Udm broken

[saxoboy07]

Detailed my dads car abit yesterday and today, and all of a sudden it was turning it self off and on by itself then went dead:wall: just emailed Mike where i bought it from, hope i get a new one soon as i nearly completed the car aswell until this happened.

[PJS]

Mike'll sort you out, but that's no consolation for the position you're in.
Maybe you can talk to him about upgrading it for a Cyclo! :D

[saxoboy07]

Mike'll sort you out, but that's no consolation for the position you're in.
Maybe you can talk to him about upgrading it for a Cyclo! :D

is the cyclo any good? is it any different to the udm? i might be having the meguiars G220 as mike doesn't stock the udm i have anymore.

[Bigpikle]

mine just did EXACTLY the same thing - half way through my next door neighbours Honda ITR and starts cutting out for a while then completely dead :mad:

my issue is that it was from Autopia :wall: Looks like a Megs G220 for me then next week, so can finish the other side of the bloody car....

[Dave KG]

A worryingly large number of reliability problems being reported on this tool... :(

[PJS]

is the cyclo any good? is it any different to the udm? i might be having the meguiars G220 as mike doesn't stock the udm i have anymore.

Being that it's the only machine I've used, I can only give a VERY biased answer.
But then again, if I honestly felt it was mediocre, I wouldn't even mention it, and say nothing.
So, maybe my biased reply is fair and worth making.
All I know is I love it, and a local ex-valeter, now detailer, setting out on his own, has had a good play with mine, and thinks it's the bees knees, with plans to buy one, once he's sorted his new premises out.
Mike too says likewise, and he's a Makita man.

It's worth considering, especially as Mike will do his best to accommodate your change of mind.
Let him know you were recommended it by me - he'll know who you're referring to.

Also take heart in that the machine has been in production for 50 odd years, and some of those early ones are still out there being used, with only minor refurbs periodically to keep them ticking! That and it's used on Air Force one, and has another Aviation Industry approval for usage on the commercial jets - I think (but don't quote me) it's also choice product for the turbine blades?

[saxoboy07]

just received my g220 as a replacement and all i can say it's much better than the udm, doesn't vibrate as much and the d handle is much better to grip with to:)

[Finerdetails]

heard a few issues with the UDm now. Its going to make the G220 popular!

I trialed a cyclo once. Not for me, way to cumbersome and big for working on todays bodywork styles.

[Silva1]

bump

same thing happened to me last week
was polishing the bonnet and suddenly it started to kick on and off then out for good

help :p

[Jim]

As mentioned elsewhere on here by others, they're no different inside to any other polisher/grinder - take the cover off and check the wiring and contacts - just disturbing them might encourage it back into life (did when my G220 did the same).

Worth trying anyway - hope it works on yours!

[Silva1]

nope, i did open it up,looked at the wires incase one may have fell out or something but all looked fine

[Jim]

Are the brushes both OK?

Checking the brushes and the general state of the internals is about as technical as I've been with stuff like this - might be a warranty job unless anyone else can help. Apols

[Silva1]

Are the brushes both OK?


not sure because i didnt take it that far apart due to lack of knowledge :lol:

unless there is a guide how to take it apart

[Jim]

I've not got a UDM but there is a photo of its internals in a topic that I posted in last night - it was about someone's broken G220 (sorry, can't remember what it was called).

They're generally very easy to get at; once you've got the cover off, identified the brush and figured out how to get it out, it should be a quick job if you're careful.


Edit: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=53674

[Silva1]

okay i know where the brushes are now but how do i know that its the brushes that is causing the fault

[Silva1]

okay just opened it up and found that the brushes both have a noticable "curve" at the ends of them.so i guess these are signs of them worn out ??

or is that natural for this to happen

[Jim]

Basically, the brushes are a carbon contact and wear down as they're being pushed against the rotor winding. They will eventually wear down to nothing and break up - that's when they need replacing. If you've a loose lead with nothing on the end of it, that'll be what's happened - should be fairly obvious if you poke at it. :)

Edit. Didn't spot your second post before typing that^. Sounds as though your brushes are fine - just worn. Best guess is that they start at something like 15mm in length.

[Silva1]

well the brushes are still a good 1.2cm (or somewhere close) long

so i guess it cant be them nor a loose lead/wire

any ideas what else it may be ??

[Jim]

Sorry - my knowledge/experience of electric motors is limited and I can't think what else to suggest other than disturbing the leads to be sure that it isn't just a connection problem. Good luck with it though :)

[Silva1]

thanks for the help anyways :thumb:

[Bigpikle]

I just fiddled with the springs and bent them so they applied more pressure to the brushes, and voila - working UDM. No idea how long for etc, but I also have a brand new replacement sat her as well :thumb:

If you got it from Autopia then email Lynn and they will sort you out immediately. Very impressive service when I had mine fail recently :thumb:

[Silva1]

will try playing with the springs :thumb: