I Bought a FAULTY Kärcher WV2 on eBay | Can I FIX It?!

I bought this Karcher Window Vac thing off of eBay for £12. It was sold as no power, and doesn't charge.
Will it be a dead battery or something else? Let's find out and try and fix it!
Hope you enjoy!
Steve 2
PS. I'm not an expert in repairs at all. I do this for fun, and it may not be the best or safest way to go about repairing broken stuff. I'm pretty good at melting plastic though. Please don't copy me - I'm an idiot.

[@knightnevermore]

It's a shame that it's constructed in such a stupid way that it's not user serviceable but still water can get into it. For a lot of people without your skills, this is now e-waste. Good job for fixing it and giving it a new life, Steve. Not only do you bring entertainment to us, you also make the planet a bit better by helping to reduce waste. Amazing job! 👍👍👍

[@mwk1]

cheap chinese crap...even though with "mighty" logo on it :-(

[@vomJupiter]

I think it only leaks if you hold it upsidedown, but agree still a design fail in many ways... Shame for such a renown brand.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

That doesn't look to me like it is constructed in a way that it's not user serviceable. All you need is a screwdriver, which is more than you can say about most other electronics (especially budget ones) where many things are plastic welded, fitted with easily breakable clips, or simply glued everywhere. I'm no advocate of Big Corporation, but I don't see your point. Making a device where all you need to open it is a screwdriver isn't anti-repair. You want anti-repair take a look at Apple. You don't own any apple products, by chance do you? If you do, then beware of throwing stones and living in a glass Apple-supporting house. Apple and Samsung are two of the worst anti-repair offenders, so look on your own shelves first before you want to talk anti repair practices. Thing is with Apple, the consumer is the one who pays extra just so apple can mate a chip to every core component (battery, camera, screen) so that repair of those parts results in losing key functions.

[@Okurka.]

@@Boogie_the_cat "All you need is a screwdriver" And a soldering iron. User serviceable is where you can replace the battery without having to open the entire device, let alone de-solder stuff.

[@GTI1dasOriginal]

​@@Okurka.Funny thing is, some car usermamuals upto 1970 expected the owner to relubricate various axles and joints every 500 - 1,000 miles. That was considered "a" definition of user friendly once. And when you think about it, not even that long ago ..

[@BommeI]

Your optimism is admirable! Great video, as always!

[@foundatlantis]

yes moar random stuff on ebay fixes. love these. always interesting to see different devices being fixed

[@infin1ty850]

I was not expecting a Wednesday video but I think I may just recently found this additional channel.

[@douglasfazzani269]

You weren’t tempted to convert it to USB-C? ;-)

[@marksmith7147]

😂

[@giovanni4926]

Better than factory! The battery you took out is an LG MF1. The Samsung 25R is slightly better with a 2500mah capacity and the same maximum discharge rate of 20A. Well done!

[@Bolli1983]

Was gonna complain about the missing song until I noticed this is not the main channel. You are exculpated.

[@hugegamer5988]

A good thing to test off the bat with a case like this, after testing for supply voltage apply a load similar to the one the device pulls. It’s possible for there to essentially be a high internal resistance and applying a load drops the voltage out.

[@Erik666666666]

😁 You are free to test it on my windows 👍

[@RobtTa]

I really the like the common household item fixes. Thanks!

[@yevhenkk2701]

Your style of making videos is amazing. I also like to repair some stuff, so today I bought an almost new "faulty" vacuum cleaner. With a phrase in the description "have no reaction on the power switch". Wish me luck do not get a burned motor inside.

[@CiaranCoffey]

I had one of these, and it failed in the same way. I did the same fix, but it still drains power over time. That's what brings tue battery down to 0. Maybe the bit of cleaning you did fixed that issue. I still bought another one though as i find them very handy.

[@aoneblood]

I love watching your content you tackle just about anything. Thanks

[@Allerick178]

Great work Steve. Now i know how to fix my Kärcher. Thank you. ?=)

[@green929392]

Adding solder mask or nail polish to the previously rusted areas might prevent future damage too

[@fedecano7362]

That Overdrive tune is great, I like your music taste, amongst other things so I'm subbing to your main channel, glad I found ya!

[@Adam2050]

My older version never suffered and its crazy they built them this way. When there built for water.

[@GSimon850]

I fixed my Mothers and it was rusted solid managed to get the motor turning after dropping a load of oil in it, now works like a dream. Really bad design if I am honest. but brilliant with sucking water off your windows or any spillages.

[@johnrockley9472]

Great content. They do 'fire up' in the middle of the night when water gets in the switch!

