Problem: PC Split in 2

Well, I'm back you guys and I'm definitely not happy yet again. Yet another thread about my PC problems, in which my first one was about 6 months ago (Problem: Melted Backing Plates). I'm starting to feel that my PC is cursed or something because of all these unfortunate series of events :doh:.

Anyway, my PC is less than one year old and I take amazing good care of it. Never dropped, only placed down gently on whatever surface is available at the moment. At most, I have only used the thing 6 months out of the whole year I had it so age is definitely not a factor shrug.

Story Time! (I know you like these

On Saturday, I was detailing a red 08 Volvo C30 for a client who wanted my standard 1 day correction package with my friend, Brian N, who was using his Flex. We were doing this Volvo tag-team style to make it easier on us. Thank god we did that since my PC decided to explode on itself 3/4 finished with one stepping the vehicle. That meant I had to finish up my half of the car with M105 and a foam pad by hand thud

There is a rod that spins in the PC which ties to the counterweight and other parts which make the PC an orbital. That rod has snapped at the base for who knows what reason during the detail. As you can imagine, the backing plate (grrr) and the PC internals blasted out of its holder. Thank god that it did not hit the client's vehicle and I was only spurring the pad!

Now I am left with a broken PC and unable to polish anything (again! :doh. Feeling sad and frustrated too :waiting:

Pictures
(The pad is off center due to the force the whole thing hit the ground. Was perfectly center before it blew up :sorry





Now for the REAL question...
Anyone else had this happen to them or hear of another person having this problem????

:doh::doh::doh::doh::doh::doh::doh::doh::doh::doh:

 

I have never seen that happen, plus I really feel must everyone that has had a backingplate problem or something mechanical happen to the pc is user error. I have had two pc's for over five years, not one problem. My dad has had his for over 20 years and it is used everyday in is wood working shop and has zero problems and he is not the kindest to it.
Personally I feel it is being used beyond its intent since people are destroying backing plates and now a shaft/rod is being broken. Without a doubt sounds like to much pressure being used. I realize stuff breaks but there is way to many problems and Porter Cable makes some of the best tools out there. Looks like to me it is time to move up to a rotary and not blame the pc for doing something it is not intended to do or be forced to do.

 

Wow, that sucks man. Where'd you buy the PC from? I'm pretty sure they would replace it.

 

Sorry to hear you're having problems. It looks like that PC didn't pass the eyezack87 test. Good luck to you...:thumb:

 

That is definitely odd. I have seen the thread on the backing plate thread break, but I haven't seen a counter weight assembly break off like that!

 

wow :thud:

Can't say that's ever happened to me, but then again I didn't keep my PC long enough.

Consider this as a sign, that you need to upgrade to a rotary that is :wicked:

 

Could be user error but I'm pretty sure mine was jinxed from the beginning. My friend also had it melt on him too so :shrug:

I got it from Detailed Image. Currently working with Greg on my options :thumb:

Lol, I guess not. I was actually being gentle on it after the BP melted too :shead:

+2 to that. From what Greg told me, I'm the only isolated cause that he knows of so far :doh:

LOL. That cheered me up quite a bit Carlos. I'm actually looking into a Makita right now since I can get it for under $180 with the bag, BP, and 2 pads shipped. Gonna take the plunge pretty soon but I'm planning to fix the PC first before deciding :applause2:

 

There is two reasons why the backing plate would melt, one would be too much pressure and the other using the wrong gauge extension cord. I see you are using a 6inch inch orange pad, so you are doing some decent correction work, this would lead me to believe there was alot of pressure which would cause your last to problems. I think it is time to move up to a rotary and leave the pc to light duty work.

