Rupes Mille May need service?

TTQ B4U

TTQ B4U

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Last June 12, 2018 I bought a Rupes Mille polisher and it's been great. Until yesterday that is. I noticed it was operating a bit louder and having pulled the car out of my work space and using it, I confirmed that it indeed may need some service. It seems louder and not as smooth on non-flat areas and when moving to those areas the pitch changes and it gets louder. I check the backing plate and the screw to the counterweight, etc. and all was tight but there is a wobble to it.

Now I can't say I know if the backing plate area wobbled when new or not but I do notice in the video below that it does and thus I'm concerned and would like to send it in for repair if the costs are reasonable or if given it's just out of warranty that perhaps something can be done to help there even? I know it's an "ask" of them but given the cost of the unit and the fact that it's only 14 months used, I have to inquire about it. Especially given this is my first polisher to go-down as the others are several years older and doing just fine. This is my first Rupes unit so my experience with it vs my Flex 3401's is newer.

Should I simply call the main number later today or what insight/help would you suggest?

here's the video link YouTube

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
 
That looks like a failing bearing to me


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minerigger said:
That looks like a failing bearing to me
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I agree and that's what it "sounds like" to my ears. I've contact Rupes and they make the process less painful. All depends on how much it costs in the end. I'm not sure if they will cover this under the flat $95 repair rate. I like that they cover shipping both ways which helps.

I'll make my determination of my continued purchasing of their items once I see the final bill and working tool. Initially I'm a bit surprised it only lasted 14 months. I've said it all along that I felt from my initial comparison between the Flex 3401 that the Mille was built for smooth operation but not durability. My Flex units are 2 and 4 years old and going extremely well. Zero issues.

ffwd to the future, should the Mille fail again within just a year or two, I'll likely forgo the second repair and simply buy another Flex. Time will tell.
 
Update:

Gave shout out to Rupes on FB but now here on AG. Tool went down after 14 months of light to moderate use - 1-2 vehicles per week, which was a bit surprising. FFWD to it being just barely out of warranty, etc I sent it in with a full understanding that it my cost me some money. However, Rupes USA has always come across here and elsewhere as a stand-up group that takes care of their customers to the level one hopes for from a company in 2019 and they came through for me here too giving me not only great service but a little something extra that goes a long long way.

Their repair statement said the brushes were replaced (no symptoms of them going bad though) but the also that the head was loose and all parts were replaced with NEW parts and the unit fully cleaned, preped, tested and sent back out. The turn time was less than 7 days which is outstanding and shipping was paid both ways, another outstanding service plus.

Overall, a not so good experience turned very good and handled like anyone would want and hope for from a great company. Here's a big THANK YOU to the team at Rupes USA and hopes that my Mille will now be back up and running and tackling a 2017 Jaguar this weekend.

Regards!!
 
Aaaaand THATS why they are worth it and we pay a premium for them. Won’t get that with the knockoff ones.


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Glad they took care if you. Sounds like Griots level of service with a $95 charge...... jk. It’s nice when you do pay for a service and the company goes above and beyond.


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SWETM said:
That's great customer service!
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Brandon Wetch said:
Aaaaand THATS why they are worth it and we pay a premium for them. Won’t get that with the knockoff ones.
Click to expand...

Coatingsarecrack said:
Glad they took care if you. Sounds like Griots level of service with a $95 charge...... jk. It’s nice when you do pay for a service and the company goes above and beyond.
Click to expand...

Agree with all of you. The best part is it was all covered under warranty so I didn't have to pay anything. Unit arrives today too.
 
Mike Phillips said:
One thing for sure, excellent customer service never costs money, it makes money.

Nice work RUPES.


:dblthumb2:
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Yes it does. They not only made lemon-aid out of my situation they made me a full Lemon Meringue Pie and it was delicious.
 
Couples additional added touches:

They gave me a new box packing my unit like it was brand new. This is nice as I tossed out the original Carton and had to use a generic Federal Express box to send the unit into them. All the paperwork with very detailed notes included as well.

They gave me a Rupes branded cord Clip to replace the generic one I included and finally they included a very nice hand written thank you note.