[@michaelclutton8446]

These work surprisingly well, much better than I expected

[@pashiki5480]

What am I missing here? Won`t a sponge do?

[@dodgydruid]

Those Samsung 18650's are perfectly fine for ecigs, have used them in the past no problems, prob not wise to put them in mechanical mods (the box that controls the power) but in chip controlled mods would work perfectly fine. My go to cells are Vapcells Green or Efest purples, both very strong, high drain cells, Sony also do a nice 35A high drain 18650 that you with the Samsung's find in laptop battery packs and surprisingly Parkside battery packs bought from Lidl's.

[@realdeskent]

Can confirm this. Since inexperienced users with zero knowledge about Ohm's law used these kind of batteries in their "mechs", It made a mess, so manufacturers put this warning on their 18650, 20700, 21700 batteries. They're perfectly safe in recent chip regulated mods... in case the wrap is undamaged.

[@floranfauna3090]

I told you not to bother me when I’m cleaning my room! 😲

[@arteta53]

Steve every fix is unique, interesting and funny Thanks!

[@carolotsful]

Someone has already had a go at that Steve,,the motor should have rubber caps on each end. Worth buying as non working as normally easy fix ..

[@ligertv9382]

Love your videos, its crazy you don't have more subscribers!

[@Codeeze]

Exactly the same model as ours, and exactly the same problem! Water gets in there, (Bad design) and it's a common fault. When replacing the rubber seal to the electronics bay, I backed it up with some gasket sealer. Been good as gold ever since... Nice! Stupid Karcher...

[@danthebikeguy447]

As soon as Steve mentioned that the screws were rusty, I knew the fault would essentially be down to shit build quality. If Karcher really cared about this product, they would've used stainless screws and better quality seals.

[@joshkelly4682]

Another electronic saved, nice work

[@DeFi-Macrodosing]

Nice tune, mate. Great repair

[@Talmiior]

I can tell ya weren't overly impressed with this video, (or maybe I'm just guessing here) but I did still find it to be a useful video, so thank you for that!

[@pavel_endrle]

Great work, but have you figured out the cause of a water damage (seal replacement, etc.)?

[@TrueRewire]

Steve, no ultrasonic cleaner yet? Been with you since 300 subs sir, keep it truckin!

[@bazwillrun]

I bought a new on for £35...invaluable, i get a lot of condensation on the house windows...and inside the car...does what it says on the tin...can also use it on the outside of windows if needs be...fully charged i get around 25mins of use which to be honest is more than enough to cover my needs...

[@elitster]

Awesome music @ 7:00+

[@CraigyGInDaHut1993]

They are great wee machines. Mine broke in me but had to get a new 1. The board was damaged on mine. 2 o'clock at night when sleeping it turned on by itself and wouldn't turn off at all. It had near a full battery so was going to be on for ages. I ended up going out and chucking it in the car so I could go back asleep again.

[@chrisj2848]

Nice one Steve. 👍

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

It's missing the squeegee blades, but it was still a good buy; around here a new Window Vac goes for $100 CAD. They're handy if you have enormous expanses of glass, whiteboard, or plexiglass to clean.

[@valtteriairola]

This one in my country is 25e new in a sale 🤭

[@missq3989]

After a while on charge my vac didn't hold charge and the led light kept flashing and would turn off . I dissembled mine, reassembled and its working good as new

[@apb3251]

It should have come with two top suction/Squeeze parts, the wide one and a narrow one.

[@weyayemanjoe3082]

Great fix 👍🏻

[@Druid_Plow]

Things like this is why I want to start a repair shop and offer to fix everything. From cutting new keys to fixing crap like this, small engine repair to children's toys. I have fixed so many things in my life that most people would just throw away, and it's not even that hard most of the time. Have a flat $50 repair attempt fee, itemized invoices for successful repairs, and could probably offer 30 days warranty on most repairs. I wonder if people would bring me enough to stay running

[@troybudreau7189]

Very interesting thought but the reason shops like that went away is because at $50 service fee, which is reasonable, the item can often be replaced for little more than $50 or many times less.

[@AcheForWake]

I would be up for doing the same, maybe at the community level, as mentioned the repair shop ecosystem died due to cheap products and subsequently the throw away society. For this to work it can no be motivated by cost!

