# Are Foam Lances CRAP??



## blr123

ABSOLUTELY!!

I am now on my third Karcher trigger gun a s a result of these flamin foam lances 

The first flew off and laded 50feet away.......can you imagine the damage that would have done to a car??.........and if it had damaged the car would the supplier say......"sorry about that just put it into the bodyshop and get it repaired and we'll pay"........yeah sure they would.

There WILL be a serious incident one of these days where either a car is damaged or even worse someone is seriously injured.....and what are the suppliers going to say.......well you tell me??

My lance is going back and I'll be asking for a refund or credit note.......I'll be sure to let you know what happens.

Also, Mods have you thought about banning the sale of these things until they are seen to be of decent quality and safe to use, tools we can use without the fear of something falling off or damaging other equipment.

Also, I had a discussion with another supplier the other day who told me the problem wasn't with the foam lance but with the Karcher as Karcher keep changing the size of their nozzles BUT Karcher are sorting that out....which I presume means re-designing all their equipment.......yeah rite sorry I simply don't beleive that for one moment, so we can add to the scenario that at least one supplier appears to making up stories..........Mods I ask again we need something to be done BEFORE we have an incident.

Sorry for the rant but those who know me will know that I am not making this up, all of the above are facts and if....no make that when.....there is an incident I'll be back.

Bryan

PS I am simply laying out the facts here not tryig to get at anyone just laying out the facts and trying to prevent a serious situation developing.


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## Grizzle

I Can totally see your point hence why i'm going for a quick release gun with foam lance and will always test before foaming the car.


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## -ROM-

I use a karcher foam gun, ok it doesn't produce thick double cream type foam, but it does the job, is 100% reliable and 100% safe. and only cost me £0.99p + £3.99 postage from ebay so got it delivered for under £5


But to be fair it is not the place of the admin or owners of this site to regulate what the suppliers sell. 

P.S. note there is a difference between the moderators and the admin/owners of the site!


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## KnightUnit

Yeah I use the Karcher foam gun aswell. Cheap and safe.


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## mark1319

Never heard or knew of any of these problems. Got me worrying now.


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## blr123

I have also gone back to the yeallow Karcher bottle....never had a problem with that.....cause it's a quality product.......if the foam lances were quality products we wouldn't have new therads starting every other week by people who are having problems and the answers coming back are always the same........oh just drill it out or file it down :doublesho............even when they are brand new never been used........excuse me £60........oh just file it down or drill it out.........sorry not me and that is as a direct result of foam lances being junk absolute crap not to mention unsafe into the bargain.

Now suppliers may well say "oh we've only a few problems but they were caused by this or that"........bull I'm not wearing that anymore you just have to do a search and you will find threads like they are going out of fashion about problems with foam lances.

Bryan


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## blr123

mark1319 said:


> Never heard or knew of any of these problems. Got me worrying now.


Worried you should be.......course you could always "drill it out or file it down eh"

I'm sorry about that Mark I'm not trying to be funny here quite the opposite........I say again these lances are dangerous and definately not to be trusted.

How many people on here have set the lance and tapped it up...the idea being that if it comes loose it won't fly off.......there are more than a few.......course that's the sort of thing you have to do with a qaulity product eh....yeah rite 

These foam lances have becoem something I feel VERY strongly about now that 3 Karcher trigger guns have been damaged a direct result of these lances........and that means more and more money 

Bryan


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## silver bmw z3

Mine's fine.


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## IanG

Mines fine as well :thumb:


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## blr123

silver bmw z3 said:


> Mine's fine.


Cool I'm glad it is....at the moment......it will NOT last though and if you haven't taken precautions then you may find yourself with a costly repaire.........course the supplier would probably pick up the tab for that yeah?

Bryan


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## chris197sport

Mine is fine but im using a lavor fitment...


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## p1tse

karcher foam lance for me, even though foam thickness isn't as much and small bottle, still covers the car for a pre rinse ;-)

gave up on the aftermarket one. it got tight and damaged my gun/trigger handle


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## blr123

chris197sport said:


> Mine is fine but im using a lavor fitment...


OK Chris I cannot comment on the Lavor fitting only the Karcher fitting.

Also, Mods how about someone doing a write up about this and making it a sticky so that people know what they're getting into before they by........maybe *DaveKG* can do a quick write up after all he knows what's been going on here.

Bryan


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## Jakedoodles

The problem is not that it isn't quality - it's actually the other way around! 

Let me explain.

The plastic lances you all have, they are affected by heat and cold. As a result, they expand and contract, constantly changing and warping. But, because both your plastic foam bottle AND your lance does this, it's not a problem. However... when you start using the proper metal foam lance, the plastic has to mould itself around the solid metal. The metal construction does not differ - it stays the same size and does not expand or contract, but your plastic lance does, so that's where the problem starts.


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## blr123

p1tse said:


> karcher foam lance for me, even though foam thickness isn't as much and small bottle, still covers the car for a pre rinse ;-)
> 
> gave up on the aftermarket one. it got tight and damaged my gun/trigger handle


YEAH.........another one that makes 4 trigger guns goosed as a direct result of these foam lances........any advance........maybe we should take the numbers and send the suppliers the bill eh 

I haven't managed to contact Karcher yet but I will be doing that to confirm or otherwise the position as far as their product being re-designed to accomodate the foam lance.........I'm sure they'll say they are......NOT!!

Bryan


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## -ROM-

Wonderdetail said:


> The problem is not that it isn't quality - it's actually the other way around!
> 
> Let me explain.
> 
> The plastic lances you all have, they are affected by heat and cold. As a result, they expand and contract, constantly changing and warping. But, because both your plastic foam bottle AND your lance does this, it's not a problem. However... when you start using the proper metal foam lance, the plastic has to mould itself around the solid metal. The metal construction does not differ - it stays the same size and does not expand or contract, but your plastic lance does, so that's where the problem starts.


But to be fair this is not a new thing and the fact that when designing the the foam lances this was not taken in to account makes it a bad design.


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## blr123

Wonderdetail said:


> The problem is not that it isn't quality - it's actually the other way around!
> 
> Let me explain.
> 
> The plastic lances you all have, they are affected by heat and cold. As a result, they expand and contract, constantly changing and warping. But, because both your plastic foam bottle AND your lance does this, it's not a problem. However... when you start using the proper metal foam lance, the plastic has to mould itself around the solid metal. The metal construction does not differ - it stays the same size and does not expand or contract, but your plastic lance does, so that's where the problem starts.


I'm sorry I don't agree with you, for a start my Karcher is used with cold water only.......I hear what you say about expansion & contraction but no I can't agree with you and if it were true then again I have to disagree cause that is a fault which is caused by the new part being used........it's a bayonnete fitting it should pop straight in and stay there time and time again......we use these types of fittings all the time at work work, brass, SS, phos/bronze etc with varying degrees of heat without any problems whatsoever.

Bryan


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## nsanity

Yeah, agree with the above rmorgan. The foam lances should either work with Karcher, or just NOT be sold... as they are misinforming customers. If you have to file down your karcher lance to get it to fit, it's not exactly compatible is it? I dont see why this is so hard to fathom... 

If you sell something, and you say it will work with a certain product, and then it doesn't, you cannot blame the product you designed the lance to work with in the first place to shift the blame! Saying oh you need to file the karcher down to get the lance to fit, thats not what people pay £50 upwards for... plus I don't want it flying off and through my bodywork so I'll stick to my karcher lance (yellow bottle) as it does the job albeit not creamy foam but safe for me!


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## -ROM-

Something else to add is the lances are made from a thermosetting plastic and the amount of expansion or contraction in normal operating conditions is so small it would be measured in microns not even millimetres! So if a foam lance can't deal with these minor tolerances then there is something seriously lacking!


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## blr123

nsanity said:


> Yeah, agree with the above rmorgan. The foam lances should either work with Karcher, or just NOT be sold... as they are misinforming customers. If you have to file down your karcher lance to get it to fit, it's not exactly compatible is it? I dont see why this is so hard to fathom...
> 
> If you sell something, and you say it will work with a certain product, and then it doesn't, you cannot blame the product you designed the lance to work with in the first place to shift the blame! Saying oh you need to file the karcher down to get the lance to fit, thats not what people pay £50 upwards for... plus I don't want it flying off and through my bodywork so I'll stick to my karcher lance (yellow bottle) as it does the job albeit not creamy foam but safe for me!


EXACTLY and very well put :thumb:

Bryan

PS one thing......I here the Karcher yellow foam bottles have been discontinued........I'll confirm that with Karcher when I call hopefully tomorrow.


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## Transit

blr123 said:


> ABSOLUTELY!!
> 
> I am now on my third Karcher trigger gun a s a result of these flamin foam lances
> 
> The first flew off and laded 50feet away.......can you imagine the damage that would have done to a car??.........and if it had damaged the car would the supplier say.


Can you clarify exactly what flew 50 feet please?


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## Detail My Ride

Guys, you've got to remember that Karcher Lances cost a few pounds or so to make, and they make hundreds of thousands an hour in a machine, there are going to be ones which don't quite fit. 

I've had 2/3 karchers with the same lance, one fitted, the other 2 didn't.


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## blr123

Transit said:


> Can you clarify exactly what flew 50 feet please?


The black nozzle, that was the one with the 2 brass pins in it yeah?.....and beleive me it was at least 50feet.

Bryan


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## Robbieben

Hi Bryan, I had similar problems with my Karcher Foam gun attachment, I measured the standard Karcher fitting at the lance and the supplied Cast Brass fitting which was said to be for the Karcher, the diameter of the Brass fitting was 1.2mm larger than the Karcher standard lance and the locking lugs were 1.8 mm thicker.

Yes you could force the Brass fitting into the Karcher Gun and it will work, but over time it WILL damage the Gun, in the end I machined my Brass fitting to the same size as the Karcher lance and it has been perfect for over a year now.

I personally see the problem as being the Brass Fitting. It is obviously made by pouring the Liquid Brass into a mould as it's the cheapest way to mass produce, items made in this way are accurate to a certain degree but by no means perfect, they need to be machined to be a CORRECT FIT.

Would i pay more for a better product, made to correct tolerances...YES 

Perhaps one of the suppliiers of the Foam Lances ought to look into having a perfect fit attachment machined properly, they may see it as a good step in the right direction.


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## blr123

Gaz W said:


> Guys, you've got to remember that Karcher Lances cost a few pounds or so to make, and they make hundreds of thousands an hour in a machine, there are going to be ones which don't quite fit.
> 
> I've had 2/3 karchers with the same lance, one fitted, the other 2 didn't.


Gaz what do you mean when you say the "Karcher lances" are talking about the yellow bottle or the full blown foam lance?

And remember it will only take one of these things to fly off and the reputation you taken so long to buid up will at the very least be damaged and I assume the suppliers will take full responsability for that aswell yeah.....that's a question for you Gaz?

