The True Life Of A Bosch?

[Hadleigh]

Hi, I've just joined and was amazed to see the following:

Our Bosch Maxx (WFL 226L) is giving up the ghost, can't manage to complete the wash cycle, stops about three quarters of the way through, and then I have to switch dial round to spin or rinse to get a slightly dryer wash load (but not much). Have had a local engineer come and check it over, and it needs a new circuit board, which is likely to cost around £250. Bearing in mind the machine is just over 7 years old I feel it should be replaced. It cost £370 in 1999.

My Bosch Maxx is 6 years old and has exactly the same problems.

Thanks to reading your site I've saved myself the cost of getting my machine repaired.

As several other people have mentioned Bosch is not what it used to be.....

When I bought my machine (6 years ago - £430) I thought I was buying a German tank, that would last for ages, never let me down and be thrown out because of got fed up with the sight of it. Oh no.....it has been problematic for three years now and it's inability to finish a cycle is the final straw.

Don't be fooled by the brand name - it's definately not what I expected.....

Miele for me this time.

If that fails, I shall buy a washboard!

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Bosch are still considered to be a relatively good make, one of the best in their price range. Even Which? said, "When it comes to domestic appliances you simply can't beat Bosch". However, that statement is attributed to the 26th of November 2005, and it must have been based on data prior to that date. Frankly I wouldn't be surprised if this is no longer strictly true although I have no evidence that Bosch have dropped quality further since then. Bosch would certainly consider they are producing a very well made product for the money and the relatively cheap cost may have been taken into consideration by Which? Bosch may be one of the best in their price range but the price range does not afford a high quality build. Ultimately the Bosh washing machine brand (owned by Siemens) is now in the low to mid price bracket and cannot escape some of the longevity-impacting consequences this brings such as the relatively very high cost of some spares and repairs and a reduction in repairability.

As to your fault, apparently similar symptoms could potentially have different causes so it's not necessarily the same part needed. If the washing machine isn't draining the water properly it could be a simple pump filter blockage. However, if it did need £250 spending on it I agree, it's not worth it.

Miele are in a different class altogether. A basic Miele washing machine is almost twice the cost of the basic Bosch washing machine. Once this is realised it's easy to see why a Miele would be a much better build quality.

[Fiona]

Hi Suffolk,

Yes your problem does sound similar to the one I had (as you quoted my posting). I would however recommend you get it checked out as it may not be a circuit board problem. I had an engineer thoroughly check the Bosch over, and that was his conclusion. Prior to that I had checked the inflow pipes and water pressure myself which was recommended on another discussion forum.

Miele is a good product, the basic (cheapest) one has a smaller drum size than the Bosch, but as I need to sort wash loads out, I don't appear to have noticed the difference! I've found also the Miele has quicker wash cycles than the Maxx too, surprising from a cold fill only.

Hope that helps

[brenda_howard]

Hi,

My 5 years old Bosch Maxx IT (WFR 2860) packed up 2 weeks ago We bought a John Lewis JLWM1603, which arrived damaged but they left it for us to use while they got a replacement.

I'm staggered at the wash times compared with my last machine. I'm now looking round for a faster machine with a large load capacity which is relatively low on water and power consumption and will ask John Lewis to replace the damaged one with a different machine. I've found that wash times are not stated on specifications.

Cost is not particularly an issue and I very much agree that spending twice as much on a machine that lasts twice as long, or longer is good value. My guess is that "cold fill only" is a factor in the length of the cycle, but have been unable to find any hot and cold fill machines. I usually get through 5 or 6 loads and do all my washing on one weekend day. This is just not a practical option with the wash times I'm experiencing and if the load size is smaller it could take all weekend!. I feel as if I've gone backwards and wish I still had my old machine. I would also want any replacement to last much longer than 5 years.

I'd appreciate any advice you could offer.

Brenda

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello Brenda. Wash times are universally long now. See my topic on it here - Wash Times Survey, how long does your washing machine take to wash? The cold fill issue is only a small part of the reason. Your logic that having a bigger drum to do more washing in a session as a way of counteracting the extra long wash times is very good.

[Sophie's Mum]

I have just joined this forum due to needing a new machine (I think) I am so out of touch with washing machines. Why? I bought a "real" Bosch a V454 in 1984 of course it was expensive in it's day. It is still working after had only the expected use replacements, pump, bearing spider. After all it has been used in excess of 5 times a week for 28yrs. It now seems to have developed faults, the final rinse won't operate via the softener compartment, the shock absorbers have I believe been done for a while (suspended floor a bit iffy?) I think the heater is coming on in the last rinse which of course should be cold & there is an occasional fill of cold water (it's a H&C fill) when switched off. However it still works through all cycles.

I know that there is nothing like this out there any more. All stainless drum, no stupid electronics-two robust mechanical dials, quite a fast wash time etc etc. Progress? Hubby wants to get it mended. He took all the hoses & soap dispenser etc out & it's all clean & clear. Does it sound worth it? I am only looking at ISE or Miele as replacements.

Many thanks

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

No matter how good something is, age kills everything. Parts become obsolete. 28 years is amazing. ISE10 and Miele are the ones to consider if you want to replace it with something in the same class.

