Sponge

I've recently bought a TwinDos washer and don't expect to continue using the genuine Miele Phase 1 & 2 detergents due to cost, so was thinking about filling them with my own. I've read it's possible, but wondered what people's experiences were like? Does the system behave well using non-Miele detergents? One of my concerns is the system will clog up and not perform well and any issues in the future will be greeted by Miele with 'not covered under warranty as you haven't been using our detergents'.

Miele have offered me their fixed price Platinum Care for £249, which will cover parts and labour, repair of any fault and provide a 12 month warranty on the appliance. If they decide to write the machine off rather than repair, they will give me a £249 discount off a replacement machine if ordered through them. Hmm...

My 11 year old W4446 has developed a fault and I suspect it may be the rear drum bearing. The machine came with a 10 year warranty, which has obviously expired. I asked Miele about extending it as I knew faults can and do happen and I knew repairs would be expensive - they refused to offer me an extension. I forget the reasoning, I may have an email and I'll try to dig it out. So into my 12th year (I was hoping for 20) and I'm faced with an expensive Miele repair; trying to find an independent that'll work on it; or cut my losses, write it off and buy a new machine with another long warranty. I emailed Miele asking for an estimate to replace the bearing and got this: So I'm potentially looking at £461! I think the repair comes with a 12 month warranty, but who knows what other faults could develop and result in another £££ repair bill. At what point do you say enough is enough? I love Miele appliances and their quality and advertised 'life-span' was a major factor in my choosing them. I also didn't want to join the crowd that buy cheap and replace every few years; I thought I'd repair, if required, rather throw away and add to landfill. But I'm coming to the conclusion that Miele's claims of a 20 year life-span are difficult to take seriously and the appliance is effectively only as good as it's warranty period (due to such high repair costs). The same can be said for any manufacturer, but am I deluded to think Miele should stand apart from any manufacturer? I find myself looking at Samsung washing machines now. They've been positively reviewed by lots of people, including Which?, have an 11yr warranty and are currently running cashback offers which make them a lot cheaper. UPDATE: I emailed Miele asking about the bit about possibly needing a 2nd engineer. It made me think they'd charge x2 on the labour. They just replied saying i'd get a reduced price on the 2nd engineer! That's mad! You pay for the repair, regardless of how many people they throw at it. Can you imagine having to pay per person on a car repair, or a boiler repair, or anything else for that matter?

There's no sign of damage, other than what's highlighted in the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHxYByJvgFg I've upload a short video to you tube. I've done some more reading and it could be the rear bearing? And it looks like the cost of effecting such a repair and the age of the machine means I may be better off considering a new one. I guess this is the downside of purchasing a Miele - they should last longer, but when they do fail they're often too expensive to repair and effectively written off.

Not that spring to mind. I'll take another look tonight and get back to you. Is it possible for an off-balance load to cause such damage?

I noticed the other day my drum appeared to be warped, like it had a flat spot. You could see the wobble in relation to the door seal and when it was spinning it would make the machine shake. I couldn't move the drum (which I read was a little test to see if the bearings were shot). Anyway, yesterday we were disturbed by very loud and disturbing noises from the machine as it vibrated, pulsated, on...off...on...off...getting slowly worse. I hesitated to get too close in case the door shattered, but managed to get close enough to turn it off. When I opened the door and started to pull my washing out I burnt my arm on the edge of the drum! It had rubbed against the seal, which was also showing signs of rubber being, well, rubbed, off. The drum still doesn't wobble (bearings), but there is definitely a flat spot/warp in the drum. I've had the machine 11 years or so, so it's out of warranty. I'm hesitant to spend £££ on having it looked at, never mind £££ repaired, as there's probably been other things damaged by the excessive vibration/movement. But at the same time I don't like throwing out something that could be repaired and potentially see us through another few years. I'll try to post a video of the drum to illustrate, but does anyone have any idea what it could be based on my not very good description?

I've just checked the Daz website and it says: Guess I'll be buying the powder next time.

I've just been reading your blog and it recommends using different products for different clothes, e.g. light or dark. Use products like Daz for whites as they contain bleaching agents. You then go on to say, and above too, that liquid detergents don't have these bleaching agents - would that include liquid Daz? It's just that I recently bought some liquid Daz (prior to reading your blog) for just my whites, was it a waste of money? As far as measuring powder vs liquid - I don't think one is easier than the other. The devices supplied free by the manufacturer's all have graduation marks on them, whether they're for liquid or powder. Many of my 'technical clothes', e.g. the breathable, wind-proof, water-proof, Berghaus, Karrimor type clothes, recommend the use of liquids. It was my understanding that powders sometimes don't dissolve or rinse out enough and can therefore effect their (the clothes) performance. (Also don't use fabric conditioner with them.)

Cheers.

I've had my Miele W4446 for 10 months now and I'm more than happy with it. It's never been used for a wash above 40deg. I recently obtained some sachets of Limescale and Detergent remover for my dishwasher, which states it's also good for washing machines. The manual for my machine simply recommends a cotton 95deg wash with detergent (but no clothes). But I was wondering if it's worth putting a dose of the cleaner in instead/as well as. Thoughts?

I used to exclusively use powder, but then I bought a few garments that recommended the use of a liquid, so I switched. I had to 'order' a dosing ball off the internet (I forget if it was Persil or Aerial, but it was free) however, it took nearly a month to arrive! I haven't noticed any difference in the cleaning results and I'm now a convert and will continue to use liquids. It has the added benefit of keeping the powder drawer clean. (My last machine was a bugger to clean and ended up rather nasty.) As for brands, I usually buy what's on offer, but usually named brands. I also use three types of liquid, depending on what I'm washing - sensitive, biological or coloureds. I use liquid softner in the drawer, again, usually brand names and whatever's the best price/on offer.

My W4446 is the same. I was somewhat disappointed when I discovered the LED went out. But then I realised I was watching my new machine wash my clothes, gave myself a wake-up slap and watched TV instead.

I sent my paperwork shortly after the machine was delivered and within 2 weeks I had my policy document. I sent it with a first class stamp, but fully intended to chase it up had I not heard anything within a month. This was still time to re-submit the paperwork prior to the cut off date. I once bought a dishwasher with my Barclaycard, at the time they offered free extended warranties (they no longer do) after the manufacturer's warranty expired. A month or so beyond the 12 month period, the display broke! (Do they design them to fail like this?) I called the BC warranty number and they came out very quickly, diagnosed the fault, ordered the part and came back a few days later to replace it. I believe the policy was underwritten by D&G too. So hopefully this is how any future problem with my washing machine will be handled. (Touch wood, I don't have to test it though.)

My W4446 has a load/detergent button that tells me, as a percentage, the size of the load and how much detergent I need. I find this one of the most useful features of the machine.