Bryan


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## blr123

Robbieben said:


> Hi Bryan, I had similar problems with my Karcher Foam gun attachment, I measured the standard Karcher fitting at the lance and the supplied Cast Brass fitting which was said to be for the Karcher, the diameter of the Brass fitting was 1.2mm larger than the Karcher standard lance and the locking lugs were 1.8 mm thicker.
> 
> Yes you could force the Brass fitting into the Karcher Gun and it will work, but over time it WILL damage the Gun, in the end I machined my Brass fitting to the same size as the Karcher lance and it has been perfect for over a year now.
> 
> I personally see the problem as being the Brass Fitting. It is obviously made by pouring the Liquid Brass into a mould as it's the cheapest way to mass produce, items made in this way are accurate to a certain degree but by no means perfect, they need to be machined to be a CORRECT FIT.
> 
> Would i pay more for a better product, made to correct tolerances...YES
> 
> Perhaps one of the suppliiers of the Foam Lances ought to look into having a perfect fit attachment machined properly, they may see it as a good step in the right direction.


Sounds good Robbie.......so all we need to buy in addition to the foam lance is a lathe eh LOL!!

Bryan


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## Detail My Ride

blr123 said:


> Gaz what do you mean when you say the "Karcher lances" are talking about the yellow bottle or the full blown foam lance?
> 
> And remember it will only take one of these things to fly off and the reputation you taken so long to buid up will at the very least be damaged and I assume the suppliers will take full responsability for that aswell yeah.....that's a question for you Gaz?
> 
> Bryan


By the Lance, I mean the 'Gun' as you call it, which is connected to the hose, and has the trigger. The specific name for this is the lance.


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## nsanity

Thing is gaz, the karchers own lance works with their own gun, regardless, each time with no problems. But one that costs 5-6 times as much (at least) won't... I dunno tbh!


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## Transit

I think the lance is any bit that will plug into the trigger? So vario lance, foam lance, underbody lance.


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## KnightUnit

I thought the lance was the item you push into the gun and twist fit. i.e dirt blaster lance or high pressure lance, foam lance.


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## -ROM-

Gaz W said:


> Guys, you've got to remember that Karcher Lances cost a few pounds or so to make, and they make hundreds of thousands an hour in a machine, there are going to be ones which don't quite fit.
> 
> I've had 2/3 karchers with the same lance, one fitted, the other 2 didn't.


Gaz trust me on this, the problems are down to the poor QC of the low tech/low budget manufacturing of the 3rd party foam guns, not the hi tech /hi budget automated manufacturing of the karcher trigger handles!


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## Robbieben

TBH Bryan it took me about 5 mins at work to sort my fitting, so if a supplier took 100 fittings to a machine shop and asked them to turn them all to the correct size, as per the Karcher Lance and they were charged £2 per fitting for machining I'd happily pay the £2 extra for a fitting that works


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## Detail My Ride

nsanity said:


> Thing is gaz, the karchers own lance works with their own gun, regardless, each time with no problems. But one that costs 5-6 times as much (at least) won't... I dunno tbh!


Yes, because Karcher make fittings that are Plastic, which are designed to be used with Karcher. When an Aftermarket Manufacturer comes in with a Brass fitting that isn't specifically designed for the Karcher, by Karcher, it causes the problem.


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## Robbieben

Gaz W said:


> Yes, because Karcher make fittings that are Plastic, which are designed to be used with Karcher. When an Aftermarket Manufacturer comes in with a Brass fitting that isn't specifically designed for the Karcher, by Karcher, it causes the problem.


It is quite easy for the supplier to get the fittings made to the correct tolerance, yes they would cost a bit more but IMO it's a good investment


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## nsanity

Yeah the lance would be the bit that fits into the trigger.


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## blr123

Gaz W said:


> Yes, because Karcher make fittings that are Plastic, which are designed to be used with Karcher. When an Aftermarket Manufacturer comes in with a Brass fitting that isn't specifically designed for the Karcher, by Karcher, it causes the problem.


So Gaz why are suppliers selling these saying they work with Karchers cause they clearly don't even bt your own words..........Robbie is correct the oversize of the fitting is a problem which for an engineer making these things is easily and readily put rite......bottom line they're crap due to poor design and not enough R&D.

Bryan


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## AndyC

Guys,

Understand Bryan's frustration and frankly if my lance flies off and hits my 205, let alone any paid detail, someone would know about it, end of 

To save this getting into a witchunt, can anyone with any specific issues PM me or one of the other mods and I'll discuss with them.

Cheers.


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## quattrogmbh

I'm sure I've seen a similar thread before, and at that stage the manufacturer / supplier mentioned that a fix was being worked upon.

I disagree with the postings which mention the plastic Karcher lances are at fault. There is clearly a tolerances issue. If the foam lance product is not "designed" to work with a plastic Karcher lance, then it must not be marketed generically as being compatible with Karcher products.

I've now cut myself a couple of times on the sharp fan spray guides which become exposed after inadvertently pulling off the nozzle cover when trying to remove the foam lance from the gun. Gripping anywhere else on the body of the foam lance seems to result in the detergent bottle becoming detached.

In a consumer market, I strongly feel that this would have already been an issue for trading standards. I only hope that the manufacturer / supplier steps up to their previous committments and makes a revised attachment available for existing customers.


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## blr123

AndyC said:


> Guys,
> 
> Understand Bryan's frustration and frankly if my lance flies off and hits my 205, let alone any paid detail, someone would know about it, end of
> 
> To save this getting into a witchunt, can anyone with any specific issues PM me or one of the other mods and I'll discuss with them.
> 
> Cheers.


YHPM Andy


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## blr123

quattrogmbh said:


> I'm sure I've seen a similar thread before, and at that stage the manufacturer / supplier mentioned that a fix was being worked upon.
> 
> I disagree with the postings which mention the plastic Karcher lances are at fault. There is clearly a tolerances issue. If the foam lance product is not "designed" to work with a plastic Karcher lance, then it must not be marketed generically as being compatible with Karcher products.
> 
> I've now cut myself a couple of times on the sharp fan spray guides which become exposed after inadvertently pulling off the nozzle cover when trying to remove the foam lance from the gun. Gripping anywhere else on the body of the foam lance seems to result in the detergent bottle becoming detached.
> 
> In a consumer market, I strongly feel that this would have already been an issue for trading standards. I only hope that the manufacturer / supplier steps up to their previous committments and makes a revised attachment available for existing customers.


Quattro it sounds like yours is the one with the 2 brass "poppers" in it.......if yes that's the one that flew off when I used it first time out....so be carefull.......pleeeaasse.

Bryan


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## nsanity

Gaz W said:


> Yes, because Karcher make fittings that are Plastic, which are designed to be used with Karcher. When an Aftermarket Manufacturer comes in with a Brass fitting that isn't specifically designed for the Karcher, by Karcher, it causes the problem.


If it doesn't specifically work for the Karcher then why in gods name are they selling it STATING IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS that it will work with a Karcher, but still charge £50+ for it. This is not a complicated issue for whomever manufactures the lances to sort. I think you have missed the point slightly.


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## bassologist

ive just bought a rae chem lance, not got it yet, but its got me worried as ve just spent a fortune having a respray.. do i panic now.. or when i put my karcher on?


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## blr123

nsanity said:


> If it doesn't specifically work for the Karcher then why in gods name are they selling it STATING IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS that it will work with a Karcher, but still charge £50+ for it. This is not a complicated issue for whomever manufactures the lances to sort. I think you have missed the point slightly.


Sorry Gaz but nsanity is correct......they just should NOT be sold as being Karcher compatable becasue they're NOT.

Bryan


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## JonR356

Having had 2 (first one returned due to failure) I'm of the opinion that certain makes of foam lance are not made to consistently fit a Karcher. Or in some cases, even come close.

The suppliers 'reasons' are completely implausible in my opinion.


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## IanG

Bought mine from Auto Rae Chem and it's been fine since I got it just make sure it's on properly before you start to foam :thumb:


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## blr123

bassologist said:


> ive just bought a rae chem lance, not got it yet, but its got me worried as ve just spent a fortune having a respray.. do i panic now.. or when i put my karcher on?


Hi bass,

I understand from more than one supplier that all suppliers source their foam lances from the same place so "should you be worried" well I'm biased so I would say yes....infact if it were me I'd cancel the order......if you do want to keep it pay attension and watch what you're doing and at the slightest hint of a problem i.e. bit's are tight or bit's are loose (mine flew off) send it back.

As I mentioned earlier some people I know have taken to setting the lance then tapping it up with gaffer tape.

Bryan


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## mouthyman

i have what i think is an autobrite lance (bought from a member) but it doesnt have the two brass pins in, and it seems fine

so is it still safe to use? i dont quiete understand what the main problem is?

i am getting a new pressure washer so what do i need to look out for


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## blr123

Robbieben said:


> TBH Bryan it took me about 5 mins at work to sort my fitting, so if a supplier took 100 fittings to a machine shop and asked them to turn them all to the correct size, as per the Karcher Lance and they were charged £2 per fitting for machining I'd happily pay the £2 extra for a fitting that works


You're absolutely rite Robbie and that's what they should be doing not selling them for *£60* with the accompanying advice i.e. just drill it out or file it down 

Bryan


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## blr123

mouthyman said:


> i have what i think is an autobrite lance (bought from a member) but it doesnt have the two brass pins in, and it seems fine
> 
> so is it still safe to use? i dont quiete understand what the main problem is?
> 
> i am getting a new pressure washer so what do i need to look out for


Well if it doesn't have the 2 brass bits it will be the later (heavy duty) lance.

What you have to look out for is the brass bit being tight, this causes wear in the Karcher trigger gun..........2 of mine.........also the black nozzle flying off which in fairness happened to the mine with the brass bits so it may not happen to the later ones.....but they have damaged my Karcher trigger lance the lates doesn't even hold the Karcher vario lance by which I mean when I turn the lance it turns in the fitting so if I was to turn it then pull the trigger the lvario lance will fly off.

HTH
Bryan


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## bassologist

Thanks bryan

i'll give it a good looing over before i try it, im originally a fabricator, so if there is a flaw i'll spot it

John



blr123 said:


> Hi bass,
> 
> I understand from more than one supplier that all suppliers source their foam lances from the same place so "should you be worried" well I'm biased so I would say yes....infact if it were me I'd cancel the order......if you do want to keep it pay attension and watch what you're doing and at the slightest hint of a problem i.e. bit's are tight or bit's are loose (mine flew off) send it back.
> 
> As I mentioned earlier some people I know have taken to setting the lance then tapping it up with gaffer tape.
> 
> Bryan


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## mouthyman

blr123 said:


> Well if it doesn't have the 2 brass bits it will be the later (heavy duty) lance.
> 
> What you have to look out for is the brass bit being tight, this causes wear in the Karcher trigger gun..........2 of mine.........also the black nozzle flying off which in fairness happened to the mine with the brass bits so it may not happen to the later ones.....but they have damaged my Karcher trigger lance the lates doesn't even hold the Karcher vario lance by which I mean when I turn the lance it turns in the fitting so if I was to turn it then pull the trigger the lvario lance will fly off.
> 
> HTH
> Bryan


ok i understand what you mean now, my has the brass connector into the lance, but not in the foam lance nozzle, 
the karcher trigger seems to be an ok fit the same as the original accesories

but im changing from a karcher so i need to be able to make the foam lance fit safely


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## Sam08ST

I bought this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HEAVY-DUTY-FO...VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

I did have to tighten the brass connectors onto the tubing thread more though as the bottle was at 90 degress to the gun when i first connected it! Havent had any problems, but should i be worried?


