Whirlpool Over Frigidaire

[MikeS]

Sadly, I must announce the untimely death of my mid-1990's Roper fridge. (Cause of death: Failed temperature control; repair people told me it would cost at least $250 to fix.)
With that, I went shopping for a new big white box this week. I ended up buying it at Lowes; they offered a rebate for delivery and pickup of my old fridge. In any case, I was debating between two 21 cubic foot top-freezer models--a Frigidaire and a Whirlpool. The Frigidaire had several features the Whirlpool didn't have--sliding glass shelves for instance--and was $30 less. But the Lowes appliance salesperson told me I should pay extra for the Whirlpool because he has seen more Frigidaire models returned for defects and problems. So after double-checking with my trusty Consumer Reports (and a few friends), I ordered the Whirlpool. It's being delivered next week.
Question: Has anyone heard about the reliability of recent model Frigidaire models? When it was owned by GM, I know the brand had a good track record. Opinions, please, as I make way for Reba McIntire's favorite brand of fridge!

 

[pumper]

I bought a Frigidaire dishwasher at Lowe's last summer and after 2 months I yanked it out from under the counter and took it back and exchanged it for a slightly more expensive Whirlpool. I had to wash the dishes before putting them in the Frigidaire. The Whirlpool is great.

 

[kenmore1978]

WP vs Frigidaire

One really can't compare a WP dishwasher against a Frigidaire dishwasher to make a decison on a WP refrigerator vs a Frigidaire refrigerator. reliability is not an across the board thing between different products of the same company. It's Apples and oranges. A company may make a great dishwasher but a lousy range or a great refrigerator but a crummy clothes washer.

Wp does seem to come closest in having the best quality across all their lines of products, though.

 

[kenmore1978]

$250

to fix a thermostat?! You probably could've done it yourself for way less.

 

[whirlcool]

Appliance Repair Bills

I have a 2000 Whirlpool Double Door that has had to be repaired 3 times already. Once, a "solenoid" failed, the machine shut down, but my neighbor fixed it for $50.00. A regular repair place wanted $150.00. The next time it failed, it froze everthing, even in the refrigerator compartment. Another "solenoid", $150.00. Then the fan motor died, $325.00. But when I saw what that repaiman had to do to access the motor in such a tight space, I thought it was worth every penny of the bill. Now, the damn thing is rusting under the ice maker on the front door! See photo. Next time it fails, out the door it goes! But is any one brand more reliable than any other? My parents had a Sears Coldspot that lasted them at least 25 years!

 

[golittlesport]

It's hard to guess about quality these days...I think almost all American brands are about equal. We moved into a brand new house five years ago with top of the line Whirlpool Gold appliances in the kitchen. We bought a $2100 Whirlpool Conquest refrigerator at the same time. The Whirlpool Gold stove had three service calls the first year. The refrigerator went out at about 18 months to the tune of $450. If it hadn't been so expensive to begin with I wouldn't have repaired it. But I did and it has worked OK since. The Whirlpool dishwasher has had no problems. In the laundry there is a Kenmore front loader by Frigidaire and its matching dryer. No problems with those after 5 years. Funny, I was talking to the guy who bought my old condo and the cheap $395 White-Westinghouse refrigerator is still there going strong and is about 10 years old now. It's a crap shoot...I would buy on the features you like. I don't think any appliance manufacturer has better overall quality anymore. JMHO

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Maytag:

I've got {2} Maytags, 1 is an Almond Color 24.0 Side-By-Side and the other is an Almond Color 21.0 Top-Freezer, originally bought by my Mother. Granted the first listed was purchased in 1992 and the second listed was purchased in 1994. Neither of these have ever had any Repairs on the Unit's, but the Top-Freezer had to have the "Add-On" Ice Maker Replaced, about 2-years after I Installed the Ice Maker. My Parent's didn't want Ice Makers, because of them not being as good in the past as they are now. My Side-By-Side was around $895.00 and the Top-Freezer was around $795.00. I've had until this year Extended Warrantees on both of them, but they are beyond Maytags age limit of Extended Warrantees now. The Top-Freezer is in the Kitchen and the Side-By-Side is in the Garage. I'm going to switch them sometime soon and probably sell the Top-Freezer Model, later on this year, because I really don't need both any more and I perfer Side-By-Sides better anyway. This Top-Freezer has been an absolute "BITCH" for getting some items in and out of the Refrigerator area and the Freezer Shelf is stuck for some reason, so it can't be adjusted like I would like to adjust it.

So basically, I'm "Voting" for a Maytag Fridge, a GE Fridge, or maybe even an Amana Fridge.

The "Fridge" that the Top-Freezer replaced was a 1967 19.5-cu.ft. "GM" Frigidaire Custom Deluxe Side-By-Side and it was Copper-Tone Color, that the Compressor went out on and I just told my Mother at that time, to just get a new one. The Frigidaire had 2-Repairs in all that time. The Defrost Timer and the Air Circulating Fan in the Freezer Compartment. That "Fridge" didn't have a "Stay-On" Switch of the Fan, when you opened the "Fridge" and Freezer Doors, it would shut-off, until you closed the Door again, when the Compressor was running.

Peace, Good Luck and Happy Refrigerator Shopping, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[rchris]

My 2002 Frigidaire Gallery icebox is humming along nicely in the corner of my kitchen. No problems, repairs, or service calls thus far...Well, Ive replaced two PureSource water filters, but that lil ol red light right there just wont turn green again unless you do. I am even on a special program where Electrolux emails me to tell me it might be about time the light was turning yellow, and I reply back to em, after which a new filter shows up in my mailbox with no effort on my part. You gotta love that.

 

[pumper]

Kenmore1978

I wasn't trying to "compare dishwashers to refrigerators". It was just a personal observation.

 

[MikeS]

Thank you for the input

Thanks everyone for the great comments.
Sorry, Kenmore, you're right--maybe I could have fixed it myself. But my life is very busy with work, condo association problems and trying to have some sort of a personal life. I'm sure you could have fixed my fridge in a jiffy, but I'm terrible at these things and sometimes you have to know your limitations.
BTW, I'm still glad I chose the Whirlpool--its textured white finish will match my Frigidare gas range and above-the-range GE microwave very nicely. Counting the days until it's installed by a hunky Lowes deliveryman....!

 

[Stevezasycho]

Gallery or Professional series

Frigidaire is a pile of garbage.. Their gallery series is like garbage with caviar in it.. The professional series is like the non-smelly garbage.. I hate Frigidaire.. I sell the crap at Best Buy.. We have more refrigerators, dishwashers, etc. coming back because of their (Electrolux's) shoddy quality.. I would buy ANYTHING over Frigidaire.. Hell, I bought an Inglis washer over the Frigidaire Crown.. THe Inglis has a smaller tub, but will last a hell of a lot longer for the money.. I mean, I was explaining to a really daft lady why not to buy a Frigidaire dishwasher at work.. I was explaining the cheap ass telescoping tower wash, and the lack of any spray at the top.. Didn't seem to stop her.. So I explained that we recently had an influx of Frigidaire products come in on "no lemon" exchanges.. And as I was doing so, I proceeded to open the door and show her the fact there were no other wash arms, sprays, or anything, and the door came crashing to the floor.. Needless to say, she spent the extra and got a Whirlpool Quiet Partner II tall tub.. I would just avoid this company like the plague..

 

[Boschowner]

stevezasycho:

I wonder what makes me think you dont like Frigidaire

Bobby

 

[Stevezasycho]

Huh?

... lol..

 

[goatfarmer]

I'm thinking that a control for a Roper 'fridge could be had for less than a hundred retail......

Now,on the Frig vs WP debate,we bought a new refrigerator about 6 months ago,when the new secondhand GE side by side took a dive.I didn't even consider Frigidaire,my dad serviced them his whole working life.Quality was poor with the WCI merge,came up a tiny bit with Electrolux,but I still wouldn't bite.We went to Lowes to compare Maytag VS Whirlpool,found one we liked,and then went to the local dealer,and bought a Whirlpool side by side.I like to keep my money local whenever possible.

My advice is always free,value it accordingly.....

kennyGF

 

[frigilux]

Wow, psycho Steve, my experience with Frigidaire has been entirely different than yours! Granted, I'd only buy a TOL Frigidaire dishwasher (I agree that the other models aren't good), but my FL washer, the dryer, 2 convection ranges (one gas, one electric), 2 refrigerators and the chest freezer have all been great. Granted, they're only 2-4 years old, (except for the DW, which is only 1) but I've had no problems with any of them. I'd recommend Frigidaire any day!

 

[mulls]

Frigidaire quality

I bought all Frigidaire 5 years ago when remodeling-TOL fridge,DW,slide in range,microwave/exhaust unit,FL washer,matching dryer.Got married about the same time,this stuff has had LOTS of use and hasnt missed a beat.Both my wife and I cook,we entertain often-that ice maker has run virtually constantly all this time,wash 10 plus loads per week-5 in the house-including 3 women and a baby.Not a service call.
Tom

 

[MikeS]

Everybody In The 'Pool!

Hi, gang.
Well, my big white box was delivered this afternoon. I love my new Whirlpool. The large freezer. The glass shelves in the fridge, and the crisper controls. The plastic white handles (no more faux wood and metal). And yes, the Lowes delivery guy was a real hunk. Worth the price of admission indeed.
Again, thanks for all the wonderful advice and suggestions. In the long run, I think I made the right choice. Now it's time to make some ice...does anyone have the recipe?

 

[veg-o-matic]

Lucky you!

I've had 4 delivery guys from Lowe's over the years, and not a one was worth a second look. Mom still gets swoony about Paulo, who delivered a stove from a different store. Naturally, I was at work at the time...

As for my 2 cents on the WP/Frigidaire debate, I'd probably have gone by either features or price, all other things being equal. I have a Roper fridge and DW (made by Whirlpool) and they're both great. Whirlpool always gets good grades repair-wise in Consumer Reports. I'm hoping that extends to Roper as well.
My "Paulo" stove and washer in my old place were both Frigidaire and never had a problem with either. The washer had to be 10 years old when we moved and never a repair. My current laundry duo is Frigidaire.

Only brand I'd recommend against is GE. Other than air conditioners, I think their stuff is basically crap.

Ice recipe: just remember, the Thoughtful Hostess always makes ice with hot water so the cubes are nice and clear.

veg

 

[Stevezasycho]

Consumer Reports..

There's a crack pot, paid-by-manufacturer toilet paper between covers..

I hear it ewveryday.. People coming into MY store, trying to overrule MY knowledge.. Their basis? Forkin consumer reports.. "You are wrong.. You are so terribly" shut the f up.. "Well this one was rated a best buy" I don't care..You want to spend 250 on a gas range, be my guest.. You;ll shortly find out why you spent that when it breaks down/explodes..

And the ones that come in screaming about how marvelous Kitchen Aid is.. For christ sake, it is a Whirlpool that yoiu can get the console to match your damn fridge handles.. Okay, I've spun on long enough.. I ate consumer reports, and the people that think CR is a damn life choice..