In defense of Neptune
The Neptune was basically a sound design. It was corners that were cut in engineering/mfg that caused most of its problems. By the 3rd gen (5500 and 7500) the design had matured, but Maytag was still mismanaging the production, putting in substandard, poorly engineered components.
I got my 7500 set in the Winter of 2001. I also got an extended service agreement (total of 7 years) for both units. The dryer has never needed service, but I had the display replaced at 7 years because it was getting dim, esp when the dryer warmed up. The washer had a number of issues, resulting in a number of major repairs at the three year mark: drum spider support (cracked), motor and motor controller, main board. All of these were replaced with re-engineered components that have been fine in the six years since then. The only other nagging flaw has been the less than through powder coating on the underside of the top of the washer. It shows up as rust around the exposed edges of the dispenser opening. It's covered up by the plastic insert, and at one point I touched up the rusty areas with a good anti-rust primer. Still, I need to take the top off, wire brush it, primer and paint it, at some point. When I pointed it out at the seven year mark, the warranty repair guy refused to write it up because the rust wasn't visible from above. Oh well.
If and when the Neptune set dies, and maybe before that point, my next washer set will probably be the new Electrolux, largely because the washer door is reversible. Or I'll move the Frigidaire 3 cu ft or a Miele front loader into the Neptune spot. Again the Neptune gas dryer has been great, no real problems there.
Oh, and the 7500 washer doesn't give up after 2 balance tries on Max Extract. It will keep on trying for quite a long time before giving up. This generally only happens on odd loads, such as unmatched items like a very thick cotton bath rug (1" thick!) that weighs more than anything else in the washer when wet. Always I can reposition the load and eventually it balances and spins.
In short, Maytag's designers and engineers knew how to make a sound Neptune set. It was just the bean counters and poor management that ruined the product and eventually brought the entire company down.
