Talk to me about quality

[pulltostart]

Looking for all opinions here.  I'm just curious about the issue of quality of this version of GE washers.  I know that in general these post-filter flo models are routinely trashed here, but what are the real quality issues?  Too much plastic?  Bad transmission/suspension design?  Overall lack of durability?  I did purchase a pair of these new in 1998 and used them for about 2 years without any problems (not a very difficut "test") then moved and sold them.

 

Opinions and/or experiences anyone?

 

lawrence

 

[DirectDriveDave]

No experience from me, but the most common I have heard are leaks or transmission failures. 

 

[yogitunes]

tranny failures, and a real tinny feel to the metal....as cheap as they could get..

but at the same time, there are people who have luck with them.....my preference would be the Hydrowave...

 

[lightedcontrols]

The dryer

The dryer has the newer (more expensive) mica heaters in it. They are more expensive to replace and I've been replacing LOTS of them. The washers suffer mostly from transmission problems and burnt contacts at the motor.

 

[cfz2882]

hydrowave

I have a 2009 3.2(fluted plastic tub,larger versions have SS tub)hydrowave and it has been good so far,though I hear the motor inverter is known to fail sometimes.On the plus side this washer does wash well,is quiet while agitating,holds a lot of laundry even though it is the "small"version and handles imbalanced loads better than most of my "vintage"machines.The drain pump,a "wet rotor"magnetic type"is quite loud.

 

[golittlesport]

washer tranny a weak spot

My mom got a matched set of these when that design first came out, about 15 years ago. She only does about three loads of laundry a week and takes very good care of her stuff. The washer transmission went out after about six years of light use. It was too expensive to replace and the repair guy recommended she just junk it and get a new machine. She got a new Kenmore Direct Drive top load washer to replace it that is still running. The GE dryer she still has. She replaced the motor on it last year.

 

[washman]

directdrivedave nailed it

and that is precisely what happened to me. Tub seal gave up the ghost, allowed water to leak into the tranny and voila! Bad tranny. Cost to replace put me with spittin' distance of a new SQ top loader

In fact, your TL is/was the twin to mine. I got mine at Ward's when I moved to my present domicile in April of 1999. I was the only user and for 14 years, washing approximately 2 loads a week, it ran like a champ albeit noisily. It cleaned well and was easy to use. It had a dumbed down slightly warm wash (all with cold rinse) but it did the job.

That being said, I have my doubts it would have lasted as long if used in the so-called normal family setup, ie mommy, daddy, and 3-4 snot nosed kids in tow.

What is scary is this:
Warranty on my 1999 made unit: 2 years whole machine, lifetime on the plastic inner/outer tub, 10 year warranty on the steel drive tranny.

Today: 1 year. Period. No matter if you buy the Algore sanctioned HE or FL or sorta kinda old school TL, you get 1 year. If warranty length reflects any sort of confidence, then GE must not have much.

In summary, someone would have to PAY me to use one of these five star piles of junk. That includes Whiltag, anything made my WCI aka Electrolux, Samsung, LG, Kennmore.

 

[Chetlaham]

The WORST...

Washers ever built hands down no exceptions. Criminally crappy bar none. WCI and frigidaires were better than these. And that was of course my opinion before the fact one of these actually half way exploded on me.

 

The newer ones are slightly better, but the ones between 1997 and 2005 were the worst offenders. Ive used a few of theses and had to fix many. The agitation is crazy fast with very short strokes along with sharp slanted agitator vanes, the result would be clothes would sit and not move while those right next to the agitator would get torn up. Clothes always came out partially clean and in a twisted ball. In agitation the whole inner and outer tub shakes back and forth which would cause the the suspension rod sockets to screech. On a big enough load the whole cabinet would try and twist with it. First time I saw it I thought the whole washer was about to implode. The frequent twisting would often cause the tubs straps to brake on these (never experienced it personally though) and thus in spin the basket would hit the sides of the cabinet. The plastic inner basket had rectangular meshed reinforcements on the other side which would trap water and dirt. Even with lots of soap and care I would often find black pieces of mildew floating in the water, it would just collect on the reinforcements and break off in the wash. Till then I had never seen nor expected such micro biological growth machine. Of the wash baskets Ive pulled out of them and looked at most had scum build up that was far more than any other top loader Ive ever seen, I would only see such build up years latter on improperly used front loads and low water top loads. Even then those machines didn't have those mesh reinforcements.

