Frigidaire 3.5cu ft. washer. Dead on Arrival

[imperial70]

I just received a brand new GL29... front loader. The one that is 3.5 Cubic Ft. Electronic knob control. Dead on arrival.
It fills for about 2 seconds, pauses, tries again, pauses. Then just looks at me.
I put it in drain/spin. Drains for a second or 2, stops, then starts to do that again. Never spins. I called Frigidaire, they said it is definitely DOA. Repair man on the way. Thank God I have my Kenmore 70 around. What a bummer.
Never had a DOA washer before. By the way they are built in Iowa, so I would expect better.

 

[steved]

I wonder if this is similar situation to my sisters.......

 

[launderess]

Well I saw them yesterday and both washers and dryer looked pretty flimsy to me. Certianly not of the Bosch Nexxt or even LG quality. The door in particular looked of cheap thin plastic. Didn't even make the nice reassuring "click" when closed. Heck even the new MaySung units seemed better built IMHO.

Best of luck to your sister. I'd return those units ASAP for a new set. If they arrived with trouble,then probably will be nothing but trouble later on.

Launderess

 

[partscounterman]

Don't mean to insult your intelligence but...

Often saw a similar condition with the HE3T or the Duet. Are there shipping bolts that need to be removed?

Just askin'

 

[westie2]

If like the Kenmore's 3.5 there is a big brace with long bolts on the back and then underneath are two large styrafoam blocks to remove.

 

[imperial70]

Oh, don't get me going. They did remove the shipping material. I had to stand over them to make sure it was done. They started by trying to kick-out the styrofoam braces in the front. The instructions clearly state to remove the long brace and the other bolts from the rear first. Then remove the styrofoam.
There was styrofoam everywhere when I looked in. Maybe that had something to do with it?
The door is actually metal. I saw the machine almost completly apart. It looks pretty much like the 3.1 IEC front loader they made originally. The repair man that came said that those were very reliable. Only problems he has seen is with overloading and that is what this new machine should solve.
I almost told them to give my money back. But I'll give one more try.
I really like to by american made appliances.

 

[Designgeek]

Statistically there are almost bound to be some DOAs coming off every assembly line for every product; and that's what warranties are intended to solve. Ideal case is perfect QC, but in reality there's no way to achieve 100.000%. (For example, I've never had an "out-of-box failure" on a Panasonic PBX or voicemail unit in about 20 years installing them. The one case that looked like a DOA was actually due to power problems in the client's building.)

And of course, cases of trouble are more likely to turn up in places like this looking for solutions, so we'll hear about them to a degree that makes it appear they are more frequent than they really are.

Imperial, I'd guess that after whatever initially defective parts are replaced, your machine is going to be fine. Give it the benefit of the doubt, treat it with reasonable care, and see what happens. Expectations have subtle effects on human/machine interactions; this is a subject that design engineers often discuss, worry about, and try hard to achieve good results with.

If you put yourself in the frame of mind to expect the machine will work well, then you'll treat it like you expect to have it around for years, and by treating it better, it will perform better and last longer.

 

[ironrite]

Sorry to hear that happen to you. When I got my Frigidaire F/L a couple of years ago, the same thing happened. Though first I had to have a plumber replace the two leaking cold/hot water valves in the wall. Then loaded it up with clothes, bleach, softener, flipped it on, then nothing!

I called service, raised a bit of heck with them, and the guy was out in an hour. Turns out there is some sort of pressure switch that senses water. One of the leads had come off during transit. He pushed it back on and the machine fired up.

 

[imperial70]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Hudson Appliance sent out a brand new machine instead of trying to repair the existing one (parts would take 1 week). Fired up just fine (they did send a new install crew that was better at the install).
Having a little problem on the high-speed spin with vibration. Looks level side-to-side, but it's the front to back where it tilts to the rear a bit. Feels firmly placed on the floor but if the load is a mix of towels and sheets it vibrates in the final spin. Doesn't slow down, just a vibrate.
Otherwise, works great!