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## bassologist

Samzetec-s said:


> I bought this one:
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HEAVY-DUTY-FO...VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247
> 
> I did have to tighten the brass connectors onto the tubing thread more though as the bottle was at 90 degress to the gun when i first connected it! Havent had any problems, but should i be worried?


same one ive ordered ..wish i hadnt now from what im reading


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## Sam08ST

bassologist said:


> same one ive ordered ..wish i hadnt now from what im reading


Apart from what i mentioned above about the funny bottle angle, its very good and great foaming! Havent had any connection problems.


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## bassologist

Samzetec-s said:


> Apart from what i mentioned above about the funny bottle angle, its very good and great foaming! Havent had any connection problems.


great.. i think maybe a soldered joint could sort out that problem .. ill have a look when it arives


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## Harley

more to the point does the snow foam or what ever it is sold as actually do anything?

NO it does not 
all the time i read 1" of maxi suds 1" of wash and go 1" of hyperwash and 6" of snow foam dont forget use warm water 
This should not be!
Snow foam should work as it is. 
But then it the same stuff you can buy for your bubble machine or foam machine for your mobile disco :doublesho

I use my own made up foam that works but it will take your paint off:lol:


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## Belleair302

That looks like a case for Ghostbusters!!!!


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## Bigpikle

OK, so far I may have been lucky, as I have an AB lance that fits snugly, seems to stay in place, and now I use the BH foam it cleans reasonably well also. I did haver the issue where the brass pins in the black nozzle were in the wrong way round, but the nozzle simply fell off... and now it seems OK (>100 washes since then...)

So can someone please explain EXACTLY what the problem is and the damage that is being done to the trigger unit of the PW? I dont want to take any chances so would like to know what I am looking for/trying to prevent and check for any signs of wear etc that may increase the risk of this happening in the future.

Thanks


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## silver bmw z3

Is this just one person with an issue and we are all fretting when thousands of washes have been done with these without issue? Would be good if supplier/retailer could comment.


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## clipstone

Maybe a potential for someone to start manufacturing foam lances in this country, made to the correct tolerances for Karcher, and knocking them out at a premium?

I must admit my lance works, but is a struggle to get in and out of the Karcher gun - I would happily pay a few quid more for one that attaches/comes out with the ease of a Karcher genuine item - seems like there are a few of us at least on here who would do likewise.

If only I was an engineer I could make a few quid


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## Car Key

What percentage of users have experienced problems? 1%, 50%, 99%? Someone needs to start a poll.


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## Rick ST

This is the one that i bought, and it was fine for the first few times but has become a right pain getting on and off the Karcher gun now.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HEAVY-DUTY-FO...439QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.c81.m20.l1116


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## MarcC

I have this one, is this the one that suffers things flying off? I can't see any brass pins on it. 
http://www.autobritedirect.co.uk/shop/popup_image.php?pID=1726

I'm scared. :0

It's the AB Karcher Drill out to 8.5mm special!

I mean H/D Foam Lance


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## flatfour

Had mine ages and it has been fine. Sorted the odd angle bottle problem with a bit of ptfe tape and the tight fitting problem with a quick drill down the brass connector with an 8.5 mm drill.both mods took less than 5 mins! very easy to put on and take off but very secure fit when on. seems a big fuss over very little to me!


----------



## -ROM-

flatfour said:


> Had mine ages and it has been fine. Sorted the odd angle bottle problem with a bit of ptfe tape and the tight fitting problem with a quick drill down the brass connector with an 8.5 mm drill.both mods took less than 5 mins! very easy to put on and take off but very secure fit when on. seems a big fuss over very little to me!


But on the other hand the fact you had to modify what is essentially quite an expensive product, IMO means it is a poor product! If you bought a TFT monitor for your PC you wouldn't expect to have to whip out your soldering iron and remove a few capacitors!


----------



## SiGainey

flatfour said:


> Had mine ages and it has been fine. Sorted the odd angle bottle problem with a bit of ptfe tape and the tight fitting problem with a quick drill down the brass connector with an 8.5 mm drill.both mods took less than 5 mins! very easy to put on and take off but very secure fit when on. seems a big fuss over very little to me!


I've bought a brand new heavy duty lance today and straight out of the box it was a very tight fit and I stuggled to get the foam lance into the karcher lance holder and I'm not a skinny runt in anyone's books. I've PM'd AB about getting a fixed version


----------



## flatfour

i agree that it should work perfect straight away, but 5 mins of fine tuning for hours and hours of problem free usage seems ok to me.


----------



## 306chris

Cant say I've had too much of an issue, yes it was a bit tight to get out, but i found a coat of wax on the brass fitting worked a treat


----------



## MarcC

I drilled mine out today to 8.5mm and tbh it's a pleasure to use now, just a shame i had to do it. 

I am concerned about people talking about things flying off, can someone clear up what and why this is happening, please.

Thanks
Marc.


----------



## Markus

I've got the same problem that the black front part of the lance falls off easily. Luckily the car wasn't damaged.
But so far I have no answer from the seller. Did you get a new one?


----------



## Glossboss

I have a Heavy Duty one, and have had absolutely no problem at all.


----------



## rorton

I have a heavy duty lance, and use a Kranzle Pressure Washer and no issues here. I have what i consider to be a very pro product. 

Heres my 2p...

The initial batch of lances with the red knob on the side are the 'original' lances. These do have a tendency to loose the 2 little brass pins that hold the black collar at the end (the one you turn to open out the fan spray).

Im not 100% certain that these lances are forcing the black collar off, or if the pins have worked loose/dropped out, and then when the lance is used, it then 'blasts' the collar off as its securing pins have already fell out.

I dropped my original lance once, and the pins did fall out and i had to get some more. Never had an issue other than that. 

Secondly, the whole assemblies on the lances (both H/D and original) are the same no matter what pressure washer you use, apart from the little brass removable end. This the interchangeable part, and it seems that the issue is just with the bore of the hole on the Karcher brass fitting.


----------



## bassologist

clipstone said:


> If only I was an engineer I could make a few quid


i am.. might look into this if there is enough demand


----------



## Dave KG

I've only just had a full look through this thread. My only experience with the AB lance (apart from a five minute blast at a Wolverhampton meet where it was on Gaz's Krantzle washer (superb!) ) has been with Bryan's Karcher and his lances - all of which have been giving problems...

It is clear from reading through a few posts that the issue is not unique to Bryan, and indeed there has been quite a need to re-engineering of the lances in order to fit into Karcher guns, a problem that is not faced on the purchase of, for example, the little yellow Karcher bottles.

Now, I do pretty much all of my detailing with Bryan so when he raises a concern about something to me, I sit up and take notice - he's not out to take the **** here, he's giving an accurate account of his issues with these foam lances, and it seems that the problems are not unique but instead are rather prevalent. 

When Bryan first told me about the lance flying over the neighbours hedge, I couldn't believe it - I laughed, thought it was hilarious... until I realised he wasn't joking and that in fact he had a very lucky escape as had it not been from him turning to speak to Stu in the garage, that lance would have smacked the side of his Signum... At the time, Bryan put it down to one faulty lance, contacted Mark at AB, the fully details of the communications I am not 100% familiar with. He did not come on open forum and say his lance nearly inflicted severe damage on his car as he quite frankly didn't want to scare other users of the product, but instead went through all the correct channels to find a solution to the problem... The fact he has now chosen to post this warning strikes me as Bryan is now very very concerned about the safety of these guns, for the reasons he has highlighted as I can tell you he will not have taken making that post lightly at all. 

So, where are we all at now? Correct me if I am wrong on any statements please... We have a lance that is advertised as compatible with the Karcher gun. Several of these are not fitting Karcher guns straight out of the box. Several require re-engineering (I dont care how short or easy a job, a product which is sold for a task should be fit for a task without any need to re-engineer...) to get them to fit. One of the designs has a tendancy to fall apart and in extreme cases parts of it can be ejected at high speeds which can easily cause damage. Yes?

Could the problem be solved with a little re-engineering of the gun at the manufacturer?? So that users themselves dont have to file down a product they paid £60 for.... Is a little more R&D required here for these lances?

Bryan, whats the story from Karcher?

I do not want to hell raise here, but from where I am standing, there is a clear problem with some of these foam lances and there appears to be a stagnation in coming to a workable solution for them? Rather than arguing out who's fault this is, would it not be better for the manufacturers of the lance to take the professional lead here and invest a little into coming up with a solution to the issues experienced by quite a few of the users. If its a few hours extra R&D, and a couple of quid more in the production costs of each lance, surely this could be done and quickly? 

My 2p.


----------



## -ROM-

As usual dave an accurate an unbiased summing up.

My take on them is simply they don't have sufficent quality control on the tolorances of the brass fitting, (and lets be frank we aren't talking bout aerospace engineering here, these types of tolorances can be measured with a slide rule not even the need for a micrometer).

Others have suggested that it is due to the cheaper nature of the karcher trigger lance, but at the end of the day if you are building a 3rd party aftermarket accessory you must conform to the their products not the other way around.

So really in my eyes (as someone who has a degree in product design and development) a £60 that's soul function is to spray foam over a car should do its job perfectly as £60 is a lot of money considering the relative simplicity of the product!


----------



## spitfire

I've just had a read through this thread, start to finish and quite frankly I'm astonished. Not that I didn't know about these problems, more the fact that this hasn't been sorted. After all this is not a new problem. We're talking months now. I have a Lavor connection and have only had two problems.

1. When the lance arrived I had to realign the brass fitting in order that the bottle sat vertical. I was surprised at how easy this was to do as the fitting wasn't tight. that wasn't to clever I thought to myself.

2. On fitting one day I pressed the trigger only for the whole lance to pop out and hit the car. A two centimeter light scratch but no dent was the result. Very lucky me 

The following are my thoughts on the above two points

Point one....It is *not acceptable,* for a product to need reworked, to make it fit for purpose, to be sold at any price, wether Karcher fitting, or any other. Full stop.

Point two.... *this accident was my fault* as I hadn't fitted the lance correctly.ie. It wasn't lined up correctly. The reason I mentioned it is to bring to your attention that these things can happen and for you to take great care when using any connection that's fitted to your powerwasher. Make sure that you aim the jet away from the car on first operation. Only when you are satisfied that everything is working properly should you then aim the jet at the car. It's a simple safety measure and will hopefully prevent what has happened to Brian and myself, happening to you. As Brian says someone *will* damage a car, or worse, damage someone else.

My final opinion is that these should be withdrawn from sale until some sort of fix and quality control can be put into place. They after all are a great tool when they work as they should.


----------



## SiGainey

All very well talking about it on a public forum, but someone needs to contact the manufacturer to get them to take notice of it... The more people give them hassle, the more likely it is to be fixed :thumb: (not saying people aren't doing it, but more should be doing it!)


----------



## bluetrebor

Hi,

I have just bought a Bosch pressure washer and was thinking about getting one of these lances from I4detailing as they do the Bosch fitment. Anyone had problems with there lances with these machines? I think I have been put off these lances now as the thought of propelling an object from a pressure washer at my car does not really do it for me.

Some one should start fabricating these in the uk as there is obiviously a market for them.