 

That aside everything else is cheap and poorly thought out. The pump started to seize up on mine only after a year, and it was then I learned these are as far away as spin drain friendly as one can get. The pressure switch on theses prevents the machine from spinning on a full tub full of water but at the half way point when it resets the machine will spin. In my case when it did reset the water was pushed up and over the overflow tube. Something like 6 gallons got pushed out, on a second floor laundry room. And since we are on the subject if the pump doesn't give you trouble the connection from it to the back of the cabinet transitions to a narrow rectangular square which is prone to plugging up. The timer also runs with the lid open as well as the drain pump, kept rediscovering that gift when trying to soak clothes.

 

I was lucky in the fact that an apartment complex nearby at the time had over 1000 units all with these types of washers. The dumping area  was full of them as the maintenance would just replace them when they would act up, some only a years old. Most were about 3 to 4 years old. Often the transmissions on the were seize up, not a surprise considering how small and over worked it is. The timers were all plastic and if they made a conductive plastic I swear it would be used in them too. On the older models those were usually ok but Ive found on the later versions of them the timers would actually break somewhere be it the shaft, seems, contacts ect. Ive seen nearly all failure modes on these machines, leaking seals, seized pumps, broken clutches, stripped drive blocks, seized brakes, weak breaks (tub partially spins in agitation), corroded bearings, snapped straps, balance rings cracking, timer contacts burning up, foul smells from mildew growth... the list goes on and these are only one 3 to 5 year old machines. About the only part I could say held up in them and functioned like it should was the water valve and drive belt. Everything else was engineered into oblivion to being cheap and thin as physics would allow.  

 

 My opinion was sealed when I was washing pillows in one of them. Apparently certain load unbalances can reach a type of resonant frequency or something... thinking about it Im not kidding. Not the brightest move washing pillows in a top load , but Ive done it many times in other washers without issue. One of the pillows drifted to the other side with the other so it turned into 2 against one out of 3. Come spin I thought the house was caving into the basement. It was the worst sound I heard a washer make. After killing power to it I find the front panel blown off the side ones warped with the outer plastic tub full of cracks from bashing itself into the cabinet. I wish I took pics but that was 9 years ago. A similar thing took place in a filter flo before that but the machine handle it well just nudging itself forward.  

 

These machines in a nut shell are nothing more than disposable cigarette lighters. Long rant I know, but being a Maytag and Unimatic Frigidaire fan; when one uses a GE washer like these you see everything that a washer should not be. Only reason I would up as one of these as a daily driver was a tight budget at the time but you live and learn I guess.       

 

[washman]

There's a youtube vid

out there somewhere where a guy shows how one of the new HE units apparently spun out of control and bent the front suspension support arm. He shows the machine with the front panel off and the whole front suspension is sagging allowing the two tabs on the motor assembly to drop and hit the bottom support. It would squeak like a mouse each time the mode shifter kicked in. You can also see a good look at the ungodly cheap innards of the unit.

It was pretty sad to see mighty GE, the maker of the GE90, foist such poorly made junk on the market. One can only hope with their "investment" in USA based manufacturing, that they can offer up better quality.

Like I stated before, they also backslid to a one year warranty. I supposed from a beancounter perspective, it makes sense. But does it add value to the customer experience? I think not.

 

[DirectDriveDave]

Here is said video

 

[washman]

That's it DDD

I feel for the guy, I really do.

