AIBU to think a washing machine should last more than three years?

[TeddyBee]

Our washing machine has tripped all the electrics so is presumably stuffed. It’s frankly been shit anyway (ate socks regularly requiring messy filter clearance and no drain hose so flooded the utility every time), but I’m pretty certain that something will be catastrophically wrong with the motherfucker since I can’t even plug it in without throwing the master fuse. It’s three years, just, since I bought it. It was £400. The last one made it to 3.5 years and cost £300. Stupidly I thought I would pay a bit more to get a better machine. Should I just buy the £200 one now and treat them as disposable?

Previous ones lasted 5 years or more.

That can’t be right. I have a 10 yrs old Miele that I’m hoping will last another 10 (done loada of washable nappies in that one), my Bosh dishwasher is about 7 years old.
Have you checked the fuse?

Our died in December 10 years old

If just plugging it in blows the fuse, and the washing machine floods the utility, it might be an issue with the electrics in the plug rather than the machine. Have you tried plugging a different appliance into the plug socket?

YANBU! I had a crappy top loading one that lasted for 14 years. It never stopped working, just that I had my flat redone and bought a front facing one. I would not expect a washing machine to only last 3 years.

Mieles last longer

I bought the cheapest Miele I could. I extended the guarantee to ten years. I've had it 4 years so far and it's still perfect. It's also amazing at washing clothes imho.
I bought a Miele T1 dryer too as I was sick of clothes shrinking and huge electricity bills. That too is incredible, quick, quiet and cheap .

@showgirl Good luck with invoking that guarantee. We got rid of ours as it approached 2 years and had gone wrong for the third time days after second failure (unrelated issues). Trying to speak to Samsung each time made me cry as they make it so difficult.
They actually wanted me to organise and pay for an independent engineer to prove it was their responsibility (I didn’t, and it was).
Decided to bite the bullet and buy Miele and all good so far.

I have a BEKO pretty much the cheapest branded one and it is a trusty old workhorse I did admire the Samsung but reasoned that if it died i'd be pissed off where as if Beko dies £200 is a lot more palletable. Oh and look on youtube how to fit it. £25 for 30 seconds work is ridiculous.

I'm dreading the day our Miele gives up the ghost, we've had it 12 years. We had the 10 year guarantee too, we got it free at the time. They are expensive machines but we definitely have had our money's worth. I've had a zanussi in the past that died after 18 months.

I’m lost about why there is no drain hose? And needing to catch drips with tubs? Is this if it’s in a utility or something?

My last machine was a hoover and I only got 4 years out of that before it started leaving dirty oily stains on the clothes. Have just bought a Samsung that comes with 5 years and 10 years for motor

You might get away with complaining under the Sale of Goods act, or whatever it’s called now - 3 years isn’t reasonable IMO. Price has no bearing on longevity here - cheap as chips Hotpoint lasted 13 years of abuse, super duper expensive Bosch only lasted 3 years. We fixed it ourselves otherwise it would have been uneconomical. Not convinced by the economics of £1000 Mieles either. Our Beko cheap stuff is going like champs.

My washing machine is shite. It's 4 years old now but apart from the outside bit I don't think it has an original part left. It broke down catastrophically at 11 months old so covered with warranty. Engineer who came out sighed when he saw it and told me to take the insurance before the warranty ran out.

At least every 6 months it breaks. Fucker.

Am also tempted by a Samsung one. Didn't realise they have a 5 year warranty as standard.

The mini drain hose, so on most of my machines there has been a little drain god for draining it down when it breaks/the filter is blocked. On this one you just have to open the filter and let it flood basically. It’s a hotpoint. If I thought it was andthing mechanical like a drain pump I’d fix it. But it could be almost anything tripping the RCD, from a faulty door latch to a frayed wire to a melted terminal block. Am going to let it dry out and then try a different circuit, but I sense a new, cheap washing machine in our future.

I buy Siemens and wash about 5 loads a week (big drum). Current ma hine os 10 years old and has needed repairing once. Previous machine was used slightly less and is still going strong after 19 years (is now in my rental property).

3 years is bonkers.

I think the 'no drain hose' is to do with the stupid little filter on the front, when you undo it water goes everywhere because it is too low to the floor to get much underneath it.

We have a Beko from AO and I pay about a fiver a month for the insurance, because I can't bear the idea of being without a machine again. I've had a few break down over 20 years and having to wash school uniform in the bath is a memory that haunts me still.

My lovely Whirlpool lasted 12 years. Just got this from Argos, £229 with excellent free delivery on a Sunday:

Candy

Seems good so far. Wash times are good too.

My gran had her washing machine for 20 years before she passed away in the early 90s. Those days are long behind us

Hmmm... mine is over 20 years old, a Bosch. It could even be 25 years old, I just can't remember, but do know it's more than 20. I keep waiting for it to pack up and it just keeps going...

We paid £800 for a Miele washer/dryer about 15 years ago. It was end-of-line and a shop-soiled model and was about half price. It’s still going strong. We’ve had to have parts replaced, but they are still available all these years later.

The one we had in our old house lasted ten years. And it was free in the first place :(

Same granny, we also have a Beko. It must be on up to 10 times a week - or something like that.

I always mop up excess water in the door/rubber bit, and empty and clean the drawer too. Also I always air it out after using. I hate that musty smell you get otherwise.

IMO you only need: 30 temp (hardly ever use any other), a quick wash cycle (anything more than 45mins - what's the actual benefit?!), a spin of at least 1200, and a wool cycle. That's it. Just don't fork out for anything more.

Pricier doesn't mean better.
My current washing machine is a £200 Beko and 10 years old .
I have problems with dishwashers though. I've gone through 4 while I've owned the washing machine.

O you only need: 30 temp (hardly ever use any other), a quick wash cycle (anything more than 45mins - what's the actual benefit?!), a spin of at least 1200, and a wool cycle. That's it. Just don't fork out for anything more

Quick washes use more energy than the slow cotton cycles and can only wash smaller loads - same amount of machine work compressed into a shorter period of time. Hotter cycles probably also help keep the machine clean.

I'm wondering if the people whose washing machines break after only a few years are doing lots of quick cycles. We only ever really use the 40 cotton cycle and both our washing machines have lasted over 10 years.

I don't rate the AO extended warranty - had to use it twice on our last machine and it was out of action for weeks both times. Wait for repair guy to turn up, repair guy does not have right part despite us describing problem, repair guy orders wrong part..... in the meantime we were washing school uniform in the bath and my MIL was taking our towels for washing. This time we bought a cheap machine and if we can't fix it ourselves we'll replace it.

I have a bosch, was about £450 from John Lewis.
It does 10-12 washes a week and its done ten years. It did break down once, the heating element blew but thats because the water is too hard and it had a really thick layer of limescale. Repair cost about £60 and still going strong.