Is Hotpoint Aqualtis "super quiet"?

[farrelj]

I was just looking for some opinions on the new Hotpoint Aqualtis range.

I'm needing to get a new washing machine and really like the look of these and the fact that they are advertised as "super quiet". The problem is that, as they are new, there doesn't appear to be any reviews on the web, including Which?.

So am just trying to decide wether to take the gamble on this or not.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello James, I like the look of them too, and their advert is great. However, the drum bearings cannot be individually replaced although this is true for the majority of the household name washing machines now. More seriously though, the drum cannot be stripped out to retrieve a bra-wire or other obstruction that could get trapped between the tub and drum. This is because the outer tub on the Hotpoint Aqualtis is sealed! - a new and very unwelcome development. Many items may well be retrieved by removing the drum paddle and fishing in the bottom of the tub but it’s always been possible for some obstruction to be only retrievable by stripping out the drum.

If the drum bearings fail you apparently need to fit an entire new tub and drum. This would almost certainly write the washing machine off. To be fair, there is a 5 year parts guarantee with their washing machines, which means that during the second to fifth year, you would get these expensive parts free as long as you paid Hotpoint themselves to fit (labour charge last time I checked was approximately £90.00) Technically though, if there was an obstruction such as coins, keys, bra wires etc. the engineer could well advise the fault is not covered under the 5 year parts guarantee and parts would be chargeable. I can't say if this is likely or not but technically it would be neglect, and not a fault on the washing machine, so it is always possible you would be charged the full amount, which would probably not be worth repairing.

( Related: I have a 5 year parts guarantee - should I use it? )

[farrelj]

Thanks Andy I wasn't aware of the potential problems that you mentioned. That said I've also never spotted missing laundry although it may actually account for a handful of odd socks though! (is trapped laundry a common problem?)

Are there any positive reasons you can think of for sealing the outer tub or is it just a case of the manufacturers making it difficult for independent engineers to repair them?

I guess my main concern with this range at the moment is that I'm likely to be paying more for the fact that it's a new range and design concept as opposed to a good machine. I've never had a Hotpoint but am guessing that they are generally middle market machines, i.e. not as good (or expense) as the Meile' etc

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Washing machine manufacturers bring out new models constantly, but when they are a complete design change, clearly very different from their previous ones, they need a few years to prove themselves as far as I'm concerned. I remember the new Hoover 1100, which was the new fastest spinning washing machine available. It had loads of trouble with door seals suffering friction burns and a virtual epidemic of inner drums splitting at the back. I also remember Hotpoint’s WMA washing machine new range not too long back. They also suffered with countless drum bearing failures and had to have internal parts redesigned. To be fair to both companies, they put schemes into operation to repair them free if just out of guarantee, or at a reduced cost for ones more than several months out of guarantee but they still broke down for thousands of people.

The sealed drum is cost saving, it surely can’t be anything else. There's no advantage to not being able to take something apart to repair.

Because customers are constantly demanding cheaper washing machines, and there’s so much competition, manufacturers are constantly driving production costs down. It’s reached a stage where long term side effects on future repairs and the economical viability of repairs don’t seem to be taken into account. Maybe it's not the manufacturers at fault. There's an argument that they only supply what people demand. For many years, purchase price has been all that matters for most of the public. I hope that's starting to change. Many popular washing machines aren't going to be worth repairing once out of guarantee if any major fault develops.

[Poostix]

Your right it is a cost saving but its also a good way to ensure the best seal rather than having 16 screws. Also I would leave the aqualtis for a short while. I have not had any chance to take one apart yet should be about 2 weeks. I'll also be doing this with the new MOON model, which looks quite cool but again I have not had chance to look at them to see if they are any good.

My boss worked on the aqualtis range and is so happy with it he got one for him mum and himself?? I've seen his car so I'm not sure if its a good or a bad thing. ha ha

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Your right it is a cost saving but its also a good way to ensure the best seal rather than having 16 screws.

Hello Poostix. It's great to have your opinion and welcome. I'm extremely keen to have proper and fair balance in the information on Washerhelp. Your point about the sealed tub not having a seal to potentially leak is a good one. But it's a minor advantage compared to the very serious disadvantage of not being able to strip the machine to retrieve obstructions or replace a drum spider, bearings etc. The argument for sealed tubs could hold water (excuse the pun) if bearings were exceptionally reliable and you adopt the attitude that if people leave coins and other obstructions in pockets they deserve to have their washing machine written off.

My argument against sealed tubs is that they restrict repairs. However, it could be a purely academic argument as you could say that most people don't have drum bearings replaced anyway after 5 years old - even on washing machines that can be stripped down. This is the very bad situation most washing machines are now in because of price pressures and demands by the public.

Now that environmental issues have become very popular and very important, the inability to repair large items such as washing machines by either design or spares pricing should be totally unacceptable.

[Poostix]

My argument against sealed tubs is that they restrict repairs. However, it could be a purely academic argument as you could say that most people don't have drum bearings replaced anyway after 5 years old - even on washing machines that can be stripped down. This is the very bad situation most washing machines are now in because of price pressures and demands by the public.

Currently all of our 7kg and and washer drier range are all screwed drum, but this is changing. I'll take your thoughts to my boss as I had the same when I first turned up here. If it was unable to be damaged with debris and the coin trap/ filter was easy to get to I think alot of out problems would be resolved.

I like this site I can get improvements for the machines from people that know what they are talking about.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Currently all of our 7kg and and washer drier range are all screwed drum, but this is changing. I'll take your thoughts to my boss as I had the same when I first turned up here. If it was unable to be damaged with debris and the coin trap/ filter was easy to get to I think alot of out problems would be resolved.

I like this site I can get improvements for the machines from people that know what they are talking about.

Thanks. I'm particularly open to people like yourself giving a counter view from a different perspective, or even correcting any information that can be shown to be erroneous. I don't criticise lightly, or for effect, or because of any vested interest. I just have strong opinions about certain things and a desire to make a difference.