----------



## clipstone

SiGainey said:


> All very well talking about it on a public forum, but someone needs to contact the manufacturer to get them to take notice of it... The more people give them hassle, the more likely it is to be fixed :thumb: (not saying people aren't doing it, but more should be doing it!)


http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=43936&page=35&highlight=AB+foam

300+ posts on this thread alone ...


----------



## AndyC

Chaps,

I've spoken directly to Bryan and also to DW's owners in an attempt to resolve this as it's pretty clear to me that this isn't a one-off incident. We're not pointing fingers at anyone as we need to investigate this fully. 

My own view personally is that this equipment must be fit for purpose and compatible with the PW it's designed to work with and these issues will be looked at. We are aware of the level of concern being voiced but we do need to establish all relevant facts before doing anything else in the interests of fair play.

As regards an alternative, we have some ideas which we're looking at but this is very much "in pipeline" and a concept at this stage.

If anyone else has specific concerns then please PM me directly as we'd rather this thread didn't become a witchunt.

Thanks.


----------



## SiGainey

clipstone said:


> http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=43936&page=35&highlight=AB+foam
> 
> 300+ posts on this thread alone ...


Sure and I think that anyone who has a problem with the lance needs to contact AB directly. I have done and I got told 
"Ok put some fresh new oil on the black plastic peg and into the brass connector hole. Ideally put karcher gun into a vice and work the foam lance in and out of the Karcher gun until its get easier and easier,,we find this is an easy way to solve the problem.."

So I'll be trying that tonight and if it's no better, then I'll go back to them. It needs sorting out!


----------



## isherdholi

Does this problem affect just the H/D foam lance, or the standard foam lance? or both?


----------



## cheezemonkhai

Wonderdetail said:


> However... when you start using the proper metal foam lance, the plastic has to mould itself around the solid metal. The metal construction does not differ - it stays the same size and does not expand or contract, but your plastic lance does, so that's where the problem starts.


Sorry however:

The thing is a non interference design there should be no moulding just an impact point to stop the gun. Contact not moulding!

Also I don't know where you studied science but metals expand and contact with heat and cold a lot more than plastics.


----------



## Glasgow_Gio

i've been holding off on buying one at £50-60 a pop, and will continue to hold off, until the design is fixed. It is a design problem and the manufacturers need to take a look at themselves for continuing to sell these under the guise that they work.

TBH trading standards would probably state that they should tell the customer before purchasing that they may need to fix, tighten, oil, bore.......whatever before the product works. 

It's a bit of a joke that so many people are having to fix these before they work, and even then it seems to be a case of, " its working, but for how long... " 

Perhaps payment should be of the same theme..... here's a fiver, you'll have to invest it in the 4.20 at Nottingham and hope you get your £60......

rant over, for now


----------



## cheezemonkhai

I won't be buying one either until this is sorted.

FWIW if anybody can give me the dimensions of a drilled out peg I'd be fairly sure I could get some made up to a high standard.


----------



## Glasgow_Gio

cheezemonkhai said:


> FWIW if anybody can give me the dimensions of a drilled out peg I'd be fairly sure I could get some made up to a high standard.


That's the point tho......why are the people selling these telling the suppliers to do this at source.?


----------



## cheezemonkhai

Well if you look at the other thread we have been asking but it hasn't happened.

I'll just get a mate to make me one up and if it worked buy a foam lance and make a run of 100 of the items.

All very poor, but nothing seems to have happened.


----------



## Glasgow_Gio

flippin' joke


----------



## quattrogmbh

I suspect its a case of Internet forums are considered great by vendors and suppliers when times are good, when comments result in sales leads..... And very bad news when consumers can relate their concerns, problems, issues and discontent to each other.

Per my previous post, I'm still waiting for the vendor(s) to step up to their previous commitments and supply existing customers who have experienced issues with either a new product which doesnt exhibit the flaw, or the appropriate parts to rectify the issues raised.


----------



## cocker92

well i have just sat down and read this one like alot of us. i had the lance with the two brass pins, worked ok for a while then they fell out and the lance fell to bits. i complained to the manufacturer and although i had possessed the lance for a good 12 months they replaced it with the new lance.
all has been well until recently. i have a 5 minute battle putting the lance onto the karcher and another battle at the end.
not what i expect from such an expensive product.


----------



## Guest

Two seperate issues are being discussed here:

1. Lose nozzles
2. Poorly made Karcher bayonet adaptors

Is the lose nozzle issue only a problem on the earlier style of lances? I have an earlier style lance but I thought the new HD lances have had this issue resolved.

Are the adaptors obtained from a seperate source to the lance itself? It might not be fair to blame the lance manufacturer for this issue. Also, it seems confined to the bayonet style fitting for the domestic Karcher p/w's.


----------



## cocker92

so am i meant to sand the brass paeg or drill 8.5mm hole and if so where


----------



## bassologist

got my lance through today, bayonet fitting is absolute rubbish, will be re-engineering the FITTING not the Karcher gun


----------



## Glasgow_Gio

why dont they just use a plastic bayonet fitting?


----------



## -ROM-

Glasgow_Gio said:


> why dont they just use a plastic bayonet fitting?


That would involve extrusion/injection moulding which for such low volume would be far more expensive!


----------



## Markus

Phisp said:


> Two seperate issues are being discussed here:
> 
> 1. Lose nozzles
> 2. Poorly made Karcher bayonet adaptors
> 
> Is the lose nozzle issue only a problem on the earlier style of lances? I have an earlier style lance but I thought the new HD lances have had this issue resolved.
> 
> Are the adaptors obtained from a seperate source to the lance itself? It might not be fair to blame the lance manufacturer for this issue. Also, it seems confined to the bayonet style fitting for the domestic Karcher p/w's.


I got an old one ( with the red wheel ) and a H/D one. I still have this broken old one lying here with the lose nozzle as it has not been exchanged yet.
I luckily have not had this problem with the H/D lance so far, but the bayonet adaptor of it is crap.


----------



## silver bmw z3

I'm surprised retailers aren't commenting, they were happy to take cash for them!


----------



## isherdholi

I find that with my AB HD lance, using one inch of AB SSF, and topped with warm water, I don't really get that great foam - unless I put the lance into the gun upside down, i.e. with the bottle on top, upside down, with gravity pushing the SSF mixture into the lance. (I hope that makes sense)

Is anybody else having to do this?


----------



## chrisfoster1971

I had mine of a person on here and specifically said I wanted a really nice think foam and despite my best efforts it has never produced think foam that last 4-5 mins. I've doubled the dilution and it made no difference, turned the mixture nozzle from minimum to max and still very little difference....could it by me hard water where I live??


----------



## cheezemonkhai

Brass connectors are fine, it's just they need a good smooth finish on them and a hole large enough to deal with the karcher gun.

I've said it so many times, but if somebody makes something that is karcher compatible they need to have a series of connectors or one connector that fits all. By default karcher are right as the spec is theirs, so they can not be at fault.

Anybody else noticed that a certain retailer on here that was looking into it and apparently had a test solution on the way has gone quiet.

They are happy to post all over the rest of the forum and even about a group buy of them but won't answer any questions on this subject.


----------



## clipstone

isherdholi said:


> I find that with my AB HD lance, using one inch of AB SSF, and topped with warm water, I don't really get that great foam - unless I put the lance into the gun upside down, i.e. with the bottle on top, upside down, with gravity pushing the SSF mixture into the lance. (I hope that makes sense)
> 
> Is anybody else having to do this?


No, but I might give it a go to see if it improves my foam :thumb:


----------



## isherdholi

chrisfoster1971 said:


> I had mine of a person on here and specifically said I wanted a really nice think foam and despite my best efforts it has never produced think foam that last 4-5 mins. I've doubled the dilution and it made no difference, turned the mixture nozzle from minimum to max and still very little difference....could it by me hard water where I live??


Apologies if I'm stating the obvious here, or if you've already tried these, but I had a similar problem. I did two things: -

1. I used to rinse the car with water first and then foam it - I found I got better foam if I just put the foam straight onto the car without rinsing with water first, i.e. straight onto the dirty, dry car.

2. I put the foam lance into the pressure washer upside down, with the foam bottle above the lance, so that gravity forces the foam mixture into the lance.

I must say, even now, The foam doesn't seem to stay that thick for 4 to 5 minutes - Most of it just slides off within about 1 to 2 minutes, but thats after doing the above, which did show an improvement.

As for using more SSF, I'd be careful doing that, because if the mixture is too strong, it could maybe strip wax? (I don't know about that for sure, maybe just my paranoia)


----------



## Guest

chrisfoster1971 said:


> I had mine of a person on here and specifically said I wanted a really nice think foam and despite my best efforts it has never produced think foam that last 4-5 mins. I've doubled the dilution and it made no difference, turned the mixture nozzle from minimum to max and still very little difference....could it by me hard water where I live??


It would be worth measuring the dilution rate of your lance just using water in the bottle. I have an original (red side mounted dilution dial) foam lance and it's dilution rate varies from 5:1 to over 50:1. I tend to use it at around the 10:1 setting and dilute SSF at 8:1 in the bottle - this roughly gives the recommended 80:1 at the nozzle. I also live in a hard water area and find the SSF mixture takes around 5 mins to run off the car.

It is worth mentioning at this point that you *want* foam to run off the car in around 5 mins. If you still have a thick blanket of foam still sitting there after that time then it will not be cleaning the car. As the foam runs of the car it is dragging the dirt with it. Also, fresh foam is being allowed to come into contact with the bodywork allowing the cleaning action to continue.

Worry more about how well the foam cleans rather than how long it dwells for. If it is not cleaning then that is another issue.


----------



## nick the fish

there is a deafening silence from AB after all their comments in the past blaming Karcher etc?

as to the nozzle flying off - if i recall correctly this was due to a batch of lances being wrongly assembled in relation to the brass retaining pins - if YOU reversed the pins the matter was solved!

i've just done a sample mod that works - 'splicing' a genuine Karcher fitting to the lance - but its very time consuming!

mods - please ban the sale of these defective products NOW - if the offending suppliers want their advertising money refunded i'm sure a collection can be made? - PROTECT THE FORUM MEMBERS PLEASE!

one final bit of advice - don't modify the lance - because thats the get out clause the suppliers need to refuse to refund your money!


----------



## cheezemonkhai

If you modify the karcher then they can claim your lance isn't as designed by karcher too.

The silence from AB suggests to me they are hoping the problem will go away


----------



## nick the fish

cheezemonkhai said:


> If you modify the karcher then they can claim your lance isn't as designed by karcher too.
> 
> The silence from AB suggests to me they are hoping the problem will go away


i spoke to Karcher - lets just say they had no sympathy with sellers of non Karcher accessories

if i was a supplier of this crap i might be a bit careful about blaming Karcher on a public forum - because if they get the 'hump' and take legal action for liable/slander you can say good night to your business!!!


