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Sorry but I'm not drinking the Miele Kool-Aid any longer. Maybe in the past they were great (my MIL has a 20 years old washing machine that's going great) but n

Sorry but I'm not drinking the Miele Kool-Aid any longer. Maybe in the past they were great (my MIL has a 20 years old washing machine that's going great) but not the new stuff. Both my washer and dryer failed within 2 months of each other after 6 years. The dryers main board failed and price to repair was nearly £350 just for the part. The washers pump and some kind of water sensor failed simultaneously, leading to a constantly filling drum that wouldn't be emptied. Que the film style comedy of water vomiting forth from the soap dispenser tray all over the kitchen. The warranty is only 2 years standard (thanks for that at least EU) but anything more is paid. No 10 year guarantee anymore! And mine wasn't the only newer Miele I've seen with expensive early failures as other friends have been caught too. General consensus of the repair technicians I spoke with was all to get the cheapest non-condensing dryer (white-knight was mentioned as reliable but super cheap to repair if needed) you can and an LG washing machine for the sealed direct drive motor which comes with a 10 year [EDIT - seems they've dropped it to 5 years only now] guarantee. Bosch dishwasher I'll concede is still going strong after 7 years. And It's really been abused (no filter cleaning for first 5 years!) so I take you point on that.

prodmerc 10y ago
Well, the rate of failure is the lowest compared to other manufacturers. And those repairs are way too expensive I should say. White Knight dryers are surprisingly good, yeah. The LG washers work fine for 3-5 years, their weakest point is the suspension (really hard to replace) and the drum bearings/spider (irreplaceable), especially if you overload them.
- PuffinBlue 10y ago
  The drum was a point all the repair guys brought up for basically all washing machines because all the modern ones are welded or something. Essentially they said they are terrible for repairs compared to the old style (which I presume weren't welded?) but the benefit to the newer setup was less leaks (or words to that effect).
- khedoros1 10y ago
  I've got an LG direct drive. The bearings failed after about 6 years. The repair ended up being about $250(US). They replaced the stator, rotor, drum, and bearings (essentially all the moving parts of the appliance).
- ams6110 10y ago
  Staber washers are supposedly made with industry-standard components (seals, bearings, motors, etc.) so if they fail you can get replacements from any mechanical parts supplier. Don't know how reliable they are.
  - mistermann 10y ago
    Someone should start a company building all appliances this way - they'd be taken over and shut down very quickly.
j3097736 10y ago
How new? 14 yo Miele washer never had an issue. >no filter cleaning for first 5 years! That's pretty disgusting for something you use to eat.
- PuffinBlue 10y ago
  Ha! That's not quite how my model works (you just use a wash pack to clean the whole machine) but yeah, when I did finally clean the filter because a plastic straw was stuck in it it was not so bad considering.
- kevin_thibedeau 10y ago
  It's one of the dumber features of the Euro dishwashers. All you need is a good macerator and no worries with periodic maintenance chores.
- tallanvor 10y ago
  Well, I haven't had to clean my filter in over 5 years, but I still pre-rinse (yes, I know you're not supposed to need to anymore, but I don't want to risk it), so I check the filter regularly, but it's clean.
lobster_johnson 10y ago
Are we ready to dismiss an entire brand because of one anecdote? All appliances fail at some point. We can't make a judgement based on a single data point. Reading about this stuff also makes me sad that the rest of the world have such weak consumer protections. In Norway, sellers are obligated to provide 5 years of warranty by law, and the consumer has certain rights such as the right to get a replacement if the product cannot be fully repaired after a certain number of attempts at resolving a problem.
- PuffinBlue 10y ago
  I took my anecdata straight to the shops, jumped onto the planned obsolescence bandwagon and bought the cheapest replacement I could find. Now I don't care if they fail in 2 or 3 years because they're the same cost as the repair of an expensive model. And like you say, all appliances fail at some point, so I'll keep fueling this horrible new world we've built for ourselves and let the manufacturers fight it out over price.
  - k_sze 10y ago
    Unless the world gets really good at recycling, this is also the guaranteed way to utterly trash the planet.
    - PuffinBlue 10y ago
      Where do you live in the world that doesn't recycle white goods? It's literally the law in the UK that such goods have a method of being 'taken back' so they don't end up in landfill. I can't actually put any such goods in landfill if I tried, save for fly tipping. Even then the item would end up through the recycling chain.
      - liveoneggs 10y ago
        recycling in the US has to be profitable. Where I live we are no longer allowed to put glass into the recycling because it is no longer a profit center for the city. I should add that getting rid of big items can be especially difficult, but most appliance delivery includes taking away the old one to .. wherever they go.
antod 10y ago
> Sorry but I'm not drinking the Miele Kool-Aid any longer. My parents installed Miele appliances in a kitchen remodel about 6 years back. The fancy expensive oven must've broken down 5 times in the first year. I think it eventually settled down though.
- jansan 10y ago
  Miele's reputation is based mainly on their washing machines. When we bought the appliances for our kitchen we did not even consider any Miele products, but for washing machines I would never buy anything else.
k-mcgrady 10y ago
>> The warranty is only 2 years standard (thanks for that at least EU) Maybe it's different depending on EU country but it should be 2 year manufacturer warranty followed by 4 years covered by the retailer.

