Washing machines

tonyb

Bummer day. The furnace goes out, have a guy working on it so I go to throw some clothes in the washing machine, SON OF A B@#%H !! The tranny goes out on it. Not too pissed because I got 10 years out of it. Was a Kenmore Elite. Judgeing from some online reviews though most machines suck these days. Not looking to spend over 500 clams cause coin is tight right now. Any suggestions for a budget washer ? Don't need alot of bells and whistles, just something that ...er..washes clothes.

pearsall001

I always head straight to Sears Surplus store for scratch & dent sales. I bought our last washer back in 12/04 for $266. The price of stuff today is out of control for what you actually get quality wise. I'm like you...I just want to wash clothes, I don't need all those useless bells & whistles.

txcoastal1

pearsall001 wrote: »

I always head straight to Sears Surplus store for scratch & dent sales. I bought our last washer back in 12/04 for $266. The price of stuff today is out of control for what you actually get quality wise. I'm like you...I just want to wash clothes, I don't need all those useless bells & whistles.

Lowes and Home depot have scatch and dents also... wife and I agreed who gives a crap when there in the wash room.

tonyb

Good idea guys. I forgot about the scratch and dent places. Which btw is different from the scratch and sniff places.

CTTE

I bought the Fisher & Paykel model# WA42T26GW1 from Lowes several months ago.

http://www.fisherpaykel.com/product/laundry/clotheswashers/

Lowes gave me 10% off plus there was a $50 rebate at the time. F&P has a free 10 year warranty on the motor. This thing doesn't have a transmission. So far I'm happy with it.

My prior washer was a Kenmore front-loader that had great reviews that kind of lasted 7 years. POS.

AudioGenics

bummer...
read an article that appliances are not lasting as long
the MAyTAG MAN is swamped with work !

McLoki

sears has a washer and dryer for sale on black friday (door buster) for $200 (each). Regular price is $435 (each).

I would hit the laundromat until next week.

(Here is a link to the sale ad)

nadams

Home Depot has washers/dryers on sale, plus 18 months no interest on the HD card. I just picked up a new set this weekend... Only $250 each.

tonyb

After reading just short of 4 million reviews, it seems Kenmore isn't what it used to be. Same with Maytag. Whirlpool is no better. But what I have come to realize is the two most exspensive things to fix on a washer that will make you say,screw it,I'll get another one, is the tranny and electronics. So i'll look for a machine with limited electronics and a decent tranny.
Just a fyi, the guy who came out to look at my washer thought it was the coupler. A small plastic piece that goes between the tranny and motor. He tells me 179.00 bucks, I say knock yourself out. Then says it's the tranny, 375.00, of coarse I said screw it,I'll get a new one. So the dude charges me 59.00 for the 20 min. he was here. I looked up the part,the coupler, it costs a whopping 1.25. This guy was going to charge me 120.00 bucks more for a part that costs 1.25 ?? Never call that company again.

Jstas

pearsall001 wrote: »

I always head straight to Sears Surplus store for scratch & dent sales. I bought our last washer back in 12/04 for $266. The price of stuff today is out of control for what you actually get quality wise. I'm like you...I just want to wash clothes, I don't need all those useless bells & whistles.

That's what I was going to suggest too. Besides, even if it's scratch and dent, SEARS will still service it and honor warranties.

Jstas

tonyb wrote: »

After reading just short of 4 million reviews, it seems Kenmore isn't what it used to be. Same with Maytag. Whirlpool is no better. But what I have come to realize is the two most exspensive things to fix on a washer that will make you say,screw it,I'll get another one, is the tranny and electronics. So i'll look for a machine with limited electronics and a decent tranny.
Just a fyi, the guy who came out to look at my washer thought it was the coupler. A small plastic piece that goes between the tranny and motor. He tells me 179.00 bucks, I say knock yourself out. Then says it's the tranny, 375.00, of coarse I said screw it,I'll get a new one. So the dude charges me 59.00 for the 20 min. he was here. I looked up the part,the coupler, it costs a whopping 1.25. This guy was going to charge me 120.00 bucks more for a part that costs 1.25 ?? Never call that company again.

