Why did Maytag eliminate the Dependable Care Line?

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Thanks Kevin for your perspective. (By the way, my family is originally from River John, Pictou County, NS).

I have heard a lot of good things about the WP DD machines. How does one identify which machines these are? I thought (I may be mistaken) I heard that the WP DD machines had recently been discontinued. Is this true?

My memories of WP machines from when I was a kid often involved a repairman coming to replace a somewhat problematic part called a "Wig Wag". Does the WP DD machine still use this part?

Thanks for any insight!
 
To my knowledge, I think they are still being made, but for very low-end models.

Wig Wags were not used on DDs, they were on the belt drives that came out before ;)
 
 
Recent info told me that direct-drive machines are now discontinued on the consumer/domestic market, except for the topload stack sets.  The latest "low-end" models have gone to the VMW belt-drive design.

k1rod, two easy ways (there are others) to identify direct-drive machines:  1) the loading port is round instead of D-shaped; 2) there is no rear access panel.
 
Recent info told me that direct-drive machines are now discontinued on the consumer/domestic market, except for the topload stack sets.  The latest "low-end" models have gone to the VMW belt-drive design.

And this is exactly the kind of thing I don't understand.  Apparently (I have learned from this site) the Whirlpool DD design is a robust, very well engineered machine.  It would seem that the design is highly enough thought of that it would be destined to take it's place in washing machine history right up there with the Maytag DC machines.   So what does Whirlpool do?  They discontinue it.  Why in this industry is there this continual pattern of "messing with success?".  
 
DD machines do not meet the latest energy guidelines for water usage...I am VERY SORRY to see them discontinued in their present form. They are still available as a Maytag commercial "on premises" washer (meaning without a coin chute).
 
Yeah, I think the only way to return them back to normal is if the damn treehugger regulations somewhat die down. It could happen, you never know....
 
Not So Long As Obama Is In Office

And California is around things aren't going to change, and may only get tighter.

Of the two California seems to have more influence due to the size of it's market. If you've got something to sell that wants moving in CA plus the rest of the country you have two options: make a special version for that one state and sell your other goods/products elsewhere, or simply make one version (the CA) and move it along elsewhere the best way possible.
 
Discontiuning the WP DD Washers

It was time for these great machines to go and it had little to do with energy regulations and nothing to do with our Wonderful President. No one was a bigger backer of the DD washers than we were right from the beginning, by 1985 we were steering customers away from the BD WPs and pushing the new DD washers, as we could tell by the lower # of warranty calls that the DD machines were already more reliable than the BD washers.

 

The DD washer was an expensive machine to build [ it had a sand cast, cast iron transmission where the mold could only be used once ] it was old technology. It was also the most produced automatic washer ever with more than 100 Million built and it had a good 30 year run.

 

I have been to training on the new BD replacement and taken the machine completely apart and reassembled it and can say it is much better built than the DD washers and I predict it will last longer and have fewer repairs. In two years time our company has not done a single service call on one of these new washers, I think that is pretty impressive for an all new machine, time will tell.
 
New WP BD Washers

I have in all honesty heard of that and a few other problems, but we have not done a single service call on one. We probably will next week LOL, but we are a small company doing no more than 90 service calls per week divided among the three of us that are on the road 5 days a week. The service calls have always been pretty evenly divided between Washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, gas and electric ranges cook-tops and wall ovens and we still fix a lot of built-in microwaves and the OTR microwaves.
 
Can't tell you how many VMW repairs I've done! These things are junk in my opinion. Tons of failed shift actuators, always carry spares. Broken wires due to overtightening of wire harness tie wraps during factory installation. Loose main pulley nuts (very common), lots of failed motor capacitors. Lots of failed transmission top bearings. Transmission not serviceable but I've heard of one repair company that had accumualted so many of these transmissions that they figured out how to get the transmissions apart to replace the cheap commonly available bearing. Once you've done a couple, it's a bit of work, it becomes routine and is worthwhile. When most people see the cost of replacing a transmission or control board, they just junk the machine. These machines did replace the DD, are very common so there are now tons of them being used so the actual percentage of failures may be low, I don't know, just know I've seen and heard of so so many failures since they came out in 2010.
 
I know this is an old thread but it's in keeping with the DC line so I figured I'd revive it :). Can anyone tell me anything at all about this model? Was it one of the first or last DC's produced? How does it measure against the 'DC Plus' model? Would love any insight or assistance. A brochure would be fantastic. Thank you.

sarat-2016072615252401824_1.jpg
 
Oh Laundress,

now talk about abysmal; "Not as long as Obama is in office, or California is around"
Please, the crummy appliance designs were all said and implementation underway before Obama was even running. You wish for bad things to happen to California?
So they label things with warnings for pregnant mothers, and toxic goods.
Remember the TV add in the 70's of the Indian rowing a canoe past all the smoke stacks?
 
Personally,

I am better off than a decade ago. Except for a crummy washer.
A nice roof over head, food in the pantry and fridge, and health insurance which yes, we pay for.
Our son in law is a part company owner and got insurance through an exchange, and says it's better than he had with his former larger company.
 
Motel Laundry Rooms

I still see them in Motel Laundry rooms. And a Laundromat near me still has them. My 2001 model is still running daily.
 
the reliability of these otherwise great machines can't

You mean newer machines have fewer manufacturing defects? I certainly believe that. IF you mean longevity I have a hard time believing that. Built in obsolescence is by design. Any dealer will tell you they are chucking out just as many broken post filter flo machines as they are chucking out vintage machines. Look at the dumpsters for that matter. 5-10 year old machines in even proportion with older ones. And as of late I see more modern than vintage.
 

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