----------



## SiGainey

I think the mods should talk to AB - AB are reasonable people and I'm sure that they are not ignoring us, but the lack of updates is not helping their perception on here


----------



## nick the fish

SiGainey said:


> I think the mods should talk to AB - AB are reasonable people and I'm sure that they are not ignoring us, but the lack of updates is not helping their perception on here


reasonable - thats about perception?

they are still selling these lances on their web site so the previous 11+ pages shows contempt for their customers?

i'll copy this thread to Karcher


----------



## SiGainey

They also may not know about this thread so they should be given the chance to respond and make good


----------



## nick the fish

SiGainey said:


> They also may not know about this thread so they should be given the chance to respond and make good


how can Karcher 'make good' when they are not at fault

or are we talking about AB who well know whats going on - they have promised a 'fix' since before Moses was a child


----------



## SiGainey

I was talking about AB :thumb: They should be given one last request before being hung lol


----------



## nick the fish

SiGainey said:


> I was talking about AB :thumb: They should be given one last request before being hung lol


they have had more lives than a pack of cats!

what do we get - 'we are looking into it' - 'our suppliers say' - and so ad bloody infinitum!!


----------



## cheezemonkhai

AB have another thread with over 300 posts on it.

Plus people with other fittings (Alto or Lavour IIRC) have reported stiffness too.

It really isn't good enough and AB has been posting about lances under the AB section.


----------



## SiGainey

I'm going to follow what they say here
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=35701


----------



## cheezemonkhai

SiGainey said:


> I'm going to follow what they say here
> http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=35701


You should have a look at the other thread with 300 odd posts and no commitment to stop selling until fixed and no sign of a fix.

I'd agree that if Karcher feel their name/reputation is being damaged and they take the humph anyone saying that as a business had better watch out.

After all judging by some of the posts on here it's pretty obvious it has damaged karchers reputation as due comments such as these everyone aledgedly "knows" they make crap quality guns and it is their fault.


----------



## nick the fish

SiGainey said:


> I'm going to follow what they say here
> http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=35701


how much did they pay you?

bet if Tesco etc sold you rubbish you'd soon be on here telling the world and demanding action

yet you defend the indefensible?


----------



## SiGainey

I'm not associated with them, in fact, I've got one of their lances that has the problem so I'm hardly defending them lol.

You're wrong about tesco, I wouldn't go on a forum and complain, I'd talk to Tesco about it


----------



## cheezemonkhai

SiGainey said:


> I'm not associated with them, in fact, I've got one of their lances that has the problem so I'm hardly defending them lol.
> 
> You're wrong about tesco, I wouldn't go on a forum and complain, I'd talk to Tesco about it


So you buy a <generic shop> pair of shoes that claim to be a size 10 on mail order.

You get them delivered and find they say size 10, but are more like a size 9 in actualy fitting.

So phone up to get a refund/new set as you quite rightly suggest.

The shop suggests you sand down your feet to make them fit because your feet don't comply with their definition of a size 10.

What do you do then?

Sorry but AB is on this site as a seller, they seem to do little about it and spent ages on the other thread denying there even was a problem.


----------



## nick the fish

SiGainey said:


> I'm not associated with them, in fact, I've got one of their lances that has the problem so I'm hardly defending them lol.
> 
> You're wrong about tesco, I wouldn't go on a forum and complain, I'd talk to Tesco about it


yes, and many have talked to AB and where has it got them?

also Tesco do not pay to advertise on this forum

the longer this drags on the more damage it does to the credibility of the forum - are advertisers/sponsors immune from criticism/censure when they sell defective goods

its starting to leave a very nasty 'taste' in my mouth!!

in the city it would be called insider dealing


----------



## [email protected]

blr123 said:


> Worried you should be.......course you could always "drill it out or file it down eh"
> 
> I'm sorry about that Mark I'm not trying to be funny here quite the opposite........I say again these lances are dangerous and definately not to be trusted.
> 
> How many people on here have set the lance and tapped it up...the idea being that if it comes loose it won't fly off.......there are more than a few.......course that's the sort of thing you have to do with a qaulity product eh....yeah rite
> 
> These foam lances have becoem something I feel VERY strongly about now that 3 Karcher trigger guns have been damaged a direct result of these lances........and that means more and more money
> 
> Bryan


Bryan sorry to hear about this!!!! Which Karcher foam lance was it and did you purchase it from us??? I need to know which one as we will take them off the site as from now!!


----------



## cheezemonkhai

Ahh excellent, Autobright direct is looking at the thread.

Wonder if we might actually get a reply now then?


----------



## SiGainey

As they are a registered seller on here, you talk to the forum management about it - I've already PM'd AndyC about it so I'll take a look at the moderator's thoughts when they get chance to have a think about it 

The way I see it, is we should be giving AB hassle about it - the more phone calls they get (which are much harder to ignore than an email or an internet forum), the more likely they are to fix things  If they refuse to (should that be the case) we go to trading standards about it. Thoughts?


----------



## cheezemonkhai

Yes i agree call the retailer then have a bit of a moan and talk to trading standards and if required take small claims court action.

However I think what people want is answers.

Stop selling the foam lances that don't fit until they do fit and actually do it too.

I won't buy one until this has a solution that doesn't require me to modify something.

Perfectly reasonable to expect something that costs £50+ to work straight out of the box.
I mean essentially all it is is a sprayer with a T piece in it to pick up some foam solution by the force or water passing the T-Piece. It isn't rocket science.

If the retailer actually stopped selling them then others would have a hard time continuing to do so. Then when a fixed part was available he could send it out to existing users to confirm the fix and sell it again. Make a big thing of the fact that it's the fixed item and that's a lot of custom they will get.


----------



## nick the fish

SiGainey said:


> As they are a registered seller on here, you talk to the forum management about it - I've already PM'd AndyC about it so I'll take a look at the moderator's thoughts when they get chance to have a think about it
> 
> The way I see it, is we should be giving AB hassle about it - the more phone calls they get (which are much harder to ignore than an email or an internet forum), the more likely they are to fix things  If they refuse to (should that be the case) we go to trading standards about it. Thoughts?


bit hard going to trading standards when you have 'modified' the lance in accordance with suggestions by AB?

like sanding the Karcher 'plug'/drilling/greasing etc etc


----------



## SiGainey

nick the fish said:


> bit hard going to trading standards when you have 'modified' the lance in accordance with suggestions by AB?
> 
> like sanding the Karcher 'plug'/drilling/greasing etc etc


Yup, hence I'm not going to modify mine - I'll happily send it to AB to do but it's not something I will be doing


----------



## cheezemonkhai

To AB, have you thought about having a batch of 100 of the connectors sent off to a company with a lathe and getting them finished properly with the inner hole at 8.5mm?

I know it's not ideal but it would give you a short term solution until the manufacturer fixes it.


----------



## nick the fish

got to love this - PMSL

had a look at Autobrites details - what do i see?

'autobrite direct has not made any friends yet'

but even better

'befriend autrobrite direct'

somebody clean the coffee off my monitor please!!


----------



## [email protected]

Hi Guys

Right first of all i would like to apolagize as we have not been on here for a while due to very busy work commitments..

Ok down to the nitty gritty! 

As we posted a few weeks ago we have been in touch with the German company that make these brass connectors.We have explained your views and thoughts about the tightness of the connectors. At first they were totally not aware about all this.They have had no complaints at all about this.Ive asked them if they could make the hole diameter bigger as the problem may be the black plastic peg expanding! So we do need to come up with a solution and quick! Guys ive tried my utmost to get this sorted and please Autobrite are not just the suppliers of these foam lances as you well know.Ive approached the manufacturer time and time again with the option of making the holes bigger in the brass connectors and were promised 100 were coming to me.So we have come up with a new design that is a PLASTIC Karcher connector coverted into a brass Lavor connector.

Ill explain! 

The Lavor brass connector replaces the brass Karcher connector and then connects to a Karcher plastic adapter which then fits into your karcher gun.It seems to be the only option we have at the moment to sort the stiffness problem out to all you DW members who have suffered enough! Im really dissapointed and and disheartened from the comments from some DW members BUT i totally understand where you are coming from and i dont blame you at all! So i will send you these 2 connectors FOC and you will have to replace them to your lance and remove the Karcher brass connector.If you don't mind that is?? If not then you will have to send them back to me (just the lance and tube/brass connector) i and will refund you the postage. What i will do is put a picture on DW later as ive no camera with me at the moment and i will explain step by step how you replace these connectors or send them back to me??

I hope that helps and our apologies for the lateness of this solution and i hope you understand that we have been trying for months now to get this sorted..

As from now NO karcher brass connectors will be sold on our site they will all be replaced with the new style connector..

I will contact you later with new pictures..

Regards Mark


----------



## nick the fish

autobrite-direct said:


> Hi Guys
> 
> Right first of all i would like to apolagize as we have not been on here for a while due to very busy work commitments..
> 
> Ok down to the nitty gritty!
> 
> As we posted a few weeks ago we have been in touch with the German company that make these brass connectors.We have explained your views and thoughts about the tightness of the connectors. At first they were totally not aware about all this.They have had no complaints at all about this.Ive asked them if they could make the hole diameter bigger as the problem may be the black plastic peg expanding! So we do need to come up with a solution and quick! Guys ive tried my utmost to get this sorted and please Autobrite are not just the suppliers of these foam lances as you well know.Ive approached the manufacturer time and time again with the option of making the holes bigger in the brass connectors and were promised 100 were coming to me.So we have come up with a new design that is a PLASTIC Karcher connector coverted into a brass Lavor connector.
> 
> Ill explain!
> 
> The Lavor brass connector replaces the brass Karcher connector and then connects to a Karcher plastic adapter which then fits into your karcher gun.It seems to be the only option we have at the moment to sort the stiffness problem out to all you DW members who have suffered enough! Im really dissapointed and and disheartened from the comments from some DW members BUT i totally understand where you are coming from and i dont blame you at all! So i will send you these 2 connectors FOC and you will have to replace them to your lance and remove the Karcher brass connector.If you don't mind that is?? If not then you will have to send them back to me (just the lance and tube/brass connector) i and will refund you the postage. What i will do is put a picture on DW later as ive no camera with me at the moment and i will explain step by step how you replace these connectors or send them back to me??
> 
> I hope that helps and our apologies for the lateness of this solution and i hope you understand that we have been trying for months now to get this sorted..
> 
> As from now NO karcher brass connectors will be sold on our site they will all be replaced with the new style connector..
> 
> I will contact you later with new pictures..
> 
> Regards Mark


thank you - maybe you are getting there?


