Hotpoint Washer Exploded

[hotpointfan]

Watchdog

You can still report storys via there website! Poor Indesit group! First the Moon, then the Quadrio and now this?

 

[aquarius8000]

Oops! will the wt960 explode? the wma63 wanted escape today

 

[aquacycle]

Haier and Beko...

Actually, both Haier and Beko are companies in their own right and are not "unbanded junk". Although Haier have been notoriously unreliable and are widely accepted as the worst brand of washing machine currently on sale, Beko aren't half bad. I was especially impressed with their latest range. I'd sooner own a Beko over anything that Indesit have ever churned out.

 

[fl1012]

Drum Seem

It does look very thin for something that needs to take so much pressure. I would say 'they must know what they're doing' but after this you gotta wonder. On our albeit fairly old Zanussi (2001 ish) the drum seem is almost ribbed, like it's been punched/indented in small sections to reinforce it. I've never seen an Indesit/Hotpoint drum like yours prior to failure so i dunno how strong it looks in comparison, but that rusty strip does look abit feeble.

Definately no harm contacting the various organisations, including Watchdog via their website. The response from Hotpoint/Indesit seems good to me, but what annoys me is that nothing is done until a problem occurs. If it was a car, the manufacturer has to recall even if there's minimal chance of a failure that could compromise safety. Similarly the hammering Beko took from the Authorities/Press when they announced that a batch of older model fridge freezers could catch fire. It seems if you keep hush like Indesit & Candy then it's ok but if you admit a problem (like Beko) then you get punished.

I wouldn't trust a Haier as far as i could chuck them, but Beko washers are alright for the money. I'd have a Beko over most Hotpoint's, though the signs are there that Hotpoint/Indesit have started to turn a corner. It's v difficult to judge todays appliances as the quality can rise & fall from one range to the next - Zanussi dropped dramatically around 2005 when it stopped it's FJS & FLE ranges & moved over to ZWF models, similarly Hoover's quality dropped fast when the Nextra range stopped and Vision HD/Optima ranges started. Hotpoint seemed worst with the WF range (or those of the same age - 2005 ish) but then started to get better again with the latest range looking quite good for the price.

The general rule of thumb seems to be that the least risky brands are (in rough ascending price order) Zanussi, Gorenje, AEG, Bosch, LG, Miele, though AEG doesn't always seem worth the extra money over a Zanussi (same manufacturer, Electrolux) & Bosch is dependant on where it's made (the cheaper stuff isn't always German & can be rubbish).

Hoover/Candy, Haier & Bush seem the ones to avoid, Whirlpool follows not far behind & Hotpoint/Indesit & Beko sit somewhere in the middle, with Hotpoint making less sence than Indesit as they share components but cost more to buy. Beko make sence as a budget choice (upto £250 ish) but i wouldn't spend a fortune on one.

The only thing Beko don't seem to do very well is tumble dryers. All their other stuff seems alright to me. If i was on a budget for a dryer i'd get a cheap Zanussi or a White Knight (made in Britain).

Anyway, i've rambled so i'll shut-up!

Liam

 

[domesticbliss]

Interesting!! Especially about Beko. I didn't mean Beko and Haier were "unbranded junk" just was in the same sentence. You're right, they are both companies in their own right. Beko being based in Watford near where I used to work. It is still a brand name though, owned by Arcelik or something and most of it coming from Turkey (fridges at least)]

After studying the Bush range (Argos now own both the Alba and Bush brand names) in argos, they are near on identical to the Beko's, as are the ProAction models.

Haier.......used to work on their Air Conditioning. Cheap cheapo cheap in every sense of the word.

My mum had 2 Bosch machines after having her Electra/Creda 11500 for 17 years, and the Bosch ones weren't anything special. Bosch/Siemens/Neff is overrated in my opinion!

We did consider a Beko, especially their latest WMB range. Wasn't sure though...............might have bitten the bullet at the right price. The specs are certainly good. I have heard stories of the cheaper models taking AGES to complete a cycle, even the alleged quick wash cycles. Anyone heard of this?

 

[domesticbliss]

White Knight

Now you mention it, we have a small white knight dryer and my in-laws have the larger condensing version. Both machines get hammered and are fantastic, albeit basic and a little plasticky. I had to put a new run capacitor on mine once as the motor wouldn't turn but apart from that its been brilliant. Yes, British made too (Yorkshire I believe?)

Wayne

 

[aquacycle]

Beko cycle lengths...

