Really Porter Cable!
 

Last night my porter cable broke. The shaft that connects to the backing plate i guess came out of the bearing. Kinda pissed off cause i did a quick search and it seems to be a common problem. Now ive had the machine for maybe three years but obviously didnt use it for 3 years straight. It might have roughly 15 hours on it.

Any one else have the same problem?

I ordered a new one considering they have a different warranty policy now.

If this next one breaks im dont with porter cable!

I have two PC's... the old one and the newest version. The oldest is 7 years old and the newer one is 3-4 years old. They have both been used to death, traveled around the country an have definitely not just sat around in my garage. I have yet to have any issues out of either one of them. They are bullet proof.

The few times that I have had people contact me about an issue with their machine was due to some type of misuse. They either constantly over heated the machine (most common cause of failure due to using the WRONG gauge extension cord), or not using the spacer, which caused the back plate to rub against the body of the machine. Other than those instances, I have yet to hear anything about a PC just falling apart. I'm not saying that yours didn't, I'm just saying that I would buy another one in a heartbeat if anything ever happened to mine.

With all the PC's that have been sold and are in home garages and detail shops today, that machine has more than proven itself. I'd vote for it for president. It's that's tough.

On the other hand, I've had my damn Flex serviced twice... :rolleyes:

Im not really sure what could cause the center piece to come out of the bearing. The PC still turns on and works. Never had a issues with the PC over heating (never feels hot) and i dont run the PC on long runs. just small sections at a time and let it sit as i inspect the paint.

Do you remember where you bought it? They may still honor some kind of warranty. If not, you could still sell it on eBay for parts and recoup some of your loss.