Rimowa Salsa lock stopped working!
 

Hi All-

I bought a Rimowa Salsa Deluxe Cabin Trolley last September. I love it and I use it a lot.

Recently I came back from a trip and checked my Rimowa. it went out locked but came back unlocked. I didn't realize it/think about it.

Anyway, luckily nothing was stolen but the lock does not work anymore. It acts like my combination is incorrect, although I am 100% certain what it was. Luckily it is unlocked so it isn't a major problem (I rarely check bags), but I would like to use my lock!

I tried all the possible number combinations with each dial (leaving the other two as my original combination), in case one dial had 'spun'. I also tried 000 without luck.

Has anyone seen this before? I am not sure what to do; this lock doesn't look very serviceable, though it does appear replaceable.

Thanks

Nobody?

TSA must have had to open your bag. They probably used their little tool to open it and it probably threw your combination lock off by a number on the tumblers. There should be a way that you can reset that, otherwise, you will have to take it for repair.

I always try to have key locks, they screw them up less and relock them when they are finished rifling my bag.

I never use the built-in Rimowa lock; I always use a separate TSA lock, specifically because I worry that if they needed to open it, they'd break it.

You can try emailing Rimowa customer service to see if they can help you reset the lock (or refer you to a place to get it repaired). I had to deal with them recently and was very impressed by how quickly they responded.

If the lock on your Rimowa suitcase all of a sudden won't unlock, don't worry you are not going mad, and it's unlikely you have accidentally reset the lock.

The problem?
A batch of the locks on some of the Rimowa suitcases, (e.g. Salsa Air) were faulty - Rimowa just didn't tell anyone. I bought my Rimowa suitcase in New York, and within 12-mths it would sometimes unlock, other times not. If you Google search, there are loads of people that had a similar problem. Eventually the lock on my suitcase jammed shut and wouldn't open.

The solution!
If you are traveling or have arrived home and the lock suddenly won't open, don't freak out. Simply cut the zipper tags if they are plastic, or remove them with pliers if they are metal tags. Now pull open the zip with your fingers. Remove your clothes and items. (Actually, if you look closely at the zipper tags (plastic or metal) on all of the Salsa suitcases, they can be easily removed from their little metal bases with pliers, so the lock actually isn't that secure anyway - sorry to disappoint you after spending so much money on a suitcase!)

Once you have removed the tags and taken out your personal items, find a local Rimowa dealer (listed at rimowa.com) in your area to replace the tags - which they will do for free and in 5 minutes. They have loads of spare tags. If you are able to leave your suitcase there for an hour or so, they will replace the lock for you free.

The Rimowa support dealer network is brilliant - so don't freak out! Cut the plastic tags and the rest is easy to fix.

EDIT: When calling the dealer, ask them if they do the lock repairs in their shop or if they have to send the suitcase to another authorized dealer location. Find out where they send the suitcases and go directly to them, it will save you a lot of waiting time.

Hope this helps!

Simon

You are covered, no matter how old your Rimowa luggage is. At no charge.

Call Rimowa, and take it or send it to a Rimowa authorized repair store.

This happened to a collegue also arriving in North America from Europe in 2013. They had his case opened in minutes, and at no charge. He stated he was well out of his warranty, and that in hindsight, he may have altered the combination by accident himself.

it is easy to accidentally change the lock combination of Rimowa Salsa Deluxe and Salsa Air by accident. Did it a couple of times. Just need to figure out the nearest possible combinations and try or start from 000...

I would not assume that. When the tag broke on my 29" Salsa, I took it to Hides In Shape, listed on the Rimowa website as one of their repair shops. I had to leave it there and it was over a week before they called to say I could come pick it up. They were very nice and there was no charge, but it wasn't done on the spot in five minutes.

What?? It took an authorized dealer over a week for to replace a tag on your suitcase? That is nothing short of terrible service! I would have reported that to Rimowa directly. That's a 5-minute job at most.

I've had the entire lock and both zippers tags replaced on my Rimowa suitcase by Hunt Leather, an authorized retailer in Sydney - it took only 15 minutes, proving the actual lock replacement procedure is very quick.

In any case the point of my original post (above) is - if the lock on your Rimowa Salsa suitcase is stuck, and you have zipper tags that are metal or plastic connecting to the lock, then you don't need to panic. The quick work around is to cut the tags if they are plastic, or remove with pliers if they are metal - and get them replaced later at no cost. The locks on the Rimowa suitcases that have the plastic tags are not secure anyway - the fact that you can even cut the tags with a pair of house-hold pliers proves that point.

EDIT: the only suitcases in the Rimowa range that are even close to being secure, are their aluminium products such as the Pilot and Topas.

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