£899 to get a key out of my washing machine

SSevenoaks

Hi there, 

Looking for some advice about what to do next. 

My Bosch washing machine (less than 12 months old) started making a grinding noise when the drum turned. Bosch came out to look at it and found a large flat key (that was left in a pocket) had gotten through the seal and is now stuck underneath the drum. They have quoted £899 to dismantle the machine and get the key out. 

I’ve raised that a key that size being able to get through the seal seems like a design flaw, but the engineer doesn’t think it is. 

My questions are: 

Is this a design flaw? 

Does anyone know a cheaper way I can get this key out? I can’t afford a new machine at the moment. 

Thanks!

Ebe_Scrooge

SSevenoaks said:

Does anyone know a cheaper way I can get this key out?

DIY?  Depends on the particular machine, but if you've got a modicum of DIY experience, it's not usually difficult to remove the seal and fish out the offending key.  £899 to dismantle the machine sounds pretty steep - though I guess the design may be such that it needs a large amount of dismantling, rather than just removing the seal.

Have a look on YouTube - you may very well be able to find an instructional video, which will at least allow you to assess whether it's something within your capabilities to DIY.

Failing that, a local "domestic appliance repair man" might well be cheaper.

elsien

You could probably find someone local and independent who would be a lot cheaper. 

Section62

SSevenoaks said:

Hi there, 

Looking for some advice about what to do next. 

My Bosch washing machine (less than 12 months old) started making a grinding noise when the drum turned. Bosch came out to look at it and found a large flat key (that was left in a pocket) had gotten through the seal and is now stuck underneath the drum. They have quoted £899 to dismantle the machine and get the key out. 

I’ve raised that a key that size being able to get through the seal seems like a design flaw, but the engineer doesn’t think it is. 

My questions are: 

(1) Is this a design flaw? 

(2) Does anyone know a cheaper way I can get this key out? I can’t afford a new machine at the moment. 

Thanks!

1. No.

2. Get an independent washing machine repair person to attempt to remove the key, albeit this may invalidate the remainder of your warranty.

Most modern washing machines have a factory-sealed outer drum, meaning it isn't possible to spilt the outer drum to remove lost objects.  I would expect the £899 quote to allow for the cost of dismantling the machine, fitting a new drum assembly, and then putting everything back together.

If yours has an outer drum which can be split then it wouldn't surprise me if the labour charge for dismantling everything, putting it all back together, testing for leaks etc won't be a similar ballpark figure.

Although if the Bosch service person could see the key then there's a question as to why they couldn't fish the key out with an appropriate tool....

An independent repairer may be willing to be more inventive - e.g. removing the heater element and/or the drain pump connection - to get more access to the drum to be able to fish out the key. Although they may want you to pay up front for their time, whether they can get the key out or not.

I would guess the charge quoted by Bosch reflects their experience of what these repairs typically cost, even though in your case it may ultimately be easier to do than average.

Edit:  The charge could also reflect the 'grinding' noise indicating the possibility of damage to the inner or outer drum and Bosch not wanting to 'guarantee' a repair without also replacing the parts which have potentially been damaged.

Bendy_House

Is it a design flaw? No, not unless it's shared by most other makes (well, all the makes I've ever owned, at least).

I've recently had a coin end up in the inlet pipe of our new Bosch's pump. More awkward than most WMs to get to, as it had a floor panel, but managed to get to the pump by easing open a gap large enough for my hands. My task was a reasonable DIY jobbie, but I certainly wouldn't recommend a drum removal unless you are pretty competent and experienced.

So, as above, I'd recommend you either get a local appliance cove out - who should find this a standard task, as they are BOUND to have swapped many drum bearings in their time - or perhaps, if the local fellow also quotes many £100's, try your insurance for 'lost key - I know where it is, but...'. You neffer know.

Eldi_Dos

Advertise it for sale with description of fault and age of machine and use money towards new machine might be most cost effective way.

Rambosmum

Our local bloke charges £20 to assess the job and either quote or condemn the machine, or if he can fix it in less than half an hour, that is all you pay (plus parts). An hour was £50, including the assessment fee and the part I needed. So definitely try a local guy!

Bendy_House

Absolutely.

And since you know what the actual issue is, the repair fellow should be able to give you a good idea of the time element over the phone, provided they are familiar with the actual model...

I'm thinking the Bosch quote for the job is like these Dom&Gen appliance service outfits - they don't 'fix', but always 'replace' the parts (fair do's), and that includes any other parts that remotely appear to be on the way out. So Bosch probably priced for a complete new drum and housing as a minimum, as both could well be 'scratched'...

Section62

Bendy_House said:

So Bosch probably priced for a complete new drum and housing as a minimum, as both could well be 'scratched'...

To be fair to Bosch - when you run a business in an age where customers wonder whether a key getting into the space between the inner and outer drum is a design flaw, then you have to account for the probability other customers will regard a 'scratch' as warranting a refund of the whole repair cost, maybe a brand new replacement machine FOC...  plus compensation for all the inconvenience they have suffered.

So why not just charge them to replace the 'scratched' parts in the first place and avoid the subsequent hassle?

Elsewhere on the internet now, someone is saying that a 'competent' washing machine repair person should know that 'scratched' parts must always be replaced to avoid the washing machine leaking over expensively tiled kitchen floors.

Swasterix

I had an issue with my Siemens washing machine (same company) where a shoddy repair by one of their engineers caused damage to my machine. After weeks of backwards and forwards I ended up just repairing it myself. Going by my experience with their “customer services” department, and given that in this case it’s probably your fault (sorry), you have around a 0% chance of them relenting and admitting any fault whatsoever. 

Save yourself the wasted time and get a local repair person round to have a look. 

Have a read of their reviews online. Wish I’d done so before buying as I would never have (and never will again) but a Siemens/Bosch washing machine. Miele next time. 

Section62

Swasterix said:

Going by my experience with their “customer services” department, and given that in this case it’s probably your fault (sorry), you have around a 0% chance of them relenting and admitting any fault whatsoever. 

If the Bosch instruction manual is anything like every WM instruction manual I've read then there would be clear instructions somewhere warning of the risk of small items like keys and coins causing damage to the machine and how important it is to check very carefully to make sure all such items have been removed before putting clothes in the machine.

So the BiB would be with good justification.

I've just checked a Miele WM manual, it says the same thing.