If you're buying a new washing machine, beware .............

[Phil Pascoe]

We're just having a HiSense (Chinese, but most are) machine replaced with a Hotpoint under insurance as it is deemed unrepairable - the bearings have gone. It's thirteen months old.

 

[MrDavidRoberts]

We're just having a HiSense (Chinese, but most are) machine replaced with a Hotpoint under insurance as it is deemed unrepairable - the bearings have gone. It's thirteen months old.

with washing machines.. You really get what you pay for! Not only in how long they last, but the results you get from them.
AEG ( made in Germany models) or nothing, John Lewis sells re-branded AEG under their own name- Those are Nice as well..

btw new bearings cost like 10-15 , I have changed bearings myself in one washing machine which I got for free due to bearing fault. ( Super Hi-End model) It was just a matter of taking the lid off and swapping them.. You would be surprised how little there is inside in a washine machine once you take it apart tho The bulk weight is from a cement block sitting there.

 

[porker]

I like my Miele. Had it 16 years and still going strong. Had a 10 year parts and labour guarantee when I bought it. Cost about £700 and is used at least twice a day more when the kids were small. Replaced two LG machine that cost about £600. First one I think had been dropped in the warehouse and vibrated all the time. After they replaced that, second one leaked through bearing after just over a year.

 

[Rorschach]

You take your chances with anything these days.

I have a beko, the cheapest available washing machine from argos, 5 years old, no faults so far. My mother has a very expensive Bosch, cost 5x time what my beko did, same size drum and doesn't really do anything special in regards to programs etc, it developed a fault within 6 months and had to be replaced.
Is the Bosch 5x better? No, will it last 5x longer? I doubt it, my machine has cost just over £25 a year so far, if it breaks tomorrow I won't complain.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Apparently the bearings for these are unobtainable, hence the speed with which it was written off. Pity, it's the easiest machine we've ever had to use - you don't need a degree to understand the programming, and it was really efficient. The Hoover one we had before was scrapped because the concrete weight split in half.
We have a Beko dishwasher - I wouldn't have another, the filter is so inefficient the spray bars don't go a week without holes blocking (there's nothing actually wrong with it).

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My mother turned up at our house years ago and said I've got you a present. I asked what it was and she said a spare washing machine (as you do). It was a Creda she'd seen in an auction and she'd got it for £20 - it even had the hoses with it, and it was obviously barely used. I put it in the basement and used it for my work clothes, the dog's blankets and anything that needed a long cycle on fine days in winter when we wanted to get as much washing hung out as possible, as it freed up the other machine for short washes. We laughed at the time but we used it hard for years.

 

[lurker]

Most (I'm not saying all) of these white goods come off the same couple of production lines.
Just look at any recalls to see this.

 

[lurker]

the filter is so inefficient the spray bars don't go a week without holes blocking (there's nothing actually wrong with it).

Having been bitten in a similar way, last time we bought a dishwasher I passed or failed SWMBO's choices based entirely on how the filter was put together. Our current machine is thus fine.

 

[AndyT]

Have a look at this article and others on the same website. It's from a company who repair washing machines and sell spares. It shows how corners are cut to keep the purchase price low, regardless of lifespan and repairability.

http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/help/buyi ... hould-care

 

[graduate_owner]

We have a Zanussi which has been in regular use for about 10 years, no issues at all. I think there is a lot of luck involved. My daughter usually buys Bosch appliances, but we had poor reliability from our Bosch refrigerator.

K

 

[Phil Pascoe]

the filter is so inefficient the spray bars don't go a week without holes blocking (there's nothing actually wrong with it).

Having been bitten in a similar way, last time we bought a dishwasher I passed or failed SWMBO's choices based entirely on how the filter was put together. Our current machine is thus fine.

Glad it's not just me. I can't see the sense in a filter that'll let something the sive of a small pea or a melon seed through it. It had just as well not exist.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

... btw new bearings cost like 10-15 , I have changed bearings myself in one washing machine which I got for free due to bearing fault. ( Super Hi-End model) It was just a matter of taking the lid off and swapping them.. You would be surprised how little there is inside in a washine machine once you take it apart tho The bulk weight is from a cement block sitting there.

