Washing machine repair HELP!!!!!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

OK, so I have a Bosch WFD2471 that has seen some serious useage over the past 5 or so years. It's always been fine until recently, when I noticed a slight grumbling noise just before it starts to spin - but not when it spins.

Ex had a look at it a couple of weeks ago and says, whilst the belt is slightly loose, he couldn't find anything wrong. Mind you, for all I know, he could have been sitting there with a can of beer watching TV whilst I was out. His prognosis was leave it alone until it goes bang. Pretty much sums up his attitude to life in general, that.

Well, the noise is getting worse - it's definitely just before the spin starts (maybe the drain pump?) and a couple of times it has refused point blank to drain and spin (the rinse and spin lights illuminated). In fact it's horrendous now.

I've checked the drain filter at the front - no problem - and disconnected and checked the outlet hose at the back. All clear and clean. I then switched it back on and it quite happily spun the remainder of the water out.

So now I'm sat here, hoping vainly for some advice, with a very very clean kitchen floor, a million sodden towels, a distressed looking cat, a washing machine part disconnected, and a grumpy 10 year old who thinks that all men are useless and is convinced that Mummy can fix it.

And it still goes EEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I have a screwdriver, a set of pliers and the desperation to have a go. Preferably before dinner time, as I can't get to the oven with the machine where it is now?:D

Please, anyone out there who can tell me how to get to the relevant parts, or whether I may as well just pronounce death without spending £40 to get a repair bloke to do it for me?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

So, I tipped the thing up, looked underneath, saw nothing I could attack safely and put it back down again.

Do I get Comet on their repairs scheme, which appears to be £29.36 plus £44.04 just for looking at it, then plus parts and more callouts and labour charges? Or should I stick to Bosch themselves at £95 plus parts? Or do I do the girlie thing and walk into the nearest spares shop with a video of the machine doing its thing and hope they tell me what's wrong for free?

amarg

Not an expert, but it could be the bearing.
I'd ask your local appliance repair shop if you have one, they are normally very helpful and reasonably priced.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Did some reading up and, as the noise was coming when the machine was draining and before it clicked into the spin cycle, figured that the drain pump was probably the issue. Emailed a local repair guy for a rough estimate at 7pm. At 8.05pm, he phoned up, said he could come in the morning.

Spent 30mins making sure the machine was as clean as possible and all places he might need to get to were clean and tidy.

At 10.10am, he called to say he was on his way. Showed him a video clip of the machine making this noise, he had a dig around in the drain leading out of the kitchen and found a sticking non return valve and a bundle of cat hair. He said the blockage was 85% of the problem and that it was up to me if I wanted to replace the pump, as it was probably OK, but would be noisy due to wear from working against the blockage.

As he had one (in its sealed box) with him (and because I had mentioned in passing that I knew the retail price of the pump from the manufacturer), he bunged it in for what it would have cost me to buy it direct, plus his initial call out fee.

So, for at least £50 less than the other companies, and £300 less than a new one, I have a fully working washing machine again (yay).

Oh, and he said, if I do ever need to replace anything, whilst Bosch is pretty good, he recommended Miele if I could stretch to it.

I'm happy.

rosekitten

been in the same position myself in the past
ahh what a nightmare,The call out fees are
there used to be a repair comapny called
Pattisons that would do a free call out diagnose
give you a price for the repair and if you want
it done you rang back and arranged a repair
visit is it still going ? or something similar these
days ?

Failing that we have a place here called Create it
is a non profit making operation that takes
in a resells secondhand white goods but they
also do repairs as well a lot cheaper than the
Bosch man,do you have something similar localy

We have a cracking repair service localy,independant
the call out was only £15 and it seems a very good
service,anything local to you like that ?

It sounds like a bundle of trouble ahead even if you
manage a repair but if its a scrapper if you can
manage it and I will admit it took me some doing but
I bought a Meile.Its taken me a long time to realise
the concept of buying one machine and never having
having to buy another or have a repair man in my
home again.The build quality is amazing they are very
reliable and strong.