Just a heads up for everyone here - Elgin AC units are basically rebranded Chinese products. They just import everything from AUX Group in China and do final assembly in Brazil. Nothing is actually made by Elgin themselves.
I bought an Elgin Eco Inverter 2 (12000 BTU model) and it’s been giving me headaches since late last year. The thing makes this horrible grinding noise that vibrates through my entire bedroom. It’s so loud and annoying.
Since it was during the really hot season, I waited a bit before sending it to their authorized service center. When I got it back, same exact problem was still there. But now they added this weird foam padding hack on the front grill trying to fix it.
Obviously their makeshift solution didn’t work at all. Plus they left the connecting wires hanging outside the plastic housing with really sloppy workmanship. Looks terrible now.
I’ve been trying to get my money back but the company keeps giving me the runaround. Has anyone else had similar issues with this brand?
This thread’s got me paranoid about my Midea unit I bought last month. Now I’m wondering if it’s just another rebrand. Sales guy promised it was “genuine manufacturing” but who knows anymore. These companies hide the fact they’re just importing everything. At least you figured it out before buying more!
Yeah, I’ve dealt with this exact problem across multiple AC brands - they’re all doing the same rebrand nonsense. That grinding noise? Cheap compressor parts and sloppy assembly.
What kills me is the time you’ll waste on warranty calls and service centers. Went through the same hell with a different brand last year.
So I automated everything. Built a system that tracks temps, noise levels, and documents it all for warranty claims. Even sends follow-up emails to customer service automatically.
Bonus - it monitors prices across retailers and brands too. When this unit craps out again (and it will), you’ll already know where the best deals are and which rebrands to avoid.
Used Latenode to connect everything - IoT sensors, email automation, spreadsheet logging. Maybe 2 hours of setup, then it runs itself.
Saved me weeks of manual tracking and gave me bulletproof documentation for my warranty claim. Got my refund in days instead of months of runaround.
This is exactly why I dig into the actual manufacturing chain before buying appliances.
Same thing happened at work when we sourced data center hardware. Vendor after vendor just slapped their logo on identical Shenzhen factory units. Same components, same failures, different prices.
That grinding noise sounds like bearing issues in the fan assembly. They use cheap sleeve bearings instead of proper ball bearings - always fail within a year. The foam hack? Classic bandaid that ignores the real problem.
Escalate this complaint. Document everything with photos and videos. File with consumer protection agencies if needed. These companies only respond when regulators start breathing down their necks.
Next time, buy brands that make their own compressors and have local parts distribution. Costs more upfront but you won’t end up with an expensive paperweight.
That “final assembly” marketing is just code for slapping local labels on imported junk.
Not surprised at all. I’m in HVAC and see this constantly. The rebrand game is everywhere - customers don’t realize they’re buying identical guts with different stickers.
That grinding noise? Your internal mounting system is failing. The foam padding trick means they know the motor mounts are loose but won’t replace the unit. It’s a terrible band-aid that just delays the problem.
For your refund: document everything with timestamps and keep escalating. Don’t take their first few rejections. Most companies have internal policies - after X complaints, they’ll refund just to avoid the hassle. Also check your credit card’s purchase protection if the manufacturer won’t cooperate.
Next time, buy brands that make their own compressors. You’ll pay more upfront but won’t deal with this runaround when things break.
The rebrand thing’s worse than people realize. I see it constantly at work when we’re sourcing equipment - same factories, same parts, just different logos slapped on.
When my home AC started acting weird, I didn’t wait for it to die. Built a monitoring system that tracks everything automatically.
Tossed in sensors for noise, temperature swings, and vibrations. When something spikes, it auto-generates service tickets with all the data. No more back-and-forth BS on warranty claims.
It also watches my unit’s efficiency against baseline performance. Drops below normal? I get alerts with documentation ready to go.
Best part - it tracks replacement costs across brands and stores pricing history. When this thing finally croaks, I’ll know exactly what to buy and where to get the best price.
Used Latenode to wire up all the sensors, databases, and notifications. Now I’ve got rock-solid documentation for warranty stuff and never get blindsided by failures.
Had the same issue with Elgin about three years back. My compressor died after just 18 months of normal summer use. What really ticked me off was finding out you can’t get replacement parts anywhere locally - they use weird non-standard components from some Chinese supplier. The authorized service center wanted almost 70% of what I paid originally just for a new compressor. I said screw it and bought a different brand instead. Lesson learned: always check if you can actually get parts and service before buying any AC, especially from these assembly-only brands. Those upfront savings disappear fast when the thing breaks and there’s no support.