Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => OT Knowledge => Topic started by: Jurek on 20 January, 2011, 07:07:17 pm
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We've certainly been here before, but not for a while (to my recollection).
Today's 30°C wash resulted in my house and laundry stinking of burnt rubber :sick:.
The culprit is an inherited (in 2003, when I moved in) Candy Aquaviva 1000 (which could be 10 or more years old), which has actually done an OK job for the last seven or so years - for a machine which to all intents and purposes was 'free'.
I have no intention of either investigating the problem or repairing said Candy machine.
Single occupancy household, no heavy duty use.
1 wash per week, occasionally a second one.
Requirement for a 30°C wash.
Requirement for a bog standard wash.
Requirement for a hot / linen wash.
That's about it.
Don't need any other toys with bells and whistles.
I'm vacillating between a bargain John Lewis Own Brand machine (as I've heard they're apparently more than OK), and a Miele (as I am big on the longevity thing).
Opposite ends of the spectrum, I know.
What does the panel think?
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Never had a problem with my large capacity LG in the almost 9 yrs I've had it (bought from John Lewis for an extra year of free guarantee iirc)
I'm in the same situation as you too - single, ~3 washes per fortnight on average.
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As far as I can make out extra features (principally programs) start to add significantly to the cost of a machine. I think the basic bones of the effectiveness of the wash remain unchanged. So, a Miele with all the knobs and whistles is pricey, but their basic machine with the most limited range of wash options is quite a bit cheaper, and shouldn't be any less reliable (in fact, probably more so).
We've got a 14 year old Siemens that must be running four or five washes a week. In all that time I have had to de-gunk it twice (hardly the machine's failt) and the cover for the soap drawer falls off. Otherwise it has performed faultlessly.
(What a daft thing to say.)
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Pretty sure ours is a Bosch - at the time we bought it (6 years ago ?) it was one of the more reliable ones (I think Siemens might have been the other we considered).
We *have* had someone out to look at it once...which IIRC was the lint filter being a bit full up ! (Had some bizarre side-effects which looked like a fault). So I make sure I clean it from time to time, whereas the OH, I suspect, forgets, judging by the state it's usually in when I do it.
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Meile for white goods. Go for max energy efficiency and min specification.
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We bought a Bosch Exxcell (something like that) about five years or more back. It is a relatively basic machine with a max 1200 rpm spin speed. We avoided the models with electronic displays and buttons instead of a rotary programme control. It is yet to miss a beat.
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Me likey these responses.
More please.
Likely as not, I'm going to have to part company with the folding in the next 24 / 48 hrs.
Any further input by the esteemed forumites is only to be encouraged. :)
EDIT - How can I rid my home of this foul smell? >:(
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Our Miele (a couple of years old) impresses most by its quietness.
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Miele
That is all.
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We have an AEG Electolux 16850 .
It's a washer dryer and when we bought it a year ago, it was because it was the Which? top doggie in their tests. It's not a cheapie, but you get what you pay for with white goods, I think.
We hardly ever use the dryer bit, but unlike washer dryers I've had in the past it *really* works.
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Dryers should be given the boot for the sake of the planet.
We've been without one[1] for a year or so and the chief laundry maid tells me she's not missed it.
[1] Our (only non-Miele) machine combusted my clothes and was replaced with a washing line and rack thing.
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Miele
That is all.
+1. 12 years, 2 of us + plenty of fetid, hairy horse kit, still working perfectly.
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I aspire to be able to afford/justify:
http://www.iseappliances.co.uk/
Realistically, I'll be doing the standard engineer thing of keeping old crap running (http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=random&id=IMG_2094) well beyond its sane lifetime.
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Bosch - 10 years, 2 babies run 5 or 6 times a week, moved house 3 times - the only attention it has needed was new brushes last year.
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Our Bosch has been very good, except that it drives you potty by beeping at intervals for no good reason when a cycle has finished. It's supposed to do that - it's nagging you to empty it - but it's a real pain.
Our previous Electrolux machines were good too.
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I aspire to be able to afford/justify:
http://www.iseappliances.co.uk/
We have done, about 3 years ago.I like the "fix it, don't bin it" philosophy. At the time they had 5 year and 10 year guarantee models. I think ours is the 5 year.
Realistically, I'll be doing the standard engineer thing of keeping old crap running (http://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=random&id=IMG_2094) well beyond its sane lifetime.
Hurrah for l33t mending skillz.
