Indesit IWC81481 bearing size?

[glayzell]

Hi, can anyone help with my bearings. I cant seem to find the bearings anywhere online. My machine is making a racket and I need to have a go at replacing the bearings and I cant afford to get an engineer out.

The machine is an Indesit IWC81481.

Can anyone help me out in finding the correct bearings?

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello there. If they are available you should be able to get them here - Ransom Spares - however, many  modern washing machines do not have drum bearings that can be replaced. The majority are now manufactured with completely sealed drums that cannot be taken apart at all. It's a sad indictment of modern throwaway appliances.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Yes it looks like they are not available. I've just gone through all of the spare parts that are available for the Indesit IWC81481 and all they have available is the entire tub and drum assembly which is a similar cost to a new washing machine. The manufacturers do not want us to repair them any longer, they are mostly geared up to sell the finished product in as big a quantity as possible and to make some profits selling fast-moving spare parts. All of the major components of a washing machine now tend to be ridiculously priced compared to the cost of a new washing machine. All of the parts that used to be repairable by stripping it down and replacing individual parts such as the pump, motor, drum, and drum bearings mostly sealed units now at greatly increased cost.

To be fair, the new washing machines are ridiculously cheap, so there's a fair argument that it is not the parts that are expensive it is the appliances that are cheap. However, there's no excuse for designing them in such a way that you cannot repair them. This is done purely to make them cheaper to repair. Many manufacturers claim that the welded drums are welded to make them stronger. In all honesty I find that laughable.

If your washing machine is only a few years old you might be to claim it wasn't of satisfactory quality. However, that is the long and difficult road to travel because the retailers and manufacturers are very resistant to that concept and will not accept it unless you are very persistent. If it was only 18 months old for example and is now beyond reasonable repair I would say you have an excellent case. But it would depend on exactly how old it is and how often it has been used.

[glayzell]

Thanks for the help.. I wondered why I couldn't find the part. The machine has only had about 3 years of use, but we do have 7 children between us so it is pretty much on all the time... I guess I will have to get a new machine. I think it was only £200 new.

Is there a top tip for reasonably priced machine that has replaceable parts?

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Thanks for that. Yours is a great example of how a washing machine not lasting very long is actually not an issue when all the facts are taken into account. £200 to wash for 7 people for 3 years is acceptable in my opinion. That’s a lot of washing.

Had the washing machine cost £450 and had only washed for one old pensioner I would say it’s not good enough. It’s all about looking at the whole picture. 

 

[glayzell]

Yeah, I cant really complain.. 7 children + 2 adults. We swim, school clothes, work clothes etc. Probably an average 3 loads a day. I just would have preferred a £20 repair to a £200 machine.

Thanks again though for the help.