16yo Bosch washing machine just died - what to replace it with?

[EmGee]

That really. Are modern-day Bosch's as good as the old ones?

It has literally just gone on the blink today. Put a load in and it came out sopping. Tried the spin cycle but it just made noises and the drum didn't move. Put a second load on to see what happened and it cut out at the rinse cycle. One sheet was dry, the other half wet and the third was sopping wet and covered in powder.

At that age, it is probably not worth repairing.

Any recs? I particularly like the following functions on this machine:

-Delayed start
-Rapid wash cycle (to cut wash time by half)

[rabbit123]

Bosch are hit & miss these days since they started making their cheaper machines in Poland. If you get another Bosch, go for a higher end model and look for one with the silent inverter motor. Those are still made in Germany & good quality.

[mummytime]

I'd see about getting it repaired to be honest. Bosch are pretty strong and repairable.
My Bosch washing machine is about 10 years old, and one of my favourite appliances. My new Bosch dishwasher is better than the one I bought 15 or so years ago.
If you've had Bosch I wouldn't go for anything cheaper. Maybe splash out on Miele if you can afford it.

[mummytime]

Actually it sounds as if it could be as simple as hair wrapped around the motor.
I'd look online for the instruction booklet. My bBosch has a flap at the bottom right that you can open. Then there is a black tube which if you unbung allows water which hasn't drained to drain. When that has finished draining (lots of water and tricky to catch in a bowl). Then there is a big plastic screw thing which can be twisted and the pulled out. This lets you remove blockages (hair and hair grips mainly).
If this doesn't solve anything the problem you need a repair person and its probably the motor or belt (?).

[dangermouseisace]

my bosch did this (as did my mums a few weeks later, coincidentally). In both cases it just involved the same part needing replaced- can't remember what but something to do with the motor, cost around £50 including labour as far as I remember. Machine is still going strong over 2 years later.

[dangermouseisace]

mums machine still fine too but obviously with 3 kids mine gets a lot more use

[EmGee]

Well I didn't get an engineer out to look at it. I have a feeling that after 15 years of good service, this will be the first fault, then something else will happen and it could be the start of several expensive call outs and repairs.

It costs a minimum of 80€ just to get someone to come out and look at it!

So I have ended up getting a fairly basic Bosch model (no idea where it's made but at the price it was I'm guessing NOT Germany!) and added the extra 50€ to upgrade the guarantee from two to five years.

After God-knows how many hours researching all this (on Mumsnet, Which? and various customer reviews) I had lost the will to live. In the end DH (working from home) said ' Aren't you over-thinking all of this? Fifteen years ago I just walked into the shop and chose that machine without even thinking about it'.

Fingers crossed it doesn't conk out after two year's use.....I'm a bit doubtful as the old model was quite expensive at the time (about 500 pounds....in 2001!) so I guess it was a 'proper' German-made one. Anyway, one lives in hope!

[dangermouseisace]

My bosch one was about £300 in 2002 and is still working fine so don't worry about the price. I ended up replacing my REALLY expensive John Lewis tumble drier that only lasted just over 2 years with a much cheaper bosch which has lasted longer so far AND dries the clothes better. I'm sure it will all be fine emgee!!

[MakemineaGandT]

I've just bought a new one and it's fantastic - it's a Siemens series 700 one.

[BumWad]

I have a 2 year old Bosch washing machine and it is great

[DramaAlpaca]

I think you can't go far wrong with a Bosch. I've got a Bosch dishwasher & tumble drier, and they've both been good, reliable buys. My washing machine is a Siemens and I've been happy with that too. I always go for a basic version of an appliance so that there are fewer bells & whistles to go wrong. My last Bosch dishwasher lasted 18 years so when it was time to replace it I went for another one.

[skivvywoman]

My Bosch died last month I've replaced it with Samsung Eco bubble
I would definitely have bought Bosch again as my last machine was great but 2 of my friends have recently bought Bosch and have had loads of trouble with it