(edited to fix my poor html tags)
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Bosch.
(And they don't all beep more than you want them to).
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Ok, I'm a tw*t :-[
I got back home and checked, it's actually an AEG - the other machine we'd considered at the time was a Bosch - the AEG's also a little beeptastic at times.
ISTR the reviews seemed to be similar re reliability...
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We need the dryer, sadly; it's just not possible to dry stuff in our garden from October to March due to a lack of light. It was possible one winter, between them cutting down the big trees next door and then building a load of 3-storey houses >:( Draping it eound the house is very unhealthy and also uses energy (the evaporation chills the room, which requires more heating, and then there's the open windows). However, my cheap Candy dryer has been going for 12 years now as it's a very simple device.
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We dry indoors using a rack contraption when it's too wet/dark outside. This is rigged up in the room with the boiler so it's never freezing in there. I suppose, if we did have an efficient boiler this wouldn't work.
I also suppose that indoor drying might be good for the pocket (using cheaper gas for the central heating) but poorer for the environment (theoretically, you could have your drier run on renewable sourced 'leccy).
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Miele here too. Quiet (hardly any spin noise, no beeps). All of your required programmes are present, plus a 'quick wash' setting, variable spin etc. We dry outside, indoors if wet...
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We bought a Bosch Exxcell (something like that) about five years or more back. It is a relatively basic machine with a max 1200 rpm spin speed. We avoided the models with electronic displays and buttons instead of a rotary programme control. It is yet to miss a beat.
And if it's anything like ours, washes things really well - noticeably better than the Hoover machine it replaced.
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You'll probably find John Lewis's appliances are built by Bosch, so the cost saving is on the marketing rather than the actual product.
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Bosch - 10 years, 2 babies run 5 or 6 times a week, moved house 3 times - the only attention it has needed was new brushes last year.
We had a Bosch for 7 years before it died. If it hadn't been badly mistreated (Mrs B has never really got the hang of not overloading, & she wouldn't accept that a single heavy bath mat was not a suitable load until the machine refused to wash it) I suspect it'd still have many years life left.
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You'll probably find John Lewis's appliances are built by Bosch, so the cost saving is on the marketing rather than the actual product.
They come out of the Zanussi/Electrolux/AEG factory, and I'm led to believe they are of a higher spec. rather than just being re-badged.
Online order was placed this morning. I forgot to tick the box which would've meant that for £9.00 John Lewis would dispose of my old machine. A phone call followed during which John Lewis said they'd take away the old machine FOC as a goodwill gesture.
Thanks peeps, for your collective wisdom. :)
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Bosch - 10 years, 2 babies run 5 or 6 times a week, moved house 3 times - the only attention it has needed was new brushes last year.
We had a Bosch for 7 years before it died. If it hadn't been badly mistreated (Mrs B has never really got the hang of not overloading, & she wouldn't accept that a single heavy bath mat was not a suitable load until the machine refused to wash it) I suspect it'd still have many years life left.
Ours has an "out of balance" sensor that won't allow it to spin at high speed with a single sodden item in - like bath mats, towels etc.
And spinning at 1400 allows us to dry indoors with minimal chilling/condensation/open window. Actually no condensation/open widows generally.
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Zanussi. 22 years old, two minor repairs. :thumbsup:
Energy rating, ZZ minus. :-[
It wasn't that cheap when we bought it (about £299 IIRC), but back then it was actually made on the planet Zanussi, according to the adverts.
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Not sure about washing machines but I did the maths on fridges/freezers and worked out that it's cost effective to ditch a functional inefficient one and replace it with a modern A* (or whatever it is) one. Not sure how the environmental calculation works out really but, if the old one's recycled properly it's probably the right thing to do.
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Bosch - 10 years, 2 babies run 5 or 6 times a week, moved house 3 times - the only attention it has needed was new brushes last year.
We had a Bosch for 7 years before it died. If it hadn't been badly mistreated (Mrs B has never really got the hang of not overloading, & she wouldn't accept that a single heavy bath mat was not a suitable load until the machine refused to wash it) I suspect it'd still have many years life left.
Emily is a chronic overloader too ::-)
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Most machines that beep can have the beep turned off (I know this cos the nanny often gets to share a room with the laundry ::-)). Sometimes you have to hold a button or 2 down for 2 seconds. It's worth going through the manual.
