New Washing Machine Advice Please

[Crankarm]

Not to point the finger at Zanussi, because I can't remember the brands involved, but one of the articles I read in my search (probably on the website I posted earlier) said that some brands have had their quality suffer in recent years. Also, if you see who owns who (or who makes what!!), most of the manufacturers are actually inter-related somehow [Electolux and AEG I think, for one]. So, in cases like that, brands pre the merge may have been better, where now you're getting something else entirely under the hood.

My parents had many years of service (not pain free, but with bits that could be fixed rather than throwing them away) out of AEG washing machines. However, that line (top loading but with a drum the same way around as a front loader) doesn't exist any more...

The John Lewis brand washing machine's are made by the same company that makes AEG and Zanussi. [apparently, lifted from another website]. So, a John Lewis with 3 yr gtee might be a good bet if you were thinking of AEG or Zanussi - see (which seem to have shorter guarantees) http://www.johnlewis...41/Product.aspx

Sadly Electrolux now own the AEG and Zanussi brands. The "Appliance of Science" is no more. I have a Zanussi washing machine which is still going strong after 12 years. I also have a big Zanussi upright fridge freezer which was going strong until last winter when the freezer wouldn't stay frozen. Some might remember my posty in the electric cafe. I subsequently found that it was my kitchen that was too cold for it to operate properly. In the mean time I had bought another Zanussi under counter freezer which is ok but doesn't have any where as good build quality as my older Zanussi appliances. I had three before I got one that wasn't damaged or faulty. I wasn't impressed with Electrolux customer service one bit. I would never buy Zanussi again, well Zanussi doesn't exist any more as the appliances are really Electrolux, as they and AEG, are all made in the same factory, but have different detailing and badges stuck on them.

I would have bought a new Bosch fridge freezer but just couldn't afford the price of them. A friend in the know says that Bosch appliances are only Bosch in name now. The only white goods of real quality and durability are Miele and Neff but of course these cost considerably more than most people are willing to pay.

In my search for a new freezer and looking at white goods generally, and just in case my washing machine decided to pack up, I thought Hotpoint appliances offered reasonable quality and value.

 

[swee'pea99]

Miele. For most white goods, there are many contenders, all much of a muchness (Bosch, Miele, AEG, Neff) but for washing machines there's really Miele and the others. That's why, as others have said, commercial institutions, even in places like Poland, always use them. That's also why they are a lot more expensive. So, use ebay. Buy one that's not too old, from someone with a good feedback rating, at a third the new price or less. Ours was £170. Eight years ago. Never missed a beat. Never been serviced. My Dad's one lasted 20 years. Miele. Accept No Substitutes.

 

[Slim]

We've had two top-of-the-range Boschs. The first lasted 15+ years so when that finally broke down we bought another.

In 18 months it had 3 heating elements, 2 doors and a replacement front panel. We got to know the engineer quite well and even he couldn't see why his boss would not authorise a replacement. It looks like they are outsourcing more and more components so the quality is going downhill fast. Oh! and their excuse why the heating element kept failing was that we had a microwave oven on the counter above.

Eventually, House of Fraser just offered us our money back - no strings. We've since bought an LG. This has worked really well for the 6 months we've had it and takes a huge load.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

In 18 months it had 3 heating elements, 2 doors and a replacement front panel. We got to know the engineer quite well and even he couldn't see why his boss would not authorise a replacement. It looks like they are outsourcing more and more components so the quality is going downhill fast. Oh! and their excuse why the heating element kept failing was that we had a microwave oven on the counter above.

Sounds like a disaster!!
You have to wonder why they didn't authorise the replacement in the first place, as those repairs (parts & labour & callout) must have cost them quite a bit - and they've now lost a customer. Good on the retailer though (eventually).

I suppose that the manual said nothing about possible microwave fallout? [if this is even possible]

 

[Slim]

The engineer didn't really believe the bit about the microwave ; that was his boss's excuse.

At one point the engineer arrived with a metal plate to fit on top of the machine as a "microwave shield". The only problem was he couldn't get the top panel back on the machine and still have it fit under the counter. The chances are that that particular machine was just a "Friday afternoon job".
If they'd just admitted that we'd been supplied a lemon and replaced it, they would have kept us as customers.

 

[Elmer Fudd]

I'd say Zanussi. Deliverymen hate them as they're one of the heaviest = more concrete strapped to the drum = more stability and less dancing round your kitchen. However if you like lots of vibrations when on a fast spin..........

Adding a caveat as I've just read Crankarms post. Well, as the man says they used to be good.