----------



## clipstone

autobrite-direct said:


> Hi Guys
> 
> Right first of all i would like to apolagize as we have not been on here for a while due to very busy work commitments..
> 
> Ok down to the nitty gritty!
> 
> As we posted a few weeks ago we have been in touch with the German company that make these brass connectors.We have explained your views and thoughts about the tightness of the connectors. At first they were totally not aware about all this.They have had no complaints at all about this.Ive asked them if they could make the hole diameter bigger as the problem may be the black plastic peg expanding! So we do need to come up with a solution and quick! Guys ive tried my utmost to get this sorted and please Autobrite are not just the suppliers of these foam lances as you well know.Ive approached the manufacturer time and time again with the option of making the holes bigger in the brass connectors and were promised 100 were coming to me.So we have come up with a new design that is a PLASTIC Karcher connector coverted into a brass Lavor connector.
> 
> Ill explain!
> 
> The Lavor brass connector replaces the brass Karcher connector and then connects to a Karcher plastic adapter which then fits into your karcher gun.It seems to be the only option we have at the moment to sort the stiffness problem out to all you DW members who have suffered enough! Im really dissapointed and and disheartened from the comments from some DW members BUT i totally understand where you are coming from and i dont blame you at all! So i will send you these 2 connectors FOC and you will have to replace them to your lance and remove the Karcher brass connector.If you don't mind that is?? If not then you will have to send them back to me (just the lance and tube/brass connector) i and will refund you the postage. What i will do is put a picture on DW later as ive no camera with me at the moment and i will explain step by step how you replace these connectors or send them back to me??
> 
> I hope that helps and our apologies for the lateness of this solution and i hope you understand that we have been trying for months now to get this sorted..
> 
> As from now NO karcher brass connectors will be sold on our site they will all be replaced with the new style connector..
> 
> I will contact you later with new pictures..
> 
> Regards Mark


Mark - sounds like a decent temporary fix at the least mate :thumb:

Will this be a fix for the H/D lance also?


----------



## [email protected]

clipstone said:


> Mark - sounds like a decent temporary fix at the least mate :thumb:
> 
> Will this be a fix for the H/D lance also?


All Karcher foam lances will have this fitting yes mate,,we are getting there only because ive told them if this is not sorted - Autobrite - No more orders!! Be honest with im sick of it totally! Ive tried my best to resolve this but its like bashing my head against a brick wall!! Anyway dont take this personally guys ive tried and hopefully - this will be a good subsitute..

Thanks

Mark


----------



## Mark J

Fair play :thumb:


----------



## clipstone

autobrite-direct said:


> All Karcher foam lances will have this fitting yes mate,,we are getting there only because ive told them if this is not sorted - Autobrite - No more orders!! Be honest with im sick of it totally! Ive tried my best to resolve this but its like bashing my head against a brick wall!! Anyway dont take this personally guys ive tried and hopefully - this will be a good subsitute..
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Mark


Winner :thumb:


----------



## Glennroy

i was going to buy one of these soon as i have just got a new karcher shall ill hold off untill they are sorted???? 

I was surprised at this thread after reading though but at least he is getting it sorted and not afraid to face us lot must be a a good company and sonds like a ginuwine bloke. Hope it all gets resolved soon.


----------



## SiGainey

Good to see AB are working on this as I suspected a page back 

Just one question, do you have timescales for these replacement parts? 2 days? 2 weeks? 2 months? 2 years? :thumb:


----------



## MarcC

I think that's reasonable, seems to be doing what he can.


----------



## Chris_R

Any ideas what other suppliers are doing regarding these lances? I have the Hd lance which I bought from Autoraechem which is somewhat tight fitting to say the least.


----------



## quattrogmbh

Sounds like progress is being made. Does this remedy the original Brass Pin / nozzle detachment issue though as reported by the OP?

I bought mine from Clean and Shiny. Is that an AB lance?

Will there be a "recall" via the OEM, or the Distributor?


----------



## [email protected]

SiGainey said:


> Good to see AB are working on this as I suspected a page back
> 
> Just one question, do you have timescales for these replacement parts? 2 days? 2 weeks? 2 months? 2 years? :thumb:


Yes they have told me that they will be with me on Monday,,so as soon as i have them i will let you know,but please guys if im not on DW on Monday it means we are snowed under with work - im not ignoring you at all..

Thanks


----------



## [email protected]

quattrogmbh said:


> Sounds like progress is being made. Does this remedy the original Brass Pin / nozzle detachment issue though as reported by the OP?
> 
> I bought mine from Clean and Shiny. Is that an AB lance?
> 
> Will there be a "recall" via the OEM, or the Distributor?


Mate i will ask the question as these are a different supplier, we are not going to stock these anymore, so again i will keep you posted..

:thumb:


----------



## [email protected]

Chris_R said:


> Any ideas what other suppliers are doing regarding these lances? I have the Hd lance which I bought from Autoraechem which is somewhat tight fitting to say the least.


Mate im only talking about Autobrite and what Autobrite are going to do for its customers after trying and trying for them to get it sorted.What ever other traders do is up to them..I can not speak for them..:thumb:


----------



## Chris_R

Will see how this pans out, mine is working, just a pain in the rear to remove or put on.


----------



## [email protected]

Right ok then here we go..

Here is the set up of the Karcher foam lance with the new connectors



Here is the new adapter



From now on (until we get sorted on a new karcher connector) all Karcher foam lances will look like this



So the foam lance with the connector on it fits into the Karcher adapter



It looks like this



So now all of it fits into the Karcher gun with a plastic Karcher connector/adapter.



This looks a sturdy fit and most important it is a plastic connector that wont expand/shrink (hopefully)



They have been talks this afternoon about a plastic karcher connection but it will have to be checked for the weight etc..

Any feedback will be taken on board..

Many thanks for taking time to read this thread..

Regards Mark


----------



## [email protected]

great detailed write up on connector ,really glad you got this connector after many phone calls / e-mails to supplier which some where :tumbleweed:. I know how much this has been a head banger :wall: to come up with a solution and move forward on this matter . Also mark has not stopped trying to sort this on top of everything (orders/e-mails/calls) oh and a a bit of valeting :lol:.
So connectors will be in very soon 
andy


----------



## cocker92

so how will we go about getting these connectors sent to us?

****er92


----------



## [email protected]

****er92 said:


> so how will we go about getting these connectors sent to us?
> 
> ****er92


I will put a post up on Monday/Tuesday about it..


----------



## Epoch

Hi Mark

Is the new metal bit a swist into the plastic or just push fit?


----------



## [email protected]

Epoch said:


> Hi Mark
> 
> Is the new metal bit a swist into the plastic or just push fit?


it is a push and twist then locks into place


----------



## Lloyd_Zetec

Just placed an order for the HD lance with snowfoam from Autobrite. At first I was a bit worried about possible problems, but like I said to Mark I'm more than happy to try this new method out and provide feedback to help solve the problem. At worst it'll be a refund and more time until a suitable solution is found and confirmed.

At the end of the day, I can understand where Mark is coming from with his worry also. He is running a very popular business and the last thing he needs are problems like this. So instead of being a nuisance and coming down on him if there is a problem, I decided to help him out and give him a report on my findings with this new connector  Whatever the outcome, Mark still gets my full support :thumb:


----------



## [email protected]

Lloyd_Zetec said:


> Just placed an order for the HD lance with snowfoam from Autobrite. At first I was a bit worried about possible problems, but like I said to Mark I'm more than happy to try this new method out and provide feedback to help solve the problem. At worst it'll be a refund and more time until a suitable solution is found and confirmed.
> 
> At the end of the day, I can understand where Mark is coming from with his worry also. He is running a very popular business and the last thing he needs are problems like this. So instead of being a nuisance and coming down on him if there is a problem, I decided to help him out and give him a report on my findings with this new connector  Whatever the outcome, Mark still gets my full support :thumb:


Thanks mate! I appreciate that!..I will keep in touch with you all on Monday/Tuesday when i get these connectors in ok?

Regards Mark


----------



## chowie

Am now sorted


----------



## blr123

Hi guys,

I said I would NOT comment again on this tread until I had heard from the supplier I got mine from......however......there seems to be a train of thought that Autobrite are the ONLY suppliers, well that is not true and I cannot beleive that lances supplied by Autobrite alone are at fault (if that's the rite word to use), far from it I personally have been told by the MAIN supplier that they supply/sell and distribute them to ALL other suppliers such as Autobrite.

Mark has asked me a question so Mark I'll be in touch tomorrow or before if I see you online.

Thanks
Bryan


----------



## [email protected]

blr123 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I said I would NOT comment again on this tread until I had heard from the supplier I got mine from......however......there seems to be a train of thought that Autobrite are the ONLY suppliers, well that is not true and I cannot beleive that lances supplied by Autobrite alone are at fault (if that's the rite word to use), far from it I personally have been told by the MAIN supplier that they supply/sell and distribute them to ALL other suppliers such as Autobrite.
> 
> Mark has asked me a question so Mark I'll be in touch tomorrow or before if I see you online.
> 
> Thanks
> Bryan


Thats right Bryan,these lances are sold all over the world and not just from ourselves.

Many of you think that we are the only suppliers of the foam lances,but heh cut us some slack guys as we are not,it seems that no other supplier gets a shouting at on this forum about the lances which i find that bizarre? Especially now that we will come up with a new design and then other traders will copy our design and tehy will start all over again selling them with the new design and no one will think anything of it?? And something crops up again about foam lances and hey guess what Autobrite will get it in the neck again,,Proberly as we have sold thousands of these lances and everyone just aims at us all the time,oh well just as long as you know that Autobrite customers - we have been trying everything in our power to sort this situation out and we WILL get it sorted for you.

Sorry for the rant Bryan - Call me when you have 5, if you want to speak to me anytime pm me NOW and i will give you my private mobile number..

Regards Mark


----------



## -ROM-

autobrite-direct said:


> Thats right Bryan,these lances are sold all over the world and not just from ourselves.
> 
> Many of you think that we are the only suppliers of the foam lances,but heh cut us some slack guys as we are not,it seems that no other supplier gets a shouting at on this forum about the lances which i find that bizarre? Especially now that we will come up with a new design and then other traders will copy our design and tehy will start all over again selling them with the new design and no one will think anything of it?? And something crops up again about foam lances and hey guess what Autobrite will get it in the neck again,,Proberly as we have sold thousands of these lances and everyone just aims at us all the time,oh well just as long as you know that Autobrite customers - we have been trying everything in our power to sort this situation out and we WILL get it sorted for you.
> 
> Sorry for the rant Bryan - Call me when you have 5, if you want to speak to me anytime pm me NOW and i will give you my private mobile number..
> 
> Regards Mark


I see where you are coming from, but in business you have to take the rough with the smooth, i bet you loved the fact that the majority of people thought autobrite were the only suppliers when it came to selling them!


----------



## [email protected]

rmorgan84 said:


> I see where you are coming from, but in business you have to take the rough with the smooth, i bet you loved the fact that the majority of people thought autobrite were the only suppliers when it came to selling them!


Is that my fault??? Dont think so..


----------



## -ROM-

Not saying it is anyone's fault other than the manufacturers, but if you have got a reputation for being THE supplier of these foam lances and as a result you have sold vast amounts of them, it is only reasonable for these people who have bought them to direct their concerns back to you.


----------



## [email protected]

rmorgan84 said:


> Not saying it is anyone's fault other than the manufacturers, but if you have got a reputation for being THE supplier of these foam lances and as a result you have sold vast amounts of them, it is only reasonable for these people who have bought them to direct their concerns back to you.


Well if the customers direct the problem back to whoever supplied to them then perhaps members would not relate to Autobrite and Autobrite being only the supplier?

BTW we have not got a reputation of being THE ONLY supplier i said we have sold thousands of them.


----------



## carpy

Hmm interesting thread. My foam lance (bought from Autobrite) was so damn difficult to get off the Karcher lance yesterday, that I don't want to risk putting it back on again because I nearly had to break the karcher gun thing to get it off.

I'm not really a regular detailer. I've used the lance I think 3 times since I bought it about 6 months ago, but now I can't use it. £20 per wash! What's going on and have I wasted £60 on this thing?