Hope you read this - http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/help/buyi ... hould-care

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Have a look at this article and others on the same website. It's from a company who repair washing machines and sell spares. It shows how corners are cut to keep the purchase price low, regardless of lifespan and repairability.

http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/help/buyi ... hould-care

Ye Gods - that's an education, isn't it? I wondered why the guy who looked at it was so quick to say it was probably not economically repairable. Thank you.

 

[Rorschach]

That's a very interesting article but you have to consider there a bias there, the people writing it are in the business of spare parts and repairs.

Being able to repair things is great, I do it all the time as you will have seen from various threads. I fix household items, restore and repair old tools and when possible I try and do as many repairs to my car as I can. If our washing machine broke down, I would try and repair that if I could. If however our washing machine broke down and I needed to get someone in to fix it, there would be no point. It is not economically viable.

The last time we inquired about a washing machine repair with a local guy (this was a few years ago as well) we were quoted £80, that was just the price to come out, pull out the machine open it up and take a look. No parts, no labour to fit those parts etc. £80 is almost 50% of the cost of our current machine, we would be crazy to spend that on a repair that may or may not last and may be only the first stage in general parts failure of the machine.

That article is arguing that change in manufacture make repair impossible or nonviable, instead I say that labour cost couple with the goods costs has already made it economically unviable in most cases anyway. The same thing happened with TV repair probably around the 90's, who gets a TV repaired these days?

 

[bugbear]

That article is arguing that change in manufacture make repair impossible or nonviable, instead I say that labour cost couple with the goods costs has already made it economically unviable in most cases anyway.

The two things I've highlighted are (of course) intimately related.

Long after King Camp Gillette invented the disposable razor blade, we've invented the disposable washing machine.

BugBear

 

[Rorschach]

You are quite right, its complicated issue, many things affect the cost of goods.

Personally I don't have a problem with good being made as essentially disposable, probably a good 90% of the good we buy are disposable in some form or another. I would like to see them being made to be more easily recyclable where possible.

Myself, I would rather replace something that works reliably for 5-6 years than have something that lasts 15-20 years but requires repair every 2 or 3 years incurring cost, lost time, possible flooding of my kitchen, increased inefficiency etc etc.

 

[Farmer Giles]

My dad fitted an extension tube and grease nipple and to their washing machine bearings so he could grease them without taking the as he was sick of replacing them. However they did have the same machine for well over a decade and it was a low end model. My mum washes about twice a day, no idea where all the washing comes from, she must play rugby in secret

I bought a Miele when the missus decided to use terry nappies for our kids, there was a warehouse in Halifax that did ex-display models so didn't pay much more than a standard machine and it came with extended warranty for free, I think it was 5 years, never needed it. It was a puppy to get into the back of the pickup, it weighed twice our previous machine. Had it nearly 12 years now and only changed one heating element. Nice and quiet, doesn't jump around with uneven loads.

 

[Dibs-h]

I like my Miele. Had it 16 years and still going strong. Had a 10 year parts and labour guarantee when I bought it. Cost about £700 and is used at least twice a day more when the kids were small.

Same here - bought it from a local place who price matched the web and 8 yrs later still running perfectly. You do get what you pay for.

Dibs

 

[ColeyS1]

Bought a freezer for my mum. Arrived on Saturday -£160 Indesit. Mum phoned today to tell me all the food was defrosting. Rang curry's who said they'd need to send a technician to confirm it's faulty- apparently sending a picture of the defrosted meat isn't sufficient. I said instead of having to wait a day then wait for the 3 hour window for the technician to arrive, could I just send it back and order another "Nope, because you said it's faulty "- So my words good enough for them to not accept a return, but not good enough to allow an exchange. Wasted over 4 hours today trying to find a replacement so the contents of the freezer could be saved.

I hate Curry's with a passion now. I hope they go bust !

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[bugbear]

I bought a Miele when the missus decided to use terry nappies for our kids, there was a warehouse in Halifax that did ex-display models so didn't pay much more than a standard machine and it came with extended warranty for free, I think it was 5 years, never needed it. It was a puppy to get into the back of the pickup, it weighed twice our previous machine. Had it nearly 12 years now and only changed one heating element. Nice and quiet, doesn't jump around with uneven loads.

And the balancing weights are iron, not concrete.

BugBear