Miele Vibration FAIL

[launderess]

Miele 48XX Series Detergent Dispenser Problems

Are well known, well at least by Moi who looks up such things. IIRC there were are complaints about for the 4802 at least that the drawer would pop open during operation spewing water all over the place.

Well that does make up one's mind, won't be ordering the 4842 demo/clearence model even at a reduced price. I mean if it were $400 or less one might reconsider! *LOL*

 

[toploader55]

"Won't be ordering the 4842"

Oh Good Lord...

I thought too the Price of the Machine would buy the "Famous Engineering and Longevity".

I have not had a Good Experience with Miele. I really thought I bought the best.

Now, to get the Unimatic running again.

 

[launderess]

Personally

One finds it is always best to stick to what you know.

The 48XX series was Miele's first foray into uber-sized domestic laundry appliances for the North American market. Mind you they have been building the "Little Giant" and similar washers for commercial use for ages with apparently no problems. How or why the ball dropped on this we shall probably never know.

My dear father would always say never to purchase the first model year of anything. There are always kinks/bugs that need to be worked out and thus subsequent versions/updates have such things corrected.

With the problems Miele seems to be having with the 48XX series they never were going to reach sale numbers to justify. What is interesting is that Bosch also pulled the plug on their uber sized units as well. Just what aren't the Germans getting about the USA market?

 

[mikeklondon]

Floor Type

HI Malcolm

What type of floor are your machines on solid or suspended, if the later they may need extra strengthening due the weight of a Miele. I had one `Miele in a bathroom a few years ago and the builders had to put in KOGINGS (I think that’s how its spelt) basically some form of cross support and then lay a cement pad to install the machine on. I’m sure someone here in construction can explain much better then I can. If they are on a solid floor it is simply down to the installation. My current Miele’s are installed side-by-side and have never moved

 

[turboace]

I guess I'm lucky I've not had a problem with my 4842. I do notice it has a little more tolerance for not perfectly balanced loads, it does not take nearly as long to re-distribute the loads as I remember my LG set used to. No problems with the dispenser drawer either. A couple times it vibrated open and leaked a little water, but since I have re-leveled and it has not happened again. I also called them to please note it had happened and they had me remove the little yellow emergency door opening tool from the drawer, since then, it has never done it again. I just taped the tool to the side in case I ever need it. Going on three years now, hopefully will last a good long time.

 

[toploader55]

Hi Mike

What a Handsome Set of Mieles you have.

Great Looking Machines. Eddie

 

[sudsmaster]

I have transported Miele 1065's and a 1918 in the back of my pickup truck and ferried them for up to 50 miles, without any problems. No shipping braces, not even pillows stuffed into the drum.

I have read that in lieu of the shipping braces one can stuff the drum full of pillows, so that the door is hard to close, and that would cushion any jostling of the inner works during transit.

However I never laid the machines on their right side, although on the appliance dolly they may have become horizontal on their backs for a brief time during loading/unloading into the truck.

One Miele I bought used (w1065), the owner said that Miele had already replaced the suspension shocks. Wouldn't you know, that's the one that tends to vibrate a bit. The others are rock solid. All are on on a concrete floor. The one that vibrates a bit might not be leveled as well as it could be.

 

[launderess]

IIRC Every Miele Series Since the 19XX

Have incorporated various and or improved upon out of balance controls. However IIRC Miele washers will do various things to lessen the impact and or results of imbalanced loads they *will* spin none the less. This in contrast to washers offered by other brands that will take ages to balance and or simply not spin at all if they cannot reach certain set parameters.

 

[vsc]

W3033 Results

I can say over the past month of using a new W3033 the machine has never done anything close to what was described in this thread. Even with very unbalanced loads (e.g. a heavy cotton coat), the only result was poor extraction due time wasted trying to find balance prior to giving up and finishing with limited speed. No banging even without obsessing about leveling the machine. It almost seems like Malcolm's W3033 balance sensor is not functioning properly or there is an issue in the machine's suspension.