----------



## cheezemonkhai

Read back a couple of pages and it appears that AB have done a good job for the people who have bought the lances off them.


When you get a chance Mark, if I purchased an HD lance, what are the chances of getting a new connector as above, but also an old connector. We have a lathe at work and i'd be very interested to see what happens if I turn the connector, smooth to 8.5mm internal diameter.

Thanks


----------



## spitfire

Mark, I appreciate this must be very frustrating for you, but I think it's fair to say that we on DW value Autobrite highly and for this reason we are probably expecting a little to much from Autobrite alone in this instance. But if someone on here posts looking for a foam lance. I know who I'd refer them to. Yes Mark, Autobrite. And so, if something goes wrong, I'm afraid it's Autobrite I'm gonna refer them to. Yes there are other traders who sell these, but do you know what? I don't know who they are. Last thing, if Autobrite get this sorted, it'll be Autobrite that get the plaudits. Keep the chin up and lets finally get this sorted.


----------



## carpy

carpy said:


> Hmm interesting thread. My foam lance (bought from Autobrite) was so damn difficult to get off the Karcher lance yesterday, that I don't want to risk putting it back on again because I nearly had to break the karcher gun thing to get it off.
> 
> I'm not really a regular detailer. I've used the lance I think 3 times since I bought it about 6 months ago, but now I can't use it. £20 per wash! What's going on and have I wasted £60 on this thing?


Ah sorry I posted without reading all 16 pages or so first. I got mine from Autobrite so will keep an eye out for their post re sending out new plastic connectors.


----------



## Dave KG

spitfire said:


> Mark, I appreciate this must be very frustrating for you, but I think it's fair to say that we on DW value Autobrite highly and for this reason we are probably expecting a little to much from Autobrite alone in this instance. But if someone on here posts looking for a foam lance. I know who I'd refer them to. Yes Mark, Autobrite. And so, if something goes wrong, I'm afraid it's Autobrite I'm gonna refer them to. Yes there are other traders who sell these, but do you know what? I don't know who they are. Last thing, if Autobrite get this sorted, it'll be Autobrite that get the plaudits. Keep the chin up and lets finally get this sorted.


Well said that man! :thumb:

I know this is difficult for all involved and people will see things only from their own sides and stances - especially if you have a lance which is troublesome, or if you sell the lances are are taking some flak...

But the simple situation here is that these lances are causing issues and a solution must be sought after. I personally dont give a monkey's left nut who's fault it is, nor do I care who all the sellers and manufacturers are. What I care about are the efforts being put in to find a resolution, and the professionalism shown in coming to a working solution - those that put in the effort to sort this will reap the rewards and rightly so.

Autobrite, it looks to me like you are now taking a lead as one of the suppliers in looking for a resolution - excellent


----------



## jpmcc

I purchased my Lance from Autobrite approx 2months ago, after having a few delivery problems sorted (no thanks to DHL) my lance has been working perfectly since I got it, it's used 4-5 times a week and has never caused problems, I'm using it with a Karcher 620M, hopefully It will continue to work perfectly


----------



## aJay

I bought my HD lance from Clean Your Car a few months back now, and never had a problem. Fitment is a bit tight, but I'd rather this than it was too loose!

The brass connector sometimes does turn when I'm trying to attach it to the Karcher. It's only turning 45deg at max, and it gets turned back straight away as the lance would be squint compared to the trigger gun otherwise.

As for the "does snow foam actually do anything?" argument... here's all the proof I need that it does work.


----------



## Renoir

Hope i dont bore anyone again but I'm pretty sure i know what the problem is and how to fix it. Someone just needs to tolerance the drawing correctly for the turning of the internal diameter of the brass fitting!

Copy & pasted from my post on this subject some time ago.

I had the same problem with mine and being a bit of a boring engineering type i thought i'd see if i can work out what the actual problem is here.

As far as I can see after testing all the Karcher attachements I have, the control they have over the tolerance of the bore of the hole is pretty good, around +/- 0.1mm (mind you, I only have 3!). Now i'm no injection moulding expert but i would have thought that is a pretty reasonable tolerance to achieve with this type of process. I would also think that they have some sophisticated guaging and statistical process control systems to ensure they meet the required tolerance and level of capability considering they are making them in the 1000's.

Moving onto the brass lance fitment (mines from Auto Rae Chem) the casting and turning also look pretty good also. Now I dont have a selection of these to measure and check repeatability but I think the source of variation here is the boring of the internal diameter and if we were to check a reasonable sample my guess is we would find some spread. I would imagine this is done on a little sliding head automatic (or CNC) lathe. The source of variation can only really come from one place and this is tool wear on the boring bar used for the boring operation. This can be controlled in two ways, firstly if the machine has in process measurement of the tool itself which measures tool wear and adjusts the tool offselt accordingly or, post process guaging where the operator measures the part and then manually adjusts the machine accordingly. It is possible that neither of these are carried out therefore allowing variation in the size of the bore of the brass fitting.

The other area where a problem can be occuring is from a tolerancing clash. For example, if both the Karcher fitment and the foam gun bore are at mid tolerance then they fit. If the Karcher fitment is at the top of the tolerance and so is the bore of the brass fitting then they fit. However, if the Karcher fitment is at the top of the tolerance and the bore of the brass fitting is at the bottom of it's tolerance then there is interference and they don't fit.

I think it is actually this tolerancing problem which is the route cause of the problem. The designer of the foam gun fitting will not have sight of the Karcher tolerances and therefore wont be able to design his part accordingly to ensure no tolerance clash occurs. Seeing as some people have a problem and some don't, i think this is the most likely reason for the problem some people are having.

The solution, take out the 'o' ring and drill it right through so it fits. Mine needed 8.3mm. It might be worth AB & ARC feeding this back to the manufacturer though as it seems that if they bored the fitting to 8.5mm +/-0.1mm then there would be no problems at all. The 'o' ring would easily allow for any variation or wear in the Karcher fitting.

Sorry to bimble on but it's not often I see a post about something i know a little bit about and i do love the sound of my own voice!!


----------



## blr123

Rite I have just had a VERY close look at the pictures of the modified fittings for the Karcher foam lance put in this thread by Mark at Autobrite, I have also backed this up with a telephone call to Mark, and given they are now using a Karcher connection I am confident the problems will be *COMPLETELY* cured.

It is also worth noting that all of the problems appear to be with the Karcher fittings and *NOT* with the Lavor fittings which the new system incorperates i.e. the lavor fitting goes into the plastic Karcher fitting and it is the plastic Karcher bayonette fitting that goes into the Karcher trigger gun.

I will be contacting DaveKG to see if he can come down here with his camera with a view to doing a 1st assesment of the new fitting complete with pictures.

One additional point I would make, and this is a general point about all hose fittings that have "O" rings, it is a good idea from time to time to apply a little grease or vasoline to the "O" rings, this just helps keep them supple and reduces the possibility of cracking and therefore leaking........I say again this is a general point which applies to anything which has "O" rings.

And finally, I repeat, there has been a lot of comment on this thread about Autobrite in particular well I would like to re-iterate that it is *NOT* only Autobrite who supply foam lances and as far as I'm aware ALL foam lances use the same Phosphur Bronze fitting and therefore *ALL* will have the same problem wherever they have been purchased from.

Thanks
Bryan


----------



## perm

Bryan,
Am I correct in thinking that this new modified fittings will cure the problem of the things flying off ? I can see it sorting out the fitting issues.... but not the flying off problem or have I missed something ?

Thanks

Perm


----------



## Drunken Master

Was thinking of getting one of these but this has really put me off.


----------



## [email protected]

spitfire said:


> Mark, I appreciate this must be very frustrating for you, but I think it's fair to say that we on DW value Autobrite highly and for this reason we are probably expecting a little to much from Autobrite alone in this instance. But if someone on here posts looking for a foam lance. I know who I'd refer them to. Yes Mark, Autobrite. And so, if something goes wrong, I'm afraid it's Autobrite I'm gonna refer them to. Yes there are other traders who sell these, but do you know what? I don't know who they are. Last thing, if Autobrite get this sorted, it'll be Autobrite that get the plaudits. Keep the chin up and lets finally get this sorted.


Thankyou! :thumb:


----------



## carpy

Drunken Master said:


> Was thinking of getting one of these but this has really put me off.


It's only the connector that has a problem. So long as you get the new revised connector you'll love it. I've got one and it's great apart from the connector! Mind you I'm still waiting for information about when this new connector will be sent to me!


----------



## [email protected]

Majority of connectors have now been dispatched and we are now running out of the 50 batch..All have been sent out on 2nd class post..You should receive in a few days..

Mark


----------



## silver bmw z3

Who's getting them?


----------



## carpy

autobrite-direct said:


> Majority of connectors have now been dispatched and we are now running out of the 50 batch..All have been sent out on 2nd class post..You should receive in a few days..
> 
> Mark


Can you confirm that one is on its way to me please - Order Number: 976 - Total: £80.69 - David Bolton


----------



## supercharged

anyone else has the same problem?


----------



## 05 A4 TDI CAB

so in conclusion... as long as we get the new connector.... it's all good??


----------



## Lloyd_Zetec

05 A4 TDI CAB said:


> so in conclusion... as long as we get the new connector.... it's all good??


Totally. Mine works brilliantly! I had so much fun with my lance yesterday. Works like a dream and no signs of it coming loose whatsoever. Trust me, mate, you won't regret it :thumb:


----------



## silver bmw z3

I'm still not clear on who gets these and how, are we supposed to ask or are all karcher foam lance purchasers getting sent one?


----------



## carpy

silver bmw z3 said:


> I'm still not clear on who gets these and how, are we supposed to ask or are all karcher foam lance purchasers getting sent one?


Good question I have left my details with Autobrite asking for a replacement adaptor but heard and received nothing yet.


----------



## SiGainey

I've asked autoraechem for mine and have received nothing back.... Very unimpressed.


----------



## racquel

I don't believe you have answered by email.
SiGainey


----------



## SiGainey

Can you send it again please, I've had nothing from you since 8/5


----------



## [email protected]

Guys we are out of connectors at the moment but they are due in soon.:thumb:


----------



## Neil_M

As per previous questions, are they being sent out to your customers automatically or what is the story ?


----------



## Neil_M

See below from another post.



autobrite-direct said:


> Right we only have a batch of 50 at the moment , so if you have had a lance of us ( you do need to prove from a pay-pal receipt or credit card receipt etc) pm me and we will send you the connectors.You will need to take off your original karcher brass connector and screw the new brass connector on.Some of the foam lances sold might have been threadlocked on, so you will need to break the seal on the connector to remove the brass connector (not very hard to do)..
> 
> Regards


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## guinness

Wow - what an interesting read! Got to admit I'm a bit disappointed; I was just on the brink of ordering a lance from AutoBrite and although I've got all the tools I would need to modify it, I really shouldn't have to modify something I've spent £60 on. AB - can you confirm whether all new shipments are including this adaptor? I notice you have them listed in your shop for ~£13. That would bring the price to £73 for a "guaranteed fit", which I think is OTT. 

If you can confirm that that adaptor is now standard, I'll put in an order..


