Bosch washing machine

[gardeningsarah]

Our Bosch washing machine, is just under 3years old and started to make a louder noise when spinning. The repair man came out today and said the bearings are on the way out and the cost of repair is not much short of a new machine!
Has anyone had this happen to their machine, when it was this age? If so did you have it repaired or did you bite the bullet and get a new machine.

I thought Bosch were reliable or have I just got a duff machine.

three years is an unusually short time, though maybe you use it several times a day or stuff 20kg of towels in it.

You could suggest to Bosch that it has not given the service you have come to expect from a quality maker, and that they should chip in, even though the guarantee has (presumably) expired. Quote the serial and FD numbers (FD is Fabrication Date code and will tell them when it was made). They might be on a label you can see when you open the door.

Changing the drum bearings is indeed an expensive job and not usually worth doing, but it usually happens on fairly old machines.

Thanks for the reply. Yes machine is out of guarantee, it was made in August 2012. I was so shocked when the man said it wasn't worth repairing, I was just concerned I was being misled. I think I probably over loaded sometimes!

My Bosch washing machine has gone the same way as yours, but is only 16 months old. Most are now sealed drum so bearings cannot be replaced, that is why it is not worth repairing as a new drum costs around £200.
Fortunately mine is still under warranty and Bosch replaced whole drum, had to wait 8 days though!

Similar story here and we had to replace ours as it had the sealed drum and my repair man said it would cost almost as much as a new machine. I was very annoyed as the Bosch wasn't cheap and I bought it after reading glowing reviews on here. I replaced it with a Beko which I have now had for a similar length of time with no problems.

Thank you for your replies. Like you twinky I paid good money for the machine, and I was rather hoping it would last quite a while. Thinking of going for a Miele now, depending on the price the engineer can get it for. Just about got over the shock of needing a new machine!

My Bosch only lasted just over two years. Would never get another.

Oh dear, I've just bought a bosch washing machine because the bearings went on my hotpoint after just 18 months and hotpoint customer service is shit

gardeningsarah, if you're after a Miele, I can highly recommend them. Ours is 7 now and, touch wood, not missed a beat.

I used to work at Unilever who mark Persil, Surf & Comfort. They used to use Miele washing machines as their test machines. They were doing 10 loads a day sometimes and once they reached the 10 year old mark, they would sell them to the staff cheaply and buy new ones.

ao.com/product/wda100-miele-washing-machine-white-29725-1.aspx

Eyebrows, Bosch and the associated brands are generally very reliable, and score well in the "Which" surveys. It's likely that for every three dissatisfied customers there are 97 satisfied ones.

Miele are very solid and well-thought of, but if you ever get a quote for an out-of-warranty repair, you will fall off your perch. They don't facilitate independent repairers.

Our Bosch is still going strong and we've had it since 1999. It will probably give up the ghost now I've said that. We'll replace it with a Miele or Siemens when the time comes.

This is why I always take out extended warranties on a washer. It's about the only item they're worth it for! Moving parts and "family" use aren't a good combination.

Actually ours is a washer dryer. 3 years old and the dryer's gone for the second time. Not bad going, though, as we got through 2 AEGs in the preceding 3 years.

Anyone any thoughts on an Indesit washing machine? Attracted by the sportswear and trainer cycles... Price is similar to the Bosch that I'm also considering...

I wouldn't go near Indesit/Hotpoint machines (they're identical). They're notoriously unreliable and had problems recently with drums exploding on high spin and smashing half the kitchen up with it.

Our first washer after we got our first place was an Indesit made Hotpoint and it was absolutely dreadful. Poor washing, rinsing and sometimes it wouldn't spin for no reason at all. We got a cheapo Beko to replace it after it was totally dead after 2 years and that was much better.

Think the Indesit may have slipped down a few places on the list!

Thanks again for the replys. Miele washing machine is being installed this afternoon! I'm quite excited (how sad am I).

I have a Bosch washing machine which is almost 14 years old and still going strong hope I haven't jinxed myself.

Disappointing to hear about your experience. I think you should do as PJ suggests and contact Bosch - you never know they might give you a voucher or something.

Sorry x-post!

Our Bosch is still going strong after 6 years (found the receipt when filing today) of almost daily use and hard water. I'd give them a call, you never know.