This sound is about to put me into an asylum.

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murando531

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 24, 2014
Messages
951
Location
Augusta, Georgia - US
This knocking/popping/whatever-you-call-it sound this washer is making is about to have me needing heavy medication. I've been patient and tried to ignore it and stop worrying about any little weird noises because of the machine being so different than anything else, but I know without a doubt that THIS noise wasn't intended with the design.

For anyone who didn't see my post on the original subject of this washer, it's a Maytag Bravos XL MVWB725. It performs beautifully, and I've grown to love how the machine works and have learned the do's and don't's in order for it to work properly. Since around January, it's been making a sound that I can only describe as though someone is tapping their knuckle on the plastic of the agitator, and yet it only makes the noise when the basket is rotating slowly, or in the first part of it ramping up to speed in the spin. There isn't a thing I can see that could be making the noise, because the outer tub can be completely still and it will knock away, and there isn't a thing that I can see underneath that is loose or moving. If you rotate the tub by hand ever so gently without causing the tub to rock, you can feel the pop. The best way I know to describe it is like your ankle popping, you can't see anything happen but you can hear and feel it.

I've taken some video, and this one was the most clear. I let it rotate slowly, then stepped it to medium speed, and then full speed. Notice that it does it a little until a certain point and then goes away completely. At the end when I stop it, and then start the slow rotation again is when it really starts making the noise, around 2:15.

I'm at a stalemate. It does it so intermittently and yet when it does it sounds like someone is knocking on the door. And I most certainly don't want to just ignore it only for it to turn into a major failure in the bearing.

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That noise just sounds like noise that a top suspended tub makes.

If you grab the suspension arms and shake them can you emulate the noise?

It doesn't sound that unusual.
 
That really sounds like a balancing ring issue. I mean, the sound is kind of hollow, plastic-ish and involves something metal or at least rather solid. Hard, dense, movable material and hollow plastic really only boils down to balancing ring for me.
But if nothing helps, you might get a replacement. Something different, maybe? ;)
 
I didn't think it was. I've emailed a friend at WP and asked his opinion before I start the ball rolling with sloppy technicians having to come into my house.

I spent two hours last night taking it apart down to the drive shaft. An hour of that was spent struggling to get the dee-ay-em top open, until I found through research that this is the ONLY Bravos/Cabrio model that doesn't simply pop open by tabs at the front, as nearly every video and demonstration shows. This one requires unbolting the hinge at the back and pulling the entire top forward, and then it lifts.

Anyway, got down to the bare driveshaft. Not a single thing out of the ordinary about the agitator or basket, nor the tub engagement hub, and the driveshaft is clean as a whistle, aside of course some grease. I couldn't get the sound to appear, but at the same time it's impossible to spin the shaft just by hand. I also laid it forward and couldn't find a thing loose within the rotor and stator, and yet with meticulously putting everything back together, it's washing a load of towels right now with the "Keebler elves" knocking away underneath.

My biggest suspicion is that perhaps there is just enough of a imbalance in the tub that it causes it to "chirp" against the shaft as it teeters back and forth, which could explain why after getting up to speed, it completely goes away because the centrifugal force holds it still. It must be such a microscopic movement, but by echoing through all the plastic in the system, it amplifies the sound to what you heard in the video.

I'm hoping that I can muster up my assertiveness to convince them to just send a brand new machine. I was already peeved at the delivery people taking it out of the box in the middle of the street, stomping the styrofoam base out from under it, which for all I know could have done something to inadvertently cause what is happening. Then the fact that it is now on its third pump and yet no one, not the technician nor the Whirlpool service center he called have any clue as to why their own drain pump would sound like this. And the cherry on top, while blundering around the machine while it was laid down with a rolled towel at the lid end to allow us to pick the ungodly heavy thing up, he rocked and banged the machine around enough to push a dent into the corner of the front panel.

A brand new, nearly $1000 machine shouldn't have problems like this within the first few months, nor should it have them basically right out of the box. So if anyone is willing, please send good vibes my way. I love the machine, just don't love the unnecessary issues with it so far.
 
This Washer Is Not A LEMON

It has NEVER broken down, it has never failed to wash a load of clolthing yet.

