Whirlpool front-loader

[redrider90]

Miele!!!! no "H"

http://www.miele.com/international/enint/home.htm

I have A Miele vacuum, dishwasher, laundry washer, clothes dryer and espresso machine. They are the best appliances out there!

My 10 year old Miele vacuum cleaner just died. Could have been fixed for about half the price of a new one so I went new. The thing last 10 years and never ever broke.

[Testarossa]

Thanks, guys. Especially Rodekyll.

I let the thing sit for a week with the panels off, and went out to look at new machines. Cheapest front-loader in town was $650. So I came home and got busy unplugging and replugging every electrical connector I could find. Buttoned up the panels and fired it up.

It works, for now. Joseph Lucas electrics?


UPDATE Sunday:  It's dead again.

[Kentktk]

And warning to you folks getting ready to buy a dishwasher - I wouldn't buy another KitchenAid!    Ours is 3 years old and I've already spent $100 in parts fixing things.   The appliance SEEMS well made and is expensive, but the plastic bits on the inside that hold the racks in place are just junky little bits not suited for their job that actually wear out in addition to cracking and breaking.   When I started searching for advice and parts, I found I wasn't the ONLY one having the problems!

Should have gotten the Bosch!

Lannis

Well ya, but there are some German idiosyncrasies that will cause some consternation.

[Orange Guzzi]

Tell your wife you found a good price on a Norge.  Slightly used, but in great condition.  If she says go for it. Ride it home. Remember it is always easier to ask for forgiveness that permission, in most cases.  This one you are asking up front.

[redrider90]

I have a 35 year old Maytag that will not die.
The commercials were true!  Oh no why did I say that.

[Lannis]

Miele!!!! no "H"

http://www.miele.com/international/enint/home.htm

I have A Miele vacuum, dishwasher, laundry washer, clothes dryer and espresso machine. They are the best appliances out there!

We have the Miele vacuum cleaner, which is a good one but by gar expensive.

I looked at the dishwashers and washing machines on the site above and realized I'm too old to amortize the cost of this machine over the lifetime it would have to show to justify the price.   Two or three more sets of GE or Whirlpool appliances will probably see my time out as an independent householder, and the Miele machines are 4 times the price of a garden-variety one .... !

Lannis

[Testarossa]

Never did get the front loader to work. The retailer replaced it under warranty -- twice -- and the replacements couldn't be made to run reliably either. Gave up and sent it off as scrap metal. Back to a top loader that runs nicely.

Then rented the house out and moved in with Gail. No proper workbench until I can reorganize her garage in the spring, and I'll have to find a place off campus to wash parts.

[keuka4884]

Amazing. Another major appliance thread. I'll chime in again.

1. A washer brand I forgot to mention that is high quality is Bosch. Whirlpool, Fisher-Paykel or Bosch for a washer.
2. Miele is a much smaller capacity machine. Very good quality but if you don't live in a major metropolitan area service will be difficult.
3. We leave the door ajar on the Whirlpool to prevent mold. No big deal.
4. Miele, Bosch and Whirlpool for a dishwasher. Not Kitchenaid, GE, Frigidaire or others. And yes, I know, KA and Whirlpool are the same company. But the KA costs more and is not worth it.
5. Maytag went belly up and had to sell to Whirlpool manily because of too many failed bearings in their Neptune front loaders. Too bad as, other than that issue it was a great washer. If  you have a Neptune that still works without leaking you are one of the lucky ones.
6. Any washer built before 2005 has much better quality parts in it. Old Maytags were built like tanks.
7. Whirlpool took their front load design from their European model which has been on the market for decades. Proven reliability. They enlarged the capacity for us gringos. Electronically complex, but a fine machine.
8. It is true. Front loaders use less water and clean clothes better with less damage.
9. Dishwasher detergents are not the same since sulfates were removed. The best way to clean dishes in a dishwasher today is to use Finish Quantum and keep the rinse aid dispenser full. Believe me, I've tried every dishwasher detergent on the market. 

[blackcat]

"Miele is a much smaller capacity machine. Very good quality but if you don't live in a major metropolitan area service will be difficult."

True. I went online when mine had a problem, found a youtube and confirmed the problem with the Miele tech. Ordered the pump and installed which took about ten minutes once I got the thing open.  We did have some problem which I don't remember when we purchased the set a dozen years ago and Miele sent some German guy to our apartment, but that was in NYC. I was impressed.

