Used DA polishers - what to look for?

prostar

prostar

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I'm hoping to get into this hobby, but not quite ready to throw down big $$ on a polisher. Is it a good idea to buy used? If so, what should I be aware of when inspecting it?

For example, theres check lists when you buy a used car. Is there something similar for used polishers?

Thanks all!

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You can get a new porter cable for about $125. A new griots garage for about the same. Both great machines. The griots has a lifetime warranty. A great way to dip your toes in. After that it is a slippery slope. Good luck. Phil
 
I’ve had good luck with used polishers. I’ve bought most of them from Autopia as returns. I bought two off eBay and had no problems. You can email the seller and ask why they are selling. If they say that they just don’t use it, look at the pictures and it should look not used. Stay away from pawn shop sellers. Buy a Rupes and if you have any problems you can send it to their repair facility and they will fix it for a fee. There should be a ton of Rupes MKIIs coming up for sale now that the MKIIIs are being presold. Wait until the MKIIIs are on the shelves and you will see some excellent prices on new MKIIs.

When looking at the pictures I look hard at the backing plate, if it looks new I feel pretty safe.
 
every detailer should own at least one traditional style DA (i've said it many times) and the GG6 (like a jack of all trades) can tackle most anything you throw at it with the variety of different backing plates and pads available today. a long throw polisher shouldn't be your only polisher but more of an addition. you can always add another polisher later down the road to accompany it *if need be*. the GG6 is money well spent and GG back their products, so buy with confidence...

Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips

 
The Porter Cable is rock solid. I've bough and sold a few of the the first gen 7424, and the current 7424xp.

Never a problem either way.

My associate was having issues with his 2011 7424xp. It's power was drastically reduced. Once I took it apart, it was the brushes. Ten dollars and about ten minutes later that thing was working like it was brand new...

I've picked them up where the backing plate was shot, but the tool looked like it had maybe an hour of use on it.

I have two Rupes Duettos, and two Minis. One Mini I got here from AG, and everything else was used. The main Duetto is a 2014 model, and runs perfectly. The one I found locally on Craigslist is basically brand new.

I bought a used 3401 for $140.00 + 40 shipping. The issue I had with that was a occasional drops in power. A simple tightening of one of the internal screws took care of that.

I don't know. Maybe I got lucky?
 
Awesome input and advice guys! In general, it sounds like picking up a used established BRANDED polisher is a safe play. Even if it has an issue, some tinkering could fix it or send it in for repair.

Does Griots warranty carry over to a 2nd owner?

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Make sure the person selling it has the right to sell it.

I'm currently involved in unwinding a problem I caused myself by purchasing a used polisher from an individual. It appears the company that supplied his shops tools actually owns the polisher.

I think I'm going to come out whole, but it's a hassle, and even though I know I did nothing intentionally nefarious, I feel like did.

I can't discuss the details yet (well, maybe it's more I'm afraid to). But do yourself a favor and do a bit more due diligence than I did.
 
mk9750 said:
Make sure the person selling it has the right to sell it.

I'm currently involved in unwinding a problem I caused myself by purchasing a used polisher from an individual. It appears the company that supplied his shops tools actually owns the polisher.

I think I'm going to come out whole, but it's a hassle, and even though I know I did nothing intentionally nefarious, I feel like did.

I can't discuss the details yet (well, maybe it's more I'm afraid to). But do yourself a favor and do a bit more due diligence than I did.
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Whoa. That's some shady stuff right there. If the seller had bad intentions to sell stolen goods, he/she would've said anything to make the sale. I'm not sure how much more due diligence you could have done. I'm sorry you have to go through that headache. Thank you for the heads up and sharing your experience.

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As soon as I resolve it, I'll tell the whole story. But the evidence this was owned by someone else actually was almost too obvious. I should hve seen it.

I'd estimate that between buying and selling, I have close to 100 transactions, maybe more, of used goods. And never once have I been given reason to think anything funny was going on. So my guard was down, for sure. But I'd be happy if my mistake can serve someone else. Good luck to you!
 
I would check to make sure that the power switch locks and doesn't slip out of position (failing switch) and that all of the positive stops on the speed dial are working.
Check that the running machine's power is steady and doesn't ebb-n-flow (brushes going bad).
I would bend the power cord a few inches at a time from one end to other while it is running to see if the power cord is going bad (broken wires). The problems are usually where the power cord protective boot ends or close to the plug.
I would grab the backing plate and see if it wiggles and rocks back and forth to see if the free spinning spindle bearings are worn and loose.
 
DBAILEY said:
I would check to make sure that the power switch locks and doesn't slip out of position (failing switch) and that all of the positive stops on the speed dial are working.
Check that the running machine's power is steady and doesn't ebb-n-flow (brushes going bad).
I would bend the power cord a few inches at a time from one end to other while it is running to see if the power cord is going bad (broken wires). The problems are usually where the power cord protective boot ends or close to the plug.
I would grab the backing plate and see if it wiggles and rocks back and forth to see if the free spinning spindle bearings are worn and loose.
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@dbailey Thank you! That's a good checklist of what issues may arise. Have you successfully troubleshot these issues before? I love to tinker and bring dead things back to life (thus the high interest in detailing lifeless cars).

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Yes, but only on my own polishers. Usually cord or brushes. I've bought 2 used machines in the past but there were no problems.
 
The pads the owner has will tell a better story than anything else. If it comes with 3 or 4 barely used pads, you probably have a winner. Dozens of worn out pads, pass!
 
prostar said:
Awesome input and advice guys! In general, it sounds like picking up a used established BRANDED polisher is a safe play. Even if it has an issue, some tinkering could fix it or send it in for repair.

Does Griots warranty carry over to a 2nd owner?

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yes it does....Griots customer service is outstanding
 
briarpatch said:
Griots customer service is outstanding
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agreed ^
1. they actually answer their phones/emails. 2. they don't blame the customer and/or have a negative/talk down tone. 3. they do what they can to make the customer happy. 4. back their products 110% 5. your hard earned money is your voice, spend it wisely with a company/business that appreciates you like GG. 6. many other great things that make this company worthy of having some of their products in your detailing arsenal.
 
Thank you for the griots feedback. Now it really makes sense why I cant really find any 2nd hand GC products. Original owners get fantastic customer service and have no need to sell off their polishers.

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I've run my polishers through a ton of pads in the last year, I'm not sure that's a good indication of polisher life. I mean are we spending $400 on a Rupes to get 4 pads worth of use out of it?
 
Speaking of used polishers, I picked up a like new used 21 Mark II on eBay today for $272.
 
sudsmobile said:
Speaking of used polishers, I picked up a like new used 21 Mark II on eBay today for $272.
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Is this the beginning of seeing mark 2 dropping because of mark 3 coming soon??

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