Rehi and buyer beware

I haven't been around for awhile so thought I would stop in and say " Howdy".

Has Resmed ever come out with any better software?

Any new machines?

I bought an M Series Auto with A-flex from the auction site and when it arrived it had a medicinal smell.

After awhile that went away and then later it began to have a smell like a petroleum distillate sort of off and on.

Sometimes I would smell it , sometimes not.

Now I've gotten to where I smell it all the time.
I can taste and smell it even when not using the machine!!!

So last night I went back to my trusty ol' Resmed Elite S8

I'm going to contact Respironics and ask if I can trade that clunker in on a new one but I doubt it. There is no reason they should do that, really.

I don't blame the people who sold it because I know they do a lot of business on the auction site and I think they bought it from some wholesaler who doctored up a bad machine. I suspect they tried to clean the inside with gasoline and then used something else with the medicinal smell to cover it up. They also reset the hour meters to zero. I checked those the first thing I got it. It looked new but I'm sure Respironics doesn't put out machines that smell like this.

And there were no manuals with it.

You take a risk when you buy from auctions and it looks like I lost.

I won't put this machine back into service. I may take it apart just to see what's in it but I won't sell it to anyone else. I'll just trash it.

I don't know how anyone can avoid getting ripped like this at auction sites. That's just the risk you take.
I've bought mask cushions and they were fine. But I won't try to save money buying any more machines at auction.

Not worth it.

Thank goodness I kept my trusty ol Resmed as a backup.

Someone recently posted a thread on tearing apart an M Series with a smell issue.

Some folks posted to him that he should wash the offending foam with Mouthwash, Lysol, Vinegar, etc.

No doubt someone read that thread, did what they suggested, and sold that machine.

You might surf for that thread. It was only last week or the week before. Anyway, he concluded that tearing it apart to get at the smell would NOT help anything, since the foam really isn't "washable".

Cheers,
B.

I wonder if it was an attempt to cover up or remove the smell of smoke. If it was used by a smoker, I think the best thing to do is make sure the buyer is aware. There really is no proven way to remove the smoke smell however another smoker is not likely to smell it or care.

I think this is the thread Babs is thinking of.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40403


Den

I would not trash it. Offer it to someone without insurance for enough cost to cover your shipping. I sure there are those out there who cannot afford a machine but would be grateful to have a machine.

BRAVO LINUS!!!!! I second your suggestion.

Cheers,
B.

I don't think I would give or sell it to anyone. It might cause someone problems. It may not do them any good and maybe some harm, if the smell affects them adversely.

No, I won't let anyone else use this POS.

Respironics replied promptly and, as I expected, said I would have to return it to the dealer I got it from.
Since I bought it at the auction in January there is no possibility of returning it.

Fortunately, I do just as well on my Elite S8 as far as the AHI numbers go.
Having an Auto is interesting to see how the pressure changes during the night but it really doesn't result in better AHI numbers and, sometimes, perhaps even worse than straight CPAP.
Comfort? Yes, I think the Auto is more comfortable breathing.

But, having used it for 4 months I don't know if it is worth spending about $600 to buy another one. I really don't think so.
So for now while I ponder the question I'm just using my trusty ol' S8 Elite.

If I get ambitious one of these days I will tear the POS apart just to see inside it then put it all in the trash. I wouldn't even dream of letting someone else use it. I certainly could not sell it to anyone. Whoever doctored the machine up to get it sold has no conscience, but I do.

However, I might sell the humidifier. It is the new model with the black clip and there is nothing wrong with it. Hmmmm.

Does the "new" humdifier chamber have two square holes, or two offset round holes?

If it's the former, it's just the new chamber, same old humidifier. Which works JUST FINE at my house.

If two offset round holes, then the humidifier itself is the re-designed model.

Either one is worth passing along to someone who can use it.

Hawthorne - you make a good point. I didn't think of that. Sorry.

Go read the other thread about the guy who tore his up. Lots of good info there.

Cheers,
B.

It has two round holes.

Yes, I may sell that but first I need to check into it and see how much they go for.
Nothing wrong with the humidifier ( except it really doesn't hold enough water for desert use ).
Other than the small size it is fine. The problem is in the blower unit.
But if I keep it I can just buy a new blower instead of the whole shooting match if I decide I want to get another Auto.

So I dunno. I will have to ponder it for awhile.

Can't hurt to hang onto that humidifier. If you decide you need more tank capacity, I think 6ptstar is running a different humidifier with his M Series Auto. You might ask him about his setup. He's in Texas, so it might be dry down there.

Here in the rainforest, that tank suits me just fine.

Good luck!
B.

Thanks for this post, Willie.

I've also been thinking about getting a back up and the m series auto with a flex is on my list.

Just saw one for about $300 --> here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... dition=all

I wonder if that would be a good deal or not. They say it is from a non smoker. Should I trust them?

Jay

Arizona-Willie - Did you buy this machine on cpapauction.com? I wasn't clear on that. If so, do you mind telling us who the seller was so other buyers can beware!?

Yes I got it on cpapauction.com but I don't want to defame the seller because I suspect it isn't their fault.

They do a lot of business there and I suspect they got it from a wholesaler who is actually the guilty party.
So, since I can't definitively lay blame on the seller, I won't.

I just chalk it up to experience and call it a bad beat as in playing poker.

For the person contemplating buying one for $300 ... I can only say let the buyer beware.

If a $300 loss will hurt you, then I wouldn't.
If you can go to the casino and drop $300 and not lose any sleep, then go for it.
Most purchases work out fine. I know many people here have bought through cpapauction.com and had no problem.
I have bought several mask cushions there and they were fine.
This time I got burned. < shrug > Stuff happens.

It would be nice if cpapauction.com required machine sellers to give a grace period so people could make sure the machine was as described.
I knew this one had a smell ( medicinal ) as soon as I turned it on. I let it run for about 12 hours hoping it would clear out but it didn't help.

Then after a couple of months that smell dissipated and then the petroleum smell / taste began sort of off and on.
When it got so i was tasting it during the day I decided to quit using the machine and went back to my backup.

But, if there had been a trial period, I would have sent it back immediately.
Although I only paid $430 for it, that would hurt many folks's budget severely to take that kind of loss.
And I ain't laughin'

On the other hand, I'm glad I got it instead of someone who had saved up for a year to get one.

DANG! That's a serious hit for a non-starter. I'm really thinking twice about buying used machines sight and smell unseen.

Joel, maybe you should cruise Craigslist in your area for used machines. At least you can trust one you've personally examined.

Willie, you have my sympathies. I really wonder what was done to that machine to "refurbish it".

Hugs,
B.