That coupler deal went on my parents washer. It cost them a bunch of money but since the repair guy was from my church, he gave them a break on labor. It took him almost 3 hours to get it repaired with a bunch of muttering and stuff. Looked like a real pain to fix. The part was like $8 too.

BlueFox

tonyb wrote: »

Not too pissed because I got 10 years out of it. Was a Kenmore Elite.

How often do you use it. I have 20 years on a Kenmore "Heavy Duty 70 Series" used 1-2 times a week with nothing major wrong. Of course, now I have jinxed it so watch out Sunday. :rolleyes:

[Deleted User]

I just got one of those water saver (piece of crap) washers. My question is how does it save water when the clothes need rinsing twice because the detergent is still caked on. Oh and yes we are using less detergent as recommended. Home depot has a good deal on Maytag right now for not a whole lot more than the cost of your proposed repair. The other suggestion is to try and look for a used appliance place. Similar to a goodwill, we have one here in Baltimore the sells salvage type stuff to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
I've seen some good deals in there. You may actually get an older machine that will last a lot longer and save some coin. :cool:

del44

^^^^+1
My wife and I thought we would save on water and electricity with one of those top load water savers. So far it's been a big mistake. I almost think something is wrong with it. With a bigger load, I need to run it through the spin cycle twice because the water won't rinse out completely.

indyhawg

I have a Whirlpool. It is not even 5 years old and I have had to have 2 major repairs on it already. Once for some electronics problem which thankfully was under warranty at the time. For this problem the repair techs had to come out twice to get it fixed right. The second problem was a coupling which cost around 180 bucks- ouch. My next washer will be either scratch and dent or a basic model on sale. It is too expensive to get these repaired and it seems like there is a problem ever other year. It seems like every appliance I have has had problems. Is anything made to last more than 5 years anymore?

AudioGenics

I bought a Whirpool Ultimate II ( only after my wife went on strike and stopped doing the
laundry when our previous one was making strange noises )

The Whirpool started to Groan and Squeal but lucky it was a few months old and still under warranty and the repair guy was really good and fixed it.

I have the old cast part which looks so cheap.

Our previous dryer was also making noises. It probably was the belts getting old and loose but was work. It was GAS and I got worried that Natural Gas prices was inflating
we bought a matching Electric one. Well NG prices are down and so I should have kept it going for a few more years.

Good LUCK on your purchase !

anhchungdoan

tonyb wrote: »

After reading just short of 4 million reviews, it seems Kenmore isn't what it used to be. Same with Maytag. Whirlpool is no better. But what I have come to realize is the two most exspensive things to fix on a washer that will make you say,screw it,I'll get another one, is the tranny and electronics. So i'll look for a machine with limited electronics and a decent tranny.
Just a fyi, the guy who came out to look at my washer thought it was the coupler. A small plastic piece that goes between the tranny and motor. He tells me 179.00 bucks, I say knock yourself out. Then says it's the tranny, 375.00, of coarse I said screw it,I'll get a new one. So the dude charges me 59.00 for the 20 min. he was here. I looked up the part,the coupler, it costs a whopping 1.25. This guy was going to charge me 120.00 bucks more for a part that costs 1.25 ?? Never call that company again.

The Kenmore W/D was one time built by Whirlpool to Sears' specification and they were very solid machines. After the Kmart/ Sear's mess, Kenmore now is built by variety of manufactures including the lowly Frigidaire and the Kenmore ain't good as it used to be.

Maytag once was the best W/D but now owned by Whirlpool along with many others including Kitchen-Aid, Amana .GE has been trying to get out of appliance business but they haven't had a buyer yet. Rumour is LG may buy GE out but the deal did not go thru.

For HE W/D,I would recommend the LG or Samsung front load or the new HE top load. BTW, the only direct drive motor washer that has 10 year warranty on the motor is the LG. Think abt the 1200 RPM spinning cycle the 10 year warranty on the motor is the safest bet.

mrbigbluelight

^^^^ and Best Buy carries LG and Samsung washers. They almost always have a scratch/dent clearance one available, too ( at least ours does ).

Lost

Get yourself a SpeedQueen....

http://www.speedqueen.com/home/products/product.aspx?id=345

obieone

Simpler is better, when it comes to appliances. Get a $400 washer at Sears, and be done with it.

