Used Roland VP 540; should I buy it with the following issues...?

[gowingsgo]

Hello all! I hope I am posting this in the correct spot.

My question I am wondering if you guys can shed some light on or give some advice is this:

Should I buy a used VP 540 that turns on, tries to print, but no ink comes out of the heads? The guy says he bought it at an auction and was going to fix it and use it, but now realizes he doesn't have the time or money to use it. So, basically, it has been sitting for at least a few months in this state of not shooting any ink. He thinks it needs all new heads, but isn't sure. I haven't had a chance to see it in person yet, but the pictures look like the outside shell is still in decent shape (but I know it's mainly what's inside that matters).

I am pretty confident that this printer has been neglected. It has probably been moved while still loaded with ink. Is this more than likely a nightmare that will never end up working well again, or do you think it is salvageable? The asking price is $3,000.

I used an SP540 about 6 years ago when I worked for a very small sign company, and I remember the service tech (Don) coming out constantly, but I think I could handle the head replacement myself if I had a service manual. In all fairness, this was the first printer my boss had ever purchased/used, so a lot of it was probably user error on his part (I remember him finding out after about a year that the vinyl should cure before being laminated and installed on a vehicle).

Thanks in advance!!

 

[player]

You will most likely need heads, caps, dampers, lines and a set of ink cartridges. You will want to have plenty of cleaner and also change out the wipers and sponges. It could also have some other tragic error like a burned out motherboard, scan motor etc...

I would call up a legit Roland repair guy and ask what they would charge to do the repairs. That would give you a fair idea of price. (Although I am sure there will be plenty of accurate info added to this post shortly.)

 

[kanini]

You do realize you have a lot of negotiating power for the price if you want the printer and think you can fix it up. 3k sounds high for a non-functioning printer to me... Treat it like it's a parts machine without expensive spare parts in good condition in it such as heads and offer a price accordingly to "help the owner get rid of it". You gamble on this one either way, it could be just heads, ink, lines, dampers and captops but it could also need a board or similar. The good thing is you can get spare parts very easy for it since it's a known brand and model. Good luck!

 

[rjssigns]

He bought it from an auction where it sat for who knows how long then it sat some more. It's a roach only worth what you could get for salvageable parts. Offer him a couple hundred in light of ProWraps selling 3 functioning latex printers at 5 grand a pop.

 

[Mosh]

$500 no more than that, I would try to fix it.

 

[gowingsgo]

Thanks for the help guys!

After reading all of your replies, I think I am going to see if I can pick it up for about $500 and try to fix it. $3,000 does sound like a lot when there is no telling what all could be required to get it going again, even if it is the newest model.

I will let you know when I get more information.

Thanks again!

 

[phototec]

Thanks for the help guys!

After reading all of your replies, I think I am going to see if I can pick it up for about $500 and try to fix it. $3,000 does sound like a lot when there is no telling what all could be required to get it going again, even if it is the newest model.

I will let you know when I get more information.

Thanks again!

Yea, at 3K, you could spend another 5-6K getting it going if there are some major problems (main board, print head board, print heads, all new lines, caps, etc.

You just don't know what all is wrong or bad.

One bit of advice, get the serial number and call Roland and see if they have any history on the printer?

 

[Robert M]

$500

That is a good number, here is my guess using Roland prices

four heads, $1040.00 each, list
four cap tops 27.00 each
eight dampers 46.00 each
misc 100.00
4-5 hrs tech labor

If you get it I have what you need and at better prices at www.solventinkjet.com

 

[gowingsgo]

It is pretty roached I must say. It is missing the waste bottle, and the cap station was out and the carriage was just sitting there out in the middle of the printer. The thing did power on, but I know that it could be the board that went bad and caused the jets not to shoot ink and is why the printer is even in the shape it's in now.

When I powered it up, I got a message of: "Service Call 0010" and something about dry heads on the screen.

He says he has turned down offers for $1,500, but would take that since I am local. So, he came down from $3,00 to $1,500, but wouldn't take $1,250 from me.

It really does seem like a TON of work to get this thing going, if it ever actually does print again!

What do you guys think?

Thanks!

 

[BigfishDM]

DONT DO IT, SAVE YOURSELF THE NIGHTMARE YOUR ABOUT TO ENCOUNTER! Use the money for a down payment on something new.

 

[Hero Signs]

gowingsgo

Hey I have extra servo board, carriage board, feed motor board for the VP540, I will make you a good deal on since my issue was in the motherboard, I bought all this other stuff that I no longer need. Hell since I have most of the parts you can give him my # 713-301-0007 if he is close to Houston and I will buy it for $500. I am sitting on $2k in parts that I am unable to use.

 

[gowingsgo]

DONT DO IT, SAVE YOURSELF THE NIGHTMARE YOUR ABOUT TO ENCOUNTER! Use the money for a down payment on something new.

Haha! I am seriously leaning this way. I could get a loan on something and only end up paying a couple hundred bucks a month.. with a LOT less headache and work.

gowingsgo

Hey I have extra servo board, carriage board, feed motor board for the VP540, I will make you a good deal on since my issue was in the motherboard, I bought all this other stuff that I no longer need. Hell since I have most of the parts you can give him my # 713-301-0007 if he is close to Houston and I will buy it for $500. I am sitting on $2k in parts that I am unable to use.

Unfortunately, he won't go down to $500 and is stuck at $1,500 (must be his fantasy land price). If he had taken $500, I would probably have the nightmare in my garage right now, pulling my hair out with buyer's remorse!

Thanks for all the info guys, it is much appreciated!

 

[gowingsgo]

No Deal

Hello!

Just thought I would close out this thread with the information of what I actually did or didn't do with this deal.

The end result of this is that I took the advice of a poster above and PASSED on this deal. For me, it is simply TOO MUCH RISK. Not only did it need almost everything, but then the error code popped up on the screen. After some googling, I was aware that it could cost up to another couple of thousand to get that part fixed. So basically, I could have paid $1,500 for the printer, and then possibly another $7,000 in parts for a total of $8,500 and that is with ME DOING EVERYTHING. They are in running condition with new heads on Ebay for that much...

Anyway, thanks for the help and information guys!