Here We Go Again Folks! Miele Needs New Brushes

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I've Been Struck Off!

Miele's top man from the service division contacted us to inform they will no longer provide service for my machine. Apparently the last service technican has relayed information that the internal wiring is "old" and "brittle" and in his opinion cannot withstand anymore movement or prodding for fear of something breaking or otherwise damaged. It is felt that because of liability issues (fear Miele USA would be held responsible) if anything happened to internal wiring/parts and since said are NLA thus repair isn't possible they do not wish to be holding the bag as it were.

Several times during the conversation the words "your machine is 20 years old.." was repeated often. One assumes to make a point that it is time to move on from this unit and consider purchasing a new washer.
 
 
That's silly.  My sister is using a Maytag toploader & dryer that are 28 years old.  I replaced the washer pump end of September.  She replaced the dryer belt two days ago.  Surely Miele can outrun Maytag, LOL.
 
Brittle wiring?

I have Maytags that are over 50 years old and the original wiring isn't anywhere near brittle. Well, minus the gas HOH's with their standing pilots, that I used to have....

 

Unless the unit is stored or used out in the elements or comes from the factory with extremely cheap wiring, there should be no problems at all with disturbing the wiring while changing the brushes. The ignorance that abounds these days is mindbogglingly!
 
@tolivac:

The Skil Mag77 is still readily available at tool jobbers - not at home improvement stores.

They are no longer made in the U.S., though, sadly.

That's why I like mine - it's on its 4th set of brushes and its 3rd power cord, but is still the best circular saw ever.

But you have to understand that whatever company owns Skil now realizes that selling one saw every 30 or 40 years is not a good short-term sales strategy in this short term world.

A lot of my tool chest is filled with tools made before that German guy with the funny mustache decided to try to mess up the western world.

Kind of quaint today, but I learned basic Farrier work (horse-shoeing) from my elders because they thought that was something every young man needed to know. Like how we want our daughters/sons to know how to change a flat tire today. Or how to call the auto club, which is really better than exposing your child to highway traffic while trying to change a tire.

The good part is everything old is new again, and I make some pocket money every month shoeing horses. Which lets me contribute to my political causes. Like supporting people that raise snipes and jackelopes in a cruelty-free environment.
 
Lowegian:
Your Skil 77 gets at LOT of use since you have replaced the brushes 4 times and the cord.Sort of sad on the machines availability-you used to be able to buy a 77 machine almost anywhere-including Lowes.Lots of hobbyists do buy them.As we say-beast hand circular saw ever!Bet the machines are built in Mexico now.So many tools are built there along with other itmes-including Sanitaire vacuum cleaners and Koblentz.Skil is part of the Emerson group-along with Bosch tools,Dremel,Roto-Zip.Tool jobbers in my small town are hard to find-just hang onto the 77 type machines I have.I don't use them as much as you do.
 
Well Now That One Is On One's Own So To Speak

Perhaps it is time to bite the bullet and purchase a second front loader to take some of the stress of the 1070. Would love an 1918 or even another 10XX series but finding either in good condition (especially the latter) is probably nil chance at this point. Well not unless there are some sitting in a rarely used pied-a-terre somewhere that haven't seen use since 1990! *LOL*

Miele is offering a *cough* discount on a new washer but one has to see just what is on offer. Quite honestly neither the 30XX nor 48XX series thrill me, but suppose for daily use either would be fine. Am not hearing lots of great things about the 48XX series in particular. Something about the boot can or has left bits of shavings on laundry and or causing damage to textiles.

Odd thing is one can find a decent supply of gently used Miele's in Canada, but MieleUSA won't touch such units with a barge pole. One *thinks* they may do repairs providing the unit isn't too old but the work carries no warranty.
 
@Laundress:

That Miele is offering you a yet unknown discount shows that they value you as a customer. And that has some value.

I doubt Whirlpool would offer you a good customer discount these days...
 
Frankly I think that may be a bunch of BS, I have a W1065 and the wiring is just fine. I know, since I had to work with it to replace the door lock solenoid (got a generic replacement part from Grainger, works fine). Most anything made since the 1950's has good quality vinyl insulated wiring which lasts for a very very long time. I can't say your wiring isn't brittle, which it might be if it were kept in an oven like storage container in the desert for 10 years. If it were my 1070 I'd be in there pulling the brushes and checking the motor bearings myself.

The 1918 is an excellent machine - I have one of those too. Keep your eyes peeled on Craigslist, they do pop up for reasonable prices from time to time.
 
