warranties

It seems that most major manufacturers are reducing warranty coverage on new major appliances (refrigerators, ranges, washer/dryers, etc.). This includes GE, Whirlpool, Maytag, and many others.

Not sure what previous warranties were, but I believe compressors were at least warranted for 5 years. It is apparently 1 year for the entire appliance now.

Evidently, higher priced appliances will not change warranty coverage.

I don't know if Kenmore (Sears) will change warranty terms on their appliances.

It looks like a really good way to sell extended warranty contracts.

Reply to
stevie
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appliances have really been made cheaper, but new ones are more efficent. they dont last as llong and parts are horrendously expensive. then again we have become a disposable society. few want to fix anything.

extended warranties are in general all profit for the seller.

Reply to
hallerb

appliances have really been made cheaper, but new ones are more efficent. they dont last as llong and parts are horrendously expensive. then again we have become a disposable society. few want to fix anything.

extended warranties are in general all profit for the seller.

Reply to
hallerb

appliances have really been made cheaper, but new ones are more efficent. they dont last as llong and parts are horrendously expensive. then again we have become a disposable society. few want to fix anything.

extended warranties are in general all profit for the seller.

Reply to
hallerb

Lowes sells its extended warranties cheap. Typically $99 for 4 addtitional years of coverage so I've been buying my appliances there lately. Most stores want $250 or more for same coverage.

Reply to
Art

And Lows is still making good profit from them.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

The problem with that is that most appliance failures are either during the original warranty period or after five years.

Usually if something is going to fail within the first five years, it'll fail in the first few months.

Reply to
AZ Nomad

My Maytag dishwasher and front loader washing machine, and my Asko dishwasher all broke after the warranty was over but before an extended warranty from Lowes would have ended had I bought one. On expensive appliances like a $1600 refrigerator, and a $1200 dishwasher, if some one will sell me an additional 4 years coverage for $99 I'll take it considering that typical repairs these days are around $300.

Reply to
Art

I'm sure you've got some beautiful appliances in your home. If you feel the need to spend $1200 on a dishwasher, $1500-$2000 on a washer dryer, by all means get the extended warranty.

For me, I've got a maytag washer that I'd guess to be about 40 years old. Bought it used about 25 years ago. $25.00. It's noisy, not pretty, & doesn't have bells & whistles but does a fine job of washing my clothes.

The little woman wanted it gone but I prevailed. May well be the best value I've ever gotten out of a buck.

I didn't get an extended warranty on it though.

Reply to
3rd eye

I had one of those famous never break Maytag washers. I sold it afew years after buying it new. I didn't think it cleaned clothes worth a darn. The rinse cycle was so short I couldn't see how it could possibly get the soap out. I used to run it thru an additional rinse every time I used it until I happily got rid of it. Lasting forever is not the only thing to look for in an appliance.

Reply to
Art

Lasting forever is not the only thing to look for in

Whatever works for you Art.

Some folks need stainless steel appliances- state of the art stuff. It's important to have two dozen different settings to wash, rinse & spin clothes. They love the look & feel of it.

My blender has twenty eight speeds. Does that make it any better than one that had three? A new Audi every few years. How much is your car payment anyway? How long ago was it that you can remember not having one?

My food, beer & wine is cold, clothes & dishes are clean & rinsed satisfactorily.

But I digress. For folks like yourself- if it makes you feel better buy the coverage. For most, it's money thrown away.

