Updated Flex review

Stephan

Stephan

Mr Detailer
Well I was detailing a Black Ford Escape this weekend and I brought my Rotary and my Flex. This car is not well maintained so I figured power followed by finesse...

Well I took the flex to see what it would do to this faded black paint, Intensive polish plus an orange LC pad should get me started.

I did one quarter panel before I smelled something funny, like the smell of an eletrical burn...I felt the flex it felt a little warm, but not hot, I proceeded to the door...thats where it went down hill...

Smoke...and I mean smoke was coming from the gears which have now siezed and are no longer turning...I have not taken it off to see the damage or what might be causing it, but I believe I may have fallen victim to the flex curse...or at least became a member...

luckily I was able to continue on with my rotary and am good enough with it that I didn't leave any buffer trails of marks...

So...thats that...first I will remove the backing plate to see what I am dealing with then its off to the manufacturer...
 
Please post pictures of what you found if possible. Yours and similar issues I've read elsewhere have stopped me cold from purchasing. I'm sure many others are also in limbo with this machine.
 
It is possible that the melting backing plate gummed up the gear. I saw that on mine and dug it all out. It is possible for lots of it to cause some problems though.
 
The issue I'm having would seem to be because of a faulty backing plate. The plate would rub against the machine and shavings of it would fly into the gear. It seems to have worn a track now and isn't causing me any problems. It is much more efficeint than the PC. Notice how I didn't say 'effective'. It doesn't do anything the PC doesn't do, it just does it much faster.
 
JaredPointer said:
Me too.
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I will post some pics when I get home from work and have the chance to take a look at it.

Jngrbrdman said:
It is possible that the melting backing plate gummed up the gear. I saw that on mine and dug it all out. It is possible for lots of it to cause some problems though.
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This is my guess as to what happened.

GearHead_1 said:
I keep reading these posts and I'm really glad that the prize I won was the FLEX rotary.:yay
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I imagine that one will be fine:D
harry444 said:
I think I will stick to my ol' reliable PC
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Its funny I have a PC and there is nothing wrong with it, I was just looking for something that would work quicker, but still have the same safety issues per say that you get from an DA machine...yet now the flex is broken.


Jngrbrdman said:
The issue I'm having would seem to be because of a faulty backing plate. The plate would rub against the machine and shavings of it would fly into the gear. It seems to have worn a track now and isn't causing me any problems. It is much more efficeint than the PC. Notice how I didn't say 'effective'. It doesn't do anything the PC doesn't do, it just does it much faster.
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I agree on the efficient, it does work quicker, but also not as effective, mainly because well my PC after all this use still works, my flex after 4 cars has bit the dust.
 
I recently just ordered a Flex from Autogeek since they were in stock over there. In lieu of the recent readings that I came upon, should I go ahead and cancel my order and wait it out, or are these problems far and few in between; spending $300 and having a machine do this is pretty disheartening, and since I already own a PC, waiting it out is not that painful for me.
 
I have a feeling there are many more of those Flex machines out there working well then the few failures you hear about.
 
I bought a Flex DA after reading rave reviews about it. I called Dwayne over at Autogeek and asked him what the deal was with it and he had nothing but good things to say. I think I just got a bum machine that had a rare flaw. I think Stephan may be in the same situation. I was pretty bent about having spent nearly $300 on a machine that wasn't going to work for me too, but I'm confident that it is just a fluke and once I replace the backing plate all will be well again. I don't regret the purchase. ...yet.
 
That's what I'm hoping for. I know that it is usually the failures that get posted and the numerous ones that worked well is looked over for the most part. I love the PC, but knowing I can break the polish down faster with a Flex is pretty irresistible, and at this time, I really don't think my skill level will match that of a polisher.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
I bought a Flex DA after reading rave reviews about it. I called Dwayne over at Autogeek and asked him what the deal was with it and he had nothing but good things to say. I think I just got a bum machine that had a rare flaw. I think Stephan may be in the same situation. I was pretty bent about having spent nearly $300 on a machine that wasn't going to work for me too, but I'm confident that it is just a fluke and once I replace the backing plate all will be well again. I don't regret the purchase. ...yet.
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Who did you call to get the replacement backing plate? Flex itself? Did you have to send them the bad backing plate?
 
I haven't called anybody yet. I'm waiting patiently for Edge to finish theirs and then I'll just make the switch. I don't like velcro pads and can't wait to get back to the finest pads in the land. :)
 
Jngrbrdman said:
I haven't called anybody yet. I'm waiting patiently for Edge to finish theirs and then I'll just make the switch. I don't like velcro pads and can't wait to get back to the finest pads in the land. :)
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Maybe I will just do the same...in the mean time I still have the rotary and the PC...still bums me out that like you $300 will be just sitting there.
 
Looks like what ever this material is, came un glued and was probably rubbing against the gears, the friction caused smoke...

not sure if it can run without this piece, but it runs with out the backing plate, leading me to believe this felt piece is just not properly designed.

010.jpg

012.jpg
 
See, you've got the same problem I've got. That felt piece is supposed to be attached to the machine itself. You'll notice a spot in the housing where it goes. That track melted into the backing plate is not a good sign though. That is the same thing mine did, only it didn't pull the felt out.
 
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