Yes, one could look at it that way...

Or it is an attempt to shut me up once and for all! *LOL*

Thankfully one has always kept records of conversations and such a habit learned early in one's working career. Was able to tell Mr. Senior Miele Whatever His Title Is that am not the bad person here.

Was able to recount chapter and verse of conflicting information supplied by Miele's own customer service department and how one wished years ago to send the washer in to be overhauled when parts including the motor were available. Considering most of those parts are now gone and the reason is persons had *their* older Miele washer sent to NJ for work proves am not the only "looney" applinace customer out there.

Also reminded them that all over Europe in particular Germany there are Miele washers older than mine still in service. Difference is on that side of the pond one can find even young adults such as those who post on YouTube that can do these repairs.

IMHO what is happening is MieleUSA's older service persons/techs,the ones who started out >15 years or so ago with the company are moving on and or at least no longer make field calls. When you speak with the younger/new hires in NJ, CA, Utah and the other USA call centers they have Nooooooooo idea about anything other than modern offerings. Ok, they may know about the 19XX series but that is about it.
 
@tolivac:

There's been a great deal of power tool brand consolidation over the last few years. So much that I think that there are only 2 or 3 corporations any more that own all the well-known brands.

I guess they have to do what they have to do to survive and please their investors.

If you think about it, selling one really good circular saw to a person that gets 30 years' use out of it and could potentially pass it on to his/her children as long as parts were still available probably doesn't follow the growth model that pretty much all business schools say is needed for success.

I don't remember what I paid for my Mag77 - it was many, many years ago. But it wasn't cheap at the time. It was a serious expenditure, I remember that much.

But I do remember what I paid for lots of things that turned out to be a disappointment. Like my gently used "Brass Hat" 1985 Chevy Celebrity that turned me off to GM vehicles for about 20 years...I paid $10,500 for it and had a 10.5% loan from GMAC, both of who really treated me like I just fell off the turnip truck. I bought a Toyota, 2 Hondas, 3 Acuras and a few used Ford pickups before I gave them another chance.

Take care of your customer, and your customer will take care of you - at least that's what they used to say.
 
Lowegian-my Skil 77 wasn't cheap either-bought over 20yrs ago-with the metal case.The case is nice-stores blades and parts nicely-and has gone thru several moves!Skil built those machines to last-much like Ampex did with their tape machines-and both devices built where they can be serviced.New saws of course-are "dumpster" models-they break-you throw them out and buy a new one.Note they don't have external brush caps anymore.You have to take the machine all apart to service the brushes.I don't like GM cars either-rattletraps!some would disagree with me.I like Toyota cars.Despite recalls-if your car is recalled--they fix it and let you use a loaner while yours is fixed.I guess the idea of taking care of your customer is sort of fading in todays world??
 
Brittle wiring?? How many boil washes do you do in this machine? LOL

Dan is right, the ignorance is just mind boggling - or, it's just a matter of laziness. I suspect it's a combination of both. With all of the resources on this board, I'm sure you could master most of the repair procedures very quickly and keep that machine running another 20 years.

At any rate, I'm glad you have it working again and hope the rattling isn't too serious an issue.
 
IMHO, Miele USA is not on par with the service of Miele Germany and the Netherlands. I have never heard about brittle wiring, not even in Mieles that are much older than yours. If you don't want to work on the machine yourself I hope you can find a technician who will work on your machine without asking a fortune for it or not knowing what to do.
 
Thanks All!

If you Google various Miele products sold in the United States a fair number of complaints can be found, which is natural for any consumer good, however it is how Miele deals with them that seems to have a common thread.

Quite honestly MieleUSA telephone techs often treat consumers as if they don't know their own right mind. If for instance you state a washer is doing "X", they will respond "no,it cannot be doing that",or "you must be doing something wrong...". Once you presuade them to set up a service call, wait several days or weeks for the person to arrive, low and behold it turns out the consumer was correct.

Miele has taken over installation of it's laundry and one also assumes other appliances in certain states (IIRC CA, AZ, and few others) because of problems with the contracted service persons. In these areas it is now called "Miele Concierge" service.

From what one over heard from the tech's telephone conversation back to the main office, and also from the head man who contacted us it is not only the "brittle wiring", but something about the plastic connectors that causes them worry. Have no idea what they are talking about but am in no position to dispute what the serviceman says as one hasn't observed the internals at close range. Even if one had our reference base for that sort of thing is nil.

