Are older appliances more "user serviceable"?

jack of all

I had problems with my 13 year old Zanussi washing machine last week, when it failed to drain, I suspected the pump was shot. Thought I'd be looking at an uneconomical repair or possible replacement machine altogether. I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to repair it myself and removed a coin from the drain pump. The pump was readily accessible and easily disassembled. I suspect that newer, more fancy pants machines mightn't prove to be as user serviceable, any thoughts on this?

Billy Bunting

Manufacturers dont want people having machines that last 13yrs, gone are the days you would buy the likes of Bosch or Siemens with the certain knowledge you had bought a well built German work horse. Today your as well to throw €200 on a Beco than €900 on a Meile that will cost you both arms and legs to fix if it develops problems. My advise to customers looking for a recomendation on white good is simply to buy a machine that is going to do the job your looking to be done at as cheap as possible, least buttons the better, who uses them anyway :rolleyes:

Daegerty

Not really. Maybe some were simpler mechanically but a lot of things are done electronic now which is more reliable. Parts are often OEM now which means they are quite standard and easy to get.

I don't buy into the whole 'new stuff is hard to fix' thing at all. Sure a lot of modern cars have a lot of unnecessary sh!te in them. The problem starts when the manufacturer deliberately goes out of their way to make the thing more 'proprietary', at which some companies are worse with than others.

coylemj

Billy Bunting wrote: »

My advise to customers looking for a recomendation on white good is simply to buy a machine that is going to do the job your looking to be done at as cheap as possible, least buttons the better, who uses them anyway :rolleyes:

Some people do read the manual and familiarise themselves with the functions of the different buttons.