"RichardS" noaccess@invalid wrote in message
. ..
"Conrad Edwards" wrote in message
...

I'm fed up with cheap quality washing machines and was thinking about
Miele.
How easy are they to fix after the 5 year guarantee is up...are parts
easy to get and reasonably priced?
How many of you have Miele and never have problems?


We've got one,and have never had problems, but ours is only 3 years old.

W844 model - got it from John Lewis.Can't remember how much - around £400
IIRC, was much cheaper than anywhere else.

Couple of things about Miele that make them attractive.

First, they're completely electronic controls -this is a big bonus over
mechnical motorised switch from reliability point of view. You can also
customise each program for spin speed, short wash and water usage.

Second, they're q-u-i-e-t! You can barely hear it when it's running.
Bosch
are similarly quiet, according to the specs though.

Third, they really are beautifully built - very durable enamelled finish,
good feel to all switches, etc. Wash action seems to be very gentle
compared with other machines that I've had.

However, be aware that they are very heavy. Removals men groan when they
see them (anecdotal evidence from brother when he moved).

We got ours after spending a weekend at my brothers and (not) hearing
theirs
whilst we were eating dinner one evening. He has had cause to call the
service engineers once, but that was because Barratts managed to plumb the
hot and cold supplies in reverse order in their new house, and he got them
to pay for a service as the machine wasn't behaving quite as it should
(whilst incorreclty plumbed) and he wasn't taking any chances. No
problems
since.

If you can find one at a good price (shop around) then go for it. Cost
saving wasn't necessarily our objective when we bought ours, so ROI
comparisons with cheaper machines didn't really come into it. We'd buy
another, though, but don't plan on doing so for a long time yet.

But when they go down, which they do, you have no clean clothes. The all
important "down time". Two mid priced machines also means a quicker wash,
as twice the load, and not dragged out over days with washing ganging around
the kitchen, etc.



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