Dyson DC40 DC41 Hard to Push – Sticking to the Floor. Missing Wheel.
We highlighted a few months ago what we thought to be a design fault with the DC40 and DC41 here: Possible soleplate design fault on the DC40 and DC41.
There is also a relevant topic on these machines on the unofficial Dyson forums here: Stripping Down a DC41 Cleaner Head: Brushroll Motor & Design Faults.
Now some time has passed, I feel better qualified to comment about this new breed of Dyson ball machines.
Some of the repairs we had were main motors, I did a post on those here – Where to Buy a Dyson DC41 Motor – where I showed you how to save a whopping £71 when replacing the motor.
Most of the repairs we have had on the DC41’s since have been cleanerhead related (the DC40 models are very similar in the following).
And one of two known problems.
One is the brushroll not turning. This is usually caused by the Johnson motor that drives the cleanerhead burning out. There is a topic on that here: (DC41) Cleanerhead Brushbar Motors Now Available.
But the problem we have seen the most of is related to the wheel in the centre of the bottom of the cleanerhead.
It is supposed to look like this:
Unfortunately, they usually tend to look like this:
This is because the little wheel and axle came out, the cleaner was running without them and the mounting worn down. This means you cannot simply replace the wheel and axle any more, as the mounting for it has worn down.
Now, this mounting is part of a two piece plastic housing that is not available on its own, and surrounds the brushroll motor assembly.
The symptom of this is that the machine becomes hard to push and glues itself to the floor.
The fact that it is glueing itself to the floor will put more strain on the brushroll motor, which are not all that great at the best of times, so we are left with two options for a simple and proper repair.
We either replace the entire cleaner head.
Or we replace what I call the short cleanerhead. That is simply the cleanerhead minus the brushroll and soleplate. If your soleplate and brushroll and in good condition, you can save a few quid and get what is called a Brushbar Motor Housing Service Assembly.
So where to get them from?
If you have a DC40, you can go here: DC40 Spare Parts
If you have a DC41, you can go here: DC41 Spare Parts
Is this a design fault? Well, some say yes.
However, I think they learned something with the early Dysons. Why would you sell someone a product and not see that buyer again for fifteen years, when you could sell them a product that has built in natural short term expiry, beyond which it is an uneconomical repair? That way you see the customer again right after the guarantee runs out.
Some say this short term parts expiry has all been planned by Dyson carefully to kill the refurbished machine aftermarket (an unintended consequence of a quality product), and by extension reign in the burgeoning after-market.
It is alleged that every machine sold refurbished is a potential lost sale to them. I don’t agree with that (I think the customers are quite different).
Any thoughts or opinions out there?
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Spot on – was driving myself crazy thinking it was the ball that was the problem when the engine ran, then tore off the cleaning brush, reinstalled, still same problem… then noticed that the tiny wheel deteriorated. Dyson taking care of it (under warranty).
Would probably have wasted time taking it to a repair shop. Thanks so much !!
Hello,
I have this problem second time already. I have mostly hardwod floors in my apartment.
First time it started a few months ago. In January 2014 the brushroll stopped moving comnpletely. I emailed Dyson support and they send me entire new brush.
They said I should keep the roll clean, which I’m very careful with since then. I keep it clean all the time, but I start see the same problem start showing up again. It looks like it will stop rolling in a few weeks.
What should I do. I will email Dyson support again, but I’m not sure if they will send me replacement bush again. And I don’t want to do it every few months.
This is design problem and they should fix it.
I have gone through three cleaner heads: the wine that came with and two more that Dyson (US) has provided for free. Now they have agreed to take back the whole vacuum for full refund. I’m only figuring out today that the problem (known) is the little wheel in the center of the brush bar. For some I guess they keep popping out and getting lost. For me, they are simply “wearing down” or somehow losing their height. You can buy new ones. But I’m not sure I want to swap those out every three months.
Quick update on the above. I had the same problem and contacted Dyson (UK). I was informed it is a design fault and, as my machine is still under warranty, they are sending out a whole new cleaner head assembly (including brush bar and soleplate). I have to say I was pleasantly surprised as I was expecting to have to buy a replacement part so ten out of ten for customer service!
Same problem with machine not rolling well on hard floor. Wheel is still in place, but is worn and does not roll well. Axle is not available in parts!! Appears to be bad design / bad material choice.
My Dyson DC 40 also had all three axles wear out… I contacted Dyson trying to get new axles but they sent me a whole replacement head instead.. My concern is that the new head will wear out just as the old one… So, I popped out the worn out axles and replaced them with steel axles I made and epoxied them in… so for now I have two power heads…
Does anyone know if this soleplate wheel problem has been fixed on the new Cinetic line? I ask because the Cinetic series seems to have the same rough cleaner head assembly setup, including the problematic central soleplate wheel. But I haven’t been able to find any complaints (so far) about broken wheels on the Cinetic that make the vacuum stick to the floor.
I have a DC 40. The right side ball sticks leaving marks across my wood floors. I disassembled and cleaned both roller balls and the vacuum head including the center mounted roller on that. All to no avail. So on November 9 I emailed support at Dyson. On November 9 they emailed back asking for my warranty info, which I emailed back to them the same day. By November 17 they had not responded. On November 17 I emailed again requesting a response. Again they did not respond. I emailed again today December 3 requesting some sort of response. Does anyone have a solution or should I just purchase a non-Dyson vacuum? Thanks.
I have a DC 41. The wheel at the center of the cleaner head sticks to the ground. I chatted with Dyson for 5 minutes and they immediately ordered a replacement cleaner head since it was still under warranty (~4.5 years old). Excellent customer service.