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Random question - recommendations for a new washing machine?
David Jenkins - 26/11/19 at 09:25 PM

Our Zannusi washing machine has gone to meet its maker, after many months/years of unreliable service. Lately it's been incredibly noisy on spin, and now it's dumped a fair amount of water on the kitchen floor.

I'm just wondering if anyone can recommend a decent replacement? I'm prepared to pay a decent amount to get a decent machine. Not interested in gimmicks, just something that works...


shindha - 26/11/19 at 09:43 PM

Have a look at these british made with a long warranty slightly dearer than average
ebac


SteveWalker - 26/11/19 at 10:04 PM

If money is no object, then Meile - incredibly solid, reliable and long lasting. Bosch still carry a premium on price, but don't have the quality any more from what I have heard. We have a Hotpoint that cost about £450. It has had a couple of replacement drum springs over the years, but otherwise is still going strong - despite us having 3 children and the machine often having overweight loads and being used once (often twice) a day.


David Jenkins - 26/11/19 at 10:18 PM

Ebac sounds interesting, though they don't have a local stockist (it's nice to have a look when buying something expensive).

Miele prices are just... astounding. Prices are £700+, up to £1700. They might be good, although I have seen some negative reviews of machines bought recently, but I could never justify that sort of money.

It's a matter of luck when you buy something like Hotpoint - many/most will get a good machine, but a significant number will get a turkey (we've had a Hotpoint in the past, and it was ok-ish). Our last Zanussi was good, but this one's a total pita.

Oh, I hate this sort of decision!


ian locostzx9rc2 - 26/11/19 at 10:38 PM

Look at blomberg washing machines biggest seller in Germany we have one after having expensive Siemens/Bosch/ Aeg in the past it was half the price of a Siemens machine had it for 4 years no issues so far

[Edited on 26/11/19 by ian locostzx9rc2]


cliftyhanger - 26/11/19 at 11:57 PM

At home we have a Miele. The wife wanted one, got a bonus at work at so it happened...

However, in our rentals, which are all 5-6 students (and they do actually use washing machines...) we buy more or less the cheapest machine from currys, sub £200, pay £99 for a 5 year warranty. In the last 20 years we have had repair people out 3 times within the 5 year warranty. One machine lasted 15 years before it started leaking badly though the front case rusting away around the seal.


HowardB - 27/11/19 at 07:55 AM

I have a Zanussi, it is great,. no issues and only 26 years old! (the washing machine that is)


nick205 - 27/11/19 at 09:30 AM

Replacing white goods is always PITA. With 3 young kids our washing machine does probably more than it's fair share of graft. I've always taken the approach of by a cheapish one, work it hard, fix it if I can (https://www.espares.co.uk) and replace with another cheapish one when it's had it.

This approach has done us well for the past 15 years (2 washing machines @ <£200 each).

When the kids move on and it's SWMBO and I we might be persuaded to spend a bit more on one to get a longer lifespan from it. If it's just the 2 of us the machine will get significantly less use and hopefully live longer anyway.

If you're after a longer warranty it might be worth looking at John Lewis - I know they give 5 year warranties on TVs and things so it may be the same on washing machines. They'll deliver it to you as well and probably take the old one away. Washing machines are heavy buggers with those stabilising blocks in them!


Mash - 27/11/19 at 11:08 AM

quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
At home we have a Miele. The wife wanted one, got a bonus at work at so it happened...

However, in our rentals, which are all 5-6 students (and they do actually use washing machines...) we buy more or less the cheapest machine from currys, sub £200, pay £99 for a 5 year warranty. In the last 20 years we have had repair people out 3 times within the 5 year warranty. One machine lasted 15 years before it started leaking badly though the front case rusting away around the seal.


We have a Bosch because SWMBO wanted it, and to be fair it has done well for the last year. Two dogs that are always getting wet and muddy (big Lab and little spaniel) so in the autumn winter months we are washing dog towels every day, plus our clothes and my work stuff (fire fighter) gets smokey/sweaty. So far no problems.

