refrigerator redux

[Nate Nagel]

Finally got the design department to accompany me to Sears to look at fridges; I'd taken the advice given in the last thread to heart and was planning on concentrating on Whirlpool-made models. However, the design department seemed to be consistently drawn to the LG-made models, and I have to admit, simply from a convenience and feature perspective, I had to agree. (probably not going to buy at Sears unless their prices turn out to be the best, but I figured it was a good place to start, and I had a bunch of old gift cards that I needed to burn up, and I needed a new Pitman arm puller.)

What she wants: french-door, bottom freezer model, preferably with ice maker and shaved ice would be a bonus. The Asian mfgrs. seem to be the only ones really doing this style; the majority of these seemed to be either LG or Kenmore-branded models that appeared to be LGs in drag. She also liked one GE I think.

What to do...?

any experience with LG fridges? worth a try, or should I just go with plan A which was "pick up something in better shape off craigslist and hope for the best?" With the stuff we were looking at, picking a lemon could be an EXPEN$IVE mistake! (dang, those things cost a lot of money.)

As I sit here in my basement, I can hear my old fridge running though, which motivates me to spend money and get one of those nice shiny QUIET new ones...

On a completely different topic, I drove out of my way to go to the "nice" Sears in the suburbs, and the tool department was definitely showing signs of the economy. The guy that was helping me find all the items on my tool wish list was apologizing that they didn't carry a lot of stock due to the fact that business was slow. HOWEVER... he did spend about 20 min. looking up a "front end service kit" made by K-D for me, ordered it online to be delivered to my house (no shipping charge,) and consolidated all my gift cards into one so that he could do the transaction. And ended up to be an old car owner himself (Mercs and Volvos.) Amazing - customer service AND knowledgeable. Hope they keep him around, was weird yet pleasant to find real help in a Sears tool dept.

nate

[LouB]

Suggest you use google too see what comes up in reviews re service and reliability.

Lou

[Nate Nagel]

I did, it wasn't reassuring. Of course, when you go *looking* for problems, all you'll find are reports of problems...

Kitchenaid is made by whirlpool, yes? I think they make one that's almost as nice as the LG's appearance wise, although it doesn't have the cool LED lighting that appeals to my inner engineer...

(y'know, left to my own devices, I'd probably buy a $500 builder's special, slap a wireless thermometer on it to calibrate it, and call it soup. But when you have an in-house design consultant aka SWMBO... things get complicated.)

nate

[Pete C.]

No experience with LG fridges, but experience with various other LG products has been good. Check the warranty, as well as any possible extended warranty program through your credit card (most folks forget those things exist or perhaps existed).

Quiet is good.

Yes, amazing and refreshing to find competent sales folks most anywhere these days.

[Joe]

[LouB]

That is what I heard about LG also so now it may come down to getting a service contract (ugh). Also, be sure SWMBO knows the possible reliability/service issues. OTOH I like the idea the kind of box she has picked.

Lou

[Nate Nagel]

Isn't there any other source for info? The thought of giving CR any of my money makes my skin crawl, after all their automotive shenanigans over the years. Don't trust them either, because of their record of dishonesty at least where cars are concerned.

nate

[Joe]

Could you cite the record that you mentioned above? IIRC, they were sued by a couple of manufacturers over cars that tipped over when cornering, and lost the suits because those were the facts. Having spent many decades mending cars from Beatles to Bentley's I don't recall any major disagreement with their findings. Their reader annual surveys are distilled from thousands of replies which IMO have far more weight than an occasional aberrant result from an individual. Good data from whatever source (even a Democrat) should be given credence. After all it's for your benefit. Cheers,

Joe

[Nate Nagel]

False! They smeared Suzuki and set them back 10 years in this country when the truth is that the Samurai handled about on par with other comparable vehicles. They changed their methodology halfway through a test when the Samurai wouldn't tip over for them. They also rigged the gas tanks on Chevy/GMC pickups to catch fire in side impacts so they could fabricate a story. Both instances involved CR "testers" forcing something to fail so they could have a sensational story when the failures they expected didn't occur in normal testing. I think there was also some kerfuffle recently about improper methodology in testing child restraint seats, but I don't remember the details.

nate

[Pete C.]

Sufficient grounds to blacklist CR for good.

That was NBC, not CR.

[HeyBub]

The lawsuit was dismissed by mutual agreement.

[Joe]

Nate, FWIW, I have driven a few of the early Samarai in the course of normal servicing, and IMO it was a nasty, short wheelbase, narrow little turd. It may have been OK for the narrow streets of third world countries, or puttering around town, but on our after service test runs there were definite places where it would give you a case of vertigo. To their credit, the redesigned later models were far better, even a bit fun to drive. Sadly, owners of the early models we saw never kept them long. Better offerings in the market place must have been hard to resist. I would have to vote with CR on this one.

Joe

[aemeijers]

The gas tank fire thing was NBC and an 'independent' test lab, IIRC, not CR. Not defending CR, mind you, I quit trusting them when I realized their tests on items I actually knew about were pretty meaningless. (Not to mention their snotty attitude toward products they consider incorrect.)

-- aem sends...

[N8N]

Sure, but the thing is, it wasn't any more likely to tip than, say, a Jeep CJ/Wrangler which is the claim that CR made.

The Samurai still has something of a following among the off-road crowd, which is really who the vehicle was aimed at. Obviously a small, narrow vehicle with a high COG is more likely to tip than a Lotus; that is just common sense. Exaggerating this to make a story is not responsible reporting.

nate

[N8N]

Oops... I haven't checked but enough people have mentioned this that I'm ASSuming you're right.

Sure. e.g. Volkswagen cars get consistently low ratings from CR but I have had nothing but excellent luck with them, even well past their usual service life.

nate