Bosch WAE series washing machines

[tompw60]

I got a Bosch series 4 WAE24377gb washing machine. I have been told by the Bosch engineers that these are very reliable machines. I have had mine for 10 years. It’s had 2 new heaters over the years and a new seal recently. It’s just me using it and I roughly use it 4-5 times a week. It doesn’t seem to like full loads much particularly towels and bedding and bath mats is it makes an awful noise on final spin sometimes think it’s going to fall apart even though I know it’s a solid machine. My godparents have an earlier WAE series Bosch Classixx they bought in 2012 but as far as I am aware they haven’t had any issues with theirs. It is kind of weird because they are in a hard water area like myself and they haven’t seemed to have any problems with theirs though they are quite elderly and unfortunately my godmother died this year. My godparents (well just my godfather is about now) were in their 80s and 90s and I had been told by the engineer that a lot of elderly people look after their machines very well. I am expecting it to last at least 15 years before it completely dies. My grandmother from my dad’s side had a Bosch classixx from 2006 and it had to be replaced 17 years later. She lives in an area where they have soft water. I regularly clean the filter on my washing machine. My grandma’s previous washing machine prior to the Bosch she had was an AEG from the 80s though I think she got in around 91 and lasted till 2006. It had a breakdown 4 years before it finally died. Her engineer managed to fix it before it completely died and reckoned that she could get another 10 years out of it. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. I am just wondering about this because although I been told that mine is a good machine and will last providing how well I look after it. I was told by the supplier that solid it to me to expect at least 12 years out of it. I manage to fit my single duvet in it to wash about once or twice a month and the same with my pillows.

 

[henene4]

4-5 times a week is considerable usage, but not out of the ordinary.

That's something like 250 cycles a year, about 500h a year lets say.
That's 5000h at 10 years.


There was a certain time range where heater failures every 5 or so years was common.
AEG had a similar streak around the same time, so i wouldn't be surprised if it's just a supplier issue, but couldn't say for sure.
It's kind of unfortunate that BSH fitted heaters from the front on these. Back fitted heaters are somewhat easier and quicker to replace. Especially if you don't go with brand name parts, a heater swap on a machine with a removable back panel and a heater fitted from the back is a 20 buck 20min job for anybody who can use a screwdriver.

These machines are well designed in so far that it has a splitable tub. That means in theory any repair is doable without 300 quid just in parts.



But at the same time: That was a 400 or max 500£ machine at the time.
That's far from TOL.
And it is very questionable if throwing any major parts at it makes financial sense if something major is up for replacement.



The heavy vibration might be the dampers going out.
At about 5000h that isn't out of the ordinary.