 

The two drain pumps that were replaced were a combination of owner over expectation and bad service [ WP should have never replaced the 2nd one ]

 

Yes the machine is making an unusual noise and incorrect noise [ if the video is real  ] and it will be up to WP, the and the dealer if the machine gets repaired or replaced [ but it is repairable ].

 

In the many years I worked with WP we had occasions where WP would just pick up an appliance, give the customer a full refund and include a letter with the refund check suggesting that the customer might find greater satisfaction with another appliance makers appliance. LOL, but true.

 

BUT this washer does not come close to being a LEMON, believe me I have seen a lot of people that have been wronged by an appliance maker, it it usually involves, many trips to a laundromat, many out of pocket expenses, personal injury, or property damage.
 
Be careful. It might fly apart and tear up the room. I wouldn't hang around that thing. An old Frigidaire I trust at those speeds, but not that. Too flimsy for my taste.
 
These could all be true statements, combo52. Because video taken on my "all powerful" HTC One M8 and its "professional-grade" editing software could be so easily modified to add in noise just because I have all the time in the world to make up issues that couldn't possibly be true. And it could also be completely viable for the technician that stood right beside me and called a Whirlpool service outlet, who also seemed to have no idea why the drain pump would be making such racket, to be in cahoots with me, and we're slowly but surely seeing our devious plan to fruition to wrong Whirlpool and Maytag for no reason.

 

But sadly, as much as I would LOVE to have the time for all that, it simply isn't realistic. As much as I and I'm sure everyone else here appreciates your wisdom and advice, save the snarky accusations for someone that ACTUALLY needs them. I find it interesting that in the course of 6 days, your comment changed from supporting my issue to blatantly making a mockery of it. Bless you and your day.

 

My entire concern regarding everything that has transpired with this machine so far is the fear of ignoring such signs and symptoms, only to be thrown under the bus the day AFTER  the warranty plays out, and being left with a useless machine that won't be covered, and even worse, a destroyed laundry room. As the most recent videos I've posted have shown, the noises have progressed to screeching chirping sounds that are now happening at the high spin speeds, in addition to the previous knocking/thunking noises as the tub slowly rotates. There isn't a thing out of place under the agitator plate, the tub engagement hub, nor the basket itself. The basket has only a miniscule amount of play if pushed side to side, which is normal for every Oasis machine I have interacted with.

 

The money paid for this machine was by no means trivial, and though, yes, I have high-expectations because of Whirlpool's reputation in past years for solid construction and because of my experience learning about and working on nearly every WP dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer design since before I started kindergarten, I do understand that there will be certain creaks and bumps and noises that will be made in a machine no matter the grade of construction. As I would think many would agree, the sound of a Keebler elf hammering the side of a rusty old Red Rider wagon while spinning the unlubricated metal wheels as fast as he can is NOT a normal, nor acceptable sound for a machine that has seen barely 3 and a half months of careful use.
 
I think you should really take the basket into consideration.
Again, look at the video of the soaking cycle. you can clearly see the tub moves in perfect union with the sound. And you can hear the sound appears pretty much every half rotation, only its louder once, than more silent again.
Have you spoken to WP&#92Maytag&#92 your dealer already?
 
henene4 - I do. I called yesterday, and after about 10 minutes of hearing "uhhhhhh...ummmmmmm" from the other side of the phone (and yes, he instructed me to unplug the machine for a few seconds.. -_- ), he scheduled me a "senior technician" who I'm waiting for right this moment.

Honestly I thought it had to be related to the basket as well, but after taking it out and hand turning the drive shaft, the "thunking" is still there, and yet I still can't figure out for the life of me where the noise is coming from exactly. I don't have the proper tool to remove the rotor, but whatever the sound is, along with the screeching popping noise it makes now during the spin, seems to come more from under the machine than above, even when there are no clothes.
 
Man had absolutely no idea what in the world it could be.

Not that he seemed exactly knowledgable. He's a senior technician that has been with this particular service company for 25 years, and yet during the course of this almost 2 hour visit, he did not seem to know anything about how to truly operate on the machine, nor how to do something as simple as put the machine into a Drain/Spin Only cycle, so of course we stood there for almost 20 minutes just waiting for it to spin.  I stood by and kept my mouth shut, and then during that time I showed him the videos of what it has been doing. Then, he put the machine into automatic diagnostics, but not before I told him that the procedure to do so was not to mash every button he could as fast as he could, but to simply hold one button for 3 sec, release for 3, repeat, until voila. After he realized that what I said about the machine not spinning in auto diag., therefore rendering that 10 minutes useless, I had to show him what manual diagnostics was, and apparently it was something he had never seen before.

