Drum Bearings Gone

[uctpjae]

Hi,

The bearings on my Hotpoint WMA31 need replacing and I've been quoted £149, so have decided to get a new machine (it's older than 5 yrs).

As I live in a flat, I want to get a washer/dryer, and the engineer suggested Zanussi, but not one with the jetsystem (I can’t afford a Miele and the AEG is too deep for my kitchen).

However, I can't find any Zanussi w/d's without the jetsystem - are there any available new? Is there a problem with the jetsystem?

Also, the engineer recommended a Bosch WAE 24162 washer only. Looks like a good machine and quiet (which is important along with a depth of no more than 60cm), but I really want a w/d.

So, any advice on the above would be good.

Thanks.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Zanussi are a decent washing machine (or washer dryer). As far as I know all current Zanussi models apart from the small compact washing machine boasts the "Jetsystem wash technology to power-shower clean water to every garment".

I'm not aware of any specific problems with the system, which is basically a second pump that pumps water into the top of the drum to shower the laundry. This is supposed to increase water saturation, which may allow them to use less water because laundry can be only half submerged - but get showered from above.

Zanussi have used this type of system for many years. I'm not aware of any specific problems with it but clearly it does introduce more parts, and the second pump is subject to wear and tear. The engineer may have done a fair few repairs related to the Jestsystem that makes him think a washer without it would be more reliable. Of course, that's correct, the simpler the better from a reliability point of view. It's a constant trade off between features and reliability.

Bosch are another good make, some would argue better than Zanussi, yet in similar price range.

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[Macladd]

The entry level Zanussi washers (Essential Range) do not have Jetsystem, they utilise "Aquacycle" which scoops water with the paddles inside the drum and drops it on the washing as it goes round, only the middle and upper ranges of Zanussi (Progress and Timeline ranges I believe) have the Jetsystem (Which Zanussi now call New Jetsystem) My mate bought one with the New Jetsystem which is now built into the upper part of the rubber door seal. Apart from catching your hands and your laundry on it when loading and emptying the machine, its sprays water onto the clothes and down the door glass so you hear the water constantly hitting the glass during the wash which can get annoying. Also its a powerful spray and it caused the door on the machine to leak during the first use (which was sorted quite quickly by serviceforce who said this was becoming quite common)

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Thanks for that. I got the impression from Zanussi's site, which like most manufacturer's sites is not very good. Too much emphasis on javascript, and designing for a specific screen size instead of using all the screen. The washing machine section just shows a pathetic 3 washing machines; a front loader, a top loader and the small compact washing mahcine. Hovering over the font loader brings a box up which says, "New Jetsystem advanced technology - Timeline ZWF1651. This product exists in 11 models". I took it to mean the Jetsystem was in 11 models and there are only 11 models shown.

As for the "Aquacycle", that's just sales talk. Hoover came up with that idea with the Logic washing machine in the 90s, and most drums scoop water up now. There's nothing wrong with it, they just try to make it sound like something fancy when it's just drum paddles that scoop water. The engineer advising against the jet-system must be aware of the current "problems". You can't beat keeping it simple.