DCV-581H clamshell inserts

The right clamshell insert on my DCV-581H vacuum broke. It’s an easy fix and lots of places offer the part listed on the parts list, however they don’t fit my machine.

I’m currently dealing with the third DeWalt tech and they keep insisting that I have the correct replacement parts but the parts are too small.

I need a clamshell insert with a 1 3/4 inch hole pattern. Has anyone found one?

Here is a picture of the new clamshell and clamshell insert that DeWalt sent me. According to the parts list, the insert should fit this clamshell.

I’m up to about my 4th or 5th service tech and they keep wanting to sent me the replacement parts listed on the parts list. I have tried to explain many times that the parts no longer fit each other. Apparently the case has been redesigned and DeWalt is still sending out the old style inserts. 

Here is a picture of the clamshell and insert that DeWalt just sent me. The insert is supposed to fit the clamshell but it obviously doesn’t. All of the part numbers are correct. It’s interesting that the clamshell they sent me is the new design but still uses the same part number as the old design.

I appreciate this is not the point, and a company like Dewalt should know this before blindly sending the same incorrect parts out to you.

By now I’d be thinking about cutting the legs off of the clamshell insert, glueing and riveting it to the clamshell.  is that basically the part that latches the bottom to the clamshell?

you can even see in the parts there is a slight colour variation.  Shame it’s not a warranty repair and you could let Dewalt sort out their issue 😉  Chances are they sell so few of these clamshells they won’t ever really solve the issue.

Paul_Delahaye wrote:

7 minutes ago, Paul_Delahaye said:

By now I’d be thinking about cutting the legs off of the clamshell insert, glueing and riveting it to the clamshell.

The legs broke off the original insert so I drilled the broken insert and used a couple of small bolts to remount the old insert back in place. It’s functional but the bolt heads interfere with the clamp.

DeWalt has decided to send me another clamshell and insert. Eventually they will run out of the old style inserts and I’ll get one that fits..🤣

This is my temporary solution, however it’s very difficult to open the clamp because the top of the clamp slides up and hits the bolt heads 

Tortuga wrote:

On 12/17/2021 at 12:12 PM, Tortuga said:

DeWalt has decided to send me another clamshell and insert. Eventually they will run out of the old style inserts and I’ll get one that fits..🤣

I received the new clamshell and clamshell insert from DeWalt. They don’t fit each other, they look exactly like the last set that DeWalt sent me. DeWalt has an obvious manufacturing problem that is not being addressed…

The last service tech that replied to my email finally suggested that I call the parts department directly.

The guy at the parts department looked at the email and images that I sent and instantly understood the problem. Why didn’t the 5 service techs do that? Who knows…

Anyway, the parts guy promised to track it down and give me an answer answer. 👍

So I called the DeWalt Parts Department again (888-678-7278) and the lady that answered this time insisted that I take my vacuum to a factory service center. I tried to convince her that there isn’t anything on my vacuum that the pictures don’t already show. I told her that anyone could go into their warehouse and get the two parts that are supposed to fit each other and see for themselves that they don’t fit.

She insisted that I call the Factory Service Center in Utah (I’m in California) because they have the parts and could look at them. She put me on hold to get their number but when she came back she told me that she had looked at the pictures that I had uploaded. She forwarded them to her supervisor and the supervisor was going to contact the main parts warehouse.

Then it was, don’t call us, we’ll call you. So I don’t know if this is progress or not..🤣

I have called and emailed DeWalt several times after they sent me the “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” email.

Here is the answer I received today.

“This is the answer that I received back from the warehouse: The pictures you sent match exactly what they had in stock and this was the correct part. They said there was a change made at some point and they don’t have the original style. It was suggested that we send you a replacement different unit since the original inserts are not available anymore. We can send you the model number DCV585T2. If it is okay with you for us to send you this unit, please respond back to this email. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

👍😁

If I was Dewalt customer services I think I would have made this suggestion a couple of months ago! lol to think what it is costing them trying to work this out, giving you a new vacuum is a much more cost effective solution 😉

Paul_Delahaye wrote:

On 2/18/2022 at 7:44 AM, Paul_Delahaye said:

If I was Dewalt customer services I think I would have made this suggestion a couple of months ago! lol to think what it is costing them trying to work this out, giving you a new vacuum is a much more cost effective solution 😉

I asked them for a replacement several times and offered to return all of the parts they sent me plus my old vacuum. I would have been happy to just have a new DCV581H and they could have everything else.

Now I have my DCV581H that I modified so it’s usable, several clamshells and clamshell inserts that I don’t need and a new DCV585T2 that I really don’t want…

After all these years I finally received the part I needed to repair my vacuum.

Several months ago I contacted DeWalt to see if they had finally updated their reference information and listed the correct part for my vacuum clamshell insert. Nope. I spent several months emailing the Service Department and they would eventually 

1. Send me the wrong part.

2. Tell me to take my vacuum to a Service Center.

I would wait a week and start again with a new person and eventually get the same results. 

One day I did a Google search for “DeWalt Clamshell Insert” but didn’t specify the model number, after going through the long list of results, I saw a part number that I didn’t recognize at Parts Warehouse. It listed the part as compatible with my tool and as a replacement for the part that I needed. None of the DeWalt Service Department techs had mentioned this part was available. I contacted DeWalt and requested the part. I’m happy to say it was what I needed. 

If you have a DCV-581H Type 1 and break the clamshell insert, try part DWB-5170063-13 for the right side and DWB-5170063-14 for the left.

Wow, that’s a long road.  Thanks for the information.  Seems like no matter what power tool brand it is, it’s always hard to get something fixed.  Hilit is the only one I have heard that is easy to deal with.