Will Kahr Fix or Replace This?

[allglock]

Okay, Kahrtalk, here's a copy of the email I just sent Kahr Service. I sent the attached photo (above) with this email:

Dear Kahr Service,
I received a brand new PM9 as a gift from a friend a couple of months ago. This is a fantastic gun that shoots and performs flawlessly, especially after completing its "break-in" period. However, there are some very unsightly blemishes in the rollmarking on the slide that make this great gun "less than beautiful" to look at.

Please see the attached photo and notice three significant problems in the stamped labeling (rollmarking) on the slide:
1. The bottom left corner of the letter "P"
2. The top right corner of the number "9"
3. The lower left corner of the letter "K"

These three blemishes look MUCH WORSE in real life. My photography skills are very limited, but if you need a more detailed photo, I can send you another picture taken by a pro. Just let me know.

So, if Kahr can warranty this slide by repair or replacement, it would make be one happy Kahr customer who will likely make my next purchase a Kahr P45 for Christmas. Please let me know what you can do for me to help my gun look as great as it performs. Thanks for taking pride in your quality of workmanship and in the quality of your customer service.

I will await further instructions from you before proceeding. You may email me or contact me by phone at your convenience.

Many Thanks!

Now...we wait....

I wrote pretty much the same letter about my PM40, and now it looks worse than ever..... I wish I had never sent it back!..... The "people" at Kahr, do not care about quality.... ask me how I know....:40:

[Rainman48314]

1. My PM9 came with the standard "Bar-Dot" sights. This is a great time to have Kahr install some night sights. To those who have night sights, "Is it really worth it?" if so, what KIND of night sights (for the new style slide)?

2. Not sure how Kahr plans on "repairing" the blemishes that are stamped into the metal slide, so there's a good chance they may just send a whole new slide with good stamping. Will that mean I must perform another ritualistic "break-in period" for another slide? My guess is YES, but want to hear from you pros out there.

I read a compelling article about night sights. The author claimed there is only about 30 minutes near dawn and again, near dusk when NS offer an advantage. If it's too dark, you can't identify your target..which you must...before shooting. Once it's light enough to ID the target, you no longer need the NS.

Though I tend to agree, an in home lighting situation may make the usable period longer than 30 minutes. While I can afford it, I'll be getting NS on all my guns. I have two which currently don't have them. An order is pending on one, the other gun is at the manufacturer being serviced and I'll get to that one in a few weeks. It will be about $200 per gun installed.

[Rainman48314]

I'm working on that right now. Should I call Kahr first to talk to a CS rep directly? Would that be more effective?

I hope for your sake they don't attempt to repair it. We had a member post his repair. It was ugly.

Hope for a new slide..and yes, you'll need to break it in slightly, assuming the old recoil assembly is still used.

[sierrajb]

Block Sanding Alone?

my money says Kahr is going to block sand the imperfection and then add the matte finish back.

the engraving was similar on my cm9. a little block sanding corrected the issue/problem and made it shiny. i was considering taking it back to matte, but decided i like shiny better.

As a retired automotive refinisher, I can honestly say that merely blocking alone won't get it. Block sanding is for sanding high spots down to a desired level of satisfactory flushness. These imperfections are very DEEP into the metal, so they would require some sort of metal fill, then blocked down smooth before restoring the finish. I guess they could (and might) do that, but it would be LOTS of labor to get a perfect finish.

Certainly Kahr's call, but it may be cheaper for them just to replace the slide with a new one that has a perfect stamp. Just my thoughts....

[sierrajb]

allglock,
Sorry to hear about your poor service with Kahr. At this point, I don't have any reason to doubt that Kahr really does care about quality. It's the only thing going for them in such a competitive world. Can you post pics of your PM40 that "looks worse than ever?" Maybe you should send it back and politely demand a replacement. What could you lose?

[sierrajb]

Full Replacement?

When you evaluate a firearm fit and finish are prime considerations. I think that Kahr should replace the slide if not the entire gun.

Yes, a huge part of evaluating a gun is its fit and finish. I think Kahr realizes this, so they want a potential repeat customer to be happy with his fit and finish of a new PM9. Since there's absolutely nothing wrong with the performance of this gun, I don't see a full replacement a possibility. Just trying to think like a Kahr service rep.

[sierrajb]

All I can do is ask....

I hope for your sake they don't attempt to repair it. We had a member post his repair. It was ugly.

Hope for a new slide..and yes, you'll need to break it in slightly, assuming the old recoil assembly is still used.

Can you direct me to pictures of this botched repair job?

Kahr wants me to include an explanation of the problem when I return the slide. I can request a new slide at that point. They may see it as the fastest, most economical solution for everyone. No harm done asking....

[allglock]

Can you direct me to pictures of this botched repair job?

Kahr wants me to include an explanation of the problem when I return the slide. I can request a new slide at that point. They may see it as the fastest, most economical solution for everyone. No harm done asking....

Good luck.............................................

[allglock]

Heres the thread on my escapades with Kahr customer service :
http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=7592

[Allen]

I've been trying to decide between a PM9/CM9 and a Glock 26 for a small CCW but from all the problems I'm reading about with individual Kahr guns and Kahrs unwillingness or "inability" to fix owners problems satisfactorily I'm really wondering about the wisdom of spending $500-$700 for a problematic Kahr.
I know from problems I'm having with my motor home that in the last few years Customer Service and quality control has gone out the window at lots of manufacturers, especially if they happen to have all the sales they want. A person would think that with the economy like it is companies would bend over backwards to get/keep customers instead of seeing how many they can offend.