[@JimNH777]

This shows everything wrong with modern appliances: Hard wire? no. Well then... easily swapped battery? No. You still need to connect it to mains, you still have a battery though. But overall it's simple few pounds motor and a battery. That's £40 for you if we put it in the plastic box. And of course there's a PCB in it, in a device that sucks water. It cannot be simply electrical thing because circuit boards are cheaper (?!). And yes, I do have one because it's still cheaper both time and money wise to buy one instead of making water suction device myself :)

[@msutton3147]

Occasionally you can bring these Lion cells back to life, with the dedicated battery charger and charging them outside the device. They don't like being left empty for a prolonged period of time but you can trickle charge life back into them.

[@darrengarvie8832]

Nice easy fix Steve

[@nooneever]

its nice how every kärcher device implied with water is ewaste within 1-2 years 🎉

[@ches74]

When replacing 18650 cells consider what chemistry. Whether the appliance has high current draw or if it's lower current requirement then a high capacity chemistry might be better suited. I'd suggest checking the battery part number and swap out for the same chemistry, otherwise measure the current draw and choose something that meets the requirement.

[@Hagledesperado]

Yeah, not all batteries are created equal, and it's advisable to be aware of its specs. That being said, the battery he chose is fine for the application. The original cell looks like a LGEAMF11865. 2150mAh. Charging: 4.20V Maximum, 1075mA Standard,2150mA Maximum. Discharging: 2.75V Cutoff, 430mA Standard,10000mA Maximum. The replacement looks like a INR18650-25R. Charging: 1250mA Standard, 4A Max. Discharging: 2.5V Cutoff, 20A Max. A superior cell in every way.

[@PlanetRuncorn]

Easy Fix, and they do work very well, however i would deffo suggest you strip it down again and cover the circuit board with some clear varnish i have learnt some lessons on the way , and its a very good idea , and will prolong its use ... nice one

[@LOrealHardly]

Did it need some sort of seal to prevent the same thing happening where water ingress got into the battery/motor area?

[@rog2224]

Even just some silicon grease in the seam.

[@karstenjackson-lange5516]

I had the same issue took it apart put new batteries in and it's working fine

[@Boogie_the_cat]

I misread the title and was bummed out to see you we're repairing a WW2 Car Chair.

[@danjudson5661]

They are a fantastic product works wonders on condensation on windows. I bought a different one from screwfix and it was crap compared to this.

[@plutoniumshore]

You've had a second channel this entire time that I've been missing out on?!

[@tommorgan7043]

What! No rap?

[@Crackshotlol]

This isn't his main channel.

[@NoJusticeNoPeace]

Hope you added some kind of rust treatment to the motor to at least arrest the deterioration, or it's just going to continue to rust until the motor dies. Might want to think about investing in a sandblaster too, for rusty, corroded parts. You can get a cheap one for $200 or so.

[@samwilliamson4715]

Well done steve, nice fix. Stupid squeegee thingy. Would hazzard a guess that possibly tnere may be some kind of leak between the squeege blade and the reservoir - given all the rust and corrosion on the motor and stuff on the board. Or could just be cheap and poorly desigmed.. although this wouldnt seem to gel with karchers MO

[@UnCoolDad]

Could put a battery with more capacity for longer use time. In my experience, the standard battery it ships with doesn't give you much use time.

[@hugegamer5988]

Not for ecig or vape likely means it has a battery management chip on the end and as such can’t pass high currents.

[@DavidAddis]

I demand a re-edit where Steve fails to wash a window at the end, and says, “stupid pane…”

[@yaktaur]

Was trying to place that music that was playing at around the 4 minute mark and realized it's Crazy Burger's music! Must have used the same library hah

[@Popeyes66]

Steve man,you could've told us you had 2 more channels. I feel robbed and late for the party !😂

[@Raziel1984]

7:09 ... dont think i did not see the solder drop on the board :D

[@knoxieman]

Problem with these is ppl use them sideways when they are full of water and water gets inside and kills the battery controller, it's such a problem the company have a courier that goes around with a big tray of them and they hot swap the battery on your door step, they are a great device if you use them as intended and as detailed in the manual but nobody reads the manual.

[@KeirMurphy]

All that mess in the work area. What you need is a handheld vacuum implement...

[@zerocks88]

spent the entire first half waiting for the rap then realised what channel this was! :P

[@adamgrimsley2900]

Cool 80s synth music

[@danp101]

Black edition...it got some yellow, but ok 🤣

[@simonlunt353]

Nice easy fix 😊

[@Heymrk]

Was this video meant for the main channel and you uploaded it to the second?

[@chrisprobert6]

sorry i didn't get to end. does anybody else doubt it's geniune karcher ? or an under license job

[@P5ychoFox]

I have one of these. The on / off switch is so unsatisfying to press. Shame it doesn’t have a nice rocker switch.