prodmerc 10y ago

Well, the rate of failure is the lowest compared to other manufacturers. And those repairs are way too expensive I should say. White Knight dryers are surprisingly good, yeah. The LG washers work fine for 3-5 years, their weakest point is the suspension (really hard to replace) and the drum bearings/spider (irreplaceable), especially if you overload them.

PuffinBlue 10y ago
The drum was a point all the repair guys brought up for basically all washing machines because all the modern ones are welded or something. Essentially they said they are terrible for repairs compared to the old style (which I presume weren't welded?) but the benefit to the newer setup was less leaks (or words to that effect).
khedoros1 10y ago
I've got an LG direct drive. The bearings failed after about 6 years. The repair ended up being about $250(US). They replaced the stator, rotor, drum, and bearings (essentially all the moving parts of the appliance).
ams6110 10y ago
Staber washers are supposedly made with industry-standard components (seals, bearings, motors, etc.) so if they fail you can get replacements from any mechanical parts supplier. Don't know how reliable they are.
- mistermann 10y ago
  Someone should start a company building all appliances this way - they'd be taken over and shut down very quickly.

j3097736 10y ago

How new? 14 yo Miele washer never had an issue. >no filter cleaning for first 5 years! That's pretty disgusting for something you use to eat.

PuffinBlue 10y ago
Ha! That's not quite how my model works (you just use a wash pack to clean the whole machine) but yeah, when I did finally clean the filter because a plastic straw was stuck in it it was not so bad considering.
kevin_thibedeau 10y ago
It's one of the dumber features of the Euro dishwashers. All you need is a good macerator and no worries with periodic maintenance chores.
tallanvor 10y ago
Well, I haven't had to clean my filter in over 5 years, but I still pre-rinse (yes, I know you're not supposed to need to anymore, but I don't want to risk it), so I check the filter regularly, but it's clean.

lobster_johnson 10y ago

Are we ready to dismiss an entire brand because of one anecdote? All appliances fail at some point. We can't make a judgement based on a single data point. Reading about this stuff also makes me sad that the rest of the world have such weak consumer protections. In Norway, sellers are obligated to provide 5 years of warranty by law, and the consumer has certain rights such as the right to get a replacement if the product cannot be fully repaired after a certain number of attempts at resolving a problem.

PuffinBlue 10y ago
I took my anecdata straight to the shops, jumped onto the planned obsolescence bandwagon and bought the cheapest replacement I could find. Now I don't care if they fail in 2 or 3 years because they're the same cost as the repair of an expensive model. And like you say, all appliances fail at some point, so I'll keep fueling this horrible new world we've built for ourselves and let the manufacturers fight it out over price.
- k_sze 10y ago
  Unless the world gets really good at recycling, this is also the guaranteed way to utterly trash the planet.
  - PuffinBlue 10y ago
    Where do you live in the world that doesn't recycle white goods? It's literally the law in the UK that such goods have a method of being 'taken back' so they don't end up in landfill. I can't actually put any such goods in landfill if I tried, save for fly tipping. Even then the item would end up through the recycling chain.
    - liveoneggs 10y ago
      recycling in the US has to be profitable. Where I live we are no longer allowed to put glass into the recycling because it is no longer a profit center for the city. I should add that getting rid of big items can be especially difficult, but most appliance delivery includes taking away the old one to .. wherever they go.

antod 10y ago

> Sorry but I'm not drinking the Miele Kool-Aid any longer. My parents installed Miele appliances in a kitchen remodel about 6 years back. The fancy expensive oven must've broken down 5 times in the first year. I think it eventually settled down though.

jansan 10y ago
Miele's reputation is based mainly on their washing machines. When we bought the appliances for our kitchen we did not even consider any Miele products, but for washing machines I would never buy anything else.

k-mcgrady 10y ago

>> The warranty is only 2 years standard (thanks for that at least EU) Maybe it's different depending on EU country but it should be 2 year manufacturer warranty followed by 4 years covered by the retailer.