Briggs & Stratton 2200 PSI Elite Series Gas Powered Pressure Washer #020272

tools & hardware: Briggs & Stratton 2200 PSI Elite Series Gas Powered Pressure Washer #020272

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	Briggs & Stratton 2200 PSI Elite Series Gas Powered Pressure Washer #020272 Briggs & Stratton Briggs & Stratton average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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Purchase at your own risk

I purchased a Briggs & Stratton 2550 psi Elite Series power washer (similar to this unit but more HP). It worked wonderfully for awhile. It started easily, and was very user-friendly. I liked the three different nozzles, and the customization that they provided.

One morning after running for less than five minutes, it sputtered for several seconds, produced a large bang, and stalled. When I tried to restart, it was obvious that the engine had seized - likely the connecting rod had broken, as well.

The engine had a total of only about 10 hours of use time on it when it failed. I had just filled it with gas and checked the oil only minutes before. Since the unit was only about a month old and still under manufacturer's warranty, I thought that I only had to deal with the inconvenience of a warranty claim. Wrong.

I delivered the unit to our local authorized B&S Service facility for a warranty claim. They tore down the engine and reported their findings to Briggs. Briggs' alleged response was, "was there metal-to-metal bonding?" Answer: "yes." Briggs' response: "owner abuse, not covered, end of discussion." I appealed directly by phone to Briggs and Stratton in Milwaukee - they committed to sending their regional field representative to the repair facility for a personal inspection. Three weeks later, he showed up unannounced during lunch hour (I had requested to be notified of his visit so that I could attend), glanced at the engine, indicated that there was no evidence to negate the original diagnosis of owner abuse, and departed after spending no more than five minutes at the dealer. The dealer rep who had inspected the engine was not present (he was at lunch, unaware). I continued my appeal and shipped the engine to Milwaukee - two months later, "denied." No explanation.

Call me disgruntled, yes. But I am a 50 year old engineer and have been around engines all my life on the farm and in my work. I understand Briggs' conclusion as being an obvious and viable explanation, but I very unimpressed with their warranty process. There was absolutely no effort to understand this problem or to consider that it could be a manufacturing/assembly defect. I also understand Six-sigma quality control, and would expect others to have had, or will have, this same problem in the future. I am absolutely convinced that this problem was not owner abuse or neglect. I don't know how the inspection in Milwaukee was conducted, but until that point there was no evidence that Briggs' devoted more than a few minutes of intellectual effort to the situation. Briggs' warranty claim process is a farce.

Briggs developed a reputation for quality and customer satisfaction. Sorry to say, I saw none of it with my abbreviated experience with this unit.

To add insult to injury, I purchased a four-year extended warranty to supplement Brigg's first year coverage - it never made it that far.

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