Rant: Modern household appliances are of poorer quality

[dodge man]

We are also Speed Queen fans. We found an appliance store that is about an hour drive, kind of a mom and pop store but run by a younger couple. They know their stuff. We have also had bad luck with Samsung appliances. Our dishwasher went bad, couldn’t get parts, as in never. The part that went bad would have cost over $400 if it was available.

 

[MossRoad]

One of our dishwashers stopped working after about 5 years. Can't remember the brand. It was about a $350 dishwasher new. Only possible problem was one of only 2 circuit boards in the machine. Each replacement circuit board was about $150. So do you take a 50/50 chance and throw $150 at a $350 machine and maybe it's not gonna work, so you might have to throw another $150 and now you're looking at investing $300 in a $350 machine? Nope. Get new one that'll last another 5 years.

 

[Gem99ultra]

We had to replace our "top-quality" 5-year old LG refrigerator about 6 months ago. After numerous service calls, provided by incompetent LG's sub-contractor repairs, it finally was unrepairable. That ordeal put us out of having a refrigerator for about 2 months.
We replaced the LG with a GE, for a mere $3500. Now, within the first 6 weeks, we're on the 4th service call due to malfunctioning ice maker.
Lesson Learned: You can't buy quality for any price.

 

[MossRoad]

Anybody price the cost of a replacement plastic vegetable crisper drawer for a refrigerator? YIKES!

 

[2manyrocks]

I bought a house in the 1980s that had a Kitchenaid dishwasher of unknown age in it along with some kind of refrigerator. Both were still working when I sold the house 18 years later although I had to replace the door gasket on the dishwasher. The local appliance parts place had the gasket and it was only a few dollars.

The new dishwasher I bought for the new house never worked right from day one. It sounded like it was working, but the dishes never got clean.

The plain ole white box refrigerator I bought in 2001 still works fine, but Mrs. Rocks wanted a two door stainless that was $1,400 last year. And that was the least expensive model we could find. Something tells me I'll be carting the old refrigerator back into the kitchen one day.

 

[MossRoad]

We've got one fridge in our basement that we bought some time before 1995. I don't know when, but do know it was at our last house. And the one in our kitchen is probably 12 years old. Chest freezer in the basement is 1996.

 

[jaydee325]

One of our dishwashers stopped working after about 5 years. Can't remember the brand. It was about a $350 dishwasher new. Only possible problem was one of only 2 circuit boards in the machine. Each replacement circuit board was about $150. So do you take a 50/50 chance and throw $150 at a $350 machine and maybe it's not gonna work, so you might have to throw another $150 and now you're looking at investing $300 in a $350 machine? Nope. Get new one that'll last another 5 years.

An appliance repairman told me one time to never buy an expensive dishwasher. From basic to high end in the model range, all have the same mechanicals inside!

 

[Hay Dude]

We have a GE monogram refrigerator. Looks like a knock off of a sub zero.
Has run for 20 years with only one repair for a primer bulb. Excellent appliance

 

[Hay Dude]

An appliance repairman told me one time to never buy an expensive dishwasher. From basic to high end in the model range, all have the same mechanicals inside!

That is 100% true. I hunt with a retired appliance repairman. He said buy the base model of the highest quality brand you can afford. The bells & whistles just cause more repairs down the road.

 

[2manyrocks]

My parents had a GE refrigerator for over 40 years. Replaced it with an Amana in 1998 that's still running fine.

 

[MossRoad]

We are religious about running soft water to the dishwasher. The first one got plugged with lime. That's not what killed it, but it seriously lowered the wash quality. So the last 3 have all been spotless inside. No lime or calcium buildup. The new ones are also water savers, so they use less water and have to have smaller jets than the old ones to increase pressure. So another reason to only use soft water. I do have to say that our current Bosch is very quiet. Only when it fills at first can you hear any moans and groans, clicks and clacks. After that it's a nice quiet woosh. You can have a normal conversation in the kitchen with it running. The old ones sounded like a power washer inside a box of broken glass!

 

[JethroB]

Anybody price the cost of a replacement plastic vegetable crisper drawer for a refrigerator? YIKES!

Some of those refrigerator removable plastic bins from discarded ones make great storage & parts bins for the shop. See through too.

 

[tacticalturnip]

We've got a GE portable dishwasher that we've had at least a decade now, and it just keeps chugging along. It's ugly, it's basic, and it has to be connected to my kitchen sink- but it's never given us any trouble. I've been extremely impressed.

Knock on wood.

Now, washing machines, on the other hand...

 

[not2old]

I purchased a Samsung basic top freezer/fridge and it quit working 1 year and 2 weeks later so tech came out 3 times to deem it nonrepairable.

My neighbour put in all "better" quality Samsung appliances in his new house. About two or three months after the warranty expired his stove quit and he had determined that it was the printed circuit board. I warned him that they were stupid expensive and that it was going to hurt his wallet. Next day he told me it was about $400.00 but he needed to order it. A few days later he tells me the part is obsolete and Samsung offered $100.00 discount on a new stove. While my Samsung printer has worked flawlessly for years, I will never buy that brand of anything again.

 

[scaredychicken]

most are junk - cheap parts, limited warranties, disposable production mentality ... makes the Corporations the most money.
they aren't focussed on quality sales, they intend on having (forced) repeat sales

that said, our 2 BOSCH Dishwashers have been solid - 20 years and 7 yrs, both still great. and my Technics Stereo and Klipsch bookshelf speakers are also still solid after 35 years

but don't get me started on Maytag Neptune washer / dryer though (the "repair" was a spray can of fabric softener) - class action lawsuit participation was useless. My wife was in tears. We remedied that by taking turns dragging those units bouncing away behind the ATV down our country road for a Km at 40 kms/ hr. They were mangled, and then loaded and delivered to scrap metal. it was therapeutic

 

[2manyrocks]

Our Kenwood high efficiency clothes washer didn't last very long, either, before the bearings were shot. I went back to a plain GE clothes washer that lasted maybe 15 years before the timer got messed up, but parts are no longer available and used timers are something like $200. The new one is quieter, but I have no clue how long it might last.

I still have my grandmother's wash board if all else fails.

 

[Oaktree]

We had to replace our "top-quality" 5-year old LG refrigerator about 6 months ago. After numerous service calls, provided by incompetent LG's sub-contractor repairs, it finally was unrepairable. That ordeal put us out of having a refrigerator for about 2 months.
We replaced the LG with a GE, for a mere $3500. Now, within the first 6 weeks, we're on the 4th service call due to malfunctioning ice maker.

Lotsa luck finding someone who repairs appliances anymore, regardless of competence. I'm sure it's a combination of a trade no one's interested in learning anymore and the general unrepairability of modern appliances.

Icemakers are a high failure item anyway. We don't use enough to make it worth it.

 

[MossRoad]

Our Kenwood high efficiency clothes washer didn't last very long, either, before the bearings were shot. I went back to a plain GE clothes washer that lasted maybe 15 years before the timer got messed up, but parts are no longer available and used timers are something like $200. The new one is quieter, but I have no clue how long it might last.

I still have my grandmother's wash board if all else fails.

 

[Jstpssng]

Icemakers are a high failure item anyway. We don't use enough to make it worth it.

I understand that after a few years of twisting that cheap plastic they break but JeezE! they only cost a couple of bucks apiece. Plus when they break those little compartments are great for putting small nuts and bolts in when you are taking something apart.

 

[MossRoad]