Miele w4840 series

[henene4]

Only pulled in 2016

Oh really?
Thought that must have been way earlier.

That part should fit, if it doesn't I won't be responsible though xD
And it's like 300$...
Miele will probably ask for even more!

They know how to build big commercial machines - but the closest thing to a US machine would be around 5k from the commercial line.

And they did build 2 generations of gas heated vented dryers for the EU market - what you would call compact.

Rare machines, but very efficient and cheap to run and even more reliable than the normal vented ones from what I have heared.

Bosch did sell 2 or 3 generations of their US sized machines over here and actually were the only ones selling a matching dryer intended for home use.
Neither caught on very well - especially the dryer since it was a vented model with only 2.3kW heating power or there about makeing it extremely slow.
Washers never were much better - with 2kW of heating and no hot water cycle times were quite long for back then.

The only US size offering remaining is LG by now and they actually have 2 machines listed in the current generation.

 

[launderess]

I'm Sorry? Who do you think you're speaking to?

Do live in the "real world", and when, unless or until you support your claim that Miele makes washing machines in Mexico, I stand by my statement.

 

[logixx]

Henrik

Samsung also sell a large washer over here, although you can kinda only get it on eBay.

From looking at the spare parts, the Bosch 10 kg Logixx washer only came with a 1300 watts heater and, yes, no hot-water intake. *yikes*

https://www.ebay.de/str/centralonline10

 

[logixx]

Production sites

https://www.miele.com/en/com/production-sites-2157.htm

 

[launderess]

See W4XXX washers going for very little money all the time. If one had room and perhaps glutton for punishment might be tempted, but otherwise am waiting until someone unloads a W1 cheaply.

Just about a week ago someone close was literally giving away a W4840 washer with a non-matching dryer. Listed on CL as in their driveway you just had to go and fetch! As you might imagine listing wasn't up very long....

 

[henene4]

Samsung

As far as I understand, they sell that as an industrial model.

Whirlpool has a number of US machines on offer under their professional line aswell.
Though one of them is that GE design that already was just some some rebrand of some chinese design.

Funny enough, they sell US dryer designs aswell - one being cut to 3kW (runs of a 16A outlet) and one that runs the standard US power off of 240V requireing a 30A fuse to run (according to the manual).

http://whirlpool-professional.de/

 

[tomdawg]

I’m picking it up!

Delivery is next Saturday for their new set. So I’m officially getting my first Miele!!

 

[combo52]

Yay it a neat machine

Hopefully  you can get it going and get some more use out of it.

 

The only serious problem we have seen with these are broken [ now NLA ] spiders, if the machine was used properly [ lots of hot washes and hopefully they used the LCB dispenser that came with these machines ] if so it might last a long while yet.

 

And you can post a picture of the model tag that says Made In Mexico so Laundress can settle down.

 

John L.

 

[foraloysius]

A comment from the gardenweb

 

[sgt10]

Made in Czech Republic

Here’s the tag that came attached to my now defunct w4840, says made in Czech Republic.

 

[henene4]

These were sold in Mexico, yes.

No idea as to why, and probably even in fewer numbers than the US.
But I guess just printing a new sticker for the facia made it worth it.

 

[sgt10]

The thing I find more puzzling than where it is manufactured

Is Miele’s deliberate decision not to uphold its pledge to continue making parts available for these machines. If memory serves, I seem to recall them offering some minimal discount on a new machine when they told me they no longer have the necessary parts for the W4840. I suppose it’s a business decision like any other ... easier to have a few disappointed clients who can’t get parts than to continue manufacturing the odd part. But still, it tells you something about what their promise to continue producing parts is worth.

 

[brisnat81]

@Logix, the 7500 series Maytag Neptunes were the same here, only 1300watts heating. Luckily they were hot and cold fill, but if you started with cold and tried to heat to 60C, you were waiting hours. They had a transformer in the bottom of the machine, but I dont know whether that dropped all power to 120v, or just certain circuits.

 

[launderess]

Minimal discount for new machine....

That is part of Miele's standard response when they don't want to deal with an older or whatever appliance any longer. On one of service calls for my W1070 head of service in Princeton offered a slim discount if I'd take a new machine and not bother them any longer about my old one. Was then told my machine and address were put on a "don't go list" as not only was machine "old" and not worth bothering about, but they didn't like layout of my home or whatever information techs put in about the place.

@Louis

Recall that debate, and didn't wish to go there unless necessary. Certain Miele appliances had power ratings for Mexico, which lead some to read things as if they were manufactured in that country. Which of course is rubbish...

If Miele refuses to build any sort of production plant in USA for washing machines and dryers, why would they do so in Mexico where their share of appliance market is smaller than USA?

Also were Miele to have a Mexican production plant they could take advantage of NAFTA and send appliances to USA far cheaper than shipping things from Europe.

In end of course we plebs know nothing, I mean we're not service persons with vast years of experience, and or "don't get out in real world".....

@sgt10

If Miele truly has ceased stocking parts for 4XXX washers and matching dryers it speaks to how much they want to get away from those machines.

