Getting in a spin: Why washing machines are no longer built to last

SpaceTime

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Everything is breaking down in our home this year. Had to get a kettle recently. I walked along the row of about 24 kettles in the shop and checked where each one was manufactured....almost all of them were made in China. Only the most expensive ones, three or four, were made in if I remember correctly Spain, France, and possibly Germany but unsure of my memory on that one.

It's not even where they're made. Some great stuff comes from China.
It's when they're making to a very low price. That's when you'll have issues.

I try to buy stuff made in the EU where possible though as most of the EU manufacturing jobs are at risk at the moment and we really do need to show a bit of solidarity towards workers in Spain, France, Italy and even Germany. A lot of those kind of previously good 'blue collar' jobs are all disappearing.

The Red Ace

The Red Ace wrote: »

Space Time good post you have the A to Z of it spelt out exactly as things have happened, I remember servicing the original Bendix washers in the 70s that were made in Liverpool that cost £300 which was half the price of a car back then

Considering the build quality of some of the Leyland cars then, it probably lasted longer than the car.

leeroybrown

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Everything is breaking down in our home this year. Had to get a kettle recently. I walked along the row of about 24 kettles in the shop and checked where each one was manufactured....almost all of them were made in China. Only the most expensive ones, three or four, were made in if I remember correctly Spain, France, and possibly Germany but unsure of my memory on that one.

The MacBook Pro I'm typing this post on was made in China and it's probably the best constructed laptop I've ever used. Manufacturing standards in China are pretty high in general. The product design and and materials are where the quality issues are introduced.

leeroybrown

leeroybrown wrote: »

The MacBook Pro I'm typing this post on was made in China and it's probably the best constructed laptop I've ever used. Manufacturing standards in China are pretty high in general. The product design and and materials are where the quality issues are introduced.

A lot of stuff is actually designed to have a shortened life, for example some cheap printers actually have a chip that has a countdown timer in them to "stiff" the printer after it had printed in excess of a pre-set number of pages. Most electronics go to the bin still working, just outdated.

As for most white goods, they only need slightly beefier materials in a couple of key areas to last much longer for a small increase in price. For example a bracket made of 1mm thick steel rather than 0.7mm will never fail when the thinner one snaps and kills the machine.

RichieMag

Hi all, not sure if this is the appropriate thread, but my Bosch washing machine is making some terrible noises during the spin cycle, something like metal grinding on metal. Any ideas?!

(I was going to post a link to a YouTube clip of it but Boards won't let me!)

evolving_doors

The Red Ace wrote: »

just after reading the BBC article and I am amused at where it says the the cheaper appliance may last 7 years or less, they dont say how much less, if they were truthful it should have read two or three years plus. Since the production of domestic appliances that were made in the UK and Italy that were common here in Irl. up to 8/9 years ago has stopped, only rubbish is coming in here from places like Turkey and China but then the consumer is more or less dictating this as they are not prepared to pay for quality.Take a 300E washer for instance if you break down the price of it the retailer has c40 euro from it there is 23% Vat and the importer has probably 50e out of it, you are in fact buying a 150E washing machine, Santy was paying more for ones that were made by Lego in the Celtic tiger days. The most of the common brands available here are produced by only a handful of companys, its in their interest to produce stuff that doesent last , it keeps the factorys open. Hoover were in Wales from the end of the 1940s until 2010 and at the height of production had 5400 employees and made appliances that often lasted 15 years plus, now they are made in Turkey and I have seen them nearly cost half their original purchase price to repair them under warranty after a year or two because of the call out charge.The same goes for the most of the other producers. The Germans still make pretty decent appliances but its probably only a matter of time before they farm out the production to cheaper labour countrys to keep costs down as well. The powers that be in Brussels should lay down a law that dictates that a product should last a minium number of years if treated correctly, we hear so much from them about carbon footprint.

Welllll as you mentioned Hoover...in their defence, We got a hoover washing machine in 2009 ... Going nearly every day , sometimes 3 times a day! (Kids...)
Not a bother, although in saying that, I am waiting for it to go any day.