In addition to all of that, the guy was painfully rough on the machine and its surroundings, because now I have a nice chip in the corner of the porcelain on my previously pristine dryer after he slammed the washer into it twice. There are also scuff marks now on my tile floor because he used a short crowbar to pry the machine up in the front and the back, because he felt that though the machine is already leaning forward ( as that's the only way the basket will be center and not dump water into the floor from the detergent dispenser ), it needed to be leaning even more. Now as it stands right now, the washer can be wobbled with just the slight push of your hand on the top.

What else. Ah! After being on the phone with Whirlpool because he saw that upon gently turning the tub by hand it will clunk and knock 3-4 times with each rotation, they both decided that they had no clue what it could be, nor what the screeching could be during the spin, and he has now ordered a new stainless steel tub AND rotor and stator. And for some reason I just have this sneaking suspicion that: A.) the problem will not be within any of those three parts, as he checked them himself, as have I. He took the basket COMPLETELY out and manually set the machine to 25 rpm spin with only a naked driveshaft (again, I had to show him how to do this), the knocking and popping is STILL there. He also leaned the washer against the wall, which now has a beautiful indentation, and checked the rotor itself and even hammered against it to ensure its tightness. And B.) that by the time this is all said and done, I will still have a defective machine, and in the process, no telling how much other damage to my property.

I think what really pissed me off was the fact that he didn't even know how to open the top properly. His method was to remove ALL FOUR screws on the green hinges, and take the hinges completely off (even after me saying multiple times "I'm pretty sure that you keep the bottom screw in and the top can just hinge open like a car hood") but alas, one of the plastic spacer discs that rests between the cabinet and the top are now broken off, and there's no telling how much stress was put on the electrical cables and vacuum tube because the LID WAS LITERALLY HANGING FROM THEM. I won't even get started on how many times he slammed and banged the stainless steel basket against the cabinet during his hasty reassembly.

The dude is the epitome of the reason why I hate having appliance technicians step into my house, and because my laundry room and both machines have each had a degree of damage in the course of a two hour visit, I'm even more livid at the whole situation.

 

At this very moment I've channeled my rage into constructive explaining and ranting on the phone with tech support. I'm on hold right now because she is forwarding everything to her supervisors, including the links to the videos I have on YouTube. At this point, I've already expressed my distain for this particular technician and instructed that he is not allowed in this house again, and that if the machine isn't downright replaced, I'll make sure to leave the reviews that I've been holding back on every website and outlet that I can possibly find, and that the videos I've posted will also have the details of this experience added into the descriptions and tags. I've always chosen Whirlpool's products, and have always recommended them to the people that seek my advice, which is a pretty decent number of people considering that most everyone that knows me also knows of the passion and fascination I have with these machines as well as the knowledge I've acquired in my lifetime, but so far my faith in the company has been destroyed because of the hassle and headache I've had with what was supposed to be a pleasant and exciting purchase.
 
I can totaly understand you. Just be happy that you didn't destroy your machine your self as Panasonuc told us we would have done.
Sounds like a lot of damage he produced. Take pictures! And next time a technician comes around, document the exact condition your laundry has been in before and after. This way, you could always make some trouble.
And, a friendly advise: As you are annoyed enough by now, just take your time and have your own little fun being the best worst customer they know. Just give them hell, be as annoying as you can and just treat them like they treated you and your machine. And, most importantly, have fun while doing that.
(I know this is considered quite rude and being a pretty friendly person my self, this is the last haven in such situations. But I know everybody felt that way before. And once you liked blood, usually, you can't stop anymore.)
 
Oh, I understand entirely. And I was actually apologizing to both the representative and to the supervisor afterwards for having to be "that guy". But after the experience with this machine so far and the money spent on it, this entire process has been unacceptable.

