Electric pressure washer

I had a big sized lunch about an hour ago. Im tired from lack of sleep. And Im needing some coffee. But, I would have sworn I had posted about Karcher on this thread!!


...

The thought definitely went through my mind, hows the quality of the machine when you can tell someone to keep a $300 pressure washer? Jurys out but Ill post again as this progresses.

That makes me wonder!! Sucks about that experience. Nothing rapid there at all.
Please keep us posted. I was actually reconsidering getting a Karcher again. Read below for more info (slightly more)


...

This is why I hate buying stuff through the mail. Cause if I buy it at Lowes and there is an issue Ill wheel that thing back in the store with the connectors still dripping water all over their floor for my refund.

But, I understand a lot of times the stuff you want is only available the the mail. So, I do it - but, only under protest.

I ordered a Karcher Unit (I swear, I remember writing about it) through Amazon. I was excited as this would be my first pressure washer. Was looking forward to some nice foaming action. Nope. After a moment, it stopped working. Couldnt figure it out. After about 15 min, I gave up, and packed it up to return it.

Heres where my return experience was good. Amazon. No questions asked. Complete the "form" online. Sent the unit back, no postage required. Got my full refund quick enough.
 
I bought mine through Amazon or better said an Amazon partner and they also have a 30 day no question asked return policy. The thing is that I want the pressure washer, err... uhh... I think I do. Like I said, Jurys still out but Im hopeful. At this point they can still make me happy. The customer is theirs to lose.


I had a big sized lunch about an hour ago. Im tired from lack of sleep. And Im needing some coffee. But, I would have sworn I had posted about Karcher on this thread!!




That makes me wonder!! Sucks about that experience. Nothing rapid there at all.
Please keep us posted. I was actually reconsidering getting a Karcher again. Read below for more info (slightly more)




I ordered a Karcher Unit (I swear, I remember writing about it) through Amazon. I was excited as this would be my first pressure washer. Was looking forward to some nice foaming action. Nope. After a moment, it stopped working. Couldnt figure it out. After about 15 min, I gave up, and packed it up to return it.

Heres where my return experience was good. Amazon. No questions asked. Complete the "form" online. Sent the unit back, no postage required. Got my full refund quick enough.
 
HA! Just found this in my email a few minutes ago. Not sure what happened but Jackie told me 7 to 10 business days. Guess Ill need to readjust my perception of the word: RAPID. ;)

Good Afternoon,

Thank you for providing your proof of purchase and rapid exchange form for your pressure washer. I have released your replacement unit for shipment. Your warranty confirmation number is XXXXXXXX. Please allow 10-15 business days for receipt of your replacement unit. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you
 
HA! Just found this in my email a few minutes ago. Not sure what happened but Jackie told me 7 to 10 business days. Guess Ill need to readjust my perception of the word: RAPID. ;)
That is rapid... If its shipping straight from China.

(I have no idea where theyre made.)

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
 
Actually I ordered a Foam Lance brand Foam Cannon to go along with this pressure washer. It came straight from China and was here via DHL in 6 days. Cost me $8 shipping. It too was from an Amazon partner and initially I didnt know where it was coming from. It said free shipping and I didnt read the fine print. The confirmation email said it would arrive between May 15th and May 31st. Thats when I read the fine print and paid the $8 to get expedited shipping. It came pretty quick given the circumstance.

That is rapid... If its shipping straight from China.

(I have no idea where theyre made.)

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
 
Anyone make the Karcher attachments work..[with other brands of pressure washers]..?
This thread is making me not want a Karcher, bit still would love the Karcher underbody attachment

Im curious too! Id like to get my Karcher attachments into play, but Im convinced that their Pressure Washers are a waste of my resources.
 
Anyone make the Karcher attachments work.with the snow joe or 390ss
This thread is making me not want a Karcher, bit still would love the Karcher underbody attachment

Im curious too! Id like to get my Karcher attachments into play, but Im convinced that their Pressure Washers are a waste of my resources.

No idea on the snow joe / 390ss.


That underbody attachment was actually next on my list!! But since the Karcher didnt work for me, didnt get it.

Maybe down the road?
 
I dont really need their underbody attachment since I have my WaterBrum (or however they spell it) Undercar Wand, but I do have some other attachements that I like and it kinda bugs me that they just sit here unused.
 
Replacement pressure washer is to arrive on Thursday. That would be 8 days from when the problem was discovered. Maybe its the Semi-Rapid Replacemet Exchange. :)
 
Accumulator, just how BIG is your garage?? You have loads of tools and such!

This is one of those questions like "how old is your dog?" that somehow stumps me...oughta know right off the top of my head but I dont!

