and Market Hall gunshows... I really ought to buy one, but I have the luxury of leaving my firearms as readily accessible as I wish. I certainly wouldn't count on my GunVault, even if I did jerry rig a fix that I'm 99% confident in...

Re: Gun Vault repairs?

Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:44 am
by hankintexas
Go to CLEARSTAR.com and do a search for a local locksmith / vault technicians in the public forum. You can narrow it down to your location. I am a Vault tech, but not in your area, sorry. There are many people on there and all of them are professionals. your gun safe can be repaired with no problem.

Hank