There are at least two other MieleUSA qualified repair services for NYC. One we used previously and he told us years ago he didn't want to be bothered again with our "old" machine. Indeed the man no longer returns our telephone calls. The other is new and we haven't used nor know of them. However if the warranty on parts/service calls comes via MieleUSA might still be in the lurch as we are in their databases.

For now intend on just using the washer as normal since there aren't any major or even seriously minor issues. The rattle didn't appear when Miele came back (same tech) on Saturday in response to one's complaint (had a load in the washer and of course the thing showed me up by spinning sans rattle), however later that day did a few more loads and it came back. It seems to be dependent upon load size and vibrations. Will check to make sure the washer is level and or all the screws at bottom are tight. Tech stated nothing can be "loose" inside as he only opened the unit up to examine the motor for location of brushes.

If worse comes to the worse think one can manage opening the service door/front of the washer to see what the potential source of the rattle could be, however that is a very last resort.

Meanwhile have found another 1070 that could be a potential source of scavenger parts, but as it is located in Canada that is probably not on.
 
Yes Laundress. You are Correct.

I'm having yet again a few issues with the 4842.

I called and spoke to a customer rep. and EXACTLY !!!. He told me how the machine could not in any way be acting up.

Then went on to tell me that I like many other consumers do not understand the principles of Front Loading Washers.

After I told him about my collection and how my Maytag 806 rinses better than the Miele even with the "Sensitive" option activated, he went off on me about I'm using too much detergent (2 tablespoons for 4 Hooded Sweatshirts and 2 pairs of Jeans) my water pressure probably is not high enough. In which I said "Well, doesn't the machine sense the water level ? Hmmmm??? So even IF the pressure was low, it should keep adding water until the sensor says enough ?

I was finally so frustrated with him, I Thanked him very much for being such an Important Part of my Day.

Shot off an e-mail this morning telling of my experience with this guy and expect to hear from someone soon.
 
I used to work in IT. I designed, built and maintained banks of file and print servers for Fortune 500 companies. I was flown around the world to do same to international sites. But I am the WORST customer when it comes to me having to call customer support about my internet connection, phone service, etc. It virtually drives me nuts when I explain the problem in detail and let them know I'm a computer professional (at least I was), and in turn get the 1st line customer service checklist routine. It's usually like pulling teeth to get the call escalated to a tech who actually knows the technology and can help. The arrogance of a washer mfg customer service rep telling someone they are doing something wrong when it's clear the fault is with the machine is astounding. I'd be writing letters, too.

At least with vintage washers that the manufacturer no longer supports, there's no need to go through that frustrating endless list of checklists, only to be given a bait-and-switch "if your machine doesn't work, you can buy a new one at inflated pricing with a discount that might bring the price down to just above what you could get retail anyway" routine.

I suspect part of the problem is the disdain that some (perhaps many) Germans have for Americans. I've heard of this from enough quarters that it rings of some truth. Of course, they do have a point, a lot of we Americans are idiots, but if their attitude means they fail to support the products that we pay good money for, well, we can take our business elsewhere. Or make it ourselves. Still, the older Mieles are such cool machines it would be a shame to see one put out of service for lack of competent local repair talent.
 
Miele 4842

Toploader55

Am sorry to hear you are having problems with your W4842. Isn't this the new machine Miele sent to replace your other "new" machine that had busted bearings?

It seems there are two camps of Miele 48XX owners; those that love them and those that would love to throw them off a cliff. *LOL*

Almost pulled the trigger a few times on used or even NIB 4842 units (the latter was being sold on CL NYC by someone whom had misjudged the size and when units arrived found it wouldn't fit undercounter), but all the complaints made me think twice.

For one thing the washer doesn't "fluff" at cycle end like my 1070 and most other older front loaders. Then there is the bit about the lip at the top of the rubber boot that is supposed to push laundry back into the tub. Some seem to think laundry rubbing against the thing is the cause of excessive textile wear.
 
Yes Laundress.

They did replace the machine this past July.

I am one that "Would love to throw it off a cliff."

I ran the machine set up as it was from the factory. With the "Sensitive" Option activated this is suppose to add an extra rinse or two.

I received through a member here from Germany the service manuel. I programmed in the Water Plus and High water levels. 2 tablespoons of Persil for Hard water and a Large Load certainly did not show any suds at all in the window during the wash. But after 3-4 rinses with deep water and the clothes still had residue, (and these are not by any means heavily soiled) I just want to get this figured out. For almost Two Thousand dollars, one would think these clothes would be taught how to do a Conga Line into the Dryer on their own !!! LOL
 

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