The garage where I do my detailing/etc. is roughly 40 x 40 (subtract some shopfloor-space for the bathroom) with a 2nd-floor office thats about 18 x 13 plus two smallish(?) storage/mechanical rooms.
 
I said that Id keep you updated on the progress of my pressure washer. It hasnt gone as expected. The replacement washer showed up yesterday. It is a Karcher K5.740 and my original purchase was a K5 Premium. I had done a bit of research prior to buying the unit I did and had found the the K5.740 was a great machine but had a flaw, it could tip over when the hose was pulled and the hose inlet would break. The K5 Premium added a duck bill on the base of the machine that stopped this from happening and they added an additional year warranty to the Premium, the rest of the parts are identical.

I called the outsourcing company that handles the warranties and told them they had sent me the wrong machine. At this point Im bummed. I was on hold for some time only to have the person come back and tell me that the washer I received was an upgraded version of the Premium (folks the Premium has only been available since March 1st). I knew this wasnt correct and told them NO I dont want the one they had sent as the replacement. Well, she was going to check and get back to me.

About this time I was questioning what I thought I knew about these machines. I decided to go back to the Internet and could find nothing that told me specifically the differences between the two machines. I called Karcher Corporate on several numbers and was handed back and forth for hours. I finally talked to the Operator and told her my story and asked her if she couldnt find someone for me to speak with. She did and this guy was not in a position to answer the questions I had but said he would have someone contact me. Well, he did and she called me back. She too wasnt the person to cure my issue but did indicate that what I knew about the machines was correct and they were identical with the exception of the duck bill and the warranty. She said shed have someone call me. This all happened yesterday, the warranty people still hadnt gotten back to me. Oh and I had left a bunch of emails in various places as well.

This morning at 8 a.m. I started getting phone calls from Karcher Corporate, 3 total all willing to help. The first one indicated that he would have me a new K5 Premium to me in 5 to 7 days and oh, by the way, keep the unit that I received yesterday as a back up. Remember this is now the second unit theyve told me to keep though the first one leaked. I said thank you and went about changing the parts from the original to the one that I received yesterday so that I would have a working unit that wouldnt tip over. This all worked out great and the unit works just as you would expect. I also had a chance to compare all parts in these two units with a micrometer so that I knew which part to order for the unit that leaked. Its $50 and Ill add the duck bill to the K5.740. In short I should end up with 3 working K5 Premium washers. The jury is still out until I receive the third unit. Guys I tried hard to get these people to take these washers back. They wouldnt here of it.

Now to better the story I got a call from the warranty place and they too told me to keep the unit and they would be sending me another replacement. I of course in good conscience couldnt do this and told them no. Heres a pic of the updated unit, the leaking unit (the black fitting coming from the top of the bucket is the piece that leaks). Sorry for the quality of this picture, Ill take another when the 3rd one arrives.

image.jpeg
 
GearHead_1- Good heavens, this is turning into quite a saga! Other than the waste of your time and all the frustration, maybe itll turn out OK in the end. I do find it interesting and a little surprising that they (eventually) started to do something to resolve it properly.
 
I said that Id keep you updated on the progress of my pressure washer. It hasnt gone as expected. The replacement washer showed up yesterday. It is a Karcher K5.740 and my original purchase was a K5 Premium. I had done a bit of research prior to buying the unit I did and had found the the K5.740 was a great machine but had a flaw, it could tip over when the hose was pulled and the hose inlet would break. The K5 Premium added a duck bill on the base of the machine that stopped this from happening and they added an additional year warranty to the Premium, the rest of the parts are identical.

I called the outsourcing company that handles the warranties and told them they had sent me the wrong machine. At this point Im bummed. I was on hold for some time only to have the person come back and tell me that the washer I received was an upgraded version of the Premium (folks the Premium has only been available since March 1st). I knew this wasnt correct and told them NO I dont want the one they had sent as the replacement. Well, she was going to check and get back to me.

About this time I was questioning what I thought I knew about these machines. I decided to go back to the Internet and could find nothing that told me specifically the differences between the two machines. I called Karcher Corporate on several numbers and was handed back and forth for hours. I finally talked to the Operator and told her my story and asked her if she couldnt find someone for me to speak with. She did and this guy was not in a position to answer the questions I had but said he would have someone contact me. Well, he did and she called me back. She too wasnt the person to cure my issue but did indicate that what I knew about the machines was correct and they were identical with the exception of the duck bill and the warranty. She said shed have someone call me. This all happened yesterday, the warranty people still hadnt gotten back to me. Oh and I had left a bunch of emails in various places as well.