[Bawanna]

Don't believe everything you read. Remember here we see far more stories of problems than success stories and the ratio of bad to good is very very small. Even with the 380's.

[JFootin]

I've been trying to decide between a PM9/CM9 and a Glock 26 for a small CCW but from all the problems I'm reading about with individual Kahr guns and Kahrs unwillingness or "inability" to fix owners problems satisfactorily I'm really wondering about the wisdom of spending $500-$700 for a problematic Kahr.
I know from problems I'm having with my motor home that in the last few years Customer Service and quality control has gone out the window at lots of manufacturers, especially if they happen to have all the sales they want. A person would think that with the economy like it is companies would bend over backwards to get/keep customers instead of seeing how many they can offend.

Bawanna's right. You are about to talk yourself out of THE BEST small CCW pistol on the market by reading the posts on this forum. Are there some problems with the P380s right now? Yes. But the PM9 and CM9 are not problem guns. The minor problems posted here about these guns are few and far between all of the success stories. Do you realize how unusual it is to see overwhelmingly positive posts about any gun on a manufacturer's forum?

I have seen several people who have both a Glock 26 and a PM/CM9 for different carry and dress situations. But that 26 is a fat little puppy and doesn't conceal and carry as well as the Kahrs.

[sierrajb]

I've been trying to decide between a PM9/CM9 and a Glock 26 for a small CCW but from all the problems I'm reading about with individual Kahr guns and Kahrs unwillingness or "inability" to fix owners problems satisfactorily I'm really wondering about the wisdom of spending $500-$700 for a problematic Kahr.
I know from problems I'm having with my motor home that in the last few years Customer Service and quality control has gone out the window at lots of manufacturers, especially if they happen to have all the sales they want. A person would think that with the economy like it is companies would bend over backwards to get/keep customers instead of seeing how many they can offend.

Allen, in spite of what I've read on this forum and the inflammatory comments against Kahr, I am trusting them with my PM9 to fix or replace my slide's cosmetics. As mentioned in my previous posts, there's a lot of sentimentality connected with my gun, and my friend (the giver of the gun) and I simply want a couple of ugly dimples removed from the original factory stamping (see previous photos). Kahr was extremely FAST, KIND, and willing to go the extra mile to look at my slide for possible repair or replacement. In spite of what I've read from inflammatory posts (some are justified, I'm sure), I don't have any reason NOT to trust Kahr at this point.

Would I buy a Kahr if I had the money and the need for one of the BEST concealable guns? In a heartbeat. If it turned out I developed a sour attitude toward Kahr, I could easily get my money back by selling it. Finish your research and try to remain as objective as you can. I think you'll find that Kahr remains one of many top-notch gun companies that continues to strive to become better than they already are. Just my opinion, though.

[sierrajb]

Kahr Comes Through Again!

Kahr received my slide yesterday, Nov. 7. I received a call around 9:30 am this morning, Nov. 8 from Jason at Kahr. He was extremely friendly and professional, explaining that the slide on my PM9 was an older style that suffered some minor problems with the stamping (rollmaking) process. Without any hesitation, he decided to immediately send out a brand new slide of the newer style with the newest engraving. He assures me it will be flawless, and I believe him. WOW!

Criticize Kahr if you want, but I call this SERVICE WITH A SMILE! I regret that every owner of a Kahr cannot share the same testimony as I, but you cannot argue that my incident proves how Kahr is working diligently to make their guns and Customer Service the best they can be. They truly went the extra mile for me.

Thank you Jay, Ian (spelling?), and Jason at Kahr. And thank you, Kahrtalk members and moderators (you know who you are) who encouraged me to trust Kahr to do the right thing. My friend who gave me this PM9 will also be pleased with our decision to return the slide, and with Kahr's decision to replace the slide.

I'll post pictures of the replacement slide as soon as it arrives in a day or two.

[Rainman48314]

Kahr received my slide yesterday, Nov. 7. I received a call around 9:30 am this morning, Nov. 8 from Jason at Kahr. He was extremely friendly and professional, explaining that the slide on my PM9 was an older style that suffered some minor problems with the stamping (rollmaking) process. Without any hesitation, he decided to immediately send out a brand new slide of the newer style with the newest engraving. He assures me it will be flawless, and I believe him. WOW!

Criticize Kahr if you want, but I call this SERVICE WITH A SMILE! I regret that every owner of a Kahr cannot share the same testimony as I, but you cannot argue that my incident proves how Kahr is working diligently to make their guns and Customer Service the best they can be. They truly went the extra mile for me.

Thank you Jay, Ian (spelling?), and Jason at Kahr. And thank you, Kahrtalk members and moderators (you know who you are) who encouraged me to trust Kahr to do the right thing. My friend who gave me this PM9 will also be pleased with our decision to return the slide, and with Kahr's decision to replace the slide.

I'll post pictures of the replacement slide as soon as it arrives in a day or two.

Nice outcome, enjoy the gun. One of my favorite things about my own PM9 is its looks. It looks professional, well made and suitable to the job.