All very classy.
2bbdf017cb0848379a1d2a4e9cd7da91.jpg


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So that support is much like Apple can be at times. Product is super expensive, considered premium. It's out of warranty but you may still get lucky and they repair it for free. They seem to go above and beyond to make (at least some) customers happy.

I know some others didn't get the same treatment and either had to pay the flat fee to get it fixed or gave up on the machine/brand.
 
BSoares said:
I know some others didn't get the same treatment and either had to pay the flat fee to get it fixed or gave up on the machine/brand.
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I think it boils down to what was wrong with the machine and perhaps how it was treated. I could be wrong, just guessing. I do understand them perhaps being unhappy though. I was completely open to perhaps it being something I might have to eat once....but like you noted, I probably wouldn't trust the brand. Only time will tell how it's built.
 
Thanks for posting up some feedback. I was waiting for the Rupes haters to jump in to detract from this thread.

Enjoy the newly built polisher.
 
RZJZA80 said:
The next thing you know they'll be offering lifetime warranties.
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That would make it more desirable in my opinion. For a pro that might make enough profit in one job to buy a polisher, the lifetime warranty may not be a huge deal, especially if many jobs were done with that machine. But for the person that only details his/her own vehicles, it’s a huge deal. You don’t want to buy a $400 polisher and use it once or twice in a year and then the warranty is up. So if it fails year 2 and you only detailed 2 or 3 cars with that machine, that price tag seems extremely expensive.
 
BSoares said:
That would make it more desirable in my opinion. For a pro that might make enough profit in one job to buy a polisher, the lifetime warranty may not be a huge deal, especially if many jobs were done with that machine. But for the person that only details his/her own vehicles, it’s a huge deal. You don’t want to buy a $400 polisher and use it once or twice in a year and then the warranty is up. So if it fails year 2 and you only detailed 2 or 3 cars with that machine, that price tag seems extremely expensive.
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100% correct.

Not hating on Rupes, but as an enthusiast I would be pi$$ed at the price-to-usage failure ratio reported here, and on many other sites I have seen.

I am looking for performance/reliability/cost in ANY machine I purchase. And that includes vehicles, mowers, trimmers, pressure washers, leaf blowers, you name it.

Any of my above mentioned products that I have purchased have all had a satisfactory warranty. The least being 2 years.

No Rupes hating, just stating an undisputed fact.

That said, it is refreshing to read of TTQ's post. I hope the company can rectify these problems, and treat each customer the same way.
 
Yeah, I’m not hating either. They have fantastic machines that seem to be loved by everyone. I just can’t see myself paying their price and risking it going bad just past its warranty. As an enthusiast I want to make sure my money will go to a machine that can be repaired, free of charge, for several years at least. Lifetime just happens to be even better. If Rupes ever made their warranty better, they’d also make my decision much harder.
 
BSoares said:
Yeah, I’m not hating either. They have fantastic machines that seem to be loved by everyone. I just can’t see myself paying their price and risking it going bad just past its warranty. As an enthusiast I want to make sure my money will go to a machine that can be repaired, free of charge, for several years at least. Lifetime just happens to be even better. If Rupes ever made their warranty better, they’d also make my decision much harder.
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The thing with me is this:

I love having the warranty as peace of mind, but not one of my other machines have ever failed me with core issues. I do extensive research before purchasing anything.

To be fair, I am a mechanic. But Truth is truth.
 
Since when has stating a fact considered being a "hater"? If a company produces trash and its consumers have issues with their products and voices their experiences, doesnt mean they are haters, it means they are pissed off about spending their hard earned money on something they felt was a good investment only to have it fail a year later.

If they company doesnt like its customers spreading the word about they trash, then they should spend more money on research, development, and quality control to prevent consumers from going through the additional stress.

Some may think of this as not a big deal, but time is money when running a business and if a detailer did not have an additional polisher, this could be the difference between a person feeding their family and a person not being able to pay their mortgage. Since it is happening so often, I hope Rupes and all manufacturers start paying closer attention to what they throw into the market before they actually launch products.

Just my opinion, not being a hater.

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