Broken washing machine - ditch or repair? Advice please

[philbee]

Advice please! Our washing machine 'popped' during the spin cycle the other day and tripped the power off. I ran it today and it doesn't drain or spin any more, just whirs gently round like it's thinking about doing something. I think the motor's gone.

It's a Hotpoint, probably about eight years old. I checked the Hotpoint site and they charge £80 just to come and look. Is it worth trying to find someone to fix it or should I just get a new one? If a new one, which one? Argh!

How long have you had it?

If it's 5 years or older I'd just buy a new one. You can get them for about £200 or so, so £80 for call out without paying for any parts (motor?) seems pointless if the machine's had a few years' life already.

8 years - you have been lucky.
Treat yourself to a new one. It will be one repair after another now and you will still end up getting a new one.

New one, 8 yrs is a decent age.

Great, thank you. What make shall I buy? I have no idea really, this one was unwanted and given to us by relatives.

Do you or any of your friends subscribe to Which?

If so, look in there for reliable makes.

We've had our whirlpool w machine repaired twice by two different engineers.

Both engineers said if your washer breaks down, just get a new one-the cheapest you can find. Once that's had it, replace.

Because the washers are all singing and dancing, repairs can be expensive and difficult to get the parts.

At eight years, you're probably right.

I don't know a good formula, but I have a feeling that if a repair costs a quarter of the price of a new one, that would be my tipping point.

Then I'd consider if the machine was too old to be worth anything.

Bosch and Siemens sometimes offer a fixed price repair and then throw in a year's maintenance contract for not much extra (they obviously calculate the average machine won't break down again soon) which makes the decision easier.

Also, having had experience of 'repairs' by Indesit (who I believe are the same company) they are next to useless. I had four engineers visit, and my machine was never repaired, eventually replaced, only to break again... But anyway, unless you have lots of time to sit around waiting for engineers, I would buy new. But not Indesit!