Mars repair
- Thread starter kempape
- Start date
MikeV
Member
Guess it depends on where you are. There is a good place here in Houston that does a great job.
MEP001
Well-known member
Etowah Valley repairs them, but there's a problem: they won't give a repair estimate, and the bill can exceed $200. I'd rather spend $350 on a new validator than pay that much to fix an old one.
Reds
Member
I have always had good luck and fast turnaround with Betson Vending - betson.com - look on their website and go to the service tab to see their locations. They are nationwide. I keep a spare on hand and when one needs repair I swap it out and send it to them. Then I have no downtime. You can call them and get their rates for repair, etc. I send mine to their King of Prussia, Pa. facility. But Etowah seems to be the cheapest for buying new ones.
Kevin James
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captain cw
Member
Jim Gosnell at Etowah Valley
ted mcmeekin
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MEP001
Well-known member
It shouldn't be cheaper to repair them than to replace them. You may be getting gouged by someone. In any case, if it's an upstacker validator remove the plastic snout and drill a 1/2" hole in the bottom. That should prevent water from reaching the board.
mars service
I have 11 Hamilton changers form an old XRS to a new dual DRS and have the Mars retrofit kit in 7 of them. Bought them all from Jim at EV sales in NC. The other three have the XE validators vending only tokens. I have used a place in IL called Xcel electronics for the past 7-8 years for my hamilton work. I had an idot try to crowbar his way into the front of 2 of my rear load machines. One was an XE the other a Mars retro. I sent BOTH validators to Xcel to try and repair, both came back fixed and looking new for ~ $250. He was able to save me over $1000 (if both needed to be replaced). Contact info is Xcel electronics 630-932-4234 Burl Martin. Good luck
I have 11 Hamilton changers form an old XRS to a new dual DRS and have the Mars retrofit kit in 7 of them. Bought them all from Jim at EV sales in NC. The other three have the XE validators vending only tokens. I have used a place in IL called Xcel electronics for the past 7-8 years for my hamilton work. I had an idot try to crowbar his way into the front of 2 of my rear load machines. One was an XE the other a Mars retro. I sent BOTH validators to Xcel to try and repair, both came back fixed and looking new for ~ $250. He was able to save me over $1000 (if both needed to be replaced). Contact info is Xcel electronics 630-932-4234 Burl Martin. Good luck
Excel is about a 25 minute drive from me...Byrle is a great guy and does good work. As far as I know he will only repair the Hamilton unit. I took my Mars validator to him and he sent me to another shop because he does not repair the Mars units. My Mars validator had a board shorted out from water, it was about 12 months old. The shop I took it to said it would be cheaper for me to purchase one of there refurbished units than to replace the complete circuit board..I would have to check my files to see how much the cost was. Byrle told me if it was a Hamilton it would have been a easy fix and would have cost much less to repair.
This is true about the Hamilton units, however the Mars validator is MUCH less expensive to replace than the Hamilton. When I sent him my XE validator, he did the repairs himself. He told me that he would send the Mars unit to a repair shop he recommended. He told me the same thing they told you, if the board is "burned up", it would be technically cheaper to repalce the Mars unit than fix it. With Hamilton XE being ~ $700 new, a $200 to $300 fix seems like a deal. The Mars unit new would be ~$400 to $500. Obviously, $200 to $300 to fix the Mars unit would not be economical. I have spent more money on 1 of my XE validators over the past 3-5 years than all 7 of my Mars units combined. Maybe its just luck. I was skeptical about the Mars units at first. Not any more.QUOTE=dogwasher;35773]Excel is about a 25 minute drive from me...Byrle is a great guy and does good work. As far as I know he will only repair the Hamilton unit. I took my Mars validator to him and he sent me to another shop because he does not repair the Mars units. My Mars validator had a board shorted out from water, it was about 12 months old. The shop I took it to said it would be cheaper for me to purchase one of there refurbished units than to replace the complete circuit board..I would have to check my files to see how much the cost was. Byrle told me if it was a Hamilton it would have been a easy fix and would have cost much less to repair.[/QUOTE]