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Most machines that beep can have the beep turned off (I know this cos the nanny often gets to share a room with the laundry ::-)). Sometimes you have to hold a button or 2 down for 2 seconds. It's worth going through the manual.
eh? People employ a nanny and make them live in the laundry room?
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It's handy having the drier - eg with cycling stuff that's been sitting in the machine overnight then you realise you need ! - but we rarely use it.
Even when we lived in a flat we generally dried clothes inside - lobbed them on an airer or two in the spare bedroom/otherwise - helped by spinning things mostly at the highest setting. I've previously - both current and last house - put spikes in the lawn for a rotaray airer and they still get lost due to disuse.
Towels might get 10 mins just to help fluff 'em up a bit...tho' I've only just discovered the OH lobs in conditioner with the towels - blowed if I do !
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Most machines that beep can have the beep turned off
Given a set of appropriate screwdrivers and a solder sucker, *anything* can have the beep turned off. :demon:
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Bosch - 10 years, 2 babies run 5 or 6 times a week, moved house 3 times - the only attention it has needed was new brushes last year.
We had a Bosch for 7 years before it died. If it hadn't been badly mistreated (Mrs B has never really got the hang of not overloading, & she wouldn't accept that a single heavy bath mat was not a suitable load until the machine refused to wash it) I suspect it'd still have many years life left.
Ours has an "out of balance" sensor that won't allow it to spin at high speed with a single sodden item in - like bath mats, towels etc.
So did ours (& the new one). That was why it balked at the bath mat. I don't think there was a problem with the loads it wouldn't wash, but all those that pushed it to the limit.
I still sometimes find her trying to stuff more into an already full machine.
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Most machines that beep can have the beep turned off
Given a set of appropriate screwdrivers and a solder sucker, *anything* can have the beep turned off. :demon:
I find desoldering wick much better than a solder sucker... ;D
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Most machines that beep can have the beep turned off
Given a set of appropriate screwdrivers and a solder sucker, *anything* can have the beep turned off. :demon:
I find desoldering wick much better than a solder sucker... ;D
I find sidecutters much better than desoldering wick or a solder sucker... ;D
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I find desoldering wick much better than a solder sucker... ;D
The both have their uses. Wick is far more reliable where fiddly stuff is involved, but a solder sucker tends to result in fewer burnt fingers and associated swearing.
Sidecutters assume you don't want to restore the beep functionality (or at least remove evidence of customisation) at some point in the future.
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Tactically applied blu-tak can also be used for silencing purposes.
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My Meile washing machine is probably one of my bestest posessions. It washes things awesomely well even on its express 40C 32 minute cycle. It can spin upto 1400 rpm meaning cotton stuff comes out pretty dry. It has loads of different cycles for different fabrics. Assos cycling shorts count as 30C delicates ;D
I chose it because it was a best buy in my Which? magazine (the consumers association). It scored very high on cleaning, rinsing, spinning, noise, speed, durability and customer satisfaction. I've now had it for 4 years and it still looks and works like brand new. It cost about £650 but I think it is likely to last longer than 2 or 3 cheaper brands would whilst out-performing them.
Whenever anything breaks down in my house now if I can afford to I replace it with Meile. I'm actually looking forward to my Hotpoint dishwasher packing in because it is so carp!
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I shouldn't be suprised any more, but it's always disappointing when something is whisper-quiet to begin with, but noiser once worn in: like the fans in my new computer, as well as the bearings of the Logixx 8 Bosch washing machine :(
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Most machines that beep can have the beep turned off
Given a set of appropriate screwdrivers and a solder sucker, *anything* can have the beep turned off. :demon:
I'd love the "I've finished!" beeps turned off on mine.
I now know one more thing to look for in my next machine. And would come back to this thread for the rest. Ta!
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Our Bosch decided to die a week or so before xmas. (not much over two years old btw) Lower end Bosch products are no longer made in Germany. Normally a bosch everything household have changed mind. If I could afford it would be miele. However have gone for a direct drive LG we will see. Its quiet but dances around.
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It has been delivered.
It is white.
It is good.
:)
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We bought a Bosch Exxcell (something like that) about five years or more back. It is a relatively basic machine with a max 1200 rpm spin speed. We avoided the models with electronic displays and buttons instead of a rotary programme control. It is yet to miss a beat.
And if it's anything like ours, washes things really well - noticeably better than the Hoover machine it replaced.
It is really good. Washes are fantastic and, even though the max spin speed is only 1200, stuff comes out drier than on the old Heapofeastereuropeancrap machine with a 1500 spin speed.