[zoppasman]

Hi guys - just thought I would put a spanner in the works. Firstly, I woulld like to point out that when I moved out of my family home 10 years ago - I bought Zanussi Products. (I am Italian and all the Italians had Zanussi!!!) Dishwasher was replaced 3/4 times because of one problem or another, fridge freezer was replaced twice, washing machine had a repair, and the only thing that didnt need an engineer was my tumble dryer. So, when I eventually got my money back for all my appliances and some compensation too, I decided to splash out on Bosch. I have to say that they all lasted me (Washing machine, Dryer, Dishwasher and Fridge Freezer) about 7 years before I handed them down to various members of my family to upgrade to bigger drums, more efficient machines etc etc!!

So here's me telling you about my new Bosch products. Above someone mentioned about the silver touch buttons - yes, they dont ALWAYS respond when you press them, and if you are in a hurry, press start on the machine, and run out the door to work - you will have a bit of a surprise to see that there is still 2 hours left on the machine when you get home - the start button didnt respond and I didnt wait around long enough to make sure the machine started! They dont "remember" the options you use, so this is really annoying when you have to keep setting the temperature, spin speed, additional options such as extra rinse if you have sensitive skin - lets face it, if you have sensitive skin you're gonna need an extra rinse on ALL THE TIME!!!!

My biggest bug is the dryer - it was new out on the market and what a mistake I made when I purchased it. It was the Heat Pump dryer - using 40% LESS energy than an "A RATED" machine! Wow, i thought to myself, think of the savings, but they cost at the time £700! Its now 2.5 years old, needed three repairs and the problem still isnt fixed. Whilst the engineer was round the last time, I decided to grill him further about Bosch. I have found out that not many (if ANY!) of the Bosch tumble dryers reverse tumble. They only go in one direction, have a sealed door so that you can not see this, and stop every so often to make you THINK that its reversing when in fact it isnt. THATS why my sheets clump into one big ball and are still wet in the middle! The other thing I asked him is where they are made as I had heard through the grapevine that they were no longer made in Germany - Well, you'll be surprised to know that unless they state "Made in Germany" - they ARENT! Spain, Poland and China mainly.

My washing machine is also 2.5 years old, but it has a distribution problem - if the clothes arent distributed EXACTLY to the standard of the machine, it simply wont spin. So once again, you come home from work and have to put the machine on another spin, even another two because the sensor is so sensitive, it wont spin. My Fridge Freezer has had some parts like a door handle and freezer drawer because they broke. These are only my experiences, but please - do your research... I am left out of pocket and VERY disappointed....

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

The problem with not spinning some loads is very common these days zoppasman. I wrote an article specifically about it, which you might find interesting - washing machine wont spin just one item or small loads

[karen.daves1@ntlworld.com]

My mum(who is quite elderly) has a Bosch Maxx plus which she says she purchased along with a bosch dishwasher in 1993, is this possible, or is she getting confused?

 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello Karen. Washing machines often used to last 20 to 30 years. I've seen many very old ones. It's quite rare these days though. But it's possible. It's also possible that they had another in between and forgot about it. I've had customers swear blind that their washing machine I was working on was 15 years old when I knew for a fact it couldn't have been older than 7 for example.

 

[SunriseBoy]

On 11/11/2012 at 23:54, Sophie's Mum said:

I have just joined this forum due to needing a new machine (I think) I am so out of touch with washing machines. Why? I bought a "real" Bosch a V454 in 1984 of course it was expensive in it's day. It is still working after had only the expected use replacements, pump, bearing spider. After all it has been used in excess of 5 times a week for 28yrs. It now seems to have developed faults, the final rinse won't operate via the softener compartment, the shock absorbers have I believe been done for a while (suspended floor a bit iffy?) I think the heater is coming on in the last rinse which of course should be cold & there is an occasional fill of cold water (it's a H&C fill) when switched off. However it still works through all cycles.

I know that there is nothing like this out there any more. All stainless drum, no stupid electronics-two robust mechanical dials, quite a fast wash time etc etc. Progress? Hubby wants to get it mended. He took all the hoses & soap dispenser etc out & it's all clean & clear. Does it sound worth it? I am only looking at ISE or Miele as replacements.

Many thanks

If I had the choice I'd pay to have it repaired.  Many say it's a waste of money, get a new one.  Uh huh.  The new ones last 2-5 years.  If you get yours repaired, you have a "known" quantity.  Get it fixed.  You'll feel great when the "old girl" is running again. 

I have a 30 year old car I bought for $400 Oz dollars 12 years ago.  It's never missed a beat.  Never broken down.  Spent around $5K in repairs/maintenance in those twelve years.  Apart from fuel and oil, that's $450 a year for a very decent car.  Stay with what you've got.  If you get it repaired it'll still be going when two or three unsatisfactory machines have karked it on you. 

[NickPash]

On 12/05/2007 at 10:12, brenda_howard said:

Hi,

My 5 years old Bosch Maxx IT (WFR 2860) packed up 2 weeks ago We bought a John Lewis JLWM1603, which arrived damaged but they left it for us to use while they got a replacement.

Strange a little cause currently Bosch offers about 10 years guarantee on the motor according to information I've found (source)

[Mel W]

On 06/03/2019 at 01:01, karen.daves1@ntlworld.com said:

My mum(who is quite elderly) has a Bosch Maxx plus which she says she purchased along with a bosch dishwasher in 1993, is this possible, or is she getting confused?

 

Karen, I also have this machine which is still running beautifully after 17yrs.