Rather than spending a silly amount of money to repair my leaking Kärcher KB4040 pressure washer, or an even sillier amount to buy a new one, I decided to repair it myself. The latest task I set myself with no idea of what I was doing, but when has that ever stopped me?

The first obstacle was dismantling the thing, as Mr Kärcher has indented the security screws too deep for any normal toolset to reach, but I eventually got a set of 15cm long bits that fit my electric screw-driver, so it was soon lying in pieces on the garage floor:

Before attempting to re-assemble, I connected the motor to the water and electricity supply to check that the leak was in fact from the part I had ordered a spare for (it didn’t feel like the safest thing to do, I don’t suggest you try it, but it served a purpose), which of course it wasn’t! I then had to let another weekend pass by while the correct part got to me so I could repeat the test (no leaks this time!) and then attempt to put the thing back together, which is always the fun part!

But miracle of miracles, it was rather painless! No bits and pieces left over and no head-scratching; and it even works!

While I’m quite proud of myself for repairing something I’d previously never dream of touching, I would be remiss to not give credit to the brilliant eSpares: I found all the (genuine) parts and tools I needed at reasonable prices, despatched and delivered extremely promptly. Their site is very well laid out making clear the compatibility of each part with the corresponding products and they have a comprehensive Q&A section as well as informative videos.

At which point I should add that I have no affiliation with them, I am receiving no monetary or other consideration for making this endorsement and they don’t even know I am!