new washing machine - what to buy?

Angilion

Angilion

Angilion

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I need a new washing machine. I'm looking at something towards the budget end that isn't crap. I also want it delivered and my old washing machine taken away. I'd like the new one connected up as well, for the convenience and in case it requires anything extra to attach it to my plumbing. If that's not possible, no big deal. I'll just have to look up what's required beforehand (if anything) and buy it.

A quick look gives me Argos and a Bosch WAE24167GB for £230 and £10 to deliver and take my old machine away. Seems to do well in reviews, it's cheap enough and Bosch seems to do well in terms of quality.

On the other hand, I'd rather pay £400 for something that will last 5 years than £250 for something that will last 2 years. So my budget can vary if there's good reason for it.

My current washing machine is an Indesit WG1234T that I bought second hand for £70 at least 10 years ago, but I doubt if a modern washing machine will last that long unless I spend a lot of money on it and maybe not even then. There's not much profit in selling stuff that lasts that long.

As an aside...why don't any washing manufacturers use a naming system that isn't ridiculously confusing? There's no need for dozens of slightly different models with only long alphanumeric "names"...unless the point is to confuse customers.
 
Confusion is where it's at then you can't compare.

I'd just buy what I could afford from John Lewis. Buying a kitchen appliance is such a lottery I'd just buy from whoever will fix or replace it in two years when it stops emptying. JL customer service is excellent plus take the extended warranty for a no quibble service.
 
As maccapacca says. Buy what you can afford. I'm of the opinion that spending a big amount on washing machines isn't a good idea. I've always treated them as a short term commodity. If I pay £200 and I get 2yrs out of it that'll do me (£100/yr). If I pay £800 and get 5yrs out of it i'd be rather pee'd off (£160/yr).

Current machine is an Indesit XWA81682, was £220 it came with 3 packs of Ariel Pods worth £45 at the time, so effectively the washing machine cost me £175. It's performed faultlessly for 14mths now. Fairly quiet compared to the one it replaced.
 
If you've got a car save yourself the tenner and take the old machine to the local tip. They aren't that heavy and fit into quite small cars with the back seats down (I took my last one away in an old Clio)
 
Indesit are a lot better since they merged with Hotpoint. Reasonable prices and quality machines these days. Not like the models of old at all. I bought one last year after my partner bought one the year before. They are both still going strong.

Just NEVER fill out the registration card. Domestic and General will never leave you alone again until you ask them to remove you from their contact list.
 
An LG from ao.com or John Lewis will be your best bet. Both appear to provide good service and the LG machines are well built and quite highly thought of.
 
kefkef said:
If you've got a car save yourself the tenner and take the old machine to the local tip. They aren't that heavy and fit into quite small cars with the back seats down (I took my last one away in an old Clio)
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or just stick it on the pavement the ****** will normally remove it within a few hours did this with both a dishwasher and washing machine when they were replaced!

One other retailer I'd recommend is boots kitchen appliances especially if your misses is a collector of their points, the service is excellent and the points combined with quidco/top cashback actually often make them a little cheaper than rivals.
 
howiepoohs said:
Indesit are a lot better since they merged with Hotpoint. Reasonable prices and quality machines these days. Not like the models of old at all. I bought one last year after my partner bought one the year before. They are both still going strong.

Just NEVER fill out the registration card. Domestic and General will never leave you alone again until you ask them to remove you from their contact list.
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They didn't merge.

Indesit bought Hotpoint for the name and badged up their own Indesit products and stuck £100 on top.

Whirlpool now own Indesit. :D
 
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howiepoohs said:
Indesit are a lot better since they merged with Hotpoint. Reasonable prices and quality machines these days. Not like the models of old at all. I bought one last year after my partner bought one the year before. They are both still going strong.
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I can't wait until you hear the news I just have. :D
 
When i bought mine I was living in a flat with an open living room/kitchen so bought an LG because they have the direct drive (known to be quiet) with 10 year warranty on the drum and 2 years on the machine, thats was in 2013, still going strong and they are very quiet. From AO and they fit and remove if you want (at a cost).

Mines was the LG F1256QD
 
Our Bosch one recently gave up the ghost after 6 years, so replaced it with a Samsung from ao.com for about £420? Came with a 5 year warranty from the manufacturer, and fits in the gap. Thats about my input :)
 
Thanks for all the advice. Looks like AO or John Lewis for me, for an LG or maybe the John Lewis own brand. Rebadged something else, I presume, but it does well in reviews.

On the plus side, I've traced the leak on my current washer to the soap drawer. That should be fixable, probably soap powder residue blocking something. The hole in the soap drawer section is too small, apparently a common flaw in old washing machines.

I thought it was coming from inside the machine when it was draining because the water was partly underneath the washer and it wasn't leaking during the main wash cycle, but I spent some boring time watching it. It leaks only during the second wash cycle directly after the first spin cycle and it's definitely from the soap drawer. Looked like the door to begin with, but it was clean water slowly seeping from the soap drawer and running around the outside of the door.

Given how inconvenient delivery seems to be, I'm hoping I can keep my current one going until my next week off work. They all seem to be "we'll deliver some time in the next 7 days". That's damn all use for anyone who works. I can't go to my boss and say "Hi, I need a week off to wait for a delivery". Well, I can, but they'll say "no".
 
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A vote for Bosch and AO to supply it. The other large spicy food related retailer does next day delivery however only on certain days of the week so was a no go for me. I was impressed with the AO installers as well. Bosch were doing a cashback offer too and paid out very quickly, I think they are still doing something similar which you can factor into your budget. Impressive build quality on the Bosch (Series 6 I think) and it's way better then the smelly, yellowing Beko it replaced.

Dave
 
Bosch are alright, but the lower spec model are normally cheaper made Turkish products, I would also recommend a LG washer, ours has been fantastic and other i know who have bought either by my recommendation or reviews have nothing bad to say about them.
 
On a budget you can't really go wrong with a Beko, my one was great, had a problem where the door handle snapped off after a few years but parts are easily bought online, think it cost a fiver for a new handle.
 
Sirrel Squirrel said:
On a budget you can't really go wrong with a Beko, my one was great, had a problem where the door handle snapped off after a few years but parts are easily bought online, think it cost a fiver for a new handle.
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That's an important point I hadn't considered. When the brushes wore out on the motor on my current washing machine (I've had it a long time and used it a lot) the fix was made a lot easier by the wide availability of spare parts.

I'm pretty sure I've fixed the leak on my current one. I hadn't been putting anything in the fabric softener section when I did maintainence/cleaning washes, so it was partly blocked by residue. Since it leaked only when it was filling from the fabric softener section, I'm almost sure that was the problem. I'll find out with the next wash.

Good news, since I found out today that working hours at work are to be cut again and I don't yet know how much I'll be affected. Might be wise to hold off on any non-essential spending for a while.
 
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