Washer or not

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Mike lambert

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I would like a few opinions on the washer mod for the rupes.
Mike says rupes says no, Kevin says he talked to them and it will not void warranty? Is it needed or not?
I am very happy with mine stock.
Just curious
 
LOL--as Mike Stoops noted in one thread, detailers never stop experimenting, even against recommendations! You're kind of answering your own question--Mike talked to the manufacturer and they recommend against the washer mod, and that's the end of that. Kevin is always pushing the edge of the envelope--according to your "quote" they didn't recommend it to Kevin--they only said it wouldn't void the warranty.
 
Needed? No

Does it help? IMO yes, more noticeably with MF pads. Speaking from experience with the 15mm version.

You've got nothing to lose to try it for yourself and see how it works for you.
 
g26er said:
Needed? No

Does it help? IMO yes, more noticeably with MF pads. Speaking from experience with the 15mm version.

You've got nothing to lose to try it for yourself and see how it works for you.
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hahaha except his warranty
 
Just so there's no confusion...

I've been detailing as long and in some cases longer than many on here and done my fair share of pushing envelopes.

That said, I'm not a free agent like most people on all the forums, I have responsibilities to showcase the Rupes line of products in accordance with Rupes.

I spoke with Marco D'Inca, the R & D Manager for Rupes and I specifically asked him why Rupes doesn't already offer the tool in this modified version and here is a paraphrase of what he told me...

The Rupes is designed to offer approximately 50% rotation and 50% oscillation and key influence on how this 50/50 operation is achieved is by the shroud behind the backing plate providing a measure of drag to prevent the backing plate and pad from rotating too fast.

He went on to say, with the washer installed you get about 90% rotation and about 10% oscillation and that is not how they designed the tool to work.
​

I'm pretty sure that's pretty close to what he told me at Mobil Tech Expo when I asked him this question at the Rupes booth. My percentages might be off a little but I'm pretty sure that's what he said.


I'm not an engineer nor am I a free agent on discussion forums like most of you. I'm very fortunate to have the very cool job that I have and am very thankful for it. So until I'm told otherwise I'm going to represent the Rupes company according to their wishes.


:)
 
g26er said:
As confirmed by KB via RUPES directly, it will *not* void warranty. Thanks though...
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The car detailing world like any industry is very fluid.

What is a norm or standard today could easily change tomorrow. Small companies have the ability to change faster than large companies and in most cases changes are due to improvements to technology or pushed changes to satisfy customer demand.

Keep in mind there are a lot of people that read this forum, including engineers, chemists, CEO's, etc. from a lot of companies.

Forums like this have an impact and that means your feedback and opinions are important. Of course it goes without saying to do your best to keep things professional and always make a good name for yourself, even a good forum nickname...


:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Forums like this have an impact and that means your feedback and opinions are important. Of course it goes without saying to do your best to keep things professional and always make a good name for yourself, even a good forum nickname...


:)
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Did I do/say something wrong?
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Not at all, I'm just typing big picture for everyone... I"ve been in this forum world a long time and it's a small world.


I only quoted you to highlight that Rupes has weighed in on the topic of warranty and modifications.


It's all good buddy... :dblthumb2:


:)
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Copy that :)
 
I realize Kevin has a vast knowledge of polishing paint, I however feel I would use the tool as it was designed. With as good as this machine is ,I think they got it right!
I did not mean to stir things up, just wondered why two of the best had such different answers to the washer
 
I used it both ways and i did find out that without the washer it wasn't that hard to stop it and with the washer it was almost impossible.
 
Mike lambert said:
I realize Kevin has a vast knowledge of polishing paint, I however feel I would use the tool as it was designed. With as good as this machine is ,I think they got it right!
I did not mean to stir things up, just wondered why two of the best had such different answers to the washer
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One thing to keep in mind is using it the way RUPES designed would mean also using RUPES pads and polishes. When they designed it I'm guessing (keep in mind it's only a guess) that they didn't design it with MF pads in mind. It's in this situation that I find the "washer mod" most beneficial.

Like what Mike posted above, they designed it for 50% rotation and 50% oscillation. Once you throw a fully primed MF pad on there the rotation drops a lot compared to using a RUPES pad and now you're at (just throwing out random numbers) 30% rotation and 70% oscillation. The washer just gives back that rotation that was lost using an MF pad. That is just my take on it using what Mike posted above as an example.

Washer mod or not, the machine is great. I just think it's a little better with especially when using a MF pad. :)
 
Kevin has gone in detail about this on various forums covering the benefit as well as Rupes reasoning behind the built in friction of the shroud.

Marco (the Rupes® engineer that developed the machine) explained that excessive rotation could cause scouring of the polishing surface if the backing plate and buffing pad were allowed to freewheel spin prior to contacting the polishing surface. He also mentioned that excessive rotation was considered to be a safety hazard in some parts of the world. Understanding his reasoning, I nevertheless decided to install a spacer between the backing plate and mounting pad in hopes of restoring a maximum amount of backing plate rotation.
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I used mine without the washer for a few panels, popped in the washer and haven't looked back... :buffing:
 
g26er said:
One thing to keep in mind is using it the way RUPES designed would mean also using RUPES pads and polishes. When they designed it I'm guessing (keep in mind it's only a guess) that they didn't design it with MF pads in mind. It's in this situation that I find the "washer mod" most beneficial.
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I thought they have their own microfiber pads?
 
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