Whirlpool "Gold" edition refrigerator down again!!

muncybob

Bought new from Lowes last April. Had the unit about 5 weeks and the compressor failed. Lowes was good about it and swapped out the fridge due to length of time to repair...fair enough.

Now just a few months outside of the warranty the compressor seems to have failed on this one! WTF, you can only get about a year out of their fridge!? My wife seems to remember the repair guy last year said that the Whirlpool units with bottom freezers were known to have bad compressors....anybody ever hear this?

pitdogg2

muncybob wrote: »

Bought new from Lowes last April. Had the unit about 5 weeks and the compressor failed. Lowes was good about it and swapped out the fridge due to length of time to repair...fair enough.

Now just a few months outside of the warranty the compressor seems to have failed on this one! WTF, you can only get about a year out of their fridge!? My wife seems to remember the repair guy last year said that the Whirlpool units with bottom freezers were known to have bad compressors....anybody ever hear this?

Don't know if it's just Whirlpool's that have that problem. Most brands that have a freezer on the bottom have shorter lives than those that have the freezer on the top. Although that being said you should at least expect more than a year out of one, but they do not last 20yrs like most other's

From what I was told by someone that works on them. It's a lot harder to push cold air up so that is the culprit.

thsmith

If it helps and you are inclined check out repairclinic.com

decal

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Don't know if it's just Whirlpool's that have that problem. Most brands that have a freezer on the bottom have shorter lives than those that have the freezer on the top. Although that being said you should at least expect more than a year out of one, but they do not last 20yrs like most other's

From what I was told by someone that works on them. It's a lot harder to push cold air up so that is the culprit.

My dearly departed Grandmother had a bottom freezer unit from the early 60's that was still going strong when she passed in the the mid 90's. Maybe they just made things better then, who knows?

inspiredsports

Call the competition, that Maytag repair dude they always show sitting on his kister with nothing to repair :biggrin:

pitdogg2

inspiredsports wrote: »

Call the competition, that Maytag repair dude they always show sitting on his kister with nothing to repair :biggrin:

Maytag was bought out by Whirlpool they're now mostly alike in their inerds.

repairclinic.com is a very good site!!

disneyjoe7

I had the thermostat die on mine once but never the compressor, but I'm sure it would act the same. Mine is 7 years old now.

Polkie2009

Maytag is not___ the quality product it used to be. Sorry to hear about the Whirlpool problems Bob.

muncybob

Repairclinic is a great resource! Fortunately I found my receipt and I did purchase the extended warranty, which for me is unusual. Repair guy to be here today and I guess a few more days living out of the summertime cooler and running for ice. I can understand how these units may not last as long, but 2 compressors in a little over a year...come on!

Polkie2009

Ugh!!! I feel your pain Bob, please don't tell us these compressors are made in China.

pitdogg2

muncybob wrote: »

Fortunately I found my receipt and I did purchase the extended warranty, which for me is unusual.

The GODS shined on you that day. I'm right there with you I normally will not buy the Xtended warranty for appliances because most cost almost 1/2 of what new would cost.

Maybe you should google your model and see what comes up maybe there're many folks like yourself that bought this model and are also going through compressors could be more to it than what meets the eye......

mhardy6647

As appliances have become a fashion industry (i.e., subject to frequent "remodeling" as cultural tastes change - woe to he with stainless steel appliances, that's so five years ago), coupled with other market forces, the design lifespan of major appliances (which used to be one to two decades) now seems to be ca. 5 to 7 years. Further, there is no "selective pressure" (in the evolutionary sense of the term) to "incentivize" manufacturers or their engineers to design these products to last any longer than their warranty period as repairs have become burdensome ("what do you mean, you'll be at my house tomorrow sometime between 9AM and 4PM?") and too expensive to be cost-effective for even these rather expensive products.

Just my hardly-humble musings, of course, with no real basis in fact other than my own increasingly cynical worldview.

sucks2beme

The true mark of a good appliance is when you no longer
remember how long ago you bought it. Too many makers
have forgotten that, even though shorter lifespans sell more units,
the replacement will be the other guy's.

muncybob

Well, repair guy says it's not the compressor but a relay of some sort that needs to be replaced...another several days living out of a cooler. The thing is, Whirlpool had a recall on this known problem and I could have had it fixed before the failure if we would have been notified of the recall....grrrr!

disneyjoe7

Hmmm..... Sounds like a thermostat to me.

Upstatemax

That sucks... I went to my parents this weekend to watch football with Dad and I found out that the 7yr old GE fridge they spent $3,000 on had the water dispensing valve blow a seal.

It leaked water all under the fridge and destroyed the 5yr old hardwood flooring... It's all buckled under and in front of the fridge and spread under the pantry.

Now the 5yr old hardwood floor is all getting ripped out and Dad is installing tile for the kitchen, what a waste...