The only 'extra' feature it has is a countdown timer so that I can set it to 7 hours before I go to bed and can hang the washing out when I make the tea in the morning having done the washing on Economy 7. 8)
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Our Bosch decided to die a week or so before xmas. (not much over two years old btw) Lower end Bosch products are no longer made in Germany. Normally a bosch everything household have changed mind. If I could afford it would be miele. However have gone for a direct drive LG we will see. Its quiet but dances around.
That's sad to hear. We have had a Bosch for over ten years and it gets used at least three or four times every week. No problem bar I had to replace a knob that got knocked off last year (it lives in the garage). When it finally dies looks like I might be looking at a Miele instead then.
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There is a washer repair man who has a website on which he talks about all this stuff. His recommendation for top brand? - Miele but he also says thet John Lewis' own brand (Zanussi) come with a 3 yr. warranty and a cheap 2 year add on so for £350 you get a good deal.
Re dryer - ours sits in the garage and the amount of water it shifts is astonishing. 3 full washes and the 2ltr tank is full. I wouldn't want that amount of water in the house atmosphere.
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Manufacture moved to a different country doesn't bother me if the company maintains the same design and quality control.
Why should I automatically assume Bosch Polish-made washing machines aren't as good as the german ones? Pentax cameras and lenses are now made in Vietnam, for example, but are just as good as the previous Japanese-made ones.
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We are in need of a new washing machine as the old one has just released magic smoke from an expensive 'universal power module' that needs reprogramming for each model. The man who can said it would cost as much as the machine to replace, so may as well get a new one.
So, recommendations.
Criteria - freestanding, 9kg+ 1600rpm +
What to avoid (apart from Indesit, who are on the naughty step already).
Is spending more (Bosch, AEG etc. ) worth it?
Can I run a samsung one from my TV?
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We got a new one recently. A Miele- it was bloody expensive and yet at their "budget" end. It also has built in detergent and softener that they have given us lots of. It will go even further as we didn't manage to actually turn on its dispensing for about a month. Strangely, despite only being washed with water the clothes have not smelt. It also plays a nice tune when its done.
Personally I would go for one from a reputable make with a decent length guarantee. Even better if the retailer offers more (John Lewis always worth a look).
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I'm not really the right person to ask about washing machines - I put dirty clothes in the washing basket and they reappear on the bed a few days later washed and neatly folded. However we do have a Meile washing machine which is about 17 years old and has only seen the service engineer once while it was still under warranty after a/the circuit board died. The cat had brought a mouse in which had set up home in the washer and chewed cables and (presumably) knackered the board. That was not covered by the warranty, but the engineer did do his best to repair the cables at the same time and they have lasted so far. So it has been very reliable and at least the door hinge doesn't need replacing every year like the plastic one on our old Hotpoint machine. Ours does not do a really fast spin and Mrs LJ is hoping that it will die soon so she can have one with super-fast spin
The problem with recommendations like this is that it is based on 17 year old information and they might not build them like that any more.
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We've had excellent service and reliability from Bosch so I'd buy another.
We did in fact.
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Dont buy a really cheap one. I did once and it shook itself to bits about 1 month after the warranty expired. We now have had two Boschs. The first was used almost every day for about 15 years before it finally died (small boys + pets generate lots of washing). The latest we have only had a couple of years but hopefully it will last just as well.
I would look at what features you need and then buy one of the better makes that matches those. Maybe look for end of line / last years model. Miele stuff is very good (we are on our second Miele fridge freezer - the first lasted 20 years and all it really needed was a new door seal when we swapped it) but very spendy.
I don'y know about Samsung, I like their TVs but have no experience of their white-goods.
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I'd say buy cheap, most should come with 5 years guarantee, thank you consumer credit act, when it breaks bin it and get another.
Having had a play with a modern machine to replace the bearing and finding the whole thing sealed. So was binned and replaced.
Current one came from freecycle and has done a couple of years hassle free. Apart from stripping out the soap draw as it was quite mouldy.
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I bought a Miele 17 years ago.
It's been fine.
It wasn't cheap but was the simplest on offer.
I think this topic has been discussed here before.
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We've found Bosch to be a reasonable compromise. Our current machine is going on 15 years old with no issues, and it get used 4 times a week a least. I'd certainly buy another if I had to. The only thing we find on occasion is a reluctance to go straight into the fastest spin if the load is slight;y out of balance. Solved by doing a 400 spin before the 1600.
