I purchased an AEG 86720 in 2000 and after 4 years it needed new brushes for its motor (=A325 so i was a little anoyed, but got over it) and then 12 months later, the circuit boards that control the motor have blown. It has been inspected by Service Force engineer and is quoted at =A3400 for the circuit boards and replacement motor. I paid =A3700 back in 2000 and AEG are doing nothing to help. I bought an AEG because i expected top quality product and expected first class support from their customer service. I am upset and disappointed with my washing machine and with AEG. I will never buy an AEG product again.
After 30 years I have just replaced my second Indesit. The brushes had failed and after getting the machine out and on its side - stretched a few extra weeks out of them I though the time had come to get something to see me into retirement. Total cost in 30 years = less than £700 for 3 machines. All washing machines do the same - they take in water and go round and round. (Keep calm Miele owners!!)
Higher cost doesn't always mean extra quality - It may mean extra features (that can in turn lead to more problems).
Ah, but they don't. We recently replaced our 6 year old Bosch, which died of multiple failures, with a Zanussi. The Zanussi outperforms the Bosch in terms of washing ability by a considerable margin.
As for Miele, we have a Miele tumble drier, which is very nice. Not many features, just simple, solid engineering.
My AEG is still going strong after nearly 20 years. The last brushes cost me £7 (It's cheaper to buy just the carbons, and not the holders). Most of the rest is original.
On the flip side *our* AEG OKO Lavamat Digitronic 6100 is 16+ years old and still being used daily. I have fitted new drum bearings and only very recently a new belt and brushes (brushes £7 from the market). I think I can remember in the distant past maybe also fitting a new pump and that was £23 (cheaper Zanussi part#).
I believe AEG are now part of Zanussi (and others) so I'm not sure what happens to the overall quality of products when this sorta thing happens.
Having said that the fridge and freezer are Zanussi and are the same age as the washing machine, the Zanussi dishwasher and microwave are a bit younger.
We have never taken out extended cover on anything and I have always fixed anything 'fixable' myself (so far / touch wood) ;-)
I did think we'd lost the washing machine a while back (the motor was tripping the house RCD) but that turned out to be that the motor was full of carbon (hovered then blown out with my mates airline), sorted ;-)
I can't comment on their customer support .. never called them? Oh I did call thir parts dept re the bearings and they could only sell me a complete bearing / seal / iron spider for £120. I bought the bearings and seal elsewhere for £20 instead ;-)
Would I buy AEG again .. I don't know if I would be happy about buying
*anything* made 'these days' re longevity but what can you do ..?
Before u go and chuck it, take the pcb's to an electronics engineer...he may well be able to salvage them. then take the motor to a motor repair shop and see what they do to get it working again.
Some part of the pcb track on 2 boards are completely burnt off the board, so i doubt much salvage. The armature copper strips have jagged edges and the gaps are uneven and large. The machine has an average life over the 5 years (2 -3 washes per week).
I do understand washing machines perform a rudementry task, but since this task was expected to be carried out several times a week over a very long time, i thought i would look for a machine that offered some features that may take a while to superceded by new models. Althought not often, it does offer 1600 spin and some other nice features... had this machine lasted 10 or 15 years, i think i'd have been fairly happy.
I did try and buy the brushes without the holders, but each time i mention AEG, i would get a 'ohhhh, na mate, we don't have those'.
So i suspect i am in the danger experiencing this in another 5 years, no matter what machine i buy, be it a =A3200 Candy or =A32000 Miele.
Hmm, our local appliance shop had them in stock at £20 / pair (out of holders) and the 'main at the market' got them for me in a couple of days (same brand packet) for £7.
No idea if they are the same compound as the genuine article but on a machine as old as ours there was little to loose ;-)
Faults can happen at any stage in the life of an appliance - we have a=20 =A3170 Candy - now 6, possibly 7 years old. The motor control unit failed= =20 at 11 months old and was replaced under warranty, but that was the only=20 problem we ever had.
We also have a Zanussi dishwasher, now 12 years old - sure, the baskets=20 have done their usual self-dismantling trick, but as long as you can=20 live with the drawer action not being as smooth as they should, its=20 still working (and washing) as though it was new.
--=20 Please add the word "newsgroup" in the subject line of personal emails
**** My email address includes "ngspamtrap" and "@btinternet.com" ****
don't give up on the pcb even if tracks have burn off, id at least have a go (indeed, i have salvaged quite a few TV's and videos in my time). and the motor may still be repairable. at least go and ask...what have you got to loose?
steve
I do understand washing machines perform a rudementry task, but since this task was expected to be carried out several times a week over a very long time, i thought i would look for a machine that offered some features that may take a while to superceded by new models. Althought not often, it does offer 1600 spin and some other nice features... had this machine lasted 10 or 15 years, i think i'd have been fairly happy.
I did try and buy the brushes without the holders, but each time i mention AEG, i would get a 'ohhhh, na mate, we don't have those'.
So i suspect i am in the danger experiencing this in another 5 years, no matter what machine i buy, be it a £200 Candy or £2000 Miele.
Thats the touble: I have a 20 year old Hotpoint machine now on its third set of brushes and its second door seal. And tagt is all thgats ever gone wrong.
The ten year old one has had its concrete lumps fall of, its motor go completely, and now is intermittently flooding the utility room floor.
It's not the brand that counts anymore sadly.
Its the model.
There are only three or four actual places that make this stuff - the brands are just badges stuck on top.
We have the same model bought about the same time and have had a few problems with it, though I must admit that these were in some sense self-inflicted.
I had a very nice steel six inch rule which went missing one day. I assumed it accidentally ended up under a floorboard while doing some plumbing. Some time later the machine faulted and I found about a two inch piece of rusted metal in the trap, which after clearing seemed to make everything ok. Six months later there was a problem with the gasket on a sensor located on the bottom of the drum at the back, which caused a leak. Inside there was another small bit of metal, about the same size. Unfortunately the leak had damaged the electronics located underneath on the floor of the machine, and we had to replace the board for about £120. However there was still a small leak, which I knew wasn't coming from the gasket, and discovered a tiny hole in the stainless steel outer drum. Also did another search of the area between the two drums and found a third two inch piece of metal. Serviceforce, who handles repairs for aeg, said we needed a new drum, but since the machine was five years old, the part was no longer made (they've now gone to plastic outer drums). They wanted to take back the parts that they had sold us since they couldn't complete the repair, but we told them to never mind. Instead I got a bit of epoxy and fixed the hole.
I had kept the pieces of metal, and one day holding one of them at a glancing angle in a very bright light I could just make out rulings, at which point it dawned on me where my ruler had gone! The repairman told us that objects getting between the two drums was the main cause of problems with these machines.
Now everything seems back to normal. The only part we are still lacking is one of the fins on the inside which broke off while washing some dog pillows! Several calls to the repair centre to get them to mail us one has produced no satisfaction. Anyone have any idea where else these can be bought?
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.