[Deleted User]

We were considering a bottom freezer model but after reading this are having second thoughts. Other than a subscription service like Consumer Reports, is there a reliable site to obtain reliability data on appliances ? Figured I would ask here since you guys are generally full of good suggestions. Thanks in advance. :cool:

disneyjoe7

I don't think anyone is making a device to work for ever... They wish you to pay for any repairs later.


Then again You make some Great devices, and they work for ever.

[Deleted User]

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

I don't think anyone is making a device to work for ever... They wish you to pay for any repairs later.


Then again You make some Great devices, and they work for ever.

Agreed, but I'd like to rule out the true turkeys at the starting line. :cool:

gdb

We are at the 16-17 month point in owning a "Gold", bottom freezer, single door fridge...........so far, so good. (knock stainless & wood!)

disneyjoe7

nap wrote: »

Agreed, but I'd like to rule out the true turkeys at the starting line. :cool:

LOL, but I don't think Whirlpool is a turkey, and I know you could buy worst. Not saying they put in those "Service Guys" parts so you need to service now and then, every device from Frig to TV as something that will die first.

[Deleted User]

I've been looking around on the net and I think I will just need to break down and subscribe to Consumer Reports. :cool:

tonyb

Knock on wood, all my kitchen appliances are 10+ years old and not a single problem....yet. All Kitchenaid too. Of coarse now that I said that,something will blow up now.
I'm not beholden to any one brand of appliances these days. They all seem to have set the bar so low that anything that lives beyond 5 years is a rockstar these days. One thing I have noticed in the evolution of kichen appliances, the more techy they are, the more they cost upfront and to repair/replace. This is more prevelant in fridges and stoves. Why do you need a display on the front to tell you how cold the inside is ? Can't you just open the door, stick your hand in there and see ? Kinda like a lightswitch, do you need to put the words on and off on it ? If it's on,you can see that. If a fridge is cold,you can feel that. For me anyway, I want the tech on the inside,to make it last longer.

disneyjoe7

Does everyone know that Whirlpool owns the following?


Maytag
Amana
KitchenAid
Jenn-Air

[Deleted User]

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

Does everyone know that Whirlpool owns the following?


Maytag
Amana
KitchenAid
Jenn-Air

Si. I found that out in researching appliances yesterday.
The gist of the article I was reading was that even though they are are owned by the same company differences in reliablitiy exist. I believe the same article stated they also contract manufacture for Sears Kenmore. :cool:

disneyjoe7

Sears doesn't make a thing I believe, they have other manufactors make there stuff with there specs for them. At least that what they did years ago.

Then every manufactor makes a low line for marketing and a high line for marketing sometimes you get what you pay for.

disneyjoe7

I understand what you're saying, I'm sure if they design a water value then that design flows though the whole line so to speak. The same with any part so to speak. But I think Amana is there low line, where yes the KitchenAid is the high line, Whirlpool is the mid line but has a low side and a high side of that also.

tonyb

anonymouse wrote: »

Mostly I agree with you. Many of the so called "features" are not really adding any value. Most of these appliance manufacturers need to get with the times. There are plenty of really useful features they can build in. I'd love for microwaves to scan a code on prepared dinners and know how to cook them. I'd love for appliances to connect to my wifi network and provide diagnostic information over the web.

Another set of things that could do with innovation are lawn and garden tools. Come on folks, why do I need so many tools? I'd rather find one super tool - lawnmower, edger, brush cutter, snowblower and generator in one. How cool would that be? Even if it cost a couple of grand it would save so much space, and they could make the engine really efficient. Its plain waste to have all these low quality engines sitting around.

There is plenty of space for innovation, but I guess all these folks are busy trying to slash costs with no differentiation.

Kinda a double edged sword on the wifi, you open the door for shared info on energy use and may or may not in the future be taxed accordingly. Having too many things do everything for us takes the life out of....well, life. Having a bar code that a micro can read,then cook, and wifi that info also opens the door to sharing your eating habits which could then open the door to healthcare providers charging you more. Sounds orwellian,I know, but given todays direction, not so far fetched anymore. While information sharing has benefits, it also can be used to relieve you of your hard earned cash.

As far as an all in one garden tool, the closest I can think of is a garden tractor. You could cut grass, plow snow,vacuum leaves, and if they ever made a kit to add a few outlets,turn it into a generator too. The double edged sword on that idea is if it breaks down, your out of luck on everything, not just one componant. If you truely want an all in one, it already exists, it's called a landscaper.

Not a big fan of having tech do everything for me. So I can sit on my ****,get fat, surf the web all day ?

[Deleted User]

I'll need to look into this further but we were out refrigerator shopping last night and looked at an LG bottom freezer model that claimed a 10 year linear compressor warranty. Like I said, I'll need to look into this further. Cheers. :cool:

disneyjoe7

Join Consumer Reports online for $26 bucks a year to double check, I find it odd a compressor dies. I thinking it's something else, like a thermostat. I'm not subscribe with CR now, but if so I give you the info.

[Deleted User]

+1 on the Consumer Reports. I'll probably subscribe myself because I am looking at a vehicle purchase in the near future as well. Cheers. :cool: