@logixx
Yes it is the water path control unit. Started out saying "Fault - Door Blocked". Then it switched to F63 fault code and has stayed there. A few minutes into the cycle we hear click-click-click-click for about 30 seconds. Then the buzzers/alarms go off, the water drains and it displays the fault code.
I removed the soap dispenser drawer and looked inside while the clicking was happening and you can see what looks like a plastic flag in the back on the right. It is slightly moving back and forth. Almost like a gear that is missing a tooth. I stuck a metal hanger in there and moved the flag back and forth and if you get it in just the right place the clicking will stop and the cycle will continue. After the next drain cycle it will start clicking again.
My hanger trick worked for about three days. I guess whatever is broken inside the water path control unit is now actually broken.
I would try fixing it myself, but the water path control unit part is $200. That is a big expense to gamble on. I would rather pay a REAL Miele tech to fix the problem.
@chestermikeuk
Yes our loads are 6-8 full to the max loads per day. Our house consists of the following ages:
36
34
13
12
11
6
4
3
23 months
8 months
The last two are still in cloth diapers. We would go broke if we had to buy disposables. The oldest 6 all take daily showers and the younger ones take a bath. That means a minimum of 10 towels per day. The two oldest females usually use two towels per day (one on the head and one on the body). Then account for towels used to cleanup spills in the kitchen, hand washing towels, etc.
Next up is a set of clothes for every person followed by 5-12 diapers per day with associated cloth wipes, diaper covers, etc.
Add in bed sheets, pillow cases, etc. once per week and laundry gets very overwhelming if not done on a daily or semi-daily basis.
I would NEVER think of using bleach in all of my loads. The clothes wear out fast enough as it is. A simple capful of bleach on a towel will cause a hole to form within 5 washes. We run all towels and underwear through sanitize cycles EVERY time. The pediatricians are always amazed we are not more sick during the winter than we already get. I attribute that to prompt sanitize cycles and religious hand washing when sickness is going around.
The Octoblue 8KG machine is almost $7000 in the USA. It comes with a one year warranty and requires Miele to install it. It looks virtually identical to the W48xx series washers, but with the better digital interface. If Miele offered a 10 year warranty I might think this was ok, but they offer 1 year. To me that is CRAZY. Korean cars that drive down the road cost a few thousand more and come with a 10 year, 200,000 mile warranty.
It is almost like Miele does not want to sell laundry in the US and prices it high to discourage purchases. If their warranty matched the price, then I would say Miele is standing behind their product. Canadian customers were offered 10 year warranties. Why did they offer only one year warranties in the USA?
Speed Queen has no sanitize capability so they are basically out from a hygiene perspective.
I am a little disappointed in our Bosch WAS24460UC in only lasting 18 months. My guess is that the brushes are shot. I have done this dance in the past with Bosch and new brushes will only get you a few months due to the groves worn in the commutators. Without machining to make them smooth the new brushes don't last very long. The brushes also make a HUGE carbon mess all over the motor windings and it only get worse when just the brushes are replaced and the motor is not cleaned and re-built. SO, that usually means it is just cheaper and easier to replace the motor. Surprise, surprise this NOT cheap. Miele at least has a brushless motor on their W48xx series washers. As far as I know LG is the only other company to offer brushless motors besides Miele. LG build quality sucks though.
Uhh. I don't think anyone makes anything quality and actually stands behind it. Miele is usually quality, but they just don't stand behind it in the US like they do the rest of the world.