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mysteryclock

mysteryclock

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 21, 2009
Messages
388
Location
Franklin, TN
After 5 1/2 years of pretty reliable service, our ca. 2018 GE FL set has finally reached the end of its out-of-warranty road.  The washer in particular is making the very loud creaking / groaning / howling "bearing failure" sound whenever it tumbles and spins, occasionally just gives up on intermediate spins entirely (doesn't even start, losing its mind), and it has also now started to leak as well.  

 

Since we moved into this house in 2001, we've had bad luck chasing technology in washers:

<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Neptune, with all the issues you can imagine, which died within 72 hours of its dryer dying, and on <span style="text-decoration: underline;">the very day</span> we started potty training our fist kid (who's now 21, so it's been a while.)  That was replaced with...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">The enormous Bosch </span>Nexxt 500 series, which had to repaired several times (control boards, plumbing, etc.) and also failed right out warranty, replaced with...</li>
<li>The Cabrio, which never, ever cleaned as well as advertised, beat up the clothes, had a not-great companion dryer, and which had to be completely disassembled to replace the motor (died due to a leak), only to have the replacement die shortly after the remaining extended warranty ended, less than a year later.</li>
</ul>
Compared to all that the GE was... fine I guess, but I feel like I really need to get back to the future here, and go with something that doesn't have an app, won't judge me with its built-in and hugely unnecessary A.I. technology, and most importantly is reliable while still being easy to repair, with good parts availability.

 

Enter the Maytag commercial set, MVWP586GW & MEDP586KW.  These should be the 5y / 10y warranty models, so Maytag certainly seems to be willing to back up their product from the factory for a good long time.

 

 I promise I will post pictures once they are delivered but since I haven't had a proper agitator TL in 23 years, I have a couple of quick questions for the group:

<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">Easiest question:  Powdered detergent (Tide Commercial) - bottom of the tub before clothes, on top of the clothes, or doesn't really matter if I'm starting it right </span>away<span style="font-size: medium;">?  I'm switching from pods so I'm not sure what the current thinking is here?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Should I run any kind of cleaning cycle when it is first installed (bleach, </span>Afresh, etc.)?  The manual is silent on this.</li>
<li>Speaking of cleaning, the manual does recommend bleach cleaning once a month on Power Wash, but does not specify the water level.  Deep fill here?</li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Still on cleaning, the manual also says this, and I have the Tech Sheet, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to add anything?</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">NOTE: The Clean Washer cycle should be used one or two </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">times a year. Check the Tech Sheet for access to the Clean Washer cycle in the Diagnostic Test mode.</span></li>
</ul>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the lead-up to delivery my youngest son and I are going to wrestle the washer out of the tiny laundry room, move the dryer and clean the vent.  Fires are bad, clean vents are your friend after all!</span>

 

<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Wish me luck!</span>

mysteryclock-2024052714151306561_1.jpg
 
Congratulations on your new Maytag pair

Hopefully the washer will last longer than the GE you had recently, the dryer definitely will. The dryer should easily last 20 to 30 years with minimal problems.

Definitely important to clean the dryer vent clogged vents do not cause dryer fires however the dryer will suffer and slow down the drying, and may trip some thermal fuses in the dryer and Causes service calls.

Cleaning the washer should never be necessary if you’re using the proper laundry techniques enough hot washes bleach in maybe at least one and 10 loads and using enough good quality detergent.

I would venture to guess that if you have really poor laundry procedures, and your previous machines tended to get dirty or smelly you probably would have to do a cleaning cycle about every week maybe even every five loads of laundry to get the gunk out of the machine that you’re leaving behind from your clothing.

Let us know how you like them is the new dryer, gas or electric? You may have seen my post. I just installed a gas dryer like that a week ago for one of our customers so far they absolutely love it. Can’t believe how much faster it is then their 1980 Maytag electric dryer was.

John
 
The only smelly machine I've ever had was the Neptune, and that was a combination of iffy design choices and lack of knowledge about FLs which lead to a long-running mold issue.

For me the attention to cleaning comes down to the facts that I rarely wash anything with chlorine bleach (just don't have that many white-whites), and that we have super-hard water around here. Given that, I think continuing to alternate months between a bleach clean and something with more descaling action might not be a bad idea?

I've used Afresh, "Oh Yuk", and Lemi-shine in the past., but if y'all have any suggestions for something that's both washing machine safe while also a pretty good descaler, I'm all ears!
 
New appliance quality and hard water issues

The build quality of appliances, cars, and most consumer electronics has never been higher. Things are extremely well assembled. You have almost no chance of problems with them for several years.

Long term, durability, and cost of repair Are different issues, things today are generally very easy to fix, but the parts can be expensive. That’s for sure and some things are not as durable as they used to be and a lot of things are far More durable.

One thing anybody can do to make their appliances last longer is to be sure they’re installed properly. Take good care of them and absolutely never get a service contract on them. Appliances with service contracts tend to have a much shorter life because the owner is more app to call about problems and when somebody starts working on the machine, it’s never as good as it was before they worked on it. It’s been documented that people tend to replace their appliances more often because once the contract ends, they feel like they’re helpless state and they replace the first time it breaks there after.

If you’re ever tempted to buy a service contract on household appliances, etc. be sure that the service agency that honors it has an excellent service reputation and only get a contract directly from the manufacturer never get an aftermarket contract from Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

It’s well documented that the people who honor contracts are the lowest Grade of technician the only reason they’re honoring contracts is because they don’t have a good reputation and they don’t have good skills and they wanna get paid by somebody.

As far as hard water issues, you can overcome most of it by using a lot of really good detergent. If that doesn’t cut it a water softener might be necessary. You never want to use a machine and start developing mineral buildup because you’re also gonna have minerals in your clothing, which makes them harsh And causes them to wear out much quicker. It might also cause itching and rashes for some people.

John
 
May I ask, I things are so well put together, then why does it cost $5600 to replace the taillights on a 2018 Ford F150 Limited? Why does it cost $23000 to replace a Cummins V8 diesel in a Nissan Titan on top of $12000 for a transmission with parts that are already NLA? Why does it cost thousands when the blend door actuators fail and takes many hours of labor to replace? Why do intake valves on GDI engines need to be cleaned every 40,000 miles? Why do you have to add a quart of oil every thousand miles because of “normal wear”? Why does the engine destroy itself when the rubber timing belt breaks? Why does it cost thousands to replace a bumper? Why are some headlight assemblies are close, and sometimes $1000+ a piece? Why do you need to bring the vehicle in for software updates when it doesn’t actually “fix” the problem? Why are all the controls built into a touchscreen and you have to take your eyes off the road just to turn on the hazard lights, what happens if you can’t turn on the hazard lights? What happens when the steer-by-wire fails in your Tesla Cybertruck going 60 to 70 MPH on the highway? What happens when brake-by-wire fails?
 
You're kidding...right?

"The build quality of appliances, cars, and most consumer electronics has never been higher. Things are extremely well assembled. You have almost no chance of problems with them for several years."

I hope that's a joke. Electronics and appliances are nowhere near as good as they used to be.

I have 35 year old stereo equipment that still works fine, and more expensive 10 year old equipment, that is already dead and replaced. And even Toyota is slipping in quality these days.

Computers seem more reliable, thanks to solid state caps. And they are more affordable than they used to be.
 
Build quality of consumer products today

Hi Sean reply number seven and all due respect nothing you state has anything to do with build quality I wasn’t talking about how much it cost to repair things or about parts availability for things after some period of time.

Hi William reply number eight, I am not joking at all I’ve worked in the industry for nearly 50 years and we’ve never had so little problem with new appliances.

When I was installing new Maytag washers and dryers in the 70s my bosses always warn me to make sure the motor runs in the washer before you start filling it with water because you may be bailing out of machine and pulling it out of the customers house when they haven’t even written a check for it yet.

Every week I’m installing new appliances I never even give a thought to the fact that I’m filling up a new washing machine that may not be able to even drain Itself out.

Last fall I bought a new Chrysler Pacifica loaded over $50,000 delivered, I have not found one tiny defect in this or one malfunction it has not needed to go back to the dealer for anything except for the initial free oil change. I have been under the hood. I have crawled around under the car, looking at it and marveling at how well put together it is.

