No more defending SpeedQueen.

[kenc]

I’ve always been a defender of SpeedQueen, but……

Speed Queen purchased a batch of defective inverter control boards in the 2015-2016 era for their $2000 front loaders. My machine is one of the affected machines and after 7 years it died. Given that this is an acknowledged manufacturing defect, one would expect SpeedQueen to stand behind their product.

The issue is reported in these two threads among others.

Speed Queen inverter board failure (automaticwasher.org)

Help! My Speed Queen is dead. (automaticwasher.org)

It’s a situation that SQ knows well and apparently, until recently were sending out updated boards to all affected customers, which is good considering the msrp for the board is $1200.

I contacted SQ customer support and was told that (paraphrase) “Our technicians tell me that all the board failures occurred within the first year after manufacture and since yours is 7 years old we won’t be doing anything for you”

Funny how the above forum post shows a 2015 machine like mine, which has a SN a few hundred away from mine had the same ED44 error on the same 803949 control board.
The poster’s washer failed in Dec 2021, so was well outside the 5 year warranty period and well outside the "one year from manufacture" and they replaced the board.

So, SpeedQueen is OK with a 7 year lifespan on a $2000 washing machine, about what you’d expect out of a $500 Samsung.

No more Speed Queen products for me. I now have an LG washer sitting where the SQ did. SQs work great, but the company does not care about residential customers.

 

[qsd-dan]

ALL manufactures are that way now, nobody gives a shit in the land of quick money using embellished or false advertising. It's just like politicians, they promise you the world and carry on the same corrupt agendas that have been going on for decades. That's why I use quality vintage with a large stockpile of parts.

 

[appnut]

Ken, congratulations. What model did you get?

 

[maytag85]

This is the whole reason why they shouldn’t have even bothered putting electronics in appliances. Sure, there is some flexibility but usually comes at the cost or reliability and longevity. Mechanical timers CAN have issues but usually only happens after many years of service. Electronics usually degrade with time vs something mechanical that will wear down but usually takes many years for that to happen.

 

[pinkpower4]

Agree with Maytag85 and cost of board for FL

I agree with you, Maytag85.

The cost of the board is a concern in regard to the front load. I know my TC5 has two boards, I think they are called output board and control assembly. I looked up the price of these electronics before purchasing. If the boards had cost half the price of the machine or more, I think I would pass. For those who want a basic, no frill washers, mechanical controls worked best.

It seems this is a known defect. Definitely not the amount of cycles SQ promises or the years of service. The sad reality of the situation is Speed Queen should have at least sold you the part for cost and met you halfway. The good will results in recommendations and future purchases. Not standing behind your product results in negative feedback and not purchasing another product from that company.

When someone pays a premium for a product, they expect a premium product.

Have you considered purchasing a previously owned part? That is what I did to keep my dishwasher running. I couldn't justify the $200 to keep a 10 y/o dishwasher running, but the cost of a previously owned part seemed reasonable especially since the dishwasher I want to replace it with is not in stock. Seller had good reputation and offered to take returns.

 

[bradfordwhite]

SEVEN years?

Most manufacturers and retailers would probably say you got two more years that it was designed for.

Just out of curiosity: Did you unplug or somehow disconnect the machine from electric when it wasn't in use?

 

[launderess]

"This is the whole reason why they shouldn’t have even bothered putting electronics in appliances."

Oh I don't know...

Maybe for top loading washers and or dishwashers mechanical timers would still suffice, but am here to tell you for H-axis washers they make world of a difference.

My two modern AEG Lavamat washers that are fully electronic in many ways run circles around "Big Bertha" (Miele) with only mechanical/electronic controls.

Full control of motor and drum movements allow for much wider array of cycles so one can launder everything from heaviest sturdy cottons/linens down to finest silks or woolens.

It terms of OOB control again the Lavamats best Miele W1070 in many ways.

Virtually all commercial/industrial/OPL h-axis washers are fully computer controlled and have been for some time now; that's saying something.

 

[pinkpower4]

Agree with kenc. Seven years?

Most manufacturers might say that. After all, it seems the life expectancy for a front load washer is 8 to 10 years.

However, Speed Queen says this, "While we’ve domesticated our commercial machines a bit for your home and removed the coin box, they are every bit as heavy duty. We test our commercial quality machines to 10,400 cycles or roughly 25 years of life in an average household."

I found this statement under the "Commercial Heritage" section. https://speedqueen.com/speed-queen-difference/#american-quality .

One also pays twice or more the price for a Speed Queen front load vs. an LG or something similar. If I am only to expect seven years out of this appliance, what am I paying the difference for? This washer doesn't even have heated water available, but at least it uses tap hot. I do miss that about my LG. The older models everyone raves about are NO longer made. Only time will tell if these newer SQ models and boards will hold up. The good thing about the warranty, is a true lemon should show up within this time frame.

Kenc says it's a known defect. Some families do multiple loads every day. Other users may only run two or three loads a week. This could be why the part didn't fail as quick.

I don't think my TC5 will last the 25 years they claim either, but I do expect it to last about 12 to 15 for a family and a little longer for an individual or couple who do less loads per week. It can last even longer for those who have the knowledge and tools to do the more advanced repairs and have access to parts at cost.

 

[Chetlaham]

@maytag85

Preach!

As much as people defend electronics, every day tallies just one more score of where things would have been better off with EM components.

While an EM timer, 2 capacitors and a 2/16 pole motor would result in a less versatile lower spin speed front load I feel like the added reliability and dependability would be worth it.

A Speed Queen front load should be an excellent candidate for lasting 30+ years with few warranty calls. I'd rather get 40 years out a FL going 640 rpm than 7 years of one capable of 1200 rpm.