 

There is actually a third reason. It could have been defective. My PC has been known to run "hot" after extended polishing periods no matter the pressure. It happened on the Volvo despite using less than the weight of my PC itself! That orange pad you see in the pic was paired with Prima Swirl as nothing else would finish the paint. I had to lift my PC to lessen the weight of itself since the sheet metal collapsed under any pressure on the roof/hood. You must also remember that this series of events may have been due to the machine itself. While PC is known to come out with some great stuff, that does not necessarily make them Gods of each thing they make. Don't forget that I'm still stuck with my original PC

Also, you are aware that LC had 3 BP revisions in the past 2 years or so correct? Melting the original, first, and second revisions created the current one that we see today. I can honestly say that they have made a plate that even withstands my PC (they made me send back #2 for diagnosis to help create #3 I think). The original and first were user error for your reasons stated, but the second one had no excuse as I had learned properly by that time :shead:.

Anyway, enough of placing the blame here and there. What happened, happened for whatever the reason. I don't want to defend myself later on due to more arguing (you'll have to excuse me but that is all I see between us atm). I'm taking my PC to the repair depot by my house Friday to get this sorted out.

And yes, I am looking at a rotary as a 2nd tool for any future problems that will or may come :thumb:

 

Not arguing with you at all. I was trying to explain to you the reasons why it probably failed.
If you re-read my first post I said that there is possible defect of the tool itself, just find it highly unlikely. Once again you explained it was getting hot and in my second I mentioned using the correct gauge extension cord because people were using to small of a gauge cord about a year ago wihen this same problem occured. Yes I am aware of the bad batch of backing plates once again that was well over a year also. I just want to be to be aware of just faulting the tool look at how it is being used. That is also why I suggested it looks like it is time for a rotary especially after having to problems within a years time.

 

I understand trying to explain the reasons to me, believe me, but I have my reasons for faulting the tool since it still gets warm/hot to the touch with the correct cord and the problems it gave my friend when he used it. I just never gave it much thought after the current BP came out again and I didn't melt it since I thought that all PCs were like that (guess not) :shrug:. No matter what the PC will always be warm/hot/problematic for me no matter if I use it like a normal person or not. Its always been that way and I just learned to accept it :shrug:. You could be right in the aspect that I should upgrade though. I've challenged myself and my PC to do what most people consider useless to try by wetsanding and polishing it out with success. Pushing my PC to its limits was sort of a thing I had to do just to justify not buying a rotary since I did not have cash at the time. Unfortunately, for all we know, we may be seeing the results of that now with what happened. Nothing is ever certain I guess

 

my pc has been around for years, and its get tossed around...very strange

 

Small update for those who are keeping up or are just curious. I went to the PC Repair center today . I'm the only person in pretty much all of California to have this problem since this guy started repairing PC tools :yikes:

He said pretty much a small stress fracture on the shaft coupled with the hours that I've put on it (roughly 120 in the past year) would lead to that. Go figure :shrug:

On the positive note, I ORDERED A MAKITA <3 :headbang:

 

Glad to hear that it is getting fixed and you are stepping up to the rotary.

 

Congrats on ordering the Makita!

 

To make it clear he was using a more than adequate gauge cord when this happened. I suspect that his first BP melted because he did not have the proper cord at that time. But like I said that was resolved almost a year ago. This was also not pressure related as he said before we where working on the roof the the car and anything more than the weight of the machine would cause it to flex inward.

I am just glad how lucky he was not damaging any of the car/paintwork when any of these incidents happened truly a miracle.

Can't wait to test out your Makita Isaac!

 

Congrats on the new Makita :applause:

 

congrats!!!!!!!! you got a real machine now buddy!!! your gonna say wtf was i thinking not having one of these before.

 

Si, so far I'm loving how smooth the Makita is :applause2:

Thanks Denzil! Now to read up and practice on that scrap bootlid in my backyard :headbang:

Haha, thanks Brian. You should come over Monday to play with my Foam Cannon and Makita oke:

Haha, thanks Carlos :thumb:

Its definitely a lot smoother than what I expected. I used it to spur the pad and omg its loud at high RPMs. Gotta buy ear plugs finally lol :crasy:

Hope I don't break this thing opcorn: