Lesson learned about aftermarket parts

[norgechef]

Well..after putting $260 worth of parts into my Maytag Performa washer in June the parts are already starting to wear out. I purchased a transmission that came with a bearing and seal kit because the washer was no longer agitating due to a bad transmission. The new transmission is already clunking on the spin cycle and I can hear the bearing making a scraping noise which was not apparent until the last few days...not since the repair, keep in mind this is not even 2 months after replacing the entire transmission and bearing/seal kit. People don't just have $260 lying around to spend on washer parts that will begin to fail months after purchase, not to mention the entire disassembling and reassembly of the washer. Im not sure how much longer the parts will last but one thing I know for sure is that from now on when an appliance breaks that is no longer manufactured it is going out the door. I can't believe I just basically flushed $260 down the toilet, this is a nightmare. So you've been warned, buy genuine factory parts ONLY, it seems i've had to learn this lesson the hard way as I presume I will be washing my clothes in the bathtub sometime within the next year. I would probably put my back out if I tried lugging any more major appliances in and out of the house. (Shakes head while clenching teeth)

 

[cfz2882]

true

I found out about inferior aftermarket parts with a filterflo tranny boot-aftermarket lasted slightly over a year while genuine GE boot still good over 10 yrs later.I don't know if real GE boots are still made anymore..

 

[combo52]

Sorry to hear that the repairs are not doing well

But there is no after market transmission for this washer, if you bought a new transmission for this washer it is a genuine part. However you are correct that WP does not give a damn about keeping these poorly engineered washers running, and it is likely that replacement parts are not as good as the original poorly engineered parts were, LOL.

 

I often advise my customers when considering a big repair that IF I DO everything perfectly the repair might last as long as the original did, but when it is a product that was know for being troble prone in the frist place it will usausally not last as long. And fixing a Norge-Tag is like rebuilding the pump and motor in an old D&M DW, again when the machine had a very poor repair record in the first place you will seldom get a better result by rebuilding it.

 

[norgechef]

The paper that came with it said it was built in 2010

Not sure where it would have been built if the transmission wasn't put together before 2007 when Maytag closed? how could it be genuine if it wasn't assembled in Herrin or wherever the parts were assembled before Maytag closed? Maybe I don't have a clear idea what Genuine means.

If Whirlpool is intentionally designing these to fail within months of purchase I think that's a bit harsh to do to the person repairing and paying good money to get the part just to have it break. I have heard of them failing within a few YEARS on reviews for Performa and Atlantis washers but that was most likely due to operator error and lack of knowledge on how to use these washers properly.

How could they intentionally build a transmission to break in a few months? Have some internal parts already pre-broken or something? What a great way to continually rip people off hundreds of dollars who fix these washers eh Whirlpool! Wonder how long they will continue to make these built to fail transmissions?

I have also NEVER heard of bearings in Herrin built washers failing or even making noises before 5 years of use either, they did fail allot on the Searcy built washers but I have never heard of many issues with Performa washers and bad bearings. I also know for sure I did the repair right with all the gaskets and seals installed properly so it wasn't me...

Too bad for Whirlpool, when the Norgetag breaks there is NO WAY im buying any appliance made by the Whirlpool corporation.That was a promise I made to myself back when they took over Maytag and I saw that they had started putting the Maytag name on direct drive washers, that really made me angry.

I would go buy a cheap flimsy Haier for my daily driver before I buy a Whirlpool and I've already had a Haier washer..they are junk, but hey at least there one of the VERY FEW washers not made by Whirlpool. I never liked any of Whirlpools washer designs anyway.

I was intrigued with the Calypso but they got rid of that design and now have the 5 glasses of water per fill Whirlpool Cabrio's that don't even have a recirculating filter, HAH!....

@combo52 I know you have high hopes for Whirlpool and like them very much but this is just my very honest opinion on them and their designs, hope im not upsetting you. You Should be able to see where im coming from with my level of frustration and all though. Now that I have been told Whirlpool are the people making the crappy replacement transmissions and bearing/seal kits for these washers I have yet another reason to be mad at and disappointed in the company.

 

[arbilab]

Fair to say that Whirlpool is the new White Consolidated?

 

[combo52]

Norge-Tag Problems

Whirlpool is certainly not intentionally building bad transmissions, however that said when something complex like a transmission is no longer in full production for new appliance building they are certainly not paying as close attention to quality control. We have seen this many tines with many different parts and companies , water pumps for BD WP washers for example were terrible quality after the washer was out of production 10 years or so. Sometimes a manufacturer will contract with another parts builder to fill the demand for replacement parts so WP may have little to do with the quality of replacement parts. And we certainly know they do not care about the longevity of the many machines out there that they had nothing to do with building in the first place.

 

These washers were filled with design flaws that almost guaranteed that most would never give a long trouble free life and as I said in my earlier post the best mechanic in the world will probably not end up with a machine that lasts as long as the original machine did after a major repair. The only thing that would make sealed ball bearings noisy would be water getting in them or they were damaged when you got them or they got damaged when you installed them, WP certainly did not make the bearings.

 

The parts you bought have a generous 90 day [ ha ] warranty from WP unless you bought them through another company like Sears then you may actually have a more reasonable 1 year warranty. Take them back hopefully they will give your money back and you can go buy a new SQ washer, but they may only be obligated to give you replacement parts.

 

Your comments do not upset me at all and I hope I am offering some insight as to why these machines are so difficult to keep going. If I were you and I was determined to have a NT washer and keep using it as my primary machine I would grab every working NT that I could reasonably get my hands on and change out the entire guts of the machine when one fails, this way you will probably have a working NT for at least the next ten years or so, but I would never rebuild one again. We only replaced transmissions in about 3 or 4 NTs and while all were successful repairs it was still 3 or 4 rebuilds too many and we got the parts for free under the 10 original transmission warranty.   Good Luck and keep us posted.

 

[norgechef]

Not sure about warranty

I bought the part off an appliance part website that may have some kind of warranty plan but there is no way im tearing the washer down again to remove the transmission and bearing/seal kit, I'll just be without a washer for a while it if fails within the next year or so. Its sad really, I liked that machine allot...one of the reasons probably had something to do with it not being made by Whirlpool and it always worked good Since the day it was purchased in late 2005 until about June 2011 when it started needing little minor repairs. I'd say its safe to say I have already payed for the washer once over as I have replaced the thrust bearing and pulley kit, the snubber ring, the pump and the transmission...The repairs started in January of 2012 so they have to end somewhere. As much as I love the norgetag, the next time it breaks its going to the dump. I just enjoyed having something not made by Whirlpool that worked good with a stylish exterior. No matter when it breaks, It will definitely be a hard day when I have to kick it to the curb and do away with it forever. But you're right, it is of a very weak, poor design in the first place.

 

[norgechef]

Update on bearing

I'm pretty sure its because I washed a door mat with allot of sand on it which probably made its way into the bearing/seal. And so begins the demise of the washer...i doubt it will be much longer before the bearing starts to roar and then leak at which point I will have no choice but to stop using it. I can already see the reaction my partner will have when he finds out I just wasted $260....oh god.

 

[whirlcool]

I've had to return a part to repairclinic.com due to being defective They cheerfully refunded all of my money to me. I was actually kind of surprised how fast my refund appeared on my credit card.

How do FSP parts compare to OEM parts?

 

[arbilab]

From what (little) I've seen, FSP ARE OEM parts. IOW, the original you take out says FSP just like the replacement you put in.