To bypass another repair and just get another bloody washing machine and have done

[meltedmonterayjack]

3 out of the 4 paddles attached to the drum of my washing machine broke and fell off (All at once - suspect overloading/bathmats/washing machine poltergeist.) It also males a clanking sound like a coin is stuck inside somewhere and smells really foisty, despite running it through on hots temps and using cleaner) It's a nice, clean machine and not old, so shouldn't be stinky.

Repair guy ordered new paddles and fitted them. Cost £95. (Machine cost around £275)

Machine still sounds like there's a coin inside and makes a racket on spin, and still smells like old dish cloths. By the time I get someone round to sort it again, I could probably have paid for a new machine :( Should I just have done and get a new one?

doing an empty hot wash with a bottle of white vinegar cleans and gets rid of smells (I learned that on here, of course)

but YANBU to want to replace it instead, I'd consider upgrading if you can afford to

our last washing machine was beko and was forever going wrong, needing parts.
we bought a hotpoint and it has been a dream, no problems at all and we have had it almost 4 years, doing at least one load every single day.

Thanks Phantom. It's only 2 years old and just past guarantee! Grrr. I will have a go with the white vinegar. I just didn't know if I'm being daft to have done and replace it. Do you pour the vinegar in the powder drawer? I can't think why it suddenly is stinky though. I wonder if when the paddles came off something fell through the drum and is now stealthily rotting away in there!

The stink...do you use a liquid conditioner/whatever in the drawers? I've read that this gunks up the pipes apparently.

I've heard of the White vinegar thingy.I'd put it into the dispenser drawer to clean those tubes through I reckon, but I think I've seen powder specially designed for this purpose. It's night now but I think I've a box of these sachets stored in my garage if you want me to look tomorrow?

Have you cleaned the filter.

I think when something goes wrong on white goods it is always the beginning of the end. I have tried fixing things, but it always lead to a catalogue of issues I now just cut my losses.

I have just filled the dispenser drawer to the top with white vinegar. bikermouse that's so kind of you but I had a bottle of special washing machine cleaning powder which I used on it last week with the temp on 90 and that made no difference. I've not go high hopes that the vinegar is going to do the trick. I could so do with not having to fork out for a new machine right now :( Fingers crossed the vinegar has some magic properties!

Did it work??

Get a good quality washing machine and forget about repairs. I made the mistake years ago of buying a Whirlpool, I think - packed up a month after the warranty ran out, repair costs would have been half the original purchase price. Bought a Miele for 3 times the price, 8 years on it's still going like new.

Mouldy No :( Sadly it didn't help. There's still that musty dishclothy smell which is pervading the entire flat. Grrrrrr. I wish I'd not bothered with the initial repair what with it being £95 and just gone straight for a new one.

I had a Hoover for about 10 years - mended it ourselves.

When it died, we got a Hotpoint because DH was seduced by the A rating (it had just come out) and it was about £80 less than the Bosch (B rating) I wanted. It died just after the warranty expired and was a complete write-off, needing a new drum, housing, as well as brushes..........

So I went to get the Bosch, which was now an A, and magically cheaper (due to now being manufactured in Eastern Europe instead of Germany). Meanwhile, Meile had brought out a bottom of the range model that had all the basic cycles, (including handwash - no more woollies eaten by moths in the bottom of the laundry basket) for less than a hundred more and only a 5 year guarantee instead of the usual 10, so I risked it and bought it. I have had it 10 or 12 years now (can't remember!).

The other way is to buy the cheapest one in the shop and just replace instead of repair. Every so often, you get a good one that lasts. I think manufacturers are getting the short life down to a fine art these days

It may take a few goes.

DH cleans out our dispenser drawer regularly, otherwise all the conditioner goes moldy and it takes quite a lot of scrubbing. He also leaves it out, to get a good airing.

Washing soda is also worth a go.

What kind of washing machine is it?

I briefly had a Candy, had it repaired 4x in less than 2 years before I gave up on it. It also flooded the adjacent room a couple of times - just replaced the carpet recently.

I felt very guilty sending it off to the landfill, but the repair guy told me that he and his friends made money on the side by refurbing broken washers/dryers - and that he wouldn't consider doing this with a Candy because they're too unreliable. This of course made me feel less guilty about it all. I now have a hotpoint.

We have a beko that was really cheap from Argos. I got cash back through Quidco as well. We have had it over two years and I do approximately 15 washes a week. It is still going strong. I think I would buy cheap and replace.