Saw a TG4 Fíorsceal documentary on it about 2 years ago. Its called Obsolecence . They showed some old Russian guy with a fridge he had since the fifties...still working still the same light bulb in it...

Its a conspiracy Joe.

Buy cheap buy twice.

ianobrien

RichieMag wrote: »

Hi all, not sure if this is the appropriate thread, but my Bosch washing machine is making some terrible noises during the spin cycle, something like metal grinding on metal. Any ideas?!

(I was going to post a link to a YouTube clip of it but Boards won't let me!)

It's probably a small coin stuck. I was terrible for leaving 1 cent coins in the jeans pocket when being washed...

RichieMag

ianobrien wrote: »

It's probably a small coin stuck. I was terrible for leaving 1 cent coins in the jeans pocket when being washed...

Thanks - any idea how I can check and get it out?! And would it not usually go into the filter/coin trap thing?

Day Lewin

When we had a few bob to spare about ten years ago, we replaced some appliances with dearer ones: choosing, for example, a Bosch freezer to replace a second-hand chest freezer, which had in turn replaced a 20-year old Servis?? I kid you not

Bosch freezer - not that great: plastic bits have broken off quite soon
BUT - paying a substantial amount for a Miele dishwasher was SO worth it!! Trouble-free, smooth seam free engineering, runs like a dream - previously i had had three dishwashers with a life span of maybe 5 or 6 years each. [Winner had been the very earliest one, a Phillips, lasted 9 yrs]

Got to vote for Miele but they are so expensive it will be prohibitive for many; However if you get a windfall, they really ARE better value in the long run!

ianobrien

RichieMag wrote: »

Thanks - any idea how I can check and get it out?! And would it not usually go into the filter/coin trap thing?

The one cent coins were a curse for getting stuck between the drum and the casing. I have no idea how they were removed, but I do remember getting a bill for the call-out.....

The Red Ace

Armelodie, my next door neighbour has a fridge that was made by GEC in Dunleer Co. Louth in 1969, its in use since new and nobody has ever had to repair it. (Must get a thread going on how long has your appliance worked/lasted for)

Jellybaby1

Deleted User wrote: »

.....some cheap printers actually have a chip that has a countdown timer in them to "stiff" the printer after it had printed in excess of a pre-set number of pages.

Why isn't that illegal? They are controlling a product long after you have purchased it. If they did that to cars they could be arrested for endangering lives.....okay so a printer won't kill you but, that's OTT, but you know what I mean.

The Red Ace

The Red Ace wrote: »

Armelodie, my next door neighbour has a fridge that was made by GEC in Dunleer Co. Louth in 1969, its in use since new and nobody has ever had to repair it. (Must get a thread going on how long has your appliance worked/lasted for)

I started one a while ago http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=55362436
Enjoy

Big Davey

Dyson made washing machines too ! And very good ones I think.

SpaceTime wrote: »

Miele genuinely builds the machines more like commercial machines. They use much better components but they cost about twice to three times the price of a regular machine.

They are probably the only machines that still have a stainless steel outer tub. They also have extremely high quality bearings and other mechanical components. The machine's also built on a proper chassis rather than just having components bolted to the cabinet.

So, they're effectively a domestic version of a laundrette machine.

The machines actually weigh about twice (or more) as much as a normal machine too. Very heavily built and very good quality.

Bosch and AEG aren't what they used to be. Still upper-end of the market machines, but they're not built like they were 20+ years ago.



Almost all of the British appliance brands are gone and all that remains is the trademark.

Hotpoint = Indesit (Italy)
Hoover (Europe) = Candy (Italy)
Belling and Creda = Glen Dimplex (Ireland) and partially to Indesit (Italy)
Servis = Vestel (Turkey)
Tricity/Tricity Bendix = Electrolux Group (Sweden)

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other British white goods makers that are still around.

The only British appliance maker I can think of is Dyson and they only do vacuum cleaners and they're made in Malaysia.