Reply to
3rd eye

When my wife and I bought our first house about 10 years ago we bought brand new a Maytag washer and dryer set. The total for both was about $800. We did not get an extended warranty. Neither appliance has broken down. And both work exactly the same as when new. And the rinse cycle is not too short, I believe it's adjustable although I hardly ever use it. (I use the dishwasher much more)

I think the point he was trying to make is that it takes a certain amount of money to manufacture an appliance that works well and is reliable. But beyond that, additional money does not make the appliance work better or last longer. All it does is make the appliance more expensive, thus a lot fewer people buy it. I suppose this gives the people that do buy it a sense that they are special since they are buying a product that few other people own. If that is worth $500 per appliance for you, well all I can say is your helping to keep the economy going, but my grandmother (now dead) who was very educated, knew Latin, and came from Eastern old money, would have said that sort of thing was ostentatious, and the $500 would have been better spend on keeping the local art museum funded.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

Your 10 year old Maytag is not one of the last forever models. They go back at least 15 years. Perhaps you would have liked it but we didn't. At the time everyone was raving about how Maytag washers lasted forever. Well if you design a washing machine that barely agitates, it must be pretty easy to make it last forever. We sold it after a couple of years and bought a Kenmore that had a dual agitator. That stayed when we sold the last house.

We don't own any fancy stainless steel appliances. Ours are all white.

If you really want the most reliable cheap washer available now buy a Roper. It is a low end Whirlpool. Your neighbors will hear it washing but it will last forever. Landlords often buy them. They also buy low end GE dishwashers that last forever. They sound like a grinder going full blast in your kitchen.

Whatever makes you happy.

As for priorities, we spent extra on a front load washer and Asko dishwasher to save water and we paid extra for pressure flush toilets whereas our neighbors have to flush twice using the builder standard toilets. I suppose the extra money could have gone to museums but our employers like to see money coming out of our paychecks to go to the United Way so that is how we donate all our charitable giving. I like the idea of using less water than anyone else in our neighborhood. That is a priority for me.

By the way the Asko died and was replaced with a Maytag dishwasher that died and then a 2 drawer model from Fisher Penkal. It uses a tiny amount of water and a great match if there is only 2 people in the household. You can use 1 drawer at a time.

Your grandmother sounds like my 90 year old father. He always believed in buying the minimal to get by. I pay extra to save water and energy.

Reply to
Art

my maytag washer & dryer were pruchased new in 1984. still going strong, although some minor repairs have been made to both washer & dryer.

We don't own any fancy stainless steel appliances. Ours are all white.

If you really want the most reliable cheap washer available now buy a Roper. It is a low end Whirlpool. Your neighbors will hear it washing but it will last forever. Landlords often buy them. They also buy low end GE dishwashers that last forever. They sound like a grinder going full blast in your kitchen.

Whatever makes you happy.

As for priorities, we spent extra on a front load washer and Asko dishwasher to save water and we paid extra for pressure flush toilets whereas our neighbors have to flush twice using the builder standard toilets. I suppose the extra money could have gone to museums but our employers like to see money coming out of our paychecks to go to the United Way so that is how we donate all our charitable giving. I like the idea of using less water than anyone else in our neighborhood. That is a priority for me.

By the way the Asko died and was replaced with a Maytag dishwasher that died and then a 2 drawer model from Fisher Penkal. It uses a tiny amount of water and a great match if there is only 2 people in the household. You can use 1 drawer at a time.

Your grandmother sounds like my 90 year old father. He always believed in buying the minimal to get by. I pay extra to save water and energy.

Reply to
stevie

One thing I always wonder about on those really old washers is the possibility of an internal disasterous leak. There was a post here recently of someone taking apart his 30+ year old washer and finding the internal hoses brittle. Chlorine can really eat up rubber and plastic.

Reply to
Art

thanks-i hadn't considered that.

Reply to
stevie

rubber does harden with time, but the internal hoses are under little pressure. all washers that arent in a basement should be in a pan drained to a safe place like the basement. homes nationwide get big damage due tp penny pinching this necessary item.

it should be excluded by insurance, no pan and emergency electric shut off valve equals no inbsurance coverage PERIOD!

Or the homeowner has NO COVERAGE for such a disaster

Reply to
hallerb

It's not just appliances that are getting shorter warranties.

And yes, they can get away with this because too many people are only looking at the price.

Reply to
scott21230

We bought one of hose pans and were planning on installing a drain pipe for it but no matter what we did it caused vibration and movement of the washer so we gave up on it. It helps control gravel under the litter box now.

Reply to
Art

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