Aaron's gonna teach everyone how to lose $700...

...In thirty minutes or less.

So here's how the story goes. I'm working on this M6 this weekend. And I start the decontamination stage and I am in the process of washing the car when all of the sudden my pressure washer starts acting up. I start thinking to myself maybe it just has to do with the lack of pressure going TO the system, since I keep water flow very low as to prevent premature failure of the resin (irony on its way). So I'm washing..whatever and then I get fed up with the really low pressure I'm dealing with. So I go over.. turn the water pressure up a bit. Nothing happens! I continue on saying "well, as long as I can foam the car, I'll be fine". I BARELY make it past the foaming stage with tons of effort to get the car foamed properly. I then switch hoses to another nozzle, since this one leaks quite a bit. So I switch hoses.. NOTHIN'!!

By this point I'm getting pretty agitated. I've not had good luck with pressure washers in the past.. losing two campbell haufield PW's within a 6 month period. This Karcher is almost brand new.. bought a month a go or so. I paid $180+tax so $200 for this.. and I'm getting mad this one may have bit the dust!!

But before I get my panties in a bunch about the pressure washer, I move over to the CR Spotless and see if I can find the problem there. I start to unscrew the right resin container.

This is what I find.



I try and pull it out.. but I can't. The resin mixed with the water has created an extremely tight seal around the cartridge. So I had so bang it upside down on the concrete until it loosened. So I finally got it out. Next:







I just bought new resin two weeks ago, mind you.

So I'm wondering WTF happened.. called my dad out. He looks at it for two seconds and says "they better cover this under warranty" I say "what?"

This is what we found:





So what had happened? The seals around the piece that screws on to the kart that feeds water to the resin had burst. How? Beats me. As I said, I keep the pressure so low, I often times don't have enough to run a pressure washer. I've tried to call CR Spotless numerous times so far today. No answer. Maybe they're on vacation :shrug:

Also, the resin got to the pump of my pressure washer. I assume dirt like substance+pressure washer pump=fail.

I also called my insurance agent. He's checking in to it right now to see if it's worth claiming, since my deductible is only $250.

So, how does it all add up?

CR Spotless: $500--can't simply replace the cartridges because I ruined the seal on the blue thing trying to get the cartridge out. I'm sure I could fix it if CR won't cover it though..
Pressure Washer: $200
Wondering what the hell you're going to do without DI water for at least a week: Priceless.


Anyone who wants to take the advice, feel free!! :thud:

:doh:

Aaron

 

Damn, that sucks man. I tried contacting CR as well and I haven't heard back from them either. I may just have to return my unit for a refund and make do with some other solution.

 

I'm very sorry that this happened to you...What a major let down...I do hope that things work out for you in the end...Please, Keep us posted...:shrug:

We're all here for you if you need to rant or whatever...:support:

 

Denzil, Are you having problems too...I know that SSTG just bought one and I'm in the market as well...What is your issue...:shrug:

 

Hmm. Soory to hear your having a bad time Aaron. I hope this all works out for you and CR Spotless stands behind their product and you get it taken care of without any cost to you.

 

Wait your pressure washer is broken?

 

Yeah, I'm hoping they'll answer on monday??

Thanks dude! Yeah I'll keep everyone posted.

His resin went kaput after two washes

Thanks Roger! They better..

I'm going to take it apart and see. But it looks like the pump is clogged with all the resin that go into it.

 

Very similar thing hell almost the exact same thing happened to mine. What happened is the inner filter at the top has come dislodged. Mine was the one on the left as you look at the CR. Which was yours? Mine happened after I had transported it a good ways for a detail and I had laid it down in the back of my Jeep to fit everything in. I thought that maybe that laying it down and the sheer weight caused it to dislodge and thus letting the resin out. Well just like yours the plastic piece at the top of that filter where it screws into the cap had torn and this allows it to just fall out.

What I did was wrap the top of the filter where that plastic piece once was with electrical tape. I wrapped it several times and built it up enough so that it was an extremely tight fit back into the cap. I mean I had to push and twist to get it into the cap. Once in there it wouldn't come out and I've had no more problems. One other thing I would recommend is that when changing the resins unscrew the bottom cap as it doesn't have that filter. I think the less you have that filter exposed the better off you are. I had been meaning to contact CR about getting a replacement cap with the filter already in it to screw onto my resin cansiters.

