Buying a washing machine ?

letsbehonest

Thinking of buying a washing machine? look at this link.

http://www.thetoptensite.com/Things_You_Should_Know_About_Washing-Machines.html

kathy206

TBH I would dispute the fact that Bosch are one of the most reliable. Ours has been pretty much completely rebuilt under the D+G warranty we had with it. :mad:
Before the Bosch we had an Ariston that lasted 10 years, never needed any call outs to it.

mcculloch29

When my Hotpoint broke down for the penultimate time in 2000, I asked the repair guy what he would recommend to replace it in terms of being more reliable. He said Servis - which had a negative review in the article.
Touching wood, my Servis machine is still going, 11 years later and has never, ever broken down. I do plan on replacing it within the next year as I would like a machine with a large drum for washing duvets.
Does anyone else have any comments to make as to the reliability of those machines praised in the article -or those mentioned as being the least reliable?

alterego_2

The Toptensite says that "A washing machine is a highly complex piece of engineering". No it isn't - it's a motor, a drum, a pump and a timer, all simple technology that can be made to outlast the warranty (most) or to outlast you (Miele and Siemens). The timer is now usually a small computer, and since this usually shares electronics with the motor controller and lives on an open circuit board in a damp environment, it can fail and be expensive to replace. Old Hoovers and Hotpoints, when they were independent companies, were mostly mechanical and because they had slow spin speeds and were relatively expensive (think how long it took to earn £200-300 thirty years ago) could last almost indefinitely, but nobody makes them like that any more. The expensive German brands do use good components, though, but are they worth three times as much as the Indesits and Bekos? If you could put the cheapest extended warranty costs (say £10/month) in a pot, you would have the cost of a new machine in two years, and if it lasted for three, you would be ahead of the game!

Our £270 Ariston has lasted for 7 years, so I don't think it owes us anything. A new machine will probably work better in most respects (although I wish they'd use more water for rinsing) and it will cost about the same in cash terms as my first washing machine bought 35 years ago, when I earned £1200 a year...

shortchanged_2

Oh well that article does back up my principle in that don't touch anything made by Indesit group, which now unfortunately includes Hotpoint which was a once trusted UK brand.

Fridaycat

mcculloch29 wrote: »

Does anyone else have any comments to make as to the reliability of those machines praised in the article -or those mentioned as being the least reliable?

After several years of unreliability, my Hotpoint washing machine had one too many breakdowns a couple of years ago, so I decided that it was time to get a new one. I got a Bosch and have got nothing but praise for it. It has a big drum - 9kg capacity; it fills directly from the cold water supply; it is energy efficient; it is MUCH quieter than my Hotpoint, you barely notice it even on full spin; but most importantly, it does a superb job of washing my clothes

I am so pleased with it that when my Hotpoint dryer gives up the ghost, I shall definitely replace it with a Bosch.

alterego_2

"Hotpoint which was a once trusted UK brand"

Sadly so. The modern Hotpoints now look like Aristons (same door shape) which are really Indesits in a smart suit. Our Ariston uses an Indesit controller and an Indesit motor, but it does have a stainless outer drum, which is not so universal. I, too, would be interested to know about reliability, because most of the views you read on the 'net are composed by people who have just bought the item and are naturally thrilled to bits with it, as long as it doesn't disintegrate before they've written the review! Which? aren't a lot better, I suspect because their 'accelerated' wear tests don't mimic real life. Rubber seals and electronic components fail with chronological age, not extra-heavy use.

If anyone has good or bad experiences with particular brands or models (sometimes it's the design rather than the manufacturer) please share them with us!

Oliver14

Our Hotpoint one, the main drum bearing went after 3 years and the door fell off. Touch wood our present Zanussi has lasted 4 years so far with no problems.

Esqui

I might need protection after saying this, but....I have a £189 Beko and it's great. Gets used three or four times a week, and coming up to two years old without a single hint of a problem. If I get 5 years out of it, I'll be very happy at that price.

Also, that article makes me laugh: "Electrolux own...John Lewis". They might build washing machines for them, but I highly doubt they own John Lewis! And what evidence does the author have for the most and least reliable machines. I don't entirely disagree with the list, but it'd be nice to see how they rate against each other - for all we know, the difference between the top and bottom could be 1%.

shortchanged_2

Esqui wrote: »

I might need protection after saying this, but....I have a £189 Beko and it's great. Gets used three or four times a week, and coming up to two years old without a single hint of a problem. If I get 5 years out of it, I'll be very happy at that price.

Well good luck Esqui though I have heard Beko are actually quite decent quality for the price.

Hotpoint and Indesit on the other hand barely last much more than 2 years these days without developing some major fault.

Esqui

I only got that one because it was the only one that would fit!