[@ro63rto]

Why would the PCB not be covered with a conformal coating or other waterproof layer, considering the unit is designed to handle water? Answer, to make you spend another £55 after the guarantee period is up.

[@Trymon1980]

Wow how this happened? Guess somebody gave the poor thing a bath. But a dead battery could occure easy with this devices. Have one for years and had to replace it as it didn't want to charge anymore. Well to be more precise, my mother took it from me and used it herself but left it on permanent charge when not in use. Guess the battery didn't like this but one new Battery and it performed like on day one.

[@hunam3876]

"I bought this vibe for 5 quid. Can I fix it?" - Future Stez... probably...

[@jackinabox1994]

Bought one of these off the car boot for £5 faulty and it was only the charger cable that was knackered

[@weep4me]

Could Use some ACF50 Anti Corrosion Protection Spray or corrosion x on the pcb and motor.

[@snik2pl]

It would be nice to lubricate motor shaft

[@stuallen7367]

Do you have a link where I can purchase that battery, I need it with the tabs on it to fix a Bluetooth speaker

[@TheCod3r]

Great stuff Steve. Watched this while having a poop, better than tiktok 😂

[@mbak7801]

These have limited life and are self destroying. The circuit board could have been potted and put into the handle, but no. When using a new device always hold it vertical and wipe down the window. As soon as the water level hits the top mark empty immediately. Never try and suck up puddles from the floor. If you lean it over water is funnelled onto the circuit board. Water then destroys the board until SMD components float off. You would almost think it was deliberately designed this way. HINT it was.

[@Andy-fu6vp]

How come it's uploaded to this Chanel with only 8 videos? Luckily, KZbin recommended the video otherwise I would have missed it. Can you please try fix an Instax camera with flashing LEDs. Most common problem and would like to know what's the cause. Thanks

[@wisher21uk]

Nice work looks like someone found it the amount of dirt in it

[@RetroTechCorner]

OMG Steve... Why don't you buy something that's working for once ;)

[@chrisgebben2043]

he did the foot bath was actually had nothing wrong with it...and he was very angry about that.

[@RetroTechCorner]

@@chrisgebben2043 OMG! Need to find that video then ;)

[@chrisgebben2043]

@@RetroTechCorner its right here kzbin.info/www/bejne/amaqnGOCeJhmra8

[@RetroTechCorner]

@@chrisgebben2043 yep - found it yesterday ;) I really like his sense of humor.

[@1wirewool]

Steve, don't say stupid, these things are meant to try us.

[@Abubububu]

The ”C” rating might not be compliant… hence’not for vaping’…

[@bilbobaggins5752]

Why do we need to vac a window?

[@michaeljones7183]

Nice

[@309electronics5]

my parents also had one and one day it stopped working. Well i was surprised by the amount of corrosion on the motor, battery and some corrosion on the attiny microcontroller on the board. It worked after i cleaned it, it seems like they designed these so that they would fail, coyld not see any good water protection, just a shitty stupid window thingy

[@danw3735]

Do you have a sonic cleaner? You should think about getting one in your line of work :D

[@Inugamiz]

Oh didn't knew about this channel.

[@marivera77]

It’s a crumb pusher!

[@jaimecosta2966]

No intrudactions to you patrions and no singing 😀😀

[@PrismaBlase]

My device flashes when I want to charge it or turn it on. the battery has 3 volts voltage. Is that not enough and I need to replace it? There is little rust on the engine. I hope, anybody can give help :-)

[@dcidaves3119]

nice

[@great_live_music]

Is there a way to future-proof this device?

[@John-jr4dj]

Battery might have worked if you'd cleaned the rust off the terminals! Probably would have worked poorly, at best, but still.

8 mV on a 3.6 V Lithium-Ion battery, I'm pretty sure it's not salvageable anymore. I don't know the threshold, but if you let Li-ion battery got too low, they are permanently damaged, and can't even charge anymore: that's why phones shutdown by themselves when low battery.

[@John-jr4dj]

@ Agree, if the battery is genuinely at 8mV then it's finished. But when you measure current through rust you will get a lower figure because it's a poor conductor

[@104silvae]

I would have never of thought of a battery powered stupid squeegee thing

[@cornholio.2110]

You pay how much for the pos of abs plastic and cheap Chinese motor new?

[@lyndonwebber1389]

I did the same with my one first time it worked , second time it didn’t

[@DTGuitarTech]

You do not suck but the Karcher does, yey!

[@ronniewilson6597]

😀👍🏻

[@jon6978]

Oh the phoenix contact screw driver . . . you can not break them