I know that the DC04 is old now compared to the new breed of Dysons on the market.
I have had my DC04 for 5 and a half years. It has pretty much trouble free. I did encounter a problem with the clutch when I first got it, it was abnormally noisy in carpet mode so I called out a Dyson engineer who replaced this free of charge, 2 months after purchasing the machine in 2002.
With regards to Dyson feature of the 'Ratchet Noise Alert' this does not seem to work after so many years as with the Dyson DC03, DC04, 07 they have smooth belts which slip more as time goes by so when I ever get a jam in my DC04 it no longer makes Ratchet noise, despite this the belts are the same from 2002 and my DC04 still do9es a good job at cleaning my carpets.
The only problems I have had with the machine is that the handle has snapped completely last year so I changed this for £25 and the stair tool broke in 2005 so Dyson sent me a replacement, that has been fine (it appears to made from a different softer material from the original, Polypropylene I suspect as opposed to the original rigid ABS)
I have also had a problem with the machine allowing an 'excessive' amount of Carbon Dust through its exhaust post motor filter even from the very beginning, when it comes to be emptying the bin, the back spine of the machine is covered in black carbon dust. The Post Motor filter was changed 1 year after purchase and the top cover inspected but it didn't stop, which didn't really bother me anyway. The machine doesn't have any kind of suction relief of a separate channel on the front like the DC14,15 etc which has meant when using on lino floor with the brush off the machine has been extremely difficult to push and pull because of the strong suction of the machine which has also subsquently led to the top part where the wand handle goes into the machine crack lately (not sure how long it last before it cracks completely) Does anyone reckon that 5 and a half years is reasonable life I have got out of my Dyson?
The machine works perfectly well so I don't think I should spend money on a new Vacuum cleaner when I can just purchase the body part for the DC04. I think this part is called the spine part and costs £15.
As anyone here experienced a problem with parts breaking on their Dyson? It'll be interesting to know as I am not a rough user.
