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Old 03-18-2013, 03:12 PM
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DavGoodlin DavGoodlin is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: near Strasburg PA
Posts: 3,400
Washing machines! (rant alert)
Yes, I was one of the fools that thought buying a Maytag in 2004 was a slam-dunk.
A year (a few days beyond warranty) later, the leaking started followed by bearing failure that sounded like a frieght train during spin cycle.
My "small-town" type dealer showed mercy by covering the repair but advised me to buy a service contract. Since I don't play losing games, I pushed my luck and it failed again last month. My store sold me the tub-seal repair kit and main bearing for $120. The kit was cheaper there than at appliance parts dealers and, as evidenced by the dusty parts boxes, nobody was having these lemons fixed anymore after 9 years.
My washer had the plastic tub and seal assembly made in Maytag's "other" plant in Searcy, Arkansas. Not a new design and not a good one either.

After getting the washtub out and seeing how crappy it really was, I decided to return the unopened parts and look for a used older Maytag or new washer. Laundry was piling up fast, and the impossible transmission shaft seal was not coming loose from the corroded aluminum hub. I also was not about to invest in the spanner wrench and puller and add to the losses...

The decision was made once the salesman at the store said Speed Queen still makes thier stuff in Wisconsin. and they sell mostly to people who value function over looks and extra silly features.
I once delivered SQ for a Zenith-Sony-Admiral dealer in Allentown, noting the lack of washer repair calls they had!
Before I bought, I called Alliance Laundry Systems (maker of Speed Queen) to ask why Consumer Reports threw them under the bus and then rating top-loader models by LG and Samsung way at the top.... Their reply "we dont play the energy star game, we build a washer that washes...and lasts" The cycle time is much shorter than all the others but the loads are smaller. Water levels and temperatures are also compromised in the energy star quest. Since I have a well, its not really an issue.

Maytag was on its way downhill by 2002 after chasing the "Boutique" market with the trouble-plagued front-loading Neptune model in the late 90s. It was sold to Whirlpool in 2006 and the Newton Iowa plant closed. I bought a new Whirlpool washer in 1988, selling it with my old house after 10 years of trouble-free service. But even Whirlpool is probably not the same anymore.

Last edited by DavGoodlin; 03-19-2013 at 08:03 AM. Reason: typos
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