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Look for something with an induction motor. Washing machine that hums instead of screams when spinning at full speed is great. And no brushes to wear out and frustrate you that although they could be replaced in principle, it's not really worth it...
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Whirlpool or Miele if you want one that will last long
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We've had excellent service and reliability from Bosch so I'd buy another.
+1.
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Our Bev had a Miele washing machine that gave up the ghost after year 10. No issues with the 10 year
warranty she had for it.
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Hoover 1600 spin speed 15 + years old two washes a week, never been repaired, why pay more
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Look for something with an induction motor. Washing machine that hums instead of screams when spinning at full speed is great. And no brushes to wear out and frustrate you that although they could be replaced in principle, it's not really worth it...
We did pay a little more for a model with an induction motor this time - about £30 more iirc. The old one which lasted best part of 15 years had a motor with brushes. I was able to replace the brushes but the commutator was also worn and the machine was dead. The motor is a lot quieter though I can still hear the machine spinning from the bedroom which is one floor up and at the other end of the house.
It was only twice the price of a replacement motor for the old Bosch to buy the new Bosch machine though we chose a 7kgs version.
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Went from a cheap Indesit which was brilliant and lasted years and years to a Bosch which was somewhat disappointing. When it developed a fault we decided not to have it repaired (even though Bosch machines are very repairable) and instead bought a Miele.
Even the Miele hasn't been 100% fault-free as the heater element failed after a couple of years. Luckily we found a local independent Miele-approved repairer to fix it who was a lot cheaper than having Miele do it. He even installed a software update during his visit. I'd never thought there was a need to re-boot a washing machine before.
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Our local repair man swears off Bosch as "They've really gone downhill" and recommends Beko as a no frills and easy to fix appliance. Maybe it's because they keep him in work... but not so far. The dishwasher and tumble dryer are giving good service.
However the washing machine is a John Lewis own-brand and has been excellent.
As for Samsung, we have a fridge freezer by them which has been great for about 10 years now, with the sole exception of the light which failed very quickly and has resisted all my attempts to free the bulb.
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Due to the size and layout of my kitchen I'm limited to the size of washing machine I can have. Max depth 55 cm.
Bosch fits the bill. As someone mentioned up-thread, I have also made the mistake of overloading the drum with
clothes. My first Bosch (purchased in 2006) lasted 9 years. I then purchased a reconditioned one (with a 6 month
guarantee. That lasted until two weeks ago (problem with motor). Bought another reconditioned one for £165.
Must remember not to overload machine with too much washing. Anyhow, Rob (member of cycling club who owns
a business supplying 2nd hand white goods) told me that the quality of some Bosch machines aren't as good as
they used to be (emphasising that the ones made in Poland and Spain are a bit rubbish).
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So it seems that buying a ten or 15 year old machine new is what I need to do :)
I'm leaving the Indesit and have bought a Bosch. The Miele would have been nice but a bit too pricey.
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Maybe I'm paranoid or misremembering but I associate Beko with 'nasty fire'.
Will Google.
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I'd say buy cheap, most should come with 5 years guarantee, thank you consumer credit act, when it breaks bin it and get another.
We went medium-cheap with a Beko washer-dryer (I know, but space is limited) when we bought our first place a couple of years ago - about a week before the first year's warranty expired the drying stopped working.
Logged a call with the engineer, who was duly despatched to repair it free of charge...long story short, he said if you're not spending silly money you may as well look towards the lower end as there's very little difference once you get into the middle ranges from any manufacturer.
Also went through extended warranties as we'd had a reminder through about extending it through KnowHow - he said paying the c.£130 was incredible value as it basically meant we wouldn't have to worry about anything breaking in that time as it would just be replaced.
The bit that stuck in my mind though was one nugget; '...and of course, if it needs a complete replacement they'll take the old one away when they bring the new one in'!
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I'll take the opportunity to chip in - If you look upthread, I went for a John Lewis own-brand (re-engineered, not just re-badged Zanussi) which has been delivering at least two washes per week, faultlessly, since 2011. I think it was either their most basic machine, or the next one up.
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As for Samsung, we have a fridge freezer by them which has been great for about 10 years now, with the sole exception of the light which failed very quickly and has resisted all my attempts to free the bulb.