Strong Bad

I'm not a fan at all of the fancy computerized models. Washing clothes just ain't all that complicated, but the manufacturers want you to believe it is. Are people really that stupid these days that they need a computer to tell them how to wash underwear and undershirts?

cfrizz

They don't make them like they used to because if it takes 20 years for it to break, you won't have to go in and buy a new one will you? It's called planned obsolecense. Anything you buy these days you should expect to have to replace it within 6-10 years.

WilliamM2

cfrizz wrote: »

They don't make them like they used to because if it takes 20 years for it to break, you won't have to go in and buy a new one will you? It's called planned obsolecense. Anything you buy these days you should expect to have to replace it within 6-10 years.

It's not so much planned obsolecense, as it is manufacturers cutting corners for more profit. What else can they do? Consumers want lower prices, I paid less for my current washer and dryer than I did for the set I bought 20 years ago.

The idea that they make them to fail sooner so you will buy another wouldn't work too well for the manufacturer. If your product fails quickly, is the consumer likely to buy the same brand? I doubt it.

tonyb

I bought a Matag Centennial model that was being discontinued for a tad over 3 bills. Dials on the top and a regular agitator in the middle of a 4.0 size drum. Too many complaints on those machines with only the fins on the bottom of the drum, not washing very well. Though my older Kenmore elite of 10 years, had alot of electronics,all push buttons, my confidence in todays build quality wasn't good enough to validate a upward purchase. I think this is a good example of how technology hasn't improved the product. It has all become about saving water and energy rather than if it does what it's supposed to do,wash clothes. Every line seems to have hits and misses,more or less a crap shoot, and if they think the average consumer is going to spend 8-9 hundies every 5 years for a washer, then I'll buy the cheapest one I can. It's really a shame, something so simple as a washer or dryer, can't be made here to better build standards.

opus

anonymouse wrote: »

I would think twice about getting a front loader. They are a pain in the **** to keep free of mold. Only the newest models have some sort of heater in the seal to evaporate the remaining water in the seal. All the budget models will grow mold. And stink eventually.

Gotta tell ya I was with you on this one till my wife bought a new LG set of front loaders. Wow those are some awesome machines. Could not be happier, and with nothing more than occasional attention to the infamous rubber seal we have no problems. We had heard lots of horror stories about vibration, mold and cycle length but they didn't materialize for us..YMMV.

And with a timely sale were less than the last set of midline maytags we bought 8 years ago.

WilliamM2

opus wrote: »

Gotta tell ya I was with you on this one till my wife bought a new LG set of front loaders. Wow those are some awesome machines. Could not be happier, and with nothing more than occasional attention to the infamous rubber seal we have no problems. We had heard lots of horror stories about vibration, mold and cycle length but they didn't materialize for us..YMMV.

And with a timely sale were less than the last set of midline maytags we bought 8 years ago.

A friend of mine bought a set of LG front loaders last spring. He's had to have both the washer and dryer serviced already. Pretty sad, he's single, and only does a couple of loads a week at most.

opus

I'm sure mine will be fine, if not I win the arguement with the wife.

gdb

Buy an old Maytag off Craigslist from someone who doesn't what they're doing. Those machines last forever,22yrs. on ours thus far, with a total ofapprox. $40.00 for new belts & $22.00 for a lid switch. (self installed)

tonyb

With front loaders and mold, you have to wipe the seal and leave the door open to air dry the seal. A pain, if you have little one's who may find their way in there and close the door. Also if your in the habit of throwing a load in and running out to do errands, like me, and the seal leaks, you'll come home to a nice surprise. There's such a wide variance of dependability even within the same model line. Kinda sucks, your just rolling the dice.

mdaudioguy

tonyb wrote: »

After reading just short of 4 million reviews, it seems Kenmore isn't what it used to be. Same with Maytag. Whirlpool is no better.

Whirlpool makes Maytag and also makes most Kenmore models. We've had a good experience with a Samsung front loader, but we've only had it just over a year. Prior to that we had an inexpensive Frigidaire that didn't last at all.

Mike682

If you can wait until black friday, Sears has a front loader pair (both washer and dryer) for $599

Really good deal. Pretty much getting the dryer free

http://bfads.net/Ad/Sears-2010