Author Topic: Washing Machine Drum Bearing Replacement - Fail. (Read 4884 times)

aidan.f · « **on:** 01 February, 2015, 05:36:14 pm »

Started - then found out about sealed drums - well had not bought any spares but my fettling ambitions have been thwarted
Machine back together, and will run it until the bearings get unacceptably noisy. The scrap.
Any advice on a replacements?

hellymedic · « **Reply #1 on:** 01 February, 2015, 05:45:32 pm »

I think we've done washing machines several time before.

Many of us choose Miele and some choose Bosch but ICnBA to search for old threads.

My Miele is 15 years old FWIW...

CAMRAMan · « **Reply #2 on:** 01 February, 2015, 06:55:14 pm »

Our John Lewis machine gets some serious hammer: 2 - 3 loads per day; and has often been very overloaded when I wasn't looking, yet it still continues to work fine after nearly 6 years. I like the delay timer feature, so put that on your list of desirable features, would be my advice.

Kim · « **Reply #3 on:** 01 February, 2015, 07:02:17 pm »

Quote from: A Warwickshire Lad on 01 February, 2015, 06:55:14 pm

I like the delay timer feature, so put that on your list of desirable features, would be my advice.

While you're making that list, add "door that opens more than 90 degrees" and "automagic extra rinse" TAAW.

CrinklyLion · « **Reply #4 on:** 01 February, 2015, 07:58:28 pm »

We have a Bosch with all those features, bought when the SmallestCub was still in (washable) nappies so about 7 now. Non-residents seem to find its somewhat insistent 'I've finished' beep highly irritating - I no longer notice it.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5 on:** 01 February, 2015, 08:15:21 pm »

Quote from: CrinklyLion on 01 February, 2015, 07:58:28 pm

We have a Bosch with all those features, bought when the SmallestCub was still in (washable) nappies so about 7 now. Non-residents seem to find its somewhat insistent 'I've finished' beep highly irritating - I no longer notice it.

That and it's somewhat odd timer (we have one too). But they do wash well.

Kim · « **Reply #6 on:** 01 February, 2015, 08:28:36 pm »

The Zanussi I recently invested in after barakta stabbed the previous one (and I blew it up trying to bodge a repair) allows you to disable the beepery through some cryptic invocation of the buttons. This is a Good Thing, as it saves the faff of taking a soldering iron to a brand new washing machine. I don't need the washing machine making intermittent irritating beeps in another room; I've got a perfectly good dedicated system for make irritating beeps^[1] all through the house.

_{[1] "Washing machine's finished" (amongst other things) gets the bosun's whistle sound from ST:TOS.}

The French Tandem · « **Reply #7 on:** 01 February, 2015, 08:30:56 pm »

I can't remember how we did it, but the irritating beeps can be deactivated on our Bosch machine. We run it at nighttime when electricity is cheaper, and never have any beep to wake us up!

Canardly · « **Reply #8 on:** 01 February, 2015, 08:31:53 pm »

Have an LG direct drive washer with 10 year motor warranty. Really good and gets heavy use, trouble is, it is prone to going for a walk. This replaced a not very old Bosch which unfortunately is not the brand it once was, at least for middling price levels, these no longer being produced in Germany. If I had the cash would go Miele.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #9 on:** 01 February, 2015, 08:41:25 pm »

We got a new midrange Bosch to replace our old Bosch that had lasted 15 years before succumbing to a simultaneous drum bearing and control knob failure. The new one isn't made in Germany and doesn't seem to be as well made as the old one, we shall see. I kind of wish I hade paid the extra fora Miele.

Gattopardo · « **Reply #10 on:** 01 February, 2015, 08:48:01 pm »

Fast becoming a consumer durable so long life is no longer a given for a decent brand...

Kim · « **Reply #11 on:** 01 February, 2015, 08:50:55 pm »

The way I see it, anything's going to suffer brittle plastic failure of the controls/tray/door catch if something more serious doesn't break first, which puts an upper limit to how long you can reasonably expect them to last.

As an engineer, I'd love to have an ISE, but as a tenant that would be foolish.

Canardly · « **Reply #12 on:** 01 February, 2015, 09:04:01 pm »

I think ISE have gone, which is a shame.

Tim Hall · « **Reply #13 on:** 01 February, 2015, 09:19:28 pm »

Quote from: Canardly on 01 February, 2015, 09:04:01 pm

I think ISE have gone, which is a shame.

Yep. And rather annoying if one is trying to get one mended.

Ian H · « **Reply #14 on:** 01 February, 2015, 09:19:57 pm »

Don't forget, when you come to replace it, the drum makes an excellent incinerator/barbecue burner.

giropaul · « **Reply #15 on:** 01 February, 2015, 09:26:48 pm »

One of the local cyclists is a repairer of domestic electrical thingies.

His advice (as a mate) is to buy expensive (specifically Miele) or buy a new machine every few years. Most now are either unrepairable, or certainly not economically repairable according to him.

