Anyone know if any of the washing machine manufacturers still make any of them in the UK? I'm going to need a new one, and if there are still any made here, I'd take a first look at them.
I know Hotpoint used to manufacture in Peterborough back when it was part of GEC and later GE, but as it's now a name owned by Indesit/Merloni, they might not have any manufacturing here anymore (I don't know).
On 25 May 2009 21:42:04 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@cucumber.demon.co.uk (Andrew Gabriel) had this to say:
Apparently Hoover have recently closed their washing machine plant in Wales. Not that their recent machines have been any good at all...
Anyone else remember the Rolls washing machine? Wasn't that made in England?
Just found that Indesit (Hotpoint) are in the middle of closing their washing machine factory in Wales...
Look like we just can't make anything, sigh.
What make will you be looking at now?
Miele?
Don't know. I've been very happy with the Hotpoint I've got, which is 23 years old now. It was top of their range when I bought it. It was about 16 years before anything went wrong, but I've repaired all problems with it myself -- Hotpoint spares are easily available and very cheap. It has very well designed wash programmes -- I have seen a number of other machines (by no means all), but I've not seen anything as well thought through. (I did have a few chats with some of their design engineers over lunch in the GEC staff canteen, and I found it interesting to know what they were designing the machine to do at various points in the cycle.)
So I guess DIY servicability, availability of spares at reasonable prices, and well designed programming would be what I'd look for in a manufacturer. (e.g. not one which uses drums with no replacable bearings or seals, so the machine is virtually written off when some £3 part wears out, which seems to be becoming more common. Unfortunately, this detail is not on the product data sheets;-)
For the model, I'd be looking for: fast spin, no tumble drier,
5kg (or more) load, half/reduced load option, delayed start. Ability to remember programmes you create also a plus.I guess with Hotpoint being just a brand of Meloni now, and the Wales factory closing, it's questionable if Hotpoint today really has any connections with the Hotpoint I have. If they were still made in the UK, I would probably go for the Hotpoint WMD 960, but as they aren't, I'll browse other manufacturer's models too, but may still go for the Hotpoint.
The other possibility is to repair the Hotpoint I've got. It needs a new outer drum at just over £100 -- it's a question of if it's worth £100+ to mend a 23 year old machine. If it went for another
5 years, then probably yes. If some part died a few months later for which there are no more spares (such as the motor), then it was just money and effort down the drain.The message from snipped-for-privacy@cucumber.demon.co.uk (Andrew Gabriel) contains these words:
Have you considered
Specced in this country and built, if I understand correctly, by Asko-Asea in Sweden. Had an Asko dishwasher for many years -- no complaints. The better ISE machines have a 10-year parts and labour warranty. They sell machines under £500 with a 5-year parts and labour warranty.
No idea what they are like or cost but
£782 for a washer with 10 year warranty - not made in UK but fulfils the repairability criteria above (or seems to)
Except there only seem to be about 4 spare parts available, probably because they think everything else will be a guarantee repair so you couldn't need any parts.
So it's about 3 times the price of a Hotpoint, as insurance for no repairs in 10 years. Well, my Hotpoint had no repairs in 16 years, so that's maybe not such a good deal. If it lasts 20 years, I could actually not repair, but completely replace the Hotpoint 3 times, and still not lose. It looks like a nice machine, but even so, it's extremely difficult to justify the price tag. The reason for DIY servicability is to keep the lifetime price down, but with such a loading up front, you've lost before you even start.
I tend to agree. We bought a Beko for £199 which has been faultless so far (2years). Another 6 months and it's cheaper to just keep buying cheap Bekos (if not very environmentally friendly) except that it will probably go on longer than that.
Silly question, but can't you just buy another identical Hotpoint second-hand? Either take the risk that it will be less worn, or cobble together the best machine you can using parts from both, or - if you have space - keep both machines around with one as a spares source for the other as/when needed.
That hinges on finding an identical one, I suppose (I'm blessed with washing machine technology here in the US which hasn't really progressed in a good 40 years - which at least means that parts are very easy to come by!)
cheers
Jules
=A3800 with 10yr warranty is WAY too much front loading :-) Last summer you could scrape a Miele 5yr at 450, 10yr at 620.
Better to wait for the "free 5yr warranty" on midrange.
- Siemens 488 at JL with 5yr warranty (or used to be)
- Stick 312 in 5.2% ISA AAA bond fund at 5yrs =3D 402 (buys another)
- Stick 312 in 5.2% ISA AAA bond fund at 7yrs =3D 445
- Stick 312 in 5.2% ISA AAA bond fund at 10yrs =3D 518 (buys another)
You could instead stick =A3312 in a loony stock fund (BRIC).
- In which case you MIGHT get 160 312 650 back at 10yrs
Siemens/Bosch W/M pumps are cheap. However things like a motor will write the machine off, and a door gasket or such is probably 2-3 times that of a Hotpoint.
Self insurance is worthwhile on many things, except Laptops & TVs due to parts cost or design faults (T4x R5x X4x ATI BGA failure spring to mind, trying to get replies on "what Type or graphics chipset is it?" is hilarious from T43 sellers on Ebay, like asking an MP about expenses up until this year).
This is what you get in our "throw-away" society. It's cheaper to throw away and replace than repair. I'd rather a w/m that lasts a long time and not have to suffer SWMBO moaning at me to fix it or replace it every couple of years.
Mark coughed up some electrons that declared:
My sentiments too. This is definately a Miele moment. Incidentally, I have a Miele washer - bottom-ish end, comparable features to a top end Bosch (my other choice). The other benefit to me is it washes *better* than any other machine I've ever had, doesn't shake itself all over the room (full of cast iron drum weights, no cheap concrete for them). Seems to take reasonable levels of abuse too.
Cheers
Tim
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember snipped-for-privacy@cucumber.demon.co.uk (Andrew Gabriel) saying something like:
Electrolux is still alive and kicking in Luton, and has been for decades.
And NOTHING sucks, like an electrolux..
They haven't *made* anything there for many years as they moved all the manufacture to "low cost countries". I suppose you are keeping the office staff there in a job by buying Electrolux.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Bob Mannix" saying something like:
Oh bugger. So, there's just warehousemen and paper-pushers there, now. I used to have a connection with the place and I must say I'm a bit disappointed.
Is anything still made in the UK?
Grimly Curmudgeon coughed up some electrons that declared:
Crap management decisions.
In fact we lead the world...
I was working in that area through the 1980's and early 1990's and I remember the Electrolux factory closing sometime during that period, although I can't put a date on it, I think it was
1980's. When I first moved in to the area, I remember Electrolux and other local large factories being on the regular road direction signs, which I hadn't seen before, but it wasn't long before they all pointed to empty factories.Not if it involves people -- too many other countries to do that sort of work much cheaper.
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