Miele

They have a good reputation for a reason.

B&D = cheap trash nowadays :(

Until recently I looked after a suite of Miele appliances made in 1985. The final straw was the WM drain pump started leaking and they didn't have the part. But when they did have parts they would cost as much as a new Beko. So it's not immediately clear the repair would have saved money, although as built in appliances it probably would have over the labour to redo the carpentry each time.

Theo

The strange thing about domestic white goods is that a number of makes use common components o yet seem to vary in quality / life span.

I tend to remove some bits from defunct machines and have often repair other makes or given them to people repair theirs.

We had an Ariston washer dryer which lasted 17 or 18 years, including some towards the end when it was used several times per day as we had 3 young children. I only recall replace a door seal and door lock / switch. We replaced it with another Ariston which only lasted about 8 years. We’ve not found Aristons since and bought various makes. Typically we get 6 / 7 years.

We must be due a new one 😒

Our first microwave, bought in about 1980, last even longer. It was still working when we disposed of it - Senior Management thought it looked tatty in the new kitchen. Total repair cost, about 70p on two large O rings to replace drive belts which snapped over the years.

I’ve lost count of how many Microwaves we’ve had since.

As told by a brother-in-law who worked for Miele. Several washing machine brands are made in the same factory.

This is interesting:

I don't think that tells us much. They probably make Tesco Value and Tesco Finest in the same factory, but the ingredients are different. That factory is making them each to a specification/recipe from Tesco, Tesco aren't just slapping Value and Finest labels on the same product.

This is very common (see also power tool brands). Another group is BSH Hausegeraete (part of Bosch) who make Bosch/Siemens/Neff/Gaggenau.

Miele is mostly their own thing AIUI - I think their refrigeration is subcontracted to Liebherr but they have more in house than most.

I think all brands subcontract to some extent: maybe they make washing machines themselves but kettles are made under contract by somebody else.

Theo

Liebherr being one?

Supposedly there are actual differences between those Miele/Liebherr, compared to Hotpoint/Indesit/Ariston or Hoover/Candy being cosmetic rebrands.

There is also the case on lower specified (mid priced) appliances being being of Chinese manufacture and the high price units still being manufactured in Europe. They possible shared common components in that the "Quality" item with the same brand name from Europe have the same Chinese components.

There is also the difference between made in XX in or assembled in XX.

Many brand names of the past are just that, just a name to put on a badge and stuck on to a no-name item. I'm aware of some early, but identical, digital TV receiver boxes being sold under 6 different brand names and at different price points. Some being targeted at customers who still had brand loyalty where the badge in the past indicated a perceived quality, and could be sold for a much higher price.

Similar to Austin/Morris/MG/Vanden Plas back in the Brtish Leyland days. All made on exactly the same production line, sharing the same basic components, but MGs and Vanden Plas cost more.

I once had a Citroen ZX which shared the same engine, running gear and suspension as one of the Peugeot models. When looking for spares or replacement consumable parts the Peugeot parts were always a lot cheaper than the Citroen parts even when they were not OEM

going back to the 1960S. A Mini used the same Lucas part as an Anglia for a (DC) generator, but it was about 10% cheaper at a Ford Dealer than a BMC dealer.

And Wolseley, and Riley.

They may have had the same mechanical parts, but the trim quality changed , deepnding on the make - so it wasn't just the badge that altered.

A local chap who ran a white Rolls Royce as a wedding car told me that brake parts were the same as on some Fords.

Often the trick is knowing this so you don't have to go to the RR main dealer and pay inflated prices.