Contrast this to in 1970 my neighbor custom ordered a brand new Plymouth satellite wagon with a 383. He asked my brother and I had to come over there and help him make a list of all the things wrong with the car and a half hours time we had a list of 39 things wrong with that car , loose trim, loose bolts doors that didn’t open or close well etc. etc. it did go on to be a fairly decent car but it needed repairs almost immediately and for the next six years it lasted. It never ran well until a local mechanic modified the distributor. I’m sure it made the emissions a little worse.

I expect my new Pacifica to last at least a decade with very few problems maybe 20 years. My last 2004 Town & Country had very few problems Over nearly 20 year life and I bought that one used.

John
 
Cars in the '70s...oy! Consumer Reports used to state the number of defects on delivery---rarely under 20, they were particularly scathing about some Chrysler products in the 70s (in 1979 remember them talking about 40 defects on a Dodge St. Regis). I remember making lists of several items for my dad to take to the dealer on a 1979 Caprice. The last several cars I've bought (2019 Buick Regal TourX and 2023 Chevrolet Bolt)----literally flawless out of the dealership.
 
$50,000 for a minivan!?

This thread reminds of a funny situation with my dad and a 1974 Impala station wagon. That year the government wanted people to wear seat and shoulder belts and new cars had a loud buzzer that stayed on until everyone was buckled up. It worked, because that year we all used the seat belts to shut up the buzzer. There was a button under the hood that you could use to start the car in case this system malfunctioned, I get to that in a minute.

One day it became very cold and even though we all buckled up, it still buzzed. When dad pressed the button under the hood the button fell off. He took the wagon to his mechanic, who said he could not stop the buzzer, he might get in trouble because it was a federal rule to have it. and the dealer would not remove the system either. The buzzer was so loud that if the windows were open you could hear it on the outside.

Dad was always hard of hearing so he would always take the wagon to work and mom had a 1969 Nova that she drove and I was learning to drive on. It took him half an hour to get to work and he would have the wagon buzzing the whole time. This went on for more than a year until the dealer finally removed the system. The Federal government at the time decided this scheme wasn't going to get people to use seat belts more. He was known in the neighborhood as having the buzzing wagon.

Dad traded in the wagon in 1979 because it was leaked water and was full of mold, the Impala sedan he bought then was much better assembled. So yes there was even some improvement then.
 
Reply #12

Actually, all 1974 cars had to have a seatbelt/starter interlock system.
If the driver seatbelt was not buckled, the car would not crank.
My first car was a 1974 Honda Civic.
I always wear seatbelts when driving but was not going to fasten my belt just to back out of the garage.
I easily disabled the interlock system by removing 1 fuse.
Problem solved!
 
“Contrast this to in 1970 my neighbor custom ordered a brand new Plymouth satellite wagon with the 383. He asked my brother and I had to come over there and help him make a list of all the things wrong with the car and a half hours of time we had a list of 39 items wrong with that car, loose trim bolts, loose door bolts that didn’t open or close that well etc. etc. It did go on to be a fairly decent car but it needed repairs almost immediately and for the next 6 years it lasted. It never ran well until a local mechanic modified the distributor. I’m sure it made the emissions a little worse”.

That’s typical Chrysler quality, and unfortunately they were never known for quality even back in the day. The ‘57 Chrysler Forward Look cars were rushed into production which caused lots of problems (shouldn’t have rushed them to market), turned off lots of customers because of that. The bugs were worked out in ‘58 and ‘59 but the damage already had been done to Chrysler’s reputation. In 1960 they went to unibody construction which probably caused bolts to work loose causing problems. In 1962, they redesigned their their Plymouth and Dodge cars which ended up flopping because of the quirky styling which people weren’t fond of at the time, that too ruined their reputation even further. As time marched on, things got worse and worse to the point they ended up having to get bailed out in 1979. Chrysler turned things around a little in the 1980’s, but still couldn’t make a consistent product.

As for GM, things are slightly better but often cheap’d out on certain components which caused problems later on down the road. GM’s 1971 to 1976 generation weren’t known for being good, things got quite cheap in the interiors and the panel gaps were sloppy. At least GM turned things around with their downsized 1977 cars, though certain engines and transmissions in the late 70’s and early 80’s on some cars. GM ended up having to get bailed out in 2009.

