Are Karcher window vacs a good product ?

S

S class

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I have had two of these Karcher Window Vacs. Model WV 2 Plus.
Each one has ceased operating after a period of approximately 20 months.
They just stop taking a charge. Karcher state that they do not repair them and do not provide spare parts.

Am I just incrediblly unlucky or are these windows vacs a waste of money ?
 
Yes. The first was bought in Argos and as they had left Ireland I contacted Karcher and they provided a replacement. Now the replaced unit has become faulty within two years of supply, but Karcher are refusing to supply another replacement.
They have told me that my contract is with Argos and to deal with them.
While this is the correct legal position, it is a very poor response from Karcher.
 
S class said:
Yes. The first was bought in Argos and as they had left Ireland I contacted Karcher and they provided a replacement. Now the replaced unit has become faulty within two years of supply, but Karcher are refusing to supply another replacement.
They have told me that my contract is with Argos and to deal with them.
While this is the correct legal position, it is a very poor response from Karcher.
Click to expand...
most companies dont offer the same warranty on replacement products in my experience.
 
S class said:
Yes. The first was bought in Argos and as they had left Ireland I contacted Karcher and they provided a replacement. Now the replaced unit has become faulty within two years of supply, but Karcher are refusing to supply another replacement.
They have told me that my contract is with Argos and to deal with them.
While this is the correct legal position, it is a very poor response from Karcher
Click to expand...

Try the small claims court. It is surprisingly easy and effective. https://www.courts.ie/small-claims-procedure
 
Blackrock1 said:
most companies dont offer the same warranty on replacement products in my experience.
Click to expand...
Yes that is fair enough. I started this post to try to establish if other people get more than 20 months domestic use from these products. Karcher offered a 20 euro discount off a new window vac, but I am reluctant to spend any more money on their products.
 
Interesting considering I just bought one last week! I bought having seen friends who are cleaners for holiday homes use one for lots of jobs, they said it was great, although actually I seem to recall they said they had to replace for some reason. Must ask them again when I see them in case this is an ongoing problem!

Do you leave it plugged in continually charging out of curiosity?
 
I have one. I use it more in winter to dry up windows after condensation (I know, I know). I also use it in the shower regularly after using to keep the tiles/mirror cleaner a bit longer. I have it about 4 years and it still charges but now that you mention it, the last time I had to re-charge it after a few days for some reason. So looks like it may be on the last legs if what you say is happening. I only charge when necessary.
 
The small claims court would have to be against Argos who no longer operate here.

Even if they did, the scc would make a deduction for the use you got.

Seems you have had over 3 years of use of a relatively low priced item. (€70)

You might get €30 if you can show that it was a manufacturing defect.

But you won't get the scc fee of €25 nor the time value for the work involved.
 
I’ve seen third party adverts online for replacement batteries. No idea whether or not they are any good.
 
I have a WV1, 10/10. The blade is beginning to show signs of wear leaving the odd streak behind it. A quick polish with my trusty micro-fibre cloth fixes that.
 
mathepac said:
I have a WV1, 10/10. The blade is beginning to show signs of wear leaving the odd streak behind it. A quick polish with my trusty micro-fibre cloth fixes that.
Click to expand...
Often the cheapest product is the best choice. Karcher state that they don't repair the WV 2 or supply spare parts. So as far as they are concerned it's a throw in the bin after a few years appliance. So you are better off buying their cheapest binable appliance.

The WV 2 is actually reasonably repairable. I have watched a YouTube video showing the very easy battery replacement. It also showed how a standalone charge controller can be added if the inbuilt one is not working.

Karcher don't seem to be environmentally concerned.
 
Happened to meet my friends the cleaners this weekend so asked about the window vac, they had to return their first one as it had some fault or other, nothing to do with battery. They still have the replacement now several years later, working perfectly and used several times a week at least in their work so maybe not such a bad machine, maybe you were just unlucky.
 
I also had one which I purchased a few years ago. It also gave up working after (very light use) a couple of months. I meant to bring it back but it was put on the long finger and subsequently never did. I personally was not that impressed with it and wouldn't buy one again.
 
Here is what I have discovered. Firstly Karcher are deplorable for after sales service. They will not supply spare parts or provide a repair service for their window vacs. This is despite the fact that the WV2 is easily dismantled and spare batteries are widely available from online suppliers.

After watching several YouTube videos showing repairs to the WV2 it seems that the most common fault is that the motor becomes stuck due to water damage at its bearing. The videos showed the unit being dismantled and the motor being freed by spinning it slightly. This gets the unit working again.

I cured the stuck motor on my unit without needing to dismantle it.

This is done by unclipping the water tank from the unit. With the tank removed there is a small area of black plastic. In the black plastic is a small opening and inside this opening the white plastic motor fan blades are visible.

Just give these a slight push using a narrow stick and they will unstick the motor.

This repair took me about 30 seconds.

Having used the window vac after this I have noticed that some moisture is drawn back into the motor area during use.

This appears to be a design fault with this window vac.

Conclusion. Karcher do not offer a good after sales service and their window vac is poorly designed.
 
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