Has anyone ever had a fridge/freezer break though? I mean, there was an ancient one in my student house that had an earth leakage problem, and the thermostat on our current one (13years old or so) gets stuck in the 'on' position for a night every 6 months or so. But surely they last 10+ years and eventually get replaced as all the plastic bits turn yellow and snap off.
Nothing a bit of Internet Of Shit won't fix, of course.
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As for Samsung, we have a fridge freezer by them which has been great for about 10 years now, with the sole exception of the light which failed very quickly and has resisted all my attempts to free the bulb.
Has anyone ever had a fridge/freezer break though? I mean, there was an ancient one in my student house that had an earth leakage problem, and the thermostat on our current one (13years old or so) gets stuck in the 'on' position for a night every 6 months or so. But surely they last 10+ years and eventually get replaced as all the plastic bits turn yellow and snap off.
Nothing a bit of Internet Of Shit won't fix, of course.
Yes. Ours stopped freezing 2 weeks before Xmas one year. It was a Samsung and had been shit ever since delivery.
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One of my sister's buys cheap and has warranties for all of her appliances. She has regular repairs so thinks that the warranty is a good thing. Our last Bosch washing machine cost £20 a year - far less than her warranted Indesits.
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Input from here.
We had a Siemens which lasted 14 years on about four or five washes a week. This period included the early years of our two. We shed a tear when it finally failed. (I gave it a thorough de-skank a couple of times.)
Replaced that with a Miele bottom of their range. My perception os that Mieles come in the same package and the price differential is driven by hom many different wash cycles they offer. We only ever use two so it seemed pretty simple to go for the base model.
One other tip (I think) to help the longevity, is not to ever spin at the machine's fastest speed.
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One other tip (I think) to help the longevity, is not to ever spin at the machine's fastest speed.
Though the extra you pay in drying costs may counter that. Especially in Scotland.
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One other tip (I think) to help the longevity, is not to ever spin at the machine's fastest speed.
Though the extra you pay in drying costs may counter that. Especially in Scotland.
I use a rotary drier in the garden, so the drying cost is practically nil.
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One other tip (I think) to help the longevity, is not to ever spin at the machine's fastest speed.
Though the extra you pay in drying costs may counter that. Especially in Scotland.
We have Hebridean neighbours. The washing is put out and it stays there until it's dry, however long it takes.
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One other tip (I think) to help the longevity, is not to ever spin at the machine's fastest speed.
Though the extra you pay in drying costs may counter that. Especially in Scotland.
We have Hebridean neighbours. The washing is put out and it stays there until it's dry, however long it takes.
If I did that here in winter it would go out in November and not come in again until April. It just doesn't get dry.
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I thought hatler was going to say
"We have Hebridean neighbours. The washing is put out and is dry within minutes, due to the high winds they have out there."
:-)
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
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Ebac is an English made machine. 10 year warranty on the 8kg model circa £500. There are cheaper models.
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Ebac is an English made machine. 10 year warranty on the 8kg model circa £500. There are cheaper models.
Ooh and they do hot fill as well, my mum would be delighted.
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We dry in the house. With a dehumidifier. Well, obviously we have domestic staff to do the actual work, it doesn't do for one to do such things oneself.
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I thought hatler was going to say
"We have Hebridean neighbours. The washing is put out and is dry within minutes, due to the high winds they have out there."
And in Wales....
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I'd say buy cheap, most should come with 5 years guarantee, thank you consumer credit act, when it breaks bin it and get another.
We went medium-cheap with a Beko washer-dryer (I know, but space is limited) when we bought our first place a couple of years ago - about a week before the first year's warranty expired the drying stopped working.
Logged a call with the engineer, who was duly despatched to repair it free of charge...long story short, he said if you're not spending silly money you may as well look towards the lower end as there's very little difference once you get into the middle ranges from any manufacturer.
Also went through extended warranties as we'd had a reminder through about extending it through KnowHow - he said paying the c.£130 was incredible value as it basically meant we wouldn't have to worry about anything breaking in that time as it would just be replaced.
The bit that stuck in my mind though was one nugget; '...and of course, if it needs a complete replacement they'll take the old one away when they bring the new one in'!
Warranties are a con. You get two years minimum, then expected life of an appliance from the sale of goods act.
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My mum used to put the cost of the extended warranty into premium bonds, which could then be sold to fund repair or replacement as necessary. Even without winning the occasional £50, she was quids-in.
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We've certainly been here before, but not for a while (to my recollection).