As for Ford, they always seemed to offer a consistent product (smaller cars, not so much but always knew what you were getting with their full sized cars). Ford for example, always had great door closures, some of the full sized 1966 Galaxie 500’s I’ve looked at (looked at several) had doors that opened up as if the car were only a few years old, mind you these cars are almost 60 years old. GM door closures were similar, but would get sloppy with lots of play, especially with their 1971 to 1976 generation. Ford may have not sold as many cars as GM, but you knew what you were getting with a full sized FoMoCo product. Don’t get me started with their 240/300 inline 6 cylinder which is the most reliable engine they ever made, if not the most reliable engine ever made.
 
American car quality from the 50s through the 80s

Hi Sean, interesting information but you need to do a lot more reading.

Chrysler unibody cars from roughly 1963 through the 70s were often excellent vehicles, they had the best muscle cars they had the best compact cars. Their darts and valents were legendary the slant six was legendary 318 was legendary engine as was the 383 in the 440s they had the longest life expectancy of any cars in this time period Consumer reports did a big article back in the 70s about how to keep your car almost forever and they did a survey of people that had cars that had more than 100,000 miles and more than 10 years on them and they had a disproportionately high percentage of Chrysler products. Back in the 70s almost every taxi cab in Washington DC and every police car was a Chrysler product because of their durability and ruggedness.

Ford products rusted like nobody’s business if you were in an area where they use salt on the road or 56 Ford Ranch wagon was rusted severely by 1960 floorboards rusted out the doors rusted out the rear tailgate rusted out.

My dad got a new 1972 Ford galaxy station wagon that was the worst built thing I’ve ever seen when we brought it home. My brothers and I looked it over and there were handfuls of hardware sitting on top of the engine. The rear tire well was full of spare parts and rust everywhere because it wasn’t thoroughly painted underneath, etc.. Chrysler products were dipped In primer and had far less serious Rust problems.

Ford did do better with basic cars. They’re falcons basic midsize and full-size cars work weren’t too bad but boy if you bought a fancy one, none of the accessories lasted very long hidden headlight doors and power windows all problems on Ford products and heaven for bid if you bought a Lincoln.

But back to the original point quality control was terrible and all American automobiles there were some better ones and worse ones here And some worse ones here and there, but the average new car had more than 20 defects as consumer reports found every time they tested a new car.

John

John
 
The Chrysler slant 6 was a good engine, however Chrysler for whatever reason used mechanical lifers up until 1979/1980. GM’s Buick Fireball V6 which basically was a 215 aluminum V8 with 2 less cylinders was another good engine, literally had all the things people wanted: good amount of power, good fuel economy, excellent reliability.

Ford had their 240/300 inline 6 which had a cast iron timing gear, hydraulic lifters. Not powerful by any means but had the torque and power of a diesel at lower RPMs which made them popular in colder climates in the wintertime since it basically offered the same qualities as a diesel but without any of the drawbacks. If you wanted more power, could have opted for the 289 V8 (became the 302 in 1968) which made around 300 foot ibs of torque @ 2600 rpm. The 289 and 302 are the same block, just the 302 uses a different crankshaft and connecting rods, that’s about it.

Btw, if you are wondering where I obtained some of that information from, learned this stuff from the Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History channel on YouTube. Dan follows the that channel as well, been following since 2021.
 
Holy subject drift!

...anyway, they've arrived, and here are the before, during, and after photos!

 

(Note: the laundry room walls are more light green than the photos seem to indicate?)

A couple of observations so far:

<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Being able to select your own water level is really handy since not every load requires a small swimming pool.  Ex. today's was a small batch of wool socks done up with Woolite, which only required the Low water level.  The first big batch of towels I did, by comparison, definitely required Deep Water.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"Power Wash" is </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">very</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> aggressive.  It's great for heavily soiled, durable items but you should use it with caution on everything else.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Cycle times are very quick overall, even with an extra rinse.  Nothing has failed to spin the first time, unlike my previous FL which would fuss over loads for 10+ minutes before getting on with it.</span></li>
</ul>
 

 

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mysteryclock-2024060213392401550_3.jpg
 

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