 

[kenc]

We bought an LG WM3600, middle of the road, $800+tax "on sale", so 1/3 the price of a new SQ FL and most important, immediate delivery.

The biggest insult to me is to be told that all the failures were in the first year, don't they think customers will actually use that thing called the "internet" to uncover their lies?

I have found a place online that will rebuild the control board for $100 or so. However, we needed a washer, we did four loads today in the LG, it seems like a fine machine. The door even opens to the left which makes dumping laundry into the SQ dryer much easier!

I will probably send off my board, reinstall when it gets back and sell the SQ for a few hundred bucks on Craigslist. Sad really because we really liked the SQ, but now I see what a money grabbing company Alliance is I won't have anything good to say about them.

Oh,one thing though, the cycles on the LG are pretty darn slow!

 

[maytag85]

Reply #6

…and you’ll start kvetching when your electronic control machines quite working. My Machines are over 40+ years old and are still working after all these years, hell my 1963 RCA Whirlpool Imperial Mark XII is turning 60 this year and is still working perfectly after all these years. I don’t think there’s many 60 year old Miele, AEG, or Bosch machines that are around and still in service being used on a regular basis. There’s probably more 60 year old Maytag machines in existence than there are AEG or Miele machines from the 1960’s.

 

[petek]

Ken... we have the wm3700 so basically the same machine. I don't know if it's in my head or not but sometimes I'll put a load in and it'll calcuate and display say 1.30 minutes, however if I walk past it in 10 or 15 minutes after starting it'll be down to like 45 minutes remaining. Have you noticed that. I'm never in a rush for laundry anyways. The rare times I'll throw a few things in and do that speed wash for 15 minutes, you can increase that speed wash time by selecting a higher soil level, and adding a 2nd rinse. Works pretty well.

 

[appnut]

the cycles on the LG are pretty darn slow!

Ken, would you believe TurboWash does indeed make the machine process faster? The loads are faster than my former Whirlpool Duet.

My only complaint is the dumbed down water temps. Hot being 112F and warm being 90F, on Normal corresponding tems are 95F and 84F.

 

[huebschman]

I too am getting tired of SQ...

Wrote them recently to ask questions/express concerns.

They replied with a CDN tel # to call to discuss the issue. Replied that I would rather have the answers in writing since I am not comfortable speaking english.

Dead silence... My best guess is that they did not want their answers to end up on sites like this on.

Didn't ask anything out of the ordinary.

-Why some dryer models didn't come with a lint trap cover?
-Why fill hoses no longer included?
-What justifies the MSRP to have gone up so much in just over a decade (CDN MSRP for the TC5 is $1659.00, over $900.00 more than a 2009 432).
-Why washers and dryers now have the same MSRP (while in the past the dryer would be at least 1/3 less)?

...yeah... money grabbing SOB's.

 

[DADoES]

<blockquote>-Why some dryer models didn't come with a lint trap cover?
-Why fill hoses no longer included?
-What justifies the MSRP to have gone up so much in just over a decade (CDN MSRP for the TC5 is $1659.00, over $900.00 more than a 2009 432).
-Why washers and dryers now have the same MSRP (while in the past the dryer would be at least 1/3 less)?</blockquote> My guesses:
1) To cut production cost ... the cover could be had by ordering later at extra cost.  I've heard the cover is included again (on all models?) so they apparently caught enough complaints to take notice.
2) To cut production cost.
3) Increased production cost and because the market supports it.
4) All manufacturers seemingly have gone to that position.  Because the market supports it and they can.  All the more reason to never buy a new washer and dryer pair when only one of the existing machines has gone kablooey.

 

[petek]

Anyone know what SQ's residential market share is? I can't see it being very big in the US and probably even less than it was 25 years ago. Often times on other sites when someone (US) mentions them a lot of people, again in the US, have never heard of them or had never seen anywhere that sells them. It's like they're the Rainbow vacuum of washing machines.

 

[lowefficiency]

Complementary vs $1200 is indeed a huge jump - selling the board somewhere in the middle (at cost or near it) for a period would have gone a long way toward bridging the design/mfg fault vs out-of-warranty divide.

It's also a case where the electronics vs EM debate is hampered by a lack of information from SQ. Was the design at fault? Was it a component quality issue from a supplier? Any number of mistakes can make electronics unreliable - just as lapses in material selection, plastics composition, metallurgy, or assembly can shorten the lives of mechanical timers.

 

[ryner1988]

Reply #14

Glenn,

I agree with you especially about dryers. I doubt I will need to replace my 2008 29-inch Whirlpool dryer anytime soon. As long as the parts remain available and the design continues to be produced relatively unchanged, the old ones can be repaired and kept going...and going...and going. They're not usually very difficult repairs either so I don't mind paying someone to do it if the need arieses.

I think people buy both when one machine dies because they feel that if one has died, the other probably isn't far behind. My in-laws' dryer went out in 2020 and they tossed their DD washer as well because they figured it would fail soon since the machines were bought together.

Also, I think people upgrade both when there's an upgrade in capacity, like going from an old Whirlpool TL washer to a new large capacity LG FL. They feel they need the companion super capacity dryer to go with it.

Ryne

 

[appnut]

I'll add another point too. People will buy the matching washer or dryer when they have to erplace the washerr or dryer so they can have a matching set. Because they think it looks nicer. Me? I could carre less. Yes, I did have matching sets when I got my GE pair in April 1978 and the Lady Kenmore set in October 1986. But the LK dryer motor died Decembr 1994 and I saw no need to replace the washer and it was even a different color than thee Maytag Dependable Care dryer that replaced the LK druyer. So from 1994 util November 2021, I had mismatched sets until the Maytag dryer went out August of 2021 and the Duet had electornic component issues October 3032. Hence the matched LG washer & dryer.