My cordless car vac is acting possessed - sparking and making death noises!

Hey Tool Discount Club, need some advice on my cordless car vacuum. It's a no-name brand I got on sale last year. Lately it's been acting weird: when I turn it on, I see small blue sparks inside near the motor, it doesn't hold a charge for more than 2 minutes (used to go 20+), and it's making this high-pitched whining noise that sounds like a dying robot. Also wobbles a bit when running. Is this thing toast, or can it be saved? Don't really wanna drop cash on a new one if I can fix it.

OP, stop using it immediately. Those sparks mean you've got a short circuit or failing brushes in the motor. Could be a loose connection or worn components. Unplug the battery and open it up (make sure it's disconnected first!). Check for obvious damage like burnt wires or debris stuck in the motor. If you're not comfortable with electrical work, it's probably dead. Cheap cordless tools often aren't worth repairing - the replacement motor might cost as much as a new unit.

Mason's right about the safety issue - don't risk a fire in your car! I had a similar problem with a cordless blower last season. The wobble plus weird noise usually means the impeller or fan is damaged or out of balance. Could be something simple like a twig or pebble stuck in there (happens with car vacs all the time). But combined with the sparking... yeah, that sounds terminal. If you're attached to it, maybe try cleaning it out first before giving up?

Ugh, I feel your pain! My shop vac started making a grinding noise last month and I almost cried. For what it's worth, I took mine apart (after watching like 3 YouTube tutorials) and found a drywall screw lodged in the impeller ?♂️. Fixed the noise but the motor was still weak. Ended up being a bad battery connection. Maybe check the battery terminals for corrosion? Sometimes a good cleaning with some electrical contact spray works miracles. If not, Tool Discount Club has Ryobi cordless vacs on sale this week!