 

[kenmore1978]

vibration

towels and sheets shouldn't mixed in ANY machine, TL or FL. It's just asking for an unbalanced cndition. Sheets are very lightweight, while towels are heavy. And that mix also throws off dryers with electronic dryness sensors. Dependon the mix ratio, the dryer will run until the towels are dry, overdrying the sheets (or other lightweight items) or it will stop when the lightweight items are dry, leaving the heavy twels or other heavy cotton items still wet. I had a heck of a time getting roommates to not do that. Seems like nobody is taught how to do laundry anymore, people just throw everything into the same load with no sorting at all. Same thing with breaking the "pre-rinse" habit with the dishwasher.

 

[imperial70]

Update on Frigidaire GLTF2940ES

Hi All,
Been using the washer for almost 1 month now. Love it. Can't get over how quiet it is. Easy to use. One know sets everything, unless you want to override it. Spins quietly and the clothes come out dry. Bulky cycle managed a full size comforter. Puts in extra water and takes special care in getting it to balance. Spun at the highest speed effortlessly. I hope the bearing problems of it's predecessor (1600 series) has been corrected.

The rubber boot has me concerned with water collection, but leaving the door open has avoided any smells; that and the fact we do bleach our whites.

Still getting use to the sound of the drain pump that kicks in during the middle of all that quiet.

I hope to provide updates if anything happens.... or not. ;-)

 

[jetcone]

Nice Update Imperial70

I just saw them at Gray's Appliance and fell in love! The price point is excellent compared to ALL the other jummbo tumblers!

I just posted a link under the Super forum to the website where you can download the PARTS MANUAL! Way kewel!

How do you like that "Advanced Rinse Technology" it uses that was invented by Bendix in 1938???

I agree with you it is nice to be able to buy an American built appliance that is globally compeptitive with LG and HE3t's and even Miele now!

Would love to come to a wash in at your place and try it out!!

Jet

Jet

 

[Designgeek]

Good to hear that the replacement machine is working well.

Note, all front loaders will have a greater degree of vibration during the spin cycle than equivalent capacity top loaders. This is because if the load is even a little offbalance, when it spins it acts like a weight being thrown "up and down" (rather than "side to side" as in a top loader). The key to solving the vibration issue is in having a proper mix of the items that make up each load, plus the size of the load. This is usually easy enough with the quantity of laundry the average family generates in a week.

Re. the door seal/gasket: Yes, leave the door a bit open, and occasionally wash a load in bleach, and you'll never have a problem with mold or funny smells. You can also take a hand towel and gently pat dry the rubber seal area to soak up any remaining water after a cycle. All appliances need regular care & maintenance, this isn't any different.

 

[laundromat]

larger front loaders

I am still waiting untill the new GE set is released this summer.The GE representative told me they are out to win the market on them and the prices are going top be around $750 for the washer and $550 for the dryer and they will be available in white,silver and black.They will be making specific models(i.e.Adora) for specific stores like Lowes and The Home Depot to keep the price comparison from effecting the cost.I have seen them and they are realy going to be a major hit!!!

 

[frigilux]

I went to my Frigidaire/Maytag dealer yesterday to see the new Frigi FL. I like their looks. He wanted $749 for the TOL washer and $649 for the dryer.

I've been tempted by the new Maytag FL'ers, too, but I can buy the Frigidaires for just a bit over the cost of the Maytag washer alone......oh, decisions, decisions....

 

[imperial70]

ART?

Jetcone,
You mention the Advanced Rinsing Technology. I was wondering what that was because all I see is a series of drains and fills after the main wash. 3 rinses is the norm (4 with the extra rinse). The first rinse actually injects bleach if it is in the dispenser. There is a noticible improvement in bleaching right there. The next rinse is just a freshwater rinse. The third rinse can be either another freshwater rinse (or inject softener) if it is the final rinse). If the 4th rinse is selected, that is the fabric softener rinse. All rinses are tumble wash rinses in both directions. I was expecting some fancy spray rinse type technology.

The clothes are noticably whiter, and fresher in the frontloader than my 1997 70-series kenmore. That machine didn't have a spray rinse after the wash. So it always rinses in scummy water.