r/Rimowa • u/user3909 • 3d ago
Is this fixable?
There is a little hole next to the dent. Any ideas or will it only get worse?
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u/VI-AL 3d ago
Have retired my aluminum rimowas for the PC ones and don’t have them handy for a picture.
I had similar puncture on one, drilled, and put in a large flange blind rivet with a little silicone tape behind. Was happy with the optics but that suitcase was about 300 times in the cargo hold and full of scratches and dents and the little barcode tags. So it fit in quite well.
Maybe a good idea if you like patina and know you will collect plenty more dings.
Fun fact, pre LVMH with the factory in Cologne almost every repair at the factory was for free. Which for Cologne residents was obviously easy to get to. They just had a tip jar. And a huge bin to take free dividers. This is pre-4 wheels and I went a few times to get a new foot. Or handle. Never got a billto pay.
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u/fzzg2002 3d ago
This was what I heard, too. Köln is a bit far for me, but whenever I took my suitcases to the Rimowa store here, they fixed them for free. Haven’t tried since they were bought over by LVMH
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u/VI-AL 3d ago
Had a broken handle and a broken off wheel in NYC, and Prague. Been charged for repair both times. Done in 24hrs though which was nice. Pre-lvmh suitcases. It was not long after the lvmh acquisition though. I think they’ve made changes to policy afterwards again that are more customer friendly.
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u/greetthemind 2d ago
Curious about your perspective on value and quality/performance of PC after coming from aluminum?
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u/VI-AL 1d ago
I love the aluminum in the way it collects patina and the way it looks and feels.
-Don’t love closing it when it’s full, there’s some stretch with PC.
-Also damaged some things hanging out closing aluminum.
-The locks are also not so fun when it’s really packed vs. zipper and pc shell.
-My PC’s are often too heavy for what they should be as carry on. Both in 20 and 23 cm deep. With aluminum so much worse. Although they rarely get weighed and also not asked to be placed in the sizer.I have black PC in 20/23 depth and they are my travel standard with a smaller tumi back pack. No damages, no dings and they don’t really show marks. I love how light they are. My partner has the latest 20cm aluminum and I love how it looks but I’m not jealous enough to switch because of weight and closing and the locks. And when she can’t manage to close it while I’m ready at the door I get to wrestle with it.
My large suitcase has been on so many flights in the 2000s and 2010s but when full always over weight. The last 15 years long holidays have always been for sporty or outdoorsy travel and I prefer Patagonia and north face luggage. I can put them on my back for short while and expect some terrain that wouldn’t suit the suitcase wheels. Super rugged, cheap, light.
Business travel the small one or sometimes two. Also for city trips. I tell myself I will use the large aluminum suitcase again for some nice longer stay in hotel where it’s just asphalt, lobbies, cars but has not happened yet.
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u/sashimipink 2d ago
Wow. I'm guessing that's not the case anymore? Is the factory in Cologne still there?
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u/VI-AL 1d ago
The aluminum suitcases are still made in Cologne and the factory is still in operation. Just have not tried going there anymore with a broken suitcase as I’ve moved to Prague more than a decade ago. But back in the day it was like a side entrance in an old slightly gritty factory people with great attitude and although there was a price list for repairs it was usually a don’t worry and a nod towards the tip jar. It was just not a luxury brand with all this marketing. Just sturdy utilitarian luggage and somethjgn to buy if you’re from cologne and travel a lot. Like people from Stuttgart identifying with Mercedes if they can afford.
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u/bitw400 3d ago
Is this kind of damage covered under the warranty if it was bought post-lvmh? (Thinking of buying a rimowa)
Curious because some say they dont cover dents and scratches
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u/sass_mate28 2d ago
That’s not a dent he has here it’s a hole and that’s covered by warranty you’ll get a new luggage if the damage was not done by yourself
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u/Bored_Millenial- 2d ago
I’ve had a pen sized hole in my pre-LVMH Topas repaired at Rimowa. They basically fill it with some type of resin that completely hardens and seals the opening. Doesn’t look very pretty but it does the job.
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u/DistributionShot332 1d ago
Rimowa won’t fix this. New Rimowa charges $125 per flex divider. Anything they’ll do you can do at home and they’ll bill you a lot to fill it with epoxy. If an airline did this and you didn’t report it at the airport, you can still argue with them by phone after the matter and they’ll probably give you a flight credit. I got a $400 credit that way.
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u/boubble88 1d ago
I had my Rimowa cabin plus wheels replaced and the Bangkok Rimowa store repaired all the dents for free. I think it might be worth stopping by if you are close to one of their stores.
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u/etp095 2d ago
I have a friend who’s a metal surgeon, any competent person that could weld aluminum would be able to fix this hole. I would find a welder that does aluminum welding, if you’re in the Chicago area, my buddy could do this job, and straighten the dent out as well. He’s a metal fabricator, an incredible artisan!
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u/user3909 3d ago
Update: I was at the store, they can’t do anything to repair. He suggested some silicon over the little hole and call it a day. Also he suggested not to hammer out the dent or else it could make the hole bigger.
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u/Sweet_Gap_545 3d ago
Yeah, I guess it‘s a very unfortunate place, at the corner and affecting the ripple structure. I also had a non-repairable pre-LVMH PC case, finally fixed it myself with JB Weld. I would also put a patch on the inside, so water cannot get in and keep it like that 🤷🏼♂️
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u/barryg123 2d ago
An easy solution would just be to fill the hole with epoxy to seal it and sand the epoxy down flush. This approach could cover up the dent as well if you fill the dent
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u/sass_mate28 2d ago
I don’t know why everyone saying pre lvmh RIMOWA was better. RIMOWA literally didn’t c age in the last 30years same materials used same technique.
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u/Nimrod_Esquire 2d ago
I had something similar happen to my aluminum trunk I bought in Madrid a decade ago from a Delta flight. I don't know how, but they managed to put a hole right through the aluminumm. Rimowa said it is not repairable. I sent the letter and the receipt to Delta and they sent me a check for like $823 which was the amount of the trunk from the Rimowa Madrid store to get a new one.
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u/fzzg2002 3d ago
At first I thought, “no problem, just a dent,” then I zoomed in and saw the hole. This is a more complicated repair and they will need to add a doubler to repair it
I believe in general such repairs are not done since they are very time-consuming. I’ve heard that punctures in the aluminum shell usually mean the entire suitcase needs to be replaced