You're right, the cheaper Beko's take FOREVER to do a wash cycle. I had the basic 1000rpm Beko (pictured below) and as much as it did wash well, it took a very long time. The newer models have improved on this, as they now have the addition of time saver buttons and "daily wash" cycles that take around an 40 mins - 1 hour. They're also very simple machines, easy to repair and cheap on parts. They remind me a lot of old Hotpoints in that they're not the best machines, not the most reliable, but they're reasonably priced, wash well, cheap on parts, simple yet effective.

 

[aquacycle]

Bush/Proaction...

Bush and Proaction washers are made by Haier and Vestle, depending on the model.

 

[haxisfan]

Long wash times...

Hi 'domesticbliss', it seems that the many manufacturers take away some of the wash options we mostly love on their BOL versions, it's just the way the market goes... if you want more you've got to pay more! So, if you are into Beko, just make sure the model you're after offers the options you deem essential to your wash habits. You can usually search a particular model online and even download the manual... so you know what you're getting ;-)

'FL1012' I agree with you while you're hinting at the declining quality in the world of white goods, but I strongly disagree about putting Candy/Hoover on the same level as Haier... and especially not beyond Hotpoint/Indesit! It's still a brand that I trust and there's plenty of evidence around that I'm not the only one to do so (do you ever read reviews? Yet, I'm aware that reviews are not the be all and end all of a product's integrity). I've recently added even some more Candy appliances to my household, with the latest being a frost free fridge-freezer (Krio) which once again only manages to put a smile upon my face everytime I walk past it: it's good looking, well built, quiet and above all it excels at doing the job it's meant to do!

As for Bosch I cannot agree more with you 'domesticbliss' and the overrated theory... and in my book, I would say the same thing about the entire Electrolux group. Having said that, I still believe in her majesty 'Miele' although even that isn't perfect.

Well... I'm still glad all these brands exist... plenty of choice and variety ;-)

 

[fl1012]

Beko

I think Beko have built up quite a decent reputation for themselves, hence why so many guys on here are positive towards them, including me. There's alot of owner reviews on Currys & Comet websites, plus owners on Which? where people have bought them after being let down by a more expensive machine from well-known brands, only to be very pleasantly surprised by Beko. You're correct, they're owned by Arcelik, a Turkish firm. Bit of an unfortunate name if you ask me, i think everything of theirs is made in Turkey, certainly everything i've seen of theirs has said 'Made in Turkey'.

As AquaCycle said, some of their machines were noted for taking an age to complete cycle, but they did do machines with Intensive cycles & many have Quick or Quicker Wash buttons/cycles. Long cycles is a critisism of many modern machines, Beko's just one of them.

Agreed re Bosch/Neff/Siemens - it's badge snobbery that keeps them in business. Theyre abit like VW Group, bit of fancy plastic & all of a sudden it means they ooze quality from top to bottom. Over-rated & often overpriced. The cheaper Bosch stuff that family & friends have had has been rubbish. Could've bought a Beko for less & had it last longer. Their higher end stuff is ok but it rivals Miele & LG for price & both of those seem to do things better i think.

White Knight build their dryers in the Hipperholme factory near Halifax, West Yorkshire, which used to be owned by Philips. I kinda liken them to Fiat. Cheap plastics but the important bits are pretty sound, and the prices are very competitive. Plus you get that feel-good factor from buying one of the last remaining appliances made in Britain.

 

[steve1-18]

In the words of Frank Romano: "HOLY CRAP!"

 

[fl1012]

Hoover/Candy

Hi Haxifan

I know Hoover/Candy have their fans, and they certainly seem more popular in Europe, but i just don't rate them. My Auntie's Candy Activa Smart seems alright, but it's from the Hoover Nextra era of machines that was abit better made than the later ranges. Even that has let out a burning smell on a few occasions.

The reviews from owners of their appliances in the UK is not complimentary at all. Even though Which? magazine rated some Candy Grand O washers as best-buys, so many owners have complained of machines being delivered with faults or the machine suffering breakdown after just over 1 years service, that Which? has removed some of the products Best-Buy awards. It's not helped by a less than perfect service from Hoover/Candy, who don't seem to treat faults seriously enough.

Im afraid therefore, that whilst i'm not a huge fan of Indesit/Hotpoint's newer stuff either, i think Candy/Hoover is poorer. The day they start producing stuff that's worth the money they ask (they're not even THAT cheap) is the day i'll start to change my mind.

Liam

 

[jetcone]

in 15 of 28

that round box with wires is your water level sensor.

Wow cheap welding or design for sure. Especially after, what, almost 100 years of washer construction in the world!!

You should DEFINITELY get a new countertop. Especially since some "bean counter" at Hotpoint pushed to save a few $$ so now you have to shell out those $$ for a countertop!

