That's probably the best idea I've heard about cleaning the filter. I always pulled mine out and made a mess. I finally learned to put my trash dumpster under the vacuum while I pulled the filter to catch the majority of the filth that drops off and didn't stick to my sweaty arms. Another vacuum to clean the vacuum illustrates there's a definite problem with the design. I agree it worked great if you kept the filter clean. It had a lot of suction, moved a lot of air, and worked great up until the day I heard the motor slugging down. I turned it off before it locked completely up and burned up. I still have it around somewhere. I might open it up and see if a bearing is seized on it. As you, I only used it on my wife's car and my truck. I think I vacuumed my floor with it once because it had an appliance to do that. I was floored when it quit working after a couple years with the small amount of use it got. Maybe I just got the lemon. I hope yours lasts a lifetime. If you ever rip your filter let me know and I'll send you mine if I still have it by then. I'm getting ready to clear out every extra molecule, atom, etc.... in my house, garage, and shed.