That said if you crossed out Miele and substituted Speed Queen in this thread you would have exactly my experience with the Imperial washer. Defective or not, I no longer have the Speed Queen for a different reason. The Miele kock on wood is working out.

 

[logixx]

Good and Bad

Yes, as Laundress said, a Miele will spin whenever it can. However, several people, even on the German forum, have reported water- or sudslocks due to Miele's fierce spin cycle that just goes for it. This is an overflowing Miele that stops spinning too late when sudslocking with a microfiber sheet:

 

[vsc]

Interesting as the 3033 has a diverter

The W3033 has a scheme which diverts excess suds back into the "suds container". I have to admit that I have accidentally tested this feature a few times, including today.

But thanks to Launderess's comments in another thread I was able to strip the residual detergent that to a prior eco top loader really never flushed out.

 

[launderess]

And If You Complain About Suds locking

Miele USA will call it an "user error" because customer didn't use Persil or Miele Care detergents! *LOL*

 

[mrb627]

Flooring

My machines are installed on a concrete slab. I am hoping the fault lies with the pedestal installation. Won't be able to delve into it until after the holidays.

Malcolm

 

[hoover1100]

Personally

I would ditch the pedestals, they serve no real purpose other than to raise the machine's centre of gravity, increasing the chances of vibration and a walking machine.

Is it really that much of an effort to bend a couple more inches to load and unload the machine?

Matt

 

[vsc]

Just a thought...

I noticed on my W3033 the pneumatic hose for the out of balance sensor was laying on the right front spring. While Miele had wrapped foam tape around the hose to prevent it from getting pinched in the spring, I repositioned the hose so it wouldn't be in contact with a moving part.

 

[mrb627]

Pedestals

Well, they are storage drawers. And they do mount together which should increase the stability of the pair as a unit. Not to mention that Miele charges quite a price for them. If they aren't that great, then Miele should discontinue them as they have done with other things in the past.

Malcolm

 

[launderess]

@hoover1100

Pedestals, storage drawers or whatever you want to call them are a big sale for Americans with front loaders. Not only do they provide storage space but more importantly the things help overcome some of the main problems consumers here have with front loaders; having to bend down to load/unload.

Mind you American housewives and others have had to stoop for ages to load laundry into dryers, but for some reason doing the same from a washing machine bothers allot of people. The whole idea is to mimic what is found in laundromats where washers are on raised concrete pedestals.

 

[hoover1100]

Pedestals

I understand why they are sold, but quite frankly, they only serve to attempt to resolve an issue that doesn't really exist in the first place (heaven forbid someone would have to exert effort to put clothes in a washing machine!).

If the pedestals were bolted to the floor it wouldn't cause any increased vibration because it would in effect be a continuation of the floor. When it is attached to the machine it extends the base of the machine and raises the centre of gravity of the machine, increasing the risk of vibration.

I'm sure when installed correctly they would cause too much issue, but it's no wonder the american consumer has this idea that front loaders cause a lot of vibration, not standing them on stools would probably alleviate a lot of this!

Matt

 

[mrb627]

Pedestal

I suspect that pedestals would be more popular in other parts of the planet if they didn't put them under a counter in the kitchen. Which for some reason Americans find unsanitary.

Whether the machine is on a pedestal or directly on the floor, I would expect the electronics, years of research, and drive towards perfection would prevent the machine from traveling across the floor.

Malcolm

 

[launderess]

Have laundry/housekeeping manuals going back years that advised doing laundry in the kitchen as being "unsanitary", but housewives or whomever doing the task had few options then. One needed to be near a source of hot water and that most often meant the range or fires in kitchens.

Grander homes of course could afford wash houses and or separate areas for laundry, if they didn't send the stuff out all together.

Oh and it wasn't just the washing either that made kitchens foul. In poor weather when laundry had to be hung indoors in many homes the only place was the kitchen (again because it was warm from the range). This could mean a family sitting for it's meals below dripping wash in a damp/humid kitchen. Not to mention if one wasn't careful the washing smelled of whatever foods were prepared. Wash day certainly was not a time for kippers!