washing machine advice

L Sass

L Sass

Cathlete
So, my front loader from Sears is biting the dust after only 5 years. Of course, as Murphy's law would have it, this is just as I've decided not to renew the extended warranty.

When we purchased it we were told that washers are now built to last only 5-8 years, as opposed to Grandma's machine that lasted for 20.

I've sworn Sears will never get another penny of my money - that's another story. I'm inclined not to spend $1,000 on another top of the line machine that'll work for 5 or 6 years, but rather look for a mid range. Any recommendations?
 
We have a cheap GE that we bought at least 8 yrs ago. It washes. Not much else. Sm/Md/Large loads. Heavy/Med/Light dirtiness settings. Has a side of the dial for whites and a side for casuals. And then cold/cold, warm/cold, and hot/cold wash/rinse. I believe it was in the $300 range, never a problem. (posting this better not make my washer keel over and die :p;))

Nan
 
Not to add fuel to your fire, but I have had the worst time with Sears as well. After only 5 years, my dryer caught on fire, my stove broke, and just recently, my fridge stopped working and when I called to get a repairman to the house, they told me "we can get there sept 1st".....mind you its AUGUST 1st when I called and my fridge wasn't working in one of the hottest months of the year!!!!:mad:

They will not get one more penny of mine EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whew....sorry to rant.....and sorry I don't have an answer to your question......
 
Sears does not manufacture appliances. They put their brand name on appliances that are made by GE/Whirpool, etc. Don't blame Sears, blame the actual manufacture of the appliance.
 
No, I DO blame Sears for their PATHETIC service. I've had nothing but trouble in the servicing of their appliances. If they put their name on it, they should stand by it -- doesn't matter who makes it. With my fridge I ended up writing a 9-page letter to the pres of the company with every detail about their lame service and failure to stand by their extended service agreement. All of my details don't matter -- just that I'm done with Sears and I need a new washer. Thanks for that info Nan. I'll be looking tomorrow.
 
I second the Sears pathetic service. It took me a month to take delivery on a in-stock refridge. They delivered the wrong one, then misplaced the reorder. Charged me twice, once for each order. Took out the door getting it in. Nightmare. No more getting stuff from them.

OK, get a GE profile. LOVE MINE!!!!:eek:
 
Do NOT buy a Whirlpool. Ours is less than 2 years old and it's had two service calls, leaks and doesn't spin unless the moon if full, Gemini is in Leo's house, and you sprinkle it with the blood of a virgin. What a piece of crap!

I'm dreading the day I have to replace my dryer and my oven. They just don't make 'em like they used to.
 
Not a specific brand (I'm not at home right now, and don't remember what brand I have!), but my washer has a 'handwash' cycle as well as a 'delicate' cycle, which I absolutely love (I refuse to actually "handwash" anything!). If you can find a washer that has this option, I'd highly recommend it.
 
I love my LG Tromm washer and dryer, and I've seen them on sale for a pretty good price. It has a steam wash cycle I use for my dry cleanables to freshen them up. And I save a lot on water! :)
 
Our Frigidaire front loading washer lasted less than 5 years. It was still under warranty for the parts, but only if we paid for THEIR labor, which would've cost more than the parts anyways. When my husband took it apart, we found that basically all of the interior parts were crumbling! The tub was stainless steel, but everything else was plastic and aluminum. After a lot of research, we bought a set of SpeedQueens. They were a little more expensive, and harder to find, but are stainless steel throughout. I guess we'll see in the long run how long they last.
 
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What????????? A front loader lasting only 5 years????!!! That's ridiculous. I thought they were top of the line!!! :eek::eek::eek:

I have a Maytag Atlantis. It does everything except dry them for you. It has delicate, handwash, extra rinse, extra spin, finger faucet, stainless steel tub. I LOVE IT.

It has to be 10 years old now and still looks brand new.
 
I have Electrolux front load WandD. Washer uses only 14 gal. per load as opposed to 45(more or less) gallons my old top load used. I have a delicate cycle, fast wash (18 minutes) heavy duty, sanitize cycle and a few more. Love it:)
 
Lorrie - What specifically is wrong with your washer?

I have a 10 YO front load washer and dryer from Frigidaire. I recently thought the dryer was biting the dust, but it turns out (after some Internet searching) that it was just in need of some standard maintenance. A $35 maintenance kit from http://www.repairclinic.com (AWESOME WEB SITE) and a few hours from DH and I had it working like new. Maybe your washer is in need of something similar? Five years would be about right for some maintenance.

Good luck!

BTW - ITA with others about Sears. They have a terrible reputation here on both delivery and service.
 
Thank you all for your advice. We had the extended service warranty from Sears and they'd been coming out every year for 6 years (my mistake earlier - it was 6 years old.) We let that warranty agreement go because it was SUCH a hassle getting them to come for the regular maintenance. I had another appliance repairman come out and look at this machine. He charged me $50 to look at it.

Turns out the exterior fiberglass drum was shredded. Parts alone were in the $400-$500 range and he couldn't give me a solid estimate on labor until he looked it all up in his books at his office. I told him no thanks. We opted for a Samsung, which already vibrates a whole lot less (the Kenmore shook my whole house, which Sears told me was normal). Fingers crossed!
 
Amana has been good for me

I have a no frills Amana washer & dryer that have served me well for almost 9 years (maybe 10). The pair cost something like $700.00, because I used a tax refund for them.
 
I have the cheapest GE Energystar front-loader. It works well--so far.

Rather than getting extended warranties for appliances, I usually get a home warranty which covers all major appliances in addition to A/C, furnace, plumbing, etc. They usually cost $500/year.
 
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