BUT, if it was up to me, I'd go with the "buy cheap use the warranty" approach too.......


Charlie_Zetec - 27/11/19 at 12:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mash
quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
At home we have a Miele. The wife wanted one, got a bonus at work at so it happened...

However, in our rentals, which are all 5-6 students (and they do actually use washing machines...) we buy more or less the cheapest machine from currys, sub £200, pay £99 for a 5 year warranty. In the last 20 years we have had repair people out 3 times within the 5 year warranty. One machine lasted 15 years before it started leaking badly though the front case rusting away around the seal.


We have a Bosch because SWMBO wanted it, and to be fair it has done well for the last year. Two dogs that are always getting wet and muddy (big Lab and little spaniel) so in the autumn winter months we are washing dog towels every day, plus our clothes and my work stuff (fire fighter) gets smokey/sweaty. So far no problems.

BUT, if it was up to me, I'd go with the "buy cheap use the warranty" approach too.......


Looked at Miele when we recently replaced all white goods in our kitchen - looks somewhat dated IMO, and I couldn't justify the additional cost for the name alone. Was told it came with a 5-year warranty, but salesman told us "we'd never need to use it" and stated it should have a 10+ year lifespan.

Looked at cheaper brands like Beko and couldn't fault them for the price charged, but ended up with a Samsung to match the dryer. Both washer & dryer came with a 10 year warranty on them, and utilise the new "Economy" mode; essentially it only uses enough water for what is loaded in the machine. Supposed to be A+ rated, and runs silently, so impressed thus far.


Mr Whippy - 27/11/19 at 12:38 PM

Don't know if its an issue for you but for years we suffered from loads of vibration on spin no matter what machine we had or how it was loaded, once it got so bad it "walked" across the floor, blocked the back door locking me out the house I had to climb in a window...

The solution was to pour a concrete base under the machine down to the house foundations, actually easier than it sounds, after that the machine was so quiet and seems to be lasting longer too. For an friend who is in a flat we put scaffold boards down to thicken the floor which helps them a lot, though not a effective as the concrete base at least the rooms are not shaking anymore.

If you look on the web about washing machine spider corrosion you see this is a very common problem but I've found it very hard to find out if a machine has a alloy or stainless steel spider, we opted instead to do empty washes with a mug full of vinegar every few months to prevent corrosion. it doesn't make the machine smell btw actually I think it helps prevent that too.


SJ - 27/11/19 at 12:50 PM

We've had a Beko washer for 6 years with no problems. Can't beat it for the price. Far better than Bosch or Hotpoint which we had before.

Bought my mum a Zanussi in 1994 which is still going!


JonBowden - 27/11/19 at 01:13 PM

SJ, I was just about to post almost the same thing.
We've had Beko for all white goods for about 6 years, not much problem
Only issue was that a hose became blocked and came off in the dishwasher - gave me the excuse to buy a whole set of jubilee clips to make sure that I got the right one .
I tend to go with Nick's thought of buying cheap - that way, if it breaks then you haven't spent too much
Of course, I don't always apply the same to tools.

[Edited on 27/11/19 by JonBowden]


David Jenkins - 27/11/19 at 01:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by HowardB
I have a Zanussi, it is great,. no issues and only 26 years old! (the washing machine that is)


Don't rush to replace it! Our previous machine was a Zanussi and that lasted 13 years. Decided that it was looking shabby and "didn't do what the latest ones do" (her words) so replaced it with a new but similar model - what a mistake. This one's barely made it past 3-and-a-bit years (maybe 4-and-a-bit).


David Jenkins - 27/11/19 at 02:03 PM

quote:
Originally posted by shindha
Have a look at these british made with a long warranty slightly dearer than average
ebac


Found an Ebac stockist within a reasonable range and went to have a look - SWMBO took a liking to it immediately so we bought one, to be delivered on the weekend! What we liked is the total lack of 'special programmes', gimmicks, and other nonsense; just sensible settings that can be over-ridden if required (nice). Hot and cold fill too, which is quite rare these days.

