Complaints.com
Publicize and read consumer complaints
BBBOnline.org
Better Business Bureau
Ripoff Report
website like ours that lets you complain about companies
MyWoes
this website is filled with customer complaints
|
| |
Honda Pressure Washer Breaks Under Pressure
2007-10-15 20:15:21
| "I contacted the Honda repair center and they said the unit was out of warranty. For many repairs Im sure that a 2 year period is sufficient for both the buyer and the folks at Honda. But this part should not fail, ever!" |
I purchased a Honda powered pressure washer some years ago, using it infrequently to wash my Suburban and other small vehicles.
It worked well and for about ten uses, did a fine job of taking off accumulated dirt and grime. The Honda engine started very reliably, ran strong, and seemed like a perfect match for the medium duty washer.
But a small piece of the main block casting failed and put it out of service. The head, the main cylinder and a good portion of the crankcase are all one pice of aluminum. the piston, rod and crank must be installed from the bottom. The crankcase splitline is on a 45 degree angle, a new design for sure.
But the small part that failed is one of the small bosses used to support the small valve rocker pin inside the cover on the head. This small cast portion broke off, allowed the exhaust valve to fail to lift proeprly, and the engine will not run at all.
I contacted the Honda repair center and they said the unit was out of warranty. For many repairs Im sure that a 2 year period is sufficient for both the buyer and the folks at Honda. But this part should not fail, ever!
Replacing this part by me would involve replacing the whole crankcase assembly, at probably more cost and effort than buying a new unit. And this only if new cases were even available.
The design folks at Honda most likely made this part large enough top last a lifetime. The valve is pretty small, the valve spring is small, the loads are small, etc. My guess is a flaw in the rather complicated casting made for a defect of some sort that allowed a piece that should last a lifetime to fail after a very few hours of service.
Continued contacts with Honda proved less than fruitful, so with no warrantee, I and a friend proceeded to weld the small boss back in place. The repair lasted another few uses and again failed.
I then bought a brand new pressure washer with a Subaru engine from Home Depot rather than another Honda powered unit from lowes. During a power outage, I also purchased a Subaru powered generator from Home depot.
I doubt that the bottom line of Honda shows my alternate brand purchases but several thousand dollars have missed the Lowes/Honda till over the past few years.
|
|
Internet