LHR 21ES is Dead

[Garagehack]

Hi all, this is not meant to be a slam against Rupes or their products. I love this tool and my experience with them has always been outstanding. I bought my ES from Autogeek in 2013 and used it on my car several times (maybe 5-10 total) before putting it away for several years due to a move and lack of garage space. I finally got it out yesterday to polish a car and it will not turn on. It has been in a climate controlled environment in a Rupes bag and there are no signs of any physical damage. I have tried different outlets, changing the speed setting, etc. and no luck. I will send it in for service but since I had big polishing plans this weekend I figured it was worth asking if anyone has a thought about how I may get it running before I send it back.

thanks!

[fightnews]

Hi all, this is not meant to be a slam against Rupes or their products. I love this tool and my experience with them has always been outstanding. I bought my ES from Autogeek in 2013 and used it on my car several times (maybe 5-10 total) before putting it away for several years due to a move and lack of garage space. I finally got it out yesterday to polish a car and it will not turn on. It has been in a climate controlled environment in a Rupes bag and there are no signs of any physical damage. I have tried different outlets, changing the speed setting, etc. and no luck. I will send it in for service but since I had big polishing plans this weekend I figured it was worth asking if anyone has a thought about how I may get it running before I send it back.

thanks!
If its not beat on my gut tells me call customer service to see if they can walk you through trouble shooting it on the phone. I feel like if the machine is in new condition only used 10 times then it must be something simple causing the problem.

If that doesn't work and I was in your shoes I would go buy a harbor freight or griots machine sold locally just so I didn't lose out on my (precious) detailing time. I know the machines are not as good but its the act of detailing thats most important in my world.

Good luck!

[Dr Oldz]

Personally I spray a little WD 40 in the switch. If that doesn’t do it, maybe take it apart and clean the brushes. May have a little rust build up that is causing the issue.

[Garagehack]

Thank you for the suggestions. I actually have a 6-in Griots that I converted to a 3 inch years ago but I threw that 6-in backing plate away. Made a trip to harbor freight and bought a 6-in backing plate that'll give me to through weekend.

Since it is no longer under warranty I will also open up the Rupes machine and see if those tips help!

[Rsurfer]

Thank you for the suggestions. I actually have a 6-in Griots that I converted to a 3 inch years ago but I threw that 6-in backing plate away. Made a trip to harbor freight and bought a 6-in backing plate that'll give me to through weekend.

Since it is no longer under warranty I will also open up the Rupes machine and see if those tips help!

Don't screw with it too much..Rupes might fix it for the flat fee of $95

[fightnews]

Or even a local tool repair shop

[Garagehack]

While driving back from Harbor Freight I got to thinking about the WD40 suggestion and went back out and just moved the switch 20-30 time and got it to fire up! Not sure what the issue is with sitting for so long but somehow it seemed to affect the switch. Maybe this will teach me to get it out and use it more often. thank you all for your help. Have a great weekend.

[Rsurfer]

While driving back from Harbor Freight I got to thinking about the WD40 suggestion and went back out and just moved the switch 20-30 time and got it to fire up! Not sure what the issue is with sitting for so long but somehow it seemed to affect the switch. Maybe this will teach me to get it out and use it more often. thank you all for your help. Have a great weekend.

Now get to work!