Washer-dryer bearings - should they have gone already?

DeadTall

I have a Zanussi washer dryer which I bought in Feb 2005 and it is making howling noises when spinning and grates when you turn the drum. I'm told that the bearings are going and that the job will be between £130 and £300 to fix, depending on which engineer you talk to! As it's only 2 & half years old I contacted John Lewis who said they would not do anything to help as it wasn't under guarantee or warranty.

My question is, is it reasonable to expect a washer dryer to last more than 2 & half years before needing such an expensive repair? If not, then do I have the right to get JL to repair it at their cost?

The Sale of Goods Act 1979 suggests that I do, but it appears to rest on what is 'reasonable' in terms of quality and durability. Is it worth pursuing this or just giving in and paying for the repair? My previous machine lasted 7 or 8 years.

eco-friendly_2

We frequently dispose of W Ms some are less than 2years old !

The last one was a servis, around 2 years old ,the P.C.B. committed suicide, price for part was £105 ( thank god they had a sale on ) :rolleyes: + labour. Cost of replacement approx £200 the engineer told me it's now very common and MOST are now disposable after a relatively short time .

malamute

The only thing i can think of is:
1. Check the exact model number you have against any manufacturer's recall also search on Google for other owners with similar problems (may be a design fault).
2. IMO zanussi is no longer a premier brand and is no better or worse than other brands which are a lot cheaper.
3. You need a firm estimate as to the cost before you can may a judgement £100-300 is like figures plucked out of the air.
4. You could repair and within a couple of months something else goes or cut your losses and get rid only you can decide.


Sods law states when you take out an extended warranty you don't need it and when you don't you have found out to your cost.

jackieb

I've had 6 washers in the time i've been married (20 years). I never expect them to last very long. I've always bought Hotpoint (maybe that should tell me something!) and they've always ended up being uneconomical to repair. I took out an insurance over a year ago and it hasn't went wrong since then. Not even my brushes and they usually go every 18 months. Sod's law.

Funkyfarmgirl

DeadTall wrote: »

I have a Zanussi washer dryer which I bought in Feb 2005 and it is making howling noises when spinning and grates when you turn the drum. I'm told that the bearings are going and that the job will be between £130 and £300 to fix, depending on which engineer you talk to! As it's only 2 & half years old I contacted John Lewis who said they would not do anything to help as it wasn't under guarantee or warranty.

My question is, is it reasonable to expect a washer dryer to last more than 2 & half years before needing such an expensive repair? If not, then do I have the right to get JL to repair it at their cost?

The Sale of Goods Act 1979 suggests that I do, but it appears to rest on what is 'reasonable' in terms of quality and durability. Is it worth pursuing this or just giving in and paying for the repair? My previous machine lasted 7 or 8 years.

I never have luck with washing machines bought my beko in nov 2005 and the same things gone wrong i did take out extra insurance on this which im glad teh only thing is i rang the engerineer 2 weeks ago today he came out following tuesday and said he will be ording parts and will have to take it away, thats fine but my np , but ready my policy says that if it is not mended within 21 days they will give you a new item so im going to wait a week before i say anything

maninthestreet

My Servis washing machine is 17 years old, still going strong, never required any maintenance.

kwatt

Hi folks,

Let me sort out a few things for you so maybe you can understand a little better the repair thing in this.

The quoted prices that you are getting depends on how the repairer does the job on a Zanussi/Electrolux/AEG/Tricity tub. If it is stripped and only the bearings replaced with the tank and bearing seal, it's cheaper. If however we open one of these up and the rear half is scored or damaged, that's the best part of £100 on it's own. Then there's the drum shaft, which if damaged, will need replaced and, depending on the model, that can be anywhere between about £40 and £140 for the part alone.

The problem is, until you crack it open, you often have no idea how bad it will be or what damage you will find in there.

No repairer worth their salt will offer a fixed quote for that reason as they don't know what they will need in advance, it's that simple as while many of us are good and often estimate very accurately, we do not have crystal balls or x-ray vision.

How long bearing will last, well how long is a piece of string? Factors like the price (bearing size and quality is one popular cost-saving area for manufacturers) of the machine initially, the amount of use it is given, the type of washing and loads that it washes, has something gotten in and damaged the seal and so on. There are many factors to consider but, for the first time ever a few years ago, we started to replace bearings under warranty on cheap machines where in the past we would never have replaced them on a machine under five years of age. But, people will demand cheaper appliances.

To put that in perspective for you, had the Zanussi Z919T Washcraft washing machine produced in the seventies and lasted about 15 years or so on average tracked with inflation, the current price to buy one would have been about £1200 today. Even on those we replaced bearings, sure, but not usually till they were knocking on for ten years old.

Most of the machines you will buy today are nowhere even remotely close to this sort of build quality but, that is reflected in the price you pay for them. In short, you get what you pay for and this sort of failure, at this sort of age, is not uncommon and as it is simply a "failure" there's no recourse to claim anything from either the retailer or manufacturer I'm afraid.

HTH and apologies for the little rant.

K.

malamute

KWATT, what a superb post very informative and puts the OP into perspective with the problems of fault diagnostic.

DeadTall

Thanks KWATT - as malamute says, an informative post. I'm thinking of saving up for a Miele machine as I've read elsewhere that they are practically indestructible, and that you do indeed get what you pay for. Nevertheless, I paid £500 for my machine, so I think I deserve at least 3, if not 4 years out of it!

I've now approached John Lewis and they have said they will repair the machine as long as it is 'economical' to do so. They are paying for a Zanussi engineer to come out and give a proper diagnosis, so I am hoping for the best!

I am constantly frustrated at the apparent unwillingness of suppliers to make robust and hardwearing goods any more - I know the great british public demands cheap goods but it's a false economy and only contributes to the throw away society we live in these days. That's just my little rant...!

kwatt

Hi DeadTall/malamute,

Thank you to both of you, I was trying to highlight the fact that a quote for a job like that is just that, a quote, it doesn't mean to say that's where it will end up. Most repairers will tell you this though on these sorts of repairs before they start.

On the Miele good machines, but extremely expensive to repair and, until now, there's been no alternative. That's the reason I haven't been about for a week or so as we've just finished with getting in the new ISE10 range which is made in Sweden and utterly superb. The only reason I mention it is that it is a serious alternative to Miele and a lot cheaper to fix, in ten years once the warranty expires, that is, if it ever breaks.

The words "brick" and "outhouse" spring to mind.

The ISE website is here if you want to know more but you can ask away here if you like and want more info.

Put it this way, this is the machine I've been waiting on to replace my own.

K.

Tightwadways

Kwatt,

I'd definalty be interested in finding out more about the ISE10 range, just looked up the website and it's just what the doctor ordered...our washing machine is on the way out and I want to replace it with one that will last longer and these look a lot more efficient and built to last :T