 

Try as I may, even after expressing my lost faith and my disgust with how this issue has been handled, and explaining that if left improperly resolved, I'll never let a Whirlpool appliance walk through my door ever again, they still continued to tell me that "they're sorry I've had this experience, but an exchange just isn't possible." Upon asking what I'm supposed to do in the 3 weeks to two months it is apparently going to take to get the basket, the rotor, and stator delivered, all the while the machine is progressively sounding worse and worse, she basically told me that it's a bridge I'll just have to cross when I get to it.

 

I've never been so livid in all my life, and yet I'm too damn nice a person and STILL I get trampled on. So now the result is that I have a "brand new" machine sitting in my laundry room that already has a dent, scratches, stress on the electric cables and possibly the vacuum tube, dings in the tub, and two broken retainer tabs on the tub ring and a broken cabinet spacer, along with the screeching and knocking of a demon trying to escape the pits of the underworld. Add to that my chipped dryer, the scratches on my tile, and the imprints of the control panel and lid holding the weight of the machine as he rested it against my wall.

 

So, as of right now, I've already left "raving" reviews on Maytag.com, Consumer Reports, and Amazon, and I'm planning to do the same to every website I can find this washer, including both Lowe's and Home Depot, and any other retailers with the option to leave reviews. And those videos I have posted? Every detail of this whole ordeal will be described in vivid detail. And on the day it gets "repaired", everytime the damn thing even hiccups the wrong way, their phones will be lit up like Christmas. The rest of the society may not care how these big name corporations have come to treat their consumers, but that's not how I work. If I can cause them even a percent of the headache and hell they've caused me with this single machine I'll feel a little better. That is if I haven't shed the last of my patience and taken the POS to the road and said to hell with the money I spent.
 
Sorry...

I have had similar issues with an LG set I purchased 6+ years ago. After all was said and done, I listed them on craigslist and sold them. They were awful and looking back, getting rid of them was the right thing to do. LG doesn't care about their customer's any more or less than Whirlpool. So, my suggestion to you is let them fix it, then move it to someone else. You'll sleep better after all.

Malcolm
 
It may take a bit. They always take forever to "approve" reviews. And I actually didn't think about linking the AW threads but it's a great idea!

 

And I agree Malcolm, this week, and especially today, I've been disgusted to even walk into the laundry room. For us here that have the amount of attachment to our appliances that we do, no one should have to deal with that feeling. And I'll most likely let them piddle around with it all they want, and sell it to some sucker and let it be their problem. The ONLY solution to change how I feel is to get a brand new machine in the box, and to start things fresh the way they should have been from the start. If this were happening at 1.5 or 2 years, I'd be more understanding, but not 3-4 months. Unacceptable.

 

So here we are, my trusty WTW4800 sitting in its rightful place. It has never once betrayed me in the three years I've had it, and I'll think long and hard before I ever take a chance on betraying it again. It may not look as pretty as the Bravos but it's sure built a hell of a lot better.

murando531-2015032414484908175_1.jpg

murando531-2015032414484908175_2.jpg
 
If they won't take it back, pick a room, line the walls with sheets of metal or something indestructible, run it in there and leave the room. Maybe it will last and maybe it won't. But you won't have to worry about it.
 
I'm lying here wide awake because I can't stop replaying the events of the day through my mind again and again. I cannot believe the audacity of this "senior technician" who put more effort into telling me "not to use powder detergents because liquids and pods are best" and that 2 tablespoons of detergent is all that is needed for a full load of dirty clothes. He had no clue how to operate the diagnostic modes on the machine, much less how to simply run a Drain and Spin cycle, and most certainly didn't know how to properly open the top of the machine. I also forgot to mention earlier, when I stated that I and knowledgeable colleagues have never heard an Oasis machine behave this way, he said to me in the most hateful 'you're an idiot' tone: "Well bud you're thinking of the wrong washer because this is a Maytag (points to the logo on the machine), not a Kenmore." I should have booted him out of my house at that very moment.