This morning at 8 a.m. I started getting phone calls from Karcher Corporate, 3 total all willing to help. The first one indicated that he would have me a new K5 Premium to me in 5 to 7 days and oh, by the way, keep the unit that I received yesterday as a back up. Remember this is now the second unit theyve told me to keep though the first one leaked. I said thank you and went about changing the parts from the original to the one that I received yesterday so that I would have a working unit that wouldnt tip over. This all worked out great and the unit works just as you would expect. I also had a chance to compare all parts in these two units with a micrometer so that I knew which part to order for the unit that leaked. Its $50 and Ill add the duck bill to the K5.740. In short I should end up with 3 working K5 Premium washers. The jury is still out until I receive the third unit. Guys I tried hard to get these people to take these washers back. They wouldnt here of it.

Now to better the story I got a call from the warranty place and they too told me to keep the unit and they would be sending me another replacement. I of course in good conscience couldnt do this and told them no. Heres a pic of the updated unit, the leaking unit (the black fitting coming from the top of the bucket is the piece that leaks). Sorry for the quality of this picture, Ill take another when the 3rd one arrives.

View attachment 30616

http://www.autopia.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30616&d=1461951627
I could always take one of those off your hands. ;)

You have a lot more patience than I do, Im not sure that Id want to deal with them anymore after all that.

Third times a charm, right?

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
 
Yes, the third time might be a charm but please understand I do have a unit that is as it is supposed to be after just 2 units. Its taken far too much time and a little time with a screwdriver in my hand but the unit on the right works great or at least has tested great, the other unit I can fix. I got a good buy up front ($249), after buying the broken manifold and adding a duck bill ($65 shipped) to one unit I should have 3 units, 2 with full warranties for about $15 over the regular retail price of one. If you look at the picture you can see the duck bill (held on by 4 screws) at the base of the unit all the other pieces are there, I just havent shown them.
 
GearHead_1- Good heavens, this is turning into quite a saga! Other than the waste of your time and all the frustration, maybe itll turn out OK in the end. I do find it interesting and a little surprising that they (eventually) started to do something to resolve it properly.

Accuumulator, yes, it is worth saying that working with the outsourced warranty people is not nearly as effective as working with the boys and girls from corporate. Once I got a hold of someone in Denver things happened and happend the way they should have from the first call telling them of the defective unit. You probably wouldnt believe how hard I tried to give this new unit back to them in exchange for the one I purchased. First the guy said they couldnt sell it as new. I told him I hadnt even cut the plastic straps off of the box to open it. He said it just isnt cost effective for them to ship it back and said keep it for a back up. The first defective unit I could kind of understand as it not only involved shipping but parts and labor and still not be able to sell as new. This second machine however was just as it came off of the assembly line.

I seriously burned about 3 hours trying to find someone that could tell me the difference between the 2 machines and thats all I was looking for in a voice from headquarters. I wanted to be able to tell the warranty people that I knew this machine was not an upgrade. Once they heard the story they wanted to fix it. Dont know what DixieSales (the warranty people) do for Karchers perhaps otherwise good name but someone there knew that the unit they provided me was not an updated unit but rather my machines predecessor. I view that like telling me a fib and hoping Id just go away. In the end Karcher is responsible for the entity they choose to handle their warranties, so ultimately they are to blame. They did indicate that both the warranty company and the machines actual warranty was new. Maybe theyre just trying to get the bugs out. I purchased the unit from an Amazon partner that is called CPO Outlets, they were never involved after the point of sale though they do have 30 day no questions asked return policy.

Nothing stopping me from using this machine now other than its rained all week long. :)
 
GearHead_1- Very interesting, and kinda what Id expected. Seems like a lot of products just arent worth actually sending back these days.

Sounds to me like Karcher oughta rethink some of their affiliations.

And that ~3 hours mustve been an exercise in frustration! Good on you for sticking with it.

Fingers crossed that everythings OK now!
 
Had a chance to use a pressure washer today. This is the second one sent to me, the wrong one but with the first machine`s foot on it, so now it`s the same as the one I ordered. The third machine will be here this week and the part to repair the first machine and a new foot are on their way and should be here Friday. Hate to get to caught up in this but it`s looking like I`ll end up with 3 new machines. Certainly help better the frustration I`ve felt the past few weeks with this purchase.

I was very satisfied with both the pressure washer and the new foam cannon. This picture doesn`t really do this duo justice as I didn`t think to take my phone outside when I first started. I had just used up the mix in the cannon and thought I should get a picture of this. I went in the house to get the phone, a couple of minutes elapsed. The foam was even more dense than the picture shows. In fact the foam was as good as any of the YouTube`s I`ve seen demonstrating thick foam. It was probably a bit better than what I`ve gotten with my gas pressure washer and it`s cannon.

By the way this is McKee`s 37 Shampoo. Smells like mint. First time I`ve used it, I quite liked it.

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