Buy used Carpigiani machines - but do it right!

Update: 21.01.2022

Offers for second-hand Carpigiani machines on the internet are tempting: basically already much cheaper than new machines, you can always find the purest bargains on the internet: on Ebay, on (more or less reputable) seller sites, on Facebook, through acquaintances. 

One thing in advance: No, we don 't want to badmouth second-hand machines - and yes, they do exist, the real "bargains"

But we want to warn you: there are also plenty of other cases where the supposed bargain turns out to be a nasty surprise. Cases where customers come to our workshop with their proudly newly acquired "special offer" because the device does not work properly - or often enough not at all. So, as is so often the case in life: Watch out when buying second-hand

Therefore, we would like to give you the most important tips on what you should pay attention to when buying used Carpigiani machines - a kind of used machine checklist.

Let's get started!

Nameplate 

The most important thing right at the beginning: According to the EU Directive 2006/42/EC,every machine must(! ) have a type plate - see the photo below. 

It contains the most important technical information about the machine, the name of the manufacturer , the connection values (e.g. the required electrical fuse, important for proper operation) and the CE marking. Why exactly this information is important for you as a buyer, you can read below. 

So always ask the seller - whether private or commercial - to send you a photo of the type plate. And very important: A machine without a type plate may neither be sold nor operated. So if - which unfortunately is not that rare - the type plate is illegible, broken or even removed: Hands off!

Type plate example
The type plate of the machine contains the most important information - manufacturer, identification number, refrigerant - and is required by law

Machine number

Another very important point: the machine number of the unit. All Carpigiani units have a unique machine identification number - like a chassis number on a car. 

This can always be found on the type plate (see above), on most machines also on the housing (usually at the top on the right-hand side). 

Why is this so important? On the one hand, because the age of the machine can be precisely determined with the machine number. On the other hand, because this is the only way to clearly trace the (legal) origin of the machine. 

Our tip: Always ask the seller of the machine to confirm the age and machine number in writing. We are happy to offer you the opportunity to check the age of any used machine on the basis of the identification number at short notice and free of charge - so you can be sure that the "5-year-old bargain" is not in fact a "15-year-old classic car" (this happens much more often than you might think).

If the seller can't or won't give you the machine number (for whatever reason) - it's best to keep your hands off! And if a number has been scratched or ground out, it is more likely a case for the police.

By the way, we cannot and may not accept machines without type plates and/or machine numbers as trade-ins, nor carry out repairs on them.

Machine number
The machine identification number is important. This can be found on the top right of the housing of newer machines.

Refrigerant

Let's move on to the next point: refrigerant. The refrigerant used in the machine can also be read on the type plate

Why is this important for you? Climate and environmental protection is also becoming increasingly important when it comes to ice and cold. For this reason, according to EC Regulation 1005/2009, old refrigerants (which are powerful but quite harmful to the climate) are gradually being replaced by new, modern, more environmentally friendly refrigerants - so far, so right and sensible. 

If the supposed "bargain" is still operated with an old refrigerant - e.g. R22, which was often used until the mid-1990s, but also R12, R502 and others - you should keep your hands off it, because: It is forbidden to interfere with the refrigeration system of these machines. If any defect should occur in the refrigeration system (e.g. lack of refrigerant), it must not be repaired

Of course, theoretically the system can be converted to a different refrigerant , but that is time-consuming, expensive and reduces the performance of the machine (because the old, less environmentally friendly refrigerants have "more horsepower") - and the machine still remains "old". To use the example of a car again, this would be like installing a new engine and a new gearbox in a 25-year-old car with 500,000 km on the clock...

By the way, the seller is also liable to prosecution if he offers a machine with R22, R12 or R502 - even offering a refrigeration unit with these refrigerants is a punishable offence. By the way, we ourselves are only allowed to scrap the machines professionally - the residual value of such a machine is therefore unfortunately zero.

On the other hand, there isno danger with the refrigerants R404a and R452 - if these are used in the machine: Everything is OK!

Broken type plate
Is the machine's type plate damaged, illegible or removed? Keep your hands off the machine!

Expensive wearing parts

The classic condition description: "Machine fully functional" or "In use until the end". Be careful with this statement, because:

Carpigiani ice cream and soft ice cream machines are durable, high-quality premium appliances. Unfortunately, this is why some critical spare parts are long-lasting but correspondingly expensive and only very rarely are they in good condition or even exchanged for newones in "cheap" second-hand machines. 

This applies, for example, to the agitators and pumps in soft ice cream machines, the scrapers and gears in ice cream machines or the heating mats in Coldelite combi units

If you operate the machine with "worn" parts, the machines have significantly less power, need more time, energy and water and are no longer hygienically perfect. And on top of that, they can soon lead to serious machine damage

Again the comparison to the car: Yes, the car was "roadworthy until the end" - with worn tyres, worn brakes and brake discs, worn out steering, defective gearbox and without MOT. I'm sure you understand what we are trying to say...

If you finally have to replace both mixers and pumps in a "soft ice cream bargain" and then see the bill for around € 6,000 plus VAT, the joy of the bargain is immediately diminished. then the joy of the bargain is immediately diminished

Scraper - old and new
Only rarely are essential and expensive spare parts exchanged by online or private sellers

Further terms and conditions of sale: Warranty, Payment, Service and Installation

Also read or ask carefully about the seller's other terms and conditions of sale! How is the unit to be paid for? Is there a warranty? If so, how long and what kind of warranty is it (because an on-site warranty is quite different from a material warranty - i.e. you have to organise the service yourself and "only" get the spare part sent). How will the machine be delivered (forwarding agent? Insured? Properly packed?)? 

And think carefully: "Payment in advance" and "Private sale without warranty"? You have to pay for the entire unit in advance, and if the unit is then broken or the wearing parts are worn out (see above) - tough luck!

Premium second-hand machines
With us you get premium used equipment: reconditioned, reliable and with warranty

Sometimes "cheaper" is "more expensive" in the end

We would like to repeat: Yes, there are "real" bargains - but there are also many half- or dubious offers, also and especially on the internet. So how can you "safely" buy a second-hand Carpigiani? 

Follow the tips above, use our service of age determination by serial number - and if something seems "strange" to you, if the seller can't or won'tgive youany information, you have a bad feeling: Maybe you should ask us. We always have a number of premium used machines in stock - some overhauled in our workshop, some factory reconditioned by Frizital, the official used machine brand of Carpigiani. 

Yes, the machines are certainly a bit more expensive than most internet offers. On the other hand, they are completely overhauled, equipped with the latest refrigerants, wear parts replaced, come with a guarantee and (at least in Bavaria) are delivered, connected and explained by our technicians. And in addition, we can also offer you attractive financing methods in the form of leasing or hire purchase (assuming sufficient creditworthiness).

And in the end, they are sometimes actually a lot cheaper than the "internet bargains".

Just click on the link to view our available factory reconditioned and used machines. 


Your Alois Krä GmbH

Your contact

Thomas Kumpus - authorized signatory / ice cream machines, pasteurizers, soft ice cream machines - Krä Eistechnik
Thomas Kumpus
Authorized representative - Carpigiani products
Phone: 09421-9961-20
Mail: thomas.kumpus@krae-eistechnik.de

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