 

[mrb627]

You Know...

As bad as we all proclaim that these machines are, there are thousands out there that will run for years without so much as a hiccup.  Look at some of the most trouble prone machines of the 70's and 80's that can still be found on Craigslist or eBay.

 

Malcolm<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>

 

[combo52]

GE Top Loading Post Filter-Flow Models

Are great performers, they wash very well handle out-of -balance loads very well and drain and RINSE much better, BUT they do have serious durability issues, main problem areas are main seals and transmission problems.

 

All that said I would consider having one of these GEs in my home laundry because of their great performance and I would not have a GE FF in my home laundry, those will stay in the museum for all to enjoy when visiting.

 

GE dryers are likewise Great performers since 1995 [ I am talking about the big Canadian built dryers not the Frigidaire built junk ] BUT they to have SERIOUS durability issues for heavy users, and life spans approximately 1/2 of WP built dryers.

 

[sambootoo]

We bought one of these new in 2004 (wife's choice) and have never had any repairs. Washed for a family of 4 at the time, (has FINALLY dwindled to just wife and me!!!!) It gets the job done, but you are right, it does look, feel, and sound cheap. The timer motor is almost as loud as the washer is. There is a clunking sound during agitation that is worse than the Whirlpools. There is rust starting to form underneath the top panel (you can see little flakes on top of the tub ring.) We seldom use bleach and always leave the top open after use. I secretly can't wait for something to happen to this washer as I have a true Maytag and a Speed Queen waiting to be put into service! Sister and niece both had one that the bearings went out In the motors. For a while, they continued to work although quite noisily. Eventually, the motor would just hum. Have seen 1 that the whole side of the transmission broke off. Another that the (LGS??) spring broke, allowing it to spin during wash and flood the room. I have one now that was given to me because it's leaking oil into the wash, found that there's lots of play in the agitator shaft.

 

[llmaytag]

GE Topload

A few days ago I was in a Home Depot purchasing a sink for my new home, and despite having made the decision to get a SQ washer/dryer, I took a few moments before leaving to browse the washers/dryers and dishwashers. I saw a GE top loader that looked somewhat traditional. However, looking at the the price, and the "power rinse option" on the console which was noted as "use only with liquid fabric softener," I thought, "why would I consider this over the SQ?" It's nearly the same price as the AWN542, no 2nd rinse option, and apparently you the only way to get a full deep rinse is to select the "power rinse" option! Silly!

Next, I looked at the dishwashers. I currently have what is probably the last non-talltub Whirlpool model and it works great, and when you have a high-temp wash, or Pots & Pan, it still gives two full rinses instead of a "purge" and one rinse. If I could I'd get another for the new place, but the new Whirlpools look so cheap! Toy-like wash arms! Has anyone used one of these yet?

 

[frontloaderfan]

Not sure if this is what you're asking..

but I just purchased a new portable Whirlpool DW in July. It has an all-plastic interior, which I am not a fan of, but it seems to do very well on pots & pans as well as my stainless steel bakeware, glassware and Kitchenaid mixer bowls. Not sure what a "tall tub" is (forgive my ignorance) but it looks the same dimensionally on the inside as any other DW. It's relatively quiet and I would be lost without it. Hope this helps...

 

[thefixer]

I have an 02 model and have replaced the lower bearing in the transmission and repaired a fautly motor switch, but other than that, it has been fine. The bearing was $10 and switch repair didn't cost anything.

A broken LGS cannot cause spin during wash. In fact, a broken LGS will not allow spin at all. You can remove the spring and it will agitate just fine but will never spin. With broken spring or without the spring, it will agitate in both agitate or spin modes.

 

[pierreandreply4]

anything good about this model?

anything good about this model because this is the model i am considering as my next daily driver with power rinse with matching electric dryer white of course

 

[washman]

pierreandreply4 Those are the same GE

pretty much discussed in this thread. You pay your money, you take your chances.