Why so much hate for Maytag Centennials?

[de409]

Got a MVWC425BW Centennial washer at Home Depot for $399 with a $100 rebate from the electric company when we moved in 2014. It has been a great unit.

When I search it, I see a lot of angry 1 star reviews. Heck, it is at 2 stars on Amazon, even though it is NLA.

What is the beef with these HE washers? I must admit I kind of love mine.

 

[ea56]

Well I love my Maytag Cenntenial too. I bought an MVWC415EW from Lowe’s in Dec. 2016 and have done at least 4 to 5 loads a week, every week since without any problem or disappointment. This washer is one of the best I’ve ever owned since 1972. Its not wasteful with water, but always uses an adequate amount of water to get every load thoroughly clean and rinsed. I primarlily use the Power Wash and Deep Wash cycles. I get tap hot water on these cycles, and use hot for most loads. Every load is done in 50-60 mins, and this washer never goes out of balance either.

I think that most of the people that don’t like these washers either have never used one, or haven’t read the owners manual to understand how to properly use the machine. Also, many people can’t get past not being able to watch the wash action due to the locking lid. While I’d like to watch it in action, I’m not going to take the lid latch off to do so. As long as it does what its supposed to do, I’ll trust that there is enough action under the lid making it happen.

Hope that you’ll continue to like Centennial too.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 3/18/2019-14:14]

 

[de409]

Only thing I am having trouble with is finding my model number! Apparently the MVWC425BW could be a BW0 or BW1 and I can't find that info anywhere. Would like to stock up on some spare parts but don't want to order wrong. Even Maytag couldn't help when I called them.

 

[ea56]

On my machine the model number and serial number are on a sticker located on the edge of the tub opening right under the bottom edge of the lid.

Eddie

 

[de409]

Thanks will check for this when I get home

 

[DADoES]

 
The last digit of the model number is the engineering change.  0 is a "first edition," successive numbers indicate some sort of design or component change.  It can be significant for obtaining correct replacement parts.

The serial number is coded for the year and week of factory production, if you want to cite that to get a more accurate birthdate.

 

[imperial70]

People don't read instructions. There is nothing wrong with your washer. You probably are using it correctly and that's why you are pleased with it.

 

[de409]

I can't find either and even the factory Energystar papers etc. only reference the BW. I know I sent in the paperwork to Maytag for warranty but they claim there's no way to search for that in their system unless I've had a warranty call (???)

 

[DADoES]

 
There's no tag at the location per Reply #3?

 

[combo52]

Whirlpool built VMW washers

Whirlpool switched to this design in 2010 for all their stand alone top load washers, they build more than 5000 a day.

 

I think they jumped the gun with this machine many people are dissatisfied with thim even though many do like them.

 

People first of all don’t like the fact that the lid locks and you have to wait over a minute to open the machine when you press pause if it happens to be spinning.

 

People don’t like how Slowly they fill, I can Pee faster, LOL. Many users report tangling and damage to their clothing, you certainly can’t load them as heavily as you could the earlier direct drive machines and get things uniformly clean without damage.

 

They do spin faster that’s about the only thing good I can say about them so they do save some energy in that respect.

 

They’ve had a lot of repair problems with these machines mode shifters, computers, lid locks, plastic main drive pulleys and splushes and worst of all the main bearing and seal fail on them and that’s not economically repairable it costs more than you paid for the machine.

 

John

 

[Chetlaham]

Slow Fill

Whats the reasoning behind the slow filling?

 

[ea56]

My Centennial only fills slowly when using cold water, which I never wash in. So the rinse fill is fairly slow. But the fill for a hot wash is pretty quick, and warm fill is very fast, as fast as any washer I’ve ever owned. Makes no sense conservation wise, because you’re still going to use the same amount of water, regardless of how long it takes to fill.

Nevertheless, I still like my Centennial very much. And my experience is that I can get a whole bushel laundry basket full of a mixed load in, which fills it to the top dry. And these loads come out spotless, with no damage that I’m aware of. Yes, sometimes pant legs and long shirt sleeves can tangle, but I really don’t see this as a problem. Just about every washer I’ve ever used has tangled clothes from time to time.

And I can also wash king size bedspreads and comforters, and they always come out clean and well rinsed.

Eddie

 

[wayupnorth]

Thanks, but I will keep my Maytag Fabric-Matic. Fills to the top, washes and rinses fine and after 35 years of trouble-free use, I doubt any of those models would last this long.

 

[combo52]

Slow Fill On New HE Washers

I can only guess that they are just making the cycle longer so the clothing partly soaks-clean, but to me it makes no sense I know my buddy Martin in NJ is often drilling out the restrictors in the fill valves so the machines fill faster.

 

One thing I often think about with some newer appliances that are supposed to save energy is that they don't think about having a washer full of hot water for almost an hour. The longer a wash cycle lasts whether a washer or a DW and the machine is hot the whole time the more heat it puts off into the home which results in more A/C run time to cope with the extra heat.

 

John

 

[tolivac]

My Hotpoint rimflow died suddenly one day--so I went to the swap shop and found a Maytag Centennial washer with "commercial Technology" it is a VMW machine.It does work---the hot only or cold only fill takes a LONG time to fill-been tempted to help it with a bucket.When the machine starts agitating it starts with weird fast strokes(the machine has a DA agitator)So things like towels,pants,sheets get wrapped around the agitator.I defeated the dumb lid lock so I can give this machine a helping hand when it does that "wrap" agitate mode.After the weird agitate part of the wash cycle I have to pause the machine to untwine the agitator.Then let it continue.Sometimes it has trouble balancing so I have to help or it tries filling with cold-taking its time then tries agitating again with the wrap mode-so you have to unwrap the agitator before spinning.Once the machine gets to spin its fine.The tub is HUGE figure that's another reason why it takes a long time to fill.At least with the hot cycle the fill is REALLY hot water-use the max fill level.I don't want my things paddled around on the low water saving modes.This machine will work when helped-will select a DD one when this machine dies.Like the sort of click-clack sound when the mode shifter goes from agitate to spin.

 

[de409]

Found my model, it's a BW1. Don't know how I missed it before. Was going to order some spare parts but dang, it's $1500 to get one of everything I want and the washer only cost $299 after the rebate LOL. I'll just keep the dryer going forever and swap out washers as they fail.

 

[mrsalvo]

"Why so much hate for the Maytag Centennials?"

This.

 

[maytag85]

I guess a lot of people didn’t like them since they had controls that were unfamiliar, and I remember most of the machines that were on the floor at Sears were KM DD top loaders, and maybe some Whirlpool models, but most people were used to the mechanical controls, and having a timer that most people were familiar with. Another reason why is they probably didn’t use enough water, and some of the Maytag Centennial washers left detergent/soap stains on their clothes, and that really got people fired up to not like the Centennial washers. WP may have worked the bugs out in the Maytag Centennial washers that were sold in 2014 and 2015, but I guess they had already got a bad reputation at that point.

 

[pierreandreply4]

just my toughs but wanted to share

these are just my toughs but just wanted to share i think in my own toughs that some are more old fashion use to the old fashion direct drive machine or old fashion agitator washers like these pic posted as a reference sometime it takes time to get use to newer technologies took me at least a good 2 to 3 years or more in my case to get use to the duet washer that my mom and i own going on there 15 year this summer lol but just wanted to share my toughs