I had this happen to me about 3 times before I figured out the above fix with electrical tape. The first few times I just put the filter back in but it would inevitably fall back out. Most pressure washers have a screen filter for the water supply and that should have kept most of the resin from entering the pump. Maybe we should check into this together and see what CR says.

 

Yeah, just like Aaron said. I did a full wash on my Integra followed by a full was on our family Tacoma (following weekend) and was only able to get two washes out of my resin according to my TDS meter. Before I started I was at 0 PPM and when I finished the Tacoma, I was at 66-67 PPM. I guess my water is THAT hard? :shead:

I contacted CR via their website about a week ago and I contacted them again as well but haven't heard anything yet. I'm hoping I'll hear something from them next week so I can get this issue resolved since two full washes with a Karcher pressure washer is ridiculous and definitely not cost efficient. I may have to return it to Costco and find an alternative method, which is really what I don't want to do. :thud:

 

Wow guys im really sorry yall are having this problem...in my honest opinion you guys spent too much money on this unit to have it f'n up on you....i would really seriously tell CR they need to do something about your pressure washer, their unit is what caused the lodging in your pump...damn shame

 

Have you taken both filters out and ran water through it to see what your TDS readings are? It could be possible that your water is bad, and not any fault of the CR.

 

very sorry to hear that, Aaron. Hey, by the way, CR Spotless at Costco online is $369 instead of $450 on their site. If offers free shipping, but you have to pay sales tax, so it's a little over $400. As far as pressure washer, I have the same one you have, and I bought it at Costco in store, $148 plus tax, it's not available online... This should at least narrow it down to $600 in damages, but you can claim for the full price, don't tell them you can get it cheaper.

 

Yeah this is exactly what I'm trying to find out from CR. Could my water be so bad that I only get two washes out of it... that's what I want to know. :shead:

I guess I just have a hard time accepting that my resin would go bad so quickly.

 

What was the reading with the filters out?

 

Wow that those pictures don't look pretty :scared:

Sorry to hear you guys are having such a hassle with the CR unit, really strange how that happened though. Can't say I have ever had any issues like that.

Wish you guys the best, hope it all works out for you guys.....but I'm curious, could you guys keep this thread updated on how you make out with CR, I'm just curious how you make out that's all.

 

Man, what a doozie. Those are some expensive pieces in our arsenals and it's a shame to see them fail...

 

I wonder if your TDS meter is bad. You should run some water through your CR with the resins in and capture a sample of the water and have it tested with a TDS meter. I tested my tap water with our TDS meter at work. We have to test the TDS of all the water throughout the steam cycle and the meter is a really nice one. If you don't have access to one and you want it checked see if you can find someone that works in a power plant and see if they will test it for you as I'm sure they have one for their water chemistry. If that doesn't work you could take a sample and send it to me and I'll test it for you.

The reason I wonder this is because you would have to have some absolutely horrible water for it to go bad after two washes. Heck I don't think that water would be safe for human consumption if it can ruin a mixed resin bed that quickly. The one time I've gone mobile with mine I had it hooked up to well water and it made the reading go up but it didn't go above 20 and I washed two cars with it. Got up to like 18 or 19 but not 60 something like yours did. I would think your resins are still good and your meter is bad. I've gotten really lucky in that I've been getting my resin refills for free so when what happened to d00t happened to me I wasn't out anything.

 

After hearing all this. I'm going to wait and but my Metabo first and see what happens with you guys. What a shame. It just shouldn't be this way...Good luck

 

OH YEAH!! Speaking of TDS meters.. the wires on my SHEERED off the the plug. Good thing my dad's an engineer (Denzil ). He's being soldering shit since he was 10 and he took the whole meter apart.. and soldered all the wires back to the plug to put back in the meter. So if it wasn't for his crafty soldering/electrical work I would have had to buy another whole new machine, because you can't simple buy the meter (but I'd need new wires.. not a new meter). :yikes::yikes:

They better answer Monday...

 

I don't know if I posted this or not.. but talked to my insurance agent. This is what he had to say (btw he's a kick ass guy):