[nikwax]

when I met my wife 30+ years ago I bought her a second hand Maytag washer. Turns out it was frankensteined together by the appliance store out of various years of Maytags, the base machine was about 20 years old at the time I bought it. I only had to replace the belt and the timer on it over the 15 year we ran it. On the other hand, it used a crap-ton of water and didn't get the clothes particularly clean. The new Maytag dryer I bought at the time wasn't very good and the sensors, belt, and element all failed.


Replaced with a Bosch front loader and dryer. Super super water efficient, and 1200 rpm spins got the clothes fairly dry. Dryer had one element replaced, washer I had to replace the motor. Parts expensive and hard to source. The suspension failed when we moved (even with the suspension locks in) and it wasn't worth repairing. Got good use out of it for 10+ years.



Current set is a LG top loader, highly rated by Consumers Report and online reviews. I think it does a pretty good job, but it can be fussy to get the water level right. 10 year warranty on the direct drive motor, and I bought an extended warranty from Home Despot. You have to use HE detergents, that was true of the Bosch as well.



It's pretty interesting to track down the pedigree of appliances. Not only are there very few primary manufacturers, they also cross manufacture for each other. And the brands of yesteryear often not indicative of current manufacturing.

[old head]

we have kenmore washer and dryer, about 22 years old or there abouts.  I have replaced the door switch and pressure switch on the washer.  Nothing on the dryer.

I have a whirlpool dishwasher I bought in 82, used 3 or 4 times a week.  Not a thing has broke, sometimes we a little water from the door, but thats it.

[rboe]

We replaced our top loader (Kenmore??) washer and dryer with Samsung front loaders a few years back. The heating element in the dryer went bad, ordered the part off of Amazon and replaced myself. Washer, knock on wood, has been pretty darn good. But we wipe the door down after use and prop it open with said rag to air it out. No issues.

It start to smell a bit and that is when we rediscovered the little filter thingie in front that needed attention. Duh!

Replaced the dishwasher because the rack in the old one was falling apart. New one is an energy saver for sure, but it's not all that good at cleaning. After reading the reviews this seems to be a common complaint across all brands. So now we pre-clean all dishes unless we're going to run it right then and there (typically we run it run about every four to five days). I will say it is a lot quieter than the old dishwasher.

[Two Checks]

Remeber those cheap VCR/VCPs of the 80s? Yes, Goldstar.
Well, they are the same folks who bring you LG appliances. Lucky Goldstar.
My refrigerator/freezer is a Frigidaire. Has the GM nameplate on it. GM sold Frigidaire in 1979!

[ibis1]

" Maytag went belly up and had to sell to Whirlpool manily because of too many failed bearings in their Neptune front loaders. Too bad as, other than that issue it was a great washer. If  you have a Neptune that still works without leaking you are one of the lucky ones"

I replaced a 20 plus year old Speed Queen with a Neptune (2nd Generation) that served me very well. It may still be running as I gave it to a friend's son. I don't understand the mold issue. I had that machine for over 10 years, never dried off the door and always closed it after a cycle. Never had a mold or smell issue. I replaced it with an expensive top of the line Whirlpool that tells you to run a "Clean" cycle every month and dry off the door and leave it open between cycles. The Whirlpool does clean better and has a much larger capacity than the Neptune. If I get the service out of the Whirlpool that I did from the Neptune I will be satisfied. My big complaint now is they charge you the same price for the dryer as the washer. Years ago dryers were half to 2/3 the price of the washer.  :BEER:

[keuka4884]

We now run every load in the dishwasher the following way:

1. Only use Finish Quantum detergent.
2. Make sure the Jet Dry rinse aid dispenser is full.
3. Always use the high temp option. Dishes like high heat. A Hobart dishwasher runs a full cycle in 12 minutes by using very high heat. 

Then tell me how your dishes come out. And no pre-cleaning.   

[nikwax]

Remeber those cheap VCR/VCPs of the 80s? Yes, Goldstar.
Well, they are the same folks who bring you LG appliances. Lucky Goldstar.

Revenues: $143billion
Employees: 220,000

I guess the 80's were good to them ;-)

[Two Checks]

Yep, everyone and their brother had one of those cheap cassette players. And bought another when they broke!