[Edited on 27/11/19 by David Jenkins]


steve m - 27/11/19 at 07:14 PM

In all, its a very difficult question to answer, as I and many many others on this site, have never even opened the door
on a washing machine!
However, I did change the bearings on my mothers hoover washing machine, while I was still living at home, and again, something like 15 years ago
My Daughter is 37 now, so a long time ago !!!


perksy - 27/11/19 at 09:14 PM

Bosch now made in Romania and not Germany, Ours lasted approx 3 years (Drum bearing was integral and failed)

Samsung one lasted 5 years and we got on personal name terms with the Samsung repair engineer (he even 'suggested' we get rid at the end of the 5 year warranty period) That had 2 motors, 2 tensioner pulleys, door switch plus a couple of other bits

We now have a Hotpoint as so far so good (touches wood)


SteveWalker - 27/11/19 at 09:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Charlie_Zetec
quote:
Originally posted by Mash
quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
At home we have a Miele. The wife wanted one, got a bonus at work at so it happened...

However, in our rentals, which are all 5-6 students (and they do actually use washing machines...) we buy more or less the cheapest machine from currys, sub £200, pay £99 for a 5 year warranty. In the last 20 years we have had repair people out 3 times within the 5 year warranty. One machine lasted 15 years before it started leaking badly though the front case rusting away around the seal.


We have a Bosch because SWMBO wanted it, and to be fair it has done well for the last year. Two dogs that are always getting wet and muddy (big Lab and little spaniel) so in the autumn winter months we are washing dog towels every day, plus our clothes and my work stuff (fire fighter) gets smokey/sweaty. So far no problems.

BUT, if it was up to me, I'd go with the "buy cheap use the warranty" approach too.......


Looked at Miele when we recently replaced all white goods in our kitchen - looks somewhat dated IMO, and I couldn't justify the additional cost for the name alone.


It's not just the name. They are very solidly built. I happened to check the specs the other day and one was around 50% heavier than an equivalent Hotpoint! My uncle and aunt had one that took four of us to move out to the garage.

My parents had a second-hand dishwasher - complete with full circuit diagram inside and records of two technicians visits as they made changes to add upgraded functions! Whether they are still that good, I don't know.


Irony - 28/11/19 at 09:05 AM

In my rented accommodation there is a Zanussi that I bought second hand 15 years ago. Works fine. At home I have a BEKO and although the BEKO oven I have is rubbish the BEKO washing machine is a rock. We have two kids and the Mrs is a child minder. It goes on a minimum of 2 -3 times a day and my Mrs insisted for a year on using reusable nappies that you wash in the machine. I dread to think about the hammer it has taken.


907 - 28/11/19 at 12:50 PM

Never had a new one.

The one I have now is a Bosch and was used to wash silk in a local town.

Paul G


David Jenkins - 28/11/19 at 03:46 PM

quote:
Originally posted by 907
Never had a new one.

The one I have now is a Bosch and was used to wash silk in a local town.

Paul G


Sudbury?


907 - 28/11/19 at 05:00 PM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
quote:
Originally posted by 907
Never had a new one.

The one I have now is a Bosch and was used to wash silk in a local town.

Paul G




Sudbury?




Tich !

Newmarket

No flat, or over the sticks in Sudbury.


MikeRJ - 2/12/19 at 07:31 PM

We were given an AEG machine as a wedding present 15 years ago and it's never missed a beat and still going strong. Had to remove the door seal twice to remove ***ing bra underwires that managed to escape, though that's not the fault of the machine.


David Jenkins - 2/12/19 at 08:27 PM

We now have our Ebac washine machine - SWMBO is constantly amazed at how simple it is to operate.

I'm just glad that it doesn't sound like an overloaded concrete mixer on overdrive, like the old Zanussi did... the new one's so quiet.

The moral of this story is - if you've got an old machine that's still working, don't rush to replace it!