Consider also Miele didn't sell these units outside of North America IIRC. It likely would cost dear to keep producing parts for washers and dryers that didn't sell in large numbers (compared to other machines) that have or had greater distribution.

 

[tomdawg]

Couple questions

I’m not sure if they have the original shipping bolts. So when transporting it. Do I really need them? I plan to be careful but I thought I’d ask. Is there a side that would help with transport?

Secondly. Why can’t you fill these machines all the way up? Breaking the belt or spider? Curious!

I get a picture when I have my hands on it.

 

[launderess]

Manual only states "Important: Fill drum only 3/4 way. Items need room to move otherwise may get caught in door seal."

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/353771/Miele-W-4840.html?page=13#manual

If people routinely disregarded this advice and loaded 4XXX washers like Miele's of old on Normal (drum filled loosely but with about a clenched fist worth of room at top), I do not know.

Miele states 4XXX washers have a 4.0 cubic foot capacity. However IIRC many stated they could fit more into the W3XXX washers than W4XXX because the former could be loaded more fully.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2424061/capacity-difference-miele-models

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?71119

If had to compare would say washers SQ or even Miele W1 are rated for about 18 pounds of wash in normal/cottons, while the W4XXX more like 16 pounds.

Moving H-axis washers without shipping bolts.

Opinions vary on this subject. Some state emphatically machines should not be moved without them, others say long as washer kept upright and not jolted about moving without shipping bolts in place shouldn't be an issue.

Much also likely will depend up on who is doing the moving and how far machines are traveling. Since all of my front loaders came quite a distance (AEG set clear from across country), opted to purchase and have installed shipping bolts.

OTOH if you're doing a local move and job yourself they might not be necessary.

 

[tomdawg]

Well. Getting it in my little nv200 van shouldn’t be a problem. It’s low to the ground, I have thought of carefully putting it on its side. <— maybe I should be yelled at to not do it!
It’s 1.5 miles from my house and the fastest speed is 35mph. So I’m not to worried about road vibrations.
I feel some front loaders are more touchy than others.. I believe whirlpool products are more touchy than a Neptune or LG. I just don’t know about Miele.

 

[sgt10]

Why can’t fill up w4840 tub

I can’t prove it, but I have long suspected that they undersized the motor relative to the size and weight of the tub and spider. Yes, I realize that they made heavy duty commercial machinery of equivalent size, but I think that once they decided to make some components heavier duty than the typical residential machine (perhaps like the cast iron spider), they would have had to upgrade the motor to handle both the components and a very full tub of laundry. And I suspect that they simply thought that the extra cost involved wasn’t worth it. The relation between the force required to spin the mass of tub plus laundry probably increases non-linearly with the mass (maybe the square of the mass? - high school physics was so long ago). Just like cyclists work hard to reduce wheel weight because the rotational weight matters so much to effort expended, the extra weight of a packed tub and iron spider and robust tub would have required a very heavy duty motor. It’s just my guess, but they would have had to do many things to keep costs in the realm of reality, and not at the level of an octoplus or whatever the equivalent commercial unit was at the time.

 

[henene4]

Don't think that

Miele long had "issues" managing high loading ratios in quick cycles.

Over here, their "short" cycles for full loads were a good 50% longer than the competition.

Designing these machines, they probably had several concerns:

A) Good results in the time asked for just weren't possible to their standards.
Main fear there might even have been saturation - until the W1 series Miele never was particularly quick at soaking full loads.
B) Suspension components probably were designed to handle it, but they didn't want to risk it.
C) Back then, Miele still had their "standards" for balancing. Maybe they couldn't meet that for a full tub.

Makeing a powerful motor really isn't the issue.

While yes, the moment of inertia goes up squared by the radius - not weight - you can just speed up slower and keep power down that way.

And for an inverter based system you just upscale some components on the PCB - that is just a matter of cents in parts.
The current draw just goes up. Not much else.

 

[combo52]

Meile Full Sized W4840 Etc

Thank you Louis for posting the model tag from your washer, I have talked to to other repair folks yearterday and because it says Mexico all three of us assumed it was built in Mexico.

 

It is an interesting way to word a model tag, US import law requires the country of manufacture, yet have never found Czech Republic on one of these washers.

 

Dear Laundress, I am sorry I doubted your information about the country of origin of these washers, but it is certainly not the first or likely the last time you or I have been wrong about something.

 

As Far As Moving This Washer, Hi Tom I would keep it Up-Right even for a short move.

 

Any FL washer can be moved without shipping bolts if it is kept up-right, without the shipping bolts they are actually much less likely to be damaged when in a moving vehicle as the suspension system of the washer easily soaks up the jolts etc.

 

Look at all the luxury motor homes causing around the country with either FL combos or FL stack or even TL stacks in them, None require you to put the shipping bolts in place to drive the vehicle.

 

Another point to consider is even if you have the original shipping bolts for a FL washer they are about impossible to reinstall because the inner tub assembly has to be held in place to get the rear bolts to thread into place. We have never bothered to reinstall SBs for any of the hundreds of used FL washer we have delivered and reinstalled.

 

John L.