 

 

[haxisfan]

Hi FL1012

Thanks for getting back to me.

I feel you probably slightly misunderstood my words... I was referring to reviews from UK sites rather than from other European places: most of them get good reviews and few bad ones as it's the norm with almost any other product. Even if you take a look on UK auction sites you don't see as many failing Hoover/Candy as from some other brands. Still, as I said earlier, reviews can only be somewhat indicative and they have to be taken with a pinch of salt... to truly interpret them one has to consider many aspects... such as who's writing them, what is being evaluated, what mood they were in when they wrote them, why they wrote them and so forth. No... what I really really trust, is long consolidated experience from my part and from those I know.

Unfortunately, there's has been a bit of mixed-up story about this brand in the UK for years... I don't won't to speculate here... but half of it has been speculation anyway! I was seriously put off against Candy-Hoover 12 years ago when I bought my 1st Candy appliance, an upright freezer... so, during my decision making stage I thought "the hell with it... at the end of the day it's only a cheepo", so I got it! I continued gaining trust in this brand and after my 3 year old failing Indesit dishwasher I gambled on Candy-Hoover again and there you have me dishwashing away for 9 trouble free years (and I expect some more). That decided it: et voila... another year went by and there there was... another Candy-Hoover on my doorstep! A washing machine this time: what a breath of fresh air after all the hassle I had with my previous Zanussi!! The list could carry on for ever, but... regrettably, there's only a limited number of appliances that one can have... although I'd love to adopt them all... but I don't have the space I'm afraid.

I can see that my Candy microwave is made in China and... well. I haven't checked the fridge, but it's too early to talk about reliability, yet... so far so good... and as I said earlier they put a massive green tick in all the remaining boxes! I'm afraid, it's history repeating itself: the amount of unjustified negativity about this group (Candy-Hoover) from a very limited circle of people hasn't changed much in the last couple of decades, however my experience has prooved at large the utter lack of foundation in these defamatory claims.

Anyway... enough rambling from me... for now

 

[arbilab]

Doesn't Candy/Hoover/Electrolux own Zanussi?

I've got 2 GE microwaves. The '82 contains Toshiba parts, still works. The '85 that came with the apartment was made in Korea, had to have the board replaced this spring. Nothing made today is going to last 26 years.

 

[domesticbliss]

Separate Brands

As far as I am aware, Electrolux (AEG/Moffat/Zanussi etc) are separate to Hoover/Candy.

 

[aquacycle]

Correct - Zanussi, AEG and John Lewis machines are all made by the Electrolux Group. Hoover and Candy are both made by Candy.

 

[domesticbliss]

So.........new washer arrived. It works and hasn't blown up yet. I have the problem of excessive vibration again though. The machine is perfectly level, but sits on Laminate Flooring on top of wooden floor boards. Anyone have any suggestions? Was thinking of a plinth to spread the load on the floor or some kind of anti vibration mat?
The cheque for the clothing also arrived today. Also had phone call from Indesit and they want a quotation for thee worktop replacement, then they said they will sort it for us.

Have to say this machine is not as quiet as the other one was. You can hear the motor when its washing, whereas the other one was ultra silent (it even said Silent on the front......)

Wayne

 

[dascot]

If it were me, I would be tempted to put in writing to Indesit Group that you don't feel the machine is equivalent spec to the one which failed, as it's louder etc. IMO, they should be doing all they can to get you on side, and if that means throwing a more expensive washer at you, then so be it...

But that's maybe just me

 

[fl1012]

Shove it on eBay......

as 'unwanted gift' or something & put the money towards a Zanussi with Inverter Motor instead. Some of the Hotpoints are really quiet, but like with many machines, the ones that are not specific quiet models really do whine when they're running. My Mums newer (2007) Zanussi that we had before we moved house used to make a whining noise everytime the drum turned. I think it's just the cheap brush motors that are used now. The Zanussi's with Inverter Motors are very quiet, you can only hear the pump & a slight noise during fast spins in the videos i've seen. I think all their Jetsystem models use the Inverter Motor now (it used to just be top-end 8kg models).

To me it seems although the model is noiser, if it's the one you were expecting (WMF760) it's actually a pretty decent spec and is otherwise a fair replacement for what you had. The fact they've got the cheque out to you for the clothes & are offering to pay for the worktop is pretty good. It's their fault and they should be paying, but there's alot of companies that'd try & wriggle out of it or offer you the cheapest machine they could find, so i think fair play to them tbh.

However if you want something that's quieter, without going down the really expensive route, the Inverter Motor fitted to some Zanussi's would be worth a look.

Liam