CarlF · « **Reply #16 on:** 01 February, 2015, 09:32:53 pm »

We bought an AEG recently- again, no longer German made, they're part of Electrolux now, and manufacturing has been moved to $CHEAPERPLACE. Seems pretty well built though.

It's got an induction motor, which means it's really, really quiet. And it doesn't have any brushes to wear out, which is what pushed the (12 year old) Hotpoint past the Not Worth Repairing point.

Fab Foodie · « **Reply #17 on:** 01 February, 2015, 09:57:37 pm »

Quote from: Giropaul on 01 February, 2015, 09:26:48 pm

One of the local cyclists is a repairer of domestic electrical thingies.

His advice (as a mate) is to buy expensive (specifically Miele) or buy a new machine every few years. Most now are either unrepairable, or certainly not economically repairable according to him.

This ^^^^^
There's some very good info here about who owns who. For example, brands such as AEG are now part of the same group as Zanussi, John Lewis etc and are not the machines they once were.
Our washing machines take a hammering and Mrs FF always overloads them. We tend to buy one-up from the basic model and have had AEG's and recently John Lewis. They are much of a muchness because they are the same .... If they do 6 to 7 years they've done well and were £250 to £300 max to buy it seems quite reasonable. You could buy 4 for the price of a Miele .... 25 to 30 years of abuse .

hellymedic · « **Reply #18 on:** 01 February, 2015, 10:59:38 pm »

I bought my Miele because I never wanted to buy another washing machine EVAH...

...I'd seen Mum's machines die more often than her pot plants and the hassle it created.

Wobbly John · « **Reply #19 on:** 01 February, 2015, 11:23:20 pm »

On the other hand, I buy cheap washing machines, they quite often get overloaded and get used 4-5 times a week.

The current washing machine is the third we have had since 1981.

I did replace the drum bearings on the Hotpoint once - it lasted 17 years.

Fab Foodie · « **Reply #20 on:** 01 February, 2015, 11:25:04 pm »

Quote from: hellymedic on 01 February, 2015, 10:59:38 pm

I bought my Miele because I never wanted to buy another washing machine EVAH...

...I'd seen Mum's machines die more often than her pot plants and the hassle it created.

These days it's pretty simple ... go to JL online, order machine, get delivered and they take away the old one! Sadly too simple for words.

jsabine · « **Reply #21 on:** 02 February, 2015, 12:48:34 am »

Quote from: CarlF on 01 February, 2015, 09:32:53 pm

We bought an AEG recently- again, no longer German made, they're part of Electrolux now, and manufacturing has been moved to $CHEAPERPLACE. Seems pretty well built though.

It's got an induction motor, which means it's really, really quiet. And it doesn't have any brushes to wear out, which is what pushed the (12 year old) Hotpoint past the Not Worth Repairing point.

Induction motor would definitely be worth looking for - was it obvious on the spec sheet?

As for brushes, I suspect that's one of those things where a ten pound part runs into minimum labour or callout charges. Certainly changing them on our old machine was a tedious, tedious job, but buying a set on ebay was trivial in cost: I think I've got some spares somewhere safe because it was cheaper to buy a couple of sets than pay extra postage.

Wombat · « **Reply #22 on:** 02 February, 2015, 08:45:30 am »

Our direct drive LG scores on the "no brushes" front, too. Very very quiet as long as they're on a solid floor, you can hold a quiet conversation next to it when its spinning at 1600rpm. Appears to be well built, but its only about 5 yrs old so far. The Bosch beep would prevent me buying one (and its why we discounted them when our previous Bosch died), its bloody awful! Ours play an only mildly annoying little tune for about 5 seconds, then shuts up. Very, very low water consumption!

Polar Bear · « **Reply #23 on:** 02 February, 2015, 08:59:18 am »

Our Bosch, chosen for lack of stoopid electronic gufgets is an Excell 1200. Very modestly specced by modern day standards it just keeps working flawlessly. It doesn't beep, it doesn't need extensive programming or button pressing, it has a delay start timer which is simply a start in 'n' hours facility, and it has a door which opens all the way for ease of access.

Water temperature is selected separate to wash programme. We tend to was at 30^o on either easycare, cottons or delicates for almost everything. Eldest cub likes to press the extra rinse, reduced ironing and reduced time buttons but we generally only bother wish reduced time when we have a small or quick wash requirement which is hardly ever.

My philosophy is not to be tempted by all the whistles and bangs as it's just a machine to wash clothes etc., and it's best to get one that does that job well. the gufgets are just guff gizmos to persuade extra pounds out of your pocket and into the pockets of yet another $BigCo.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #24 on:** 02 February, 2015, 09:01:31 am »

I bought one for Aunty Phyllis a few months ago. I think it was a Samsung. It plays the theme from Schubert's "Die Forelle" when it has finished.

Edit: it also has a 5-year guarantee so Phyllis will be over 100 by the time she needs to buy a new one.