Today's 30°C wash resulted in my house and laundry stinking of burnt rubber :sick:.
The culprit is an inherited (in 2003, when I moved in) Candy Aquaviva 1000 (which could be 10 or more years old), which has actually done an OK job for the last seven or so years - for a machine which to all intents and purposes was 'free'.
I have no intention of either investigating the problem or repairing said Candy machine.
Single occupancy household, no heavy duty use.
1 wash per week, occasionally a second one.
Requirement for a 30°C wash.
Requirement for a bog standard wash.
Requirement for a hot / linen wash.
That's about it.
Don't need any other toys with bells and whistles.
I'm vacillating between a bargain John Lewis Own Brand machine (as I've heard they're apparently more than OK), and a Miele (as I am big on the longevity thing).
Opposite ends of the spectrum, I know.
What does the panel think?
I've a 12 year old Blue Sky that got a bit burning rubber smell then the spin stopped working properly.
I replaced the belt and all was well. Cost 18 euros.
It's quite tricky getting the new belt on cos they is tight but Park Tools tyre levers did the trick.
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My mum used to put the cost of the extended warranty into premium bonds, which could then be sold to fund repair or replacement as necessary. Even without winning the occasional £50, she was quids-in.
+1. We avoid extended warranties for everything. We've made more than enough to pay for the odd machine that does break down.
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We got a Bosch. It is working very nicely, very quiet spin.
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Don't get the Indesit that Big Clive gave us a guided tour of. Looks very cheap and nasty (though well done for using an induction motor and making everything easy to get at):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUHuFeFfCdA
https://youtu.be/EUHuFeFfCdA
I anticipate a follow-up video when it fails.
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With mine the fancy integrated computer released magic smoke.
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I aspire to be able to afford/justify:
http://www.iseappliances.co.uk/
We have done, about 3 years ago.I like the "fix it, don't bin it" philosophy. At the time they had 5 year and 10 year guarantee models. I think ours is the 5 year.
Sadly, it didn't work out.
https://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/ise-washing-machines-overview/ (https://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/ise-washing-machines-overview/)
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Our all singing all dancing Zanussi washer / drier died four years ago (far too shart a lifespan for what we paid for it, but that's a nother story). Money was a bit tight then so we bought the cheapest washing machine we could find, a Logik somethingorother for £119.99, including delivery from Curry's. The thinking was it'll do until we can afford a better one. Four years later the bugger is still working perfectly!
Okay it may not be the quietest of models and it doesn't have some of the fancy settings & buttons of the more expensive ones, but it washes well, it's quiet enough and does the job. I dare say have just typed this it'll conk out this afternoon, but even if it does that's a cost of just £30 per year making it the most cost effective washing machine I've ever bought!
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Most washing machines are cheap by historical standards, costing two or three days' wages. To make them cheaply, the factory saves time on the build process. So the drums are sealed through welding rather than bolts, and as a result the machine cannot be disassembled for servicing. As a result of that, the bearings are inaccessible and non-replaceable. In addition to this, printed circuit boards take the place of mechanical controllers. PCBs can burn out, or electrical connections can come loose with repeated shaking.
While most machines are made quickly and cheaply, there are a few made to be rebuildable, the way all machines used to be made. It's time-consuming for the manufacturer, which is why these machines are priced at a fortnight's wages rather than three days'. But consumers can expect them to be economically repairable.
Another point about a quality machine is that it will last longer before it needs servicing because of better design and component spec.
Finally there's the problem of unnecessarily high speed spin. 1200 RPM is plenty. And yet consumers choosing on spec will choose something that does 1600 RPM because more is better. 1600 RPM can create a lot of vibration, and so a cheaply built machine can rattle itself to pieces after not very long.
I looked into this last year and found that the only sub-£600 washing machine built with at least some of these longevity principles in mind was the entry-level machine from Miele. This happens to be well reviewed for energy efficiency, and it runs quietly. That's the one we chose.
We've had cheap machines previously. The last one failed when we heard a grinding noise, which soon became a metallic banging noise. I guess the bearing disintegrated. That was after ten years of light use, i.e. two loads a week. The council collected it for £30.
The one before that failed by never stopping washing. It ran all day without pumping out the water (or rinsing or spinning). That was also ten years old. Luckily it had a mechanical door release, so I was able to retrieve my clothes once I'd pulled the plug. The rag and bone man was delighted with it, once I'd tipped out the water.