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## carpy

I hope not because I've been waiting for nearly a month for my replacement connector now. I've been told I'll get one as soon as Autobrite get them, but currently still waiting.


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## cj romeo

Mine isnt a Karcher fit, its the heavy duty gun and I am delighted with it and the service from Autobrite for this and other orders.

Yina nd Yang here for them, they are the biggest UK supplier, though not the manufacturer of these gadgets, so it seems like there is a big problem with AB lance adaptors for Karcher, the fact is, there is no one out there has/had anything that was any better, but due to lower volumes, we didnt hear about it.


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## jonathanelwell

KnightUnit said:


> Yeah I use the Karcher foam gun aswell. Cheap and safe.


Yeah never had a problem with mine either. Its doesn't produce the most foam, but its not bad for a tenner.


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## mattyb95

Connectors should be in and both they and the shortened brass join I believe come included as standard on any lances. Look in the Autobrite section on here as there are threads on the connectors and the shortened joining tube.

Got mine non HD one yesterday and it seemed to fit in securely like any other Karcher Attachment but was no harder to get out like I gather has been the issue in the past.


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## thehogester

Is the lance that Clean Your Car sell, the same as the AB one?


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## Ross

The foam thing on the Sthil PW is very good


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## Vail3r

Just got a foam lance, and I don't care if it does anything or not It's so much fun!!


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## Planet Man

thehogester said:


> Is the lance that Clean Your Car sell, the same as the AB one?


In a word. No


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## thehogester

QUIXXMAN said:


> In a word. No


Are they as good?


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## -ROM-

As far as i know the ones CYC sell are much better quality from a different supplier and you won't have any connection problems...


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## thehogester

rmorgan84 said:


> As far as i know the ones CYC sell are much better quality from a different supplier and you won't have any connection problems...


So there have been no complaints on here about them? I really fancy one now


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## [email protected]

rmorgan84 said:


> As far as i know the ones CYC sell are much better quality from a different supplier and you won't have any connection problems...


just a note there, all foam lances are the same.And the OUR connections have been resolved.


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## thehogester

autobrite-direct said:


> just a not there, all foam lances are the same.And the OUR connections have been resolved.


Do they use the same supplier then?


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## -ROM-

thehogester said:


> So there have been no complaints on here about them? I really fancy one now





autobrite-direct said:


> just a not there, all foam lances are the same.And the OUR connections have been resolved.


I'm just going off what i believe is reliable information, that the ones from CYC are indeed from a different supplier and they haven't suffered from the same problems and haven't needed to use plastic connectors are their brass ones never suffered from the same problem.

Not trying to dispute you, just relaying the info i have been given...


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## Jim W

Is there a fitting guide at all for this here new connector anyone? I've not had the chance to take a look myself yet but it would be good to get straight into the job, knowing what needs to be done etc..

I had problems with the AB Lance, as a lot of other people on here had, but the resolving Conector was issues straight away no probs from AutoBrite. Top service.


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## [email protected]

rmorgan84 said:


> I'm just going off what i believe is reliable information, that the ones from CYC are indeed from a different supplier and they haven't suffered from the same problems and haven't needed to use plastic connectors are their brass ones never suffered from the same problem.
> 
> Not trying to dispute you, just relaying the info i have been given...


i think you will find, if you do a search on the forum you will see that all suppliers used to fit the brass connectors which were all the same,now WE supply the upgraded ones which fit very well.


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## mneame

had my lance from autobright for 12 - 18 months now. never had any problems, fittment is supberb and wouldn't be without it.


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## buckas

with regards to the poor fitting and more importantly, flying off issue, do they still do that on the new HD lance, or has it been resolved?

getting a pw + snow lance soon


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## Mouse

I've never got my foam lance to fit


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## Neil_M

buckas said:


> with regards to the poor fitting and more importantly, flying off issue, do they still do that on the new HD lance, or has it been resolved?


There are new connectors available for the lances .

Not sure if they are on all new lances yet though.


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## mikeytang

I just need clarification please. Is this problem only applicable to Karcher? I have a kranzle PW and wonder if Kranzle fitments have a problem aswell?


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## spitfire

mikeytang said:


> I just need clarification please. Is this problem only applicable to Karcher? I have a kranzle PW and wonder if Kranzle fitments have a problem aswell?


If you read the thread from the start you'll find that the connection problem was directly partaining to the karcher fittment. It has now been resolved with a new style connection.


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## silver bmw z3

I got my new style connection through the post but can't figure out how to connect it...can anyone help? Ta.


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## MR_Tom

CHRIST!!!! WHAT A THREAD!!! lol. 

I been looking at a complete detailers dream re-vamp for my garage recently..

needless to say, Karcher PW and Snow foam lances and stuff were all on the list!! 

But after this Thread i cant help that feel that Buckets of water might be safer! lol.

Might take me 5 times as long to detail a car but if the cars kept safe then i'd much prefer that!!

especially as i quite often clean my mates Porsche GT3 RS!!

If anything ever flew off and hit that i wouldnt know how to ever make that up to him!

I know i wudnt be able to afford the repair work, and im sure nobody else would put their hands in their pockets!

Think i'll pospone the re-fit until theres an absolute agreement on what exactly is 100% safe..

(and i do mean 100%!!!) before i invest my money in any equipment.

Karcher arn't the only manufactuers in the world, And Nor are AB for lances.

In such a competitive market you would of thought companies would invest the time to listern to the people of professional forums like this in order to correct the issues.

otherwise stands to reason people will end up taking their buisness elsewhere!

I *DO* think this thread would benifit from *pictures* tho, so other detailers can see exactly where the problem seems to lay, and on exactly what products people are experiencing them with and the symptoms and signs of the defect.

With so many members on this forum across such a large coverage, i know as a manager of a company that if it was my company having these problems i wud of had the whole situation addressed by now!!

i mean , if everyone on here stopped by Karcher, surely thats a blow to someone's pocket.????

Anyway, thats just my opinions on this matter.

**please dont bother to pick holes in anything above, im not looking to blame, argue or dispute over any of the above - just voicing of i feel and see it all. 

Thanks,

Tom :thumb:


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## cheezemonkhai

MR_Tom said:


> CHRIST!!!! WHAT A THREAD!!! lol.
> 
> I been looking at a complete detailers dream re-vamp for my garage recently..
> 
> needless to say, Karcher PW and Snow foam lances and stuff were all on the list!!
> 
> But after this Thread i cant help that feel that Buckets of water might be safer! lol.
> 
> Might take me 5 times as long to detail a car but if the cars kept safe then i'd much prefer that!!
> 
> especially as i quite often clean my mates Porsche GT3 RS!!
> 
> If anything ever flew off and hit that i wouldnt know how to ever make that up to him!
> 
> I know i wudnt be able to afford the repair work, and im sure nobody else would put their hands in their pockets!
> 
> Think i'll pospone the re-fit until theres an absolute agreement on what exactly is 100% safe..
> 
> (and i do mean 100%!!!) before i invest my money in any equipment.
> 
> Karcher arn't the only manufactuers in the world, And Nor are AB for lances.
> 
> In such a competitive market you would of thought companies would invest the time to listern to the people of professional forums like this in order to correct the issues.
> 
> otherwise stands to reason people will end up taking their buisness elsewhere!
> 
> I *DO* think this thread would benifit from *pictures* tho, so other detailers can see exactly where the problem seems to lay, and on exactly what products people are experiencing them with and the symptoms and signs of the defect.
> 
> With so many members on this forum across such a large coverage, i know as a manager of a company that if it was my company having these problems i wud of had the whole situation addressed by now!!
> 
> i mean , if everyone on here stopped by Karcher, surely thats a blow to someone's pocket.????
> 
> Anyway, thats just my opinions on this matter.
> 
> **please dont bother to pick holes in anything above, im not looking to blame, argue or dispute over any of the above - just voicing of i feel and see it all.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Tom :thumb:


Nothing is 100% safe, so IMHO if you are cleaning peoples cars and they are paying you anythign for it even 1p, get some liability insurance.

The plastic connector seems to be fine for me I have to say.


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## Cornish

Bought an HD Foam Lance from Rachel at Auto-Rae Chem last week. It's a spot on fit on my Karcher. if anything, it's a better fit than the Karcher lance. Very positive brass connector.


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## Sam08ST

Having Probelms with my auto raechem lance, doesnt seem to want to go into the karcher 3.99M lance to happy. Although it fits on my older model?


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## blake_jl

Hmmm,

I'm in the market for a pressure cleaner and foam gun or foam lance, or whatever they are called. I came over to this forum because you lot in the UK seem to get great foaming action in your pics.

Now I'm just confused.

There's nothing really available in Australia. I've found a Gerni that comes with its own foam gun http://www.autobarn.com.au/products/17/159/3926320 and apparently Karcher also do their own foam guns but I've been told they don't foam very well. So I'm going to buy the pressure cleaner here and import some kind of attachment.

Can anyone with a bit of experience in this field tell me what I need to get mass amounts of thick foam? I've got no idea.

Thanks.


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## mark-gts

i bought mines from tim at clean your car used it about 10 -12 times now never gives me any hassle never too tight or too loose just does what its meant too and does it damn well the build quality of the cyc one is amazing and works great on my bosch pressure washer :thumb:


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## 3dr

Sam08ST said:


> Having Probelms with my auto raechem lance, doesnt seem to want to go into the karcher 3.99M lance to happy. Although it fits on my older model?


i bought mine from autoraechem the end of july and it comes with the plastic updated karcher fitment?


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## bidderman1969

havent read all of the 22 pages, so i dont know if anyone else has had any problems with the Lavor fitting, but i must admit, i hold onto my foam lance when foaming as its come out once before, but i shouldnt be really, should I ?


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## twoblacklines

hi sorry to bump this but i have one of the defunkt kits and i need to buy the updated plastic karcher adaptor. Ive seen some of these around the web but no one says if they are the updated ones or not. could someone specifically link me to the product somewhere so i could buy it ? thanks!


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## mistryn

i have not read all of this thread (22 pages) so forgive me if it has been covered and discussed, ive only read the first 3 pages, but from my use i have had not problems with the foam lance. ive had mine since the start of 2007 and have used it pretty much every 2 weeks, if not weekly and have not experienced any problems as discussed


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## NeilG40

Here you go, this is the one I've got, it's alot easier than fighting with the original brass connector:-

http://www.autobritedirect.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?cPath=246&products_id=2058


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## [email protected]

The only problem I seem to have with my Karcher and foam lance it being able to compress the spring enough to turn and lock it in. I have a plastic adapter not the brass on the advice of people on here. Although I did around 10 turns of PTFE tape on the thread it still wants to turn so the bottle is kicked out at 4 o'clock rather than sitting up and down at 6 o'clock. Its seems the designers didn't bother to work out how much thread they needed to cut into the adapter to make gun sit in a 12 to 6 o'clock orientation. Apart from that 100% happy. Just need a more powerful PW to get thicker foam but I can wait until my PW bits the dust as I am no pro.


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## Puntoboy

I don't have a Karcher, but my Nilfisk foam lance from CYC fit's like a glove and isn't going anywhere unless I remove it.


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## DUBLIN HITMAN

karcher foam lance from valet-pro is the business ,no sanding for me , nice tight fitment


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