Because of the abuse and negligence he showed my machine, and the downright disrespect to myself and my intelligence, if I wanted the machine replaced before the visit, I most certainly do now. As a loyal customer to Whirlpool who has spent almost $4000 on their appliances in the past two years, I should not have to endure this kind of nightmare from a brand new machine. I should not have to endure countless arrogant technicians stepping into my home, causing damage to my property through their carelessness and insulting the knowledge that I've spent my entire life acquiring. And the most frustrating and angering part is that I should NEVER be told by a head supervisor of customer service that there is simply nothing that can be done, and that an exchange simply isn't possible, and that when the machine begins to majorly fail, that it's a bridge I'll have to assess with customer service when I get to it. Having worked in appliance retail, I've seen countless cases nearly identical to mine where the machine was swapped with no problem to the customer. If a customer can have a brand new oven replaced because she didn't like the smell the first time she ever turned it on, then surely to god I deserve to have a machine replaced that is now crackling and popping and screeching like a banshee, especially after the patience I've had with it for 4 months. In the time it's going to take for the rotor, stator, and basket to be delivered, and for the technician to come and perform the replacements, there could just as easily be a brand new machine on its way and this whole thing could be over. Why he insisted on ordering those parts after establishing that the sound persisted with all three removed from the unit, I have no clue. And having major component repairs/replacements on a machine that has barely been in operation for a season is as unacceptable as the engine in a car needing major repair or replacement after only a couple thousand miles.

With time to think and gather my thoughts and feelings from the tangled mess they were in today, I've become even more livid at the situation. And my mistake today was being too polite and patient, and not putting my foot down and explaining that the only two acceptable solutions to this problem are 1. an identical machine delivered still in the box to my garage, NOT unboxed in the street before I even have a chance to get outside, and most certainly without having the bottom shipping base stomped out of it, or 2. a full reimbursement for the money I paid for the machine and to have the dreaded thing carted away from my house for good.
 
Not to rain on your parade, but I feel you are going about this the wrong way. I have had major leaking issues with 2 whirlpool fridges, a side by side and a top mount. Screw customer service, look up online the top management in the company. Namely president. I contacted his office and dealt with his secretary. Upon our conversations, in a rather rational voice, don't want to piss her off, I let my wife handle this woman to woman, they replaced both of our units and paid for all the work replacing walls, insulation, cabinet removal and floor replacement. Customer service is worthless when a situation like this arises, you need to go to the top. This will get you more action quicker. Explain to them the situation and all you have gone through. They don't like to hear this but they need to know. Hope this helps in your situation. Oh I forgot to add that this started with an e-mail to him and she reads all and responds for him.
I have found this works well dealing with Lowes and Home Depot also.

Jon[this post was last edited: 3/25/2015-07:18]
 
I absolutely agree with reply #25 by retro-man, go right to the top. But whatever you do, keep CALM,, but remain firm and clear in what you want to make you whole again. I always write down the points I want to cover before the call is made, and check them off as they are covered and what you were told they would do to satisfy you. And be SURE to document the call thoroughly! Make note of the #you called, date, time and who you spoke with. Also, note what you were told by the person you spoke with. This is a legal document if you need to go further for a resolution, but I doubt that you will. By the time you reach this level the company most always wants to make the situation right.
 
Pick A Target

You will probably have more luck addressing the store where you made your purchase rather than the manufacturer. I had to deal with the store manager directly to get them to take back a laundry pair that was nearly six months old.

Malcolm
 
I've received notification emails from every site I posted a review on, saying that they have been approved and are live. Except Maytag. I got an email just now saying that my review "was appreciated but did not meet their guidelines". Meanwhile, as I've been checking the product page, the reviews were mixed, until now, in which around six or so positive 4 and 5 star reviews have appeared as the first items on display in the review panel. I'm sure it's entirely coincidence, except that my review isn't "approved" as I read the guidelines and didn't say anything out of line except for the truth, but at the same time I suppose I have put up more of a persistent fuss than most people do. Things that make you go hmm...

Also, I actually have called the original dealer (Home Depot), but they said that during the first standard year of warranty, all issues with the machine would have to be addressed directly with Whirlpool/Maytag. After that, the extended warranty through Asurion (which I confirmed with the service rep at Maytag is backed by Whirlpool directly as well) kicks in, and at that point I could call HD support, but they will always direct me straight to Asurion. Checks out as true because during the time I worked there, that was our protocol. I suppose looking back, I should have addressed a replacement concern with HD within the first couple of weeks, but because at that time the knocking/clunking sound was so infrequent, I didn't see it as an issue at the time.
 
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