How and When Do Manufacturers Stop Making Washer and Dryer Parts?

[pumpkina]

I've read a few posts that people gave up their washer or dryer due to a lack of parts availability, eg bearing.

Anyone know what criteria manufacturers use in deciding when to stop selling parts?

Are there typical time frames that they stop making them, eg 20 year-old discontinued models?

Any strategies for getting parts after manufacturers discontinued making new ones, eg Ebay?

Thanks!

 

[askolover]

ebay is my go to place for parts.  I bought a brand new in the box entire pump/motor assembly for my KUDI23 dishwasher for $75.  RepairClinic and Sears parts wanted more than double that.  I don't need it yet but I would like to keep this dishwasher going for as long as I possibly can because they certainly don't make 'em like they used to!

 

[henene4]

Depends on the manufacturer.

Miele here in Germany warrants 20 years AFAIK. BSH don't mention, but we got parts for 10+ year old machines as well.

Some more new to the business manufacturers or even more common manufacturers less popular models stop stocking parts sometimes after less than 5 years.

Really, it just a gamble.

 

[johnb300m]

Back when I was a kid (circa 1998?) we had a GE repair man in, and he said that they generally keep parts available about 10 years. Then after that they scrap the tooling, or turn off orders from suppliers, and then just let the inventory naturally wind down.
That's in America.
And WP seems to practice similar timelines.

It's been my experience, however (maybe it's different now) where the Korean companies coming ashore now, only offer parts for a few years. After that you're SOL, unless you can jerry rig a universal part into one of their products.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Bosch / Siemens

I also managed to get parts for machines over 10 years old.

Bosch/Siemens are very decent too, for showing 'exploded diagrams' of components in their machines. Sensible operations.

With some other manufacturers information is so top secret, you'd think you were stealing The Crown Jewels. And then they charge an arm and a leg for something worth a fraction as much.

Be wary of Samsung and LG. I've read of drum assemblies obsolescent before the extended guarantee expired.

 

[wayupnorth]

I have a 22 year old Whirlpool gas stove and after all these years, the oven temp markings have worn off. Whirlpool said my knob was NLA. I stopped at my appliance repair shop and the owner said feel free to go thru this big box of knobs and maybe you can find one. I did, it fits perfect and now I know what the actual oven temp is, not guessing with an oven thermometer.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Some parts though, if the same probably stay in production for decades. On my parent's Whirlpool made dryer, the lint filter lid has the part numbers on it for white, almond, harvest, avocado and coppertone, and those last three colors I'm sure had not been sold for at least 20 years before it was built (it's a 2004 model).

 

[pumpkina]

Thanks.

As a parallel, I took an automotive class a few years back and rebuilt my old Volvo transmission. The bottleneck was a bearing, which Volvo never even sold. Fortunately, I went to my local bearing shop (this was before the Internet) and matched the bearing.

My reluctance with Ebay is the quality of used parts.

I had a Kenmore gas dryer. Someone left the Whirlpool equivalent model on the street, so I picked parts off of it (and $10 in coins, because it was coin-operated, LOL).

I understand that the Speed Queens are built like tanks, but they have mechanical parts which eventually fail.

I recall someone being unable to find a bearing on an old Speed Queen and having to junk it. I don't recall the details (could have been a front loader). That's the sort of thing I'd like to avoid having to deal with. Any thoughts about what the top loading Speed Queen washers and gas dryers have problems with that involve unusual parts?

Thanks

 

[mrb627]

As I Recall...

Speed Queen has had issues with the mechanical timers. Apparently a bad batch of them from the manufacturer at some point.
Additionally, the stainless steel washtub at some point have shipped with some rough welding edges (check yours at delivery)

YMMV

Malcolm

 

[maytag85]

The more rare something is, it is usually a challenge to find parts for that particular appliance. Since there are a lot of older Maytag washers and dryers, you can easily find the parts for them. Maytag didn't change the design of their washers, and kept using the same parts for many years, and you can find them easily.

 

[launderess]

There really is quite a range, and as such the query has no

Set reply.

Maytag stopped making certain wringer washers for decades, but if you needed a part an authorized Maytag repairman/service could often obtain. Maytag still had the dies/molds and would simply make up as required.

Miele warrants they will stock parts for twenty years or whatever after a model is discontinued. However often certain parts are used in subsequent models so they have a longer lifespan.

Then you have instances where unbranded/after market companies (GEM, Homespares, Qualtex, etc...) will continue producing parts long after OEM has ceased.

Aside from perhaps Miele few appliance manufactures still produce much of their own parts IIRC. Much simply comes "off the shelf" from companies that make the same part/product for a host of other companies. Thus if you know what to look for and where even if an OEM part is no longer available a replacement still may be found.

I mean things like belts, motors, solenoids, and other parts are rarely made in house these days (again excluding sorts like Miele), so again you have to know what to look for and where.

When you consider a handful of corporations basically control the entire domestic appliance market worldwide, parts are often more generic than many think.

 

[rolls_rapide]

"Much simply comes "off the shelf" from companies that make the same part/product for a host of other companies."

Exactly. Pumps by Askoll (or Hanning); dampers by Suspamat.

I noticed on my mum's Bosch, the dispenser drawer fascia is made by Prettl. I had assumed Bosch made all their own plastic fascia bits.

Hoover Ltd used have their Design Right stamped on virtually every component.

 

[launderess]

Of course as with the automobile industry

There once was a case for keeping parts manufacturing in house and or as a subsidiary, but times have changed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delco_Electronics

As manufacturing world over has gone "lean", for decades now companies have looked about and decided some things were best off their books.

While vertical integration is all very well, Miele and others have found ways to keep the costs of keeping much or all component production "in house" down. One way is to move production to lower cost part of the world.

In addition to Germany, Miele has factories all over the world including China.

https://homevacuumzone.com/where-are-miele-vacuums-made/

https://www.miele.com/en/com/germany-guetersloh-factory-2304.htm

https://www.miele.com/en/com/germany-warendorf-factory-2311.htm

 

[askolover]

Asko told me they are still making timers for my 20+ year old model.