<p>I purchased a set of Maytag Bravos machines 4 months ago and it’s been a nightmare ever since. A residue shows up on my dark items (it’s probably on my light items too but I just can’t see it) and I’ve had many service calls, etc., all to no avail. Bottom line is that I wrote the head of CS and copied the CEO of Whirlpool/Maytag and they have offered to refund my money or replace my machines with any from their line.</p>
<p>I’m thrilled that these machines will leave my home but I want to get it right this time. If you love your machines, can you tell me what you have? I generally just use the very basic cycles so, honestly, I don’t need anything all that special. I do care about water usage as I’m in California and we’re experiencing a serious drought. I’ve been told repeatedly that Samsung is very difficult to have repaired (can’t get parts, etc.) so I’ve ruled that out. Only other restriction is that they can’t be more deep than 29" deep (excluding venting). I don’t expect anyone to go measure their machine – I’m happy to do the research but I thought I’d mention it for those who may happen to know theirs are deeper.</p>
<p>Previous to this set of Bravos, I had Maytag Neptune and, before that, a set by GE. Both worked great.</p>
<p>I’m no help at all. I have a 20 year old Maytag set. My appliance sales folks told me to repair them as long as I can do so…they don’t make them like they used to.</p>
<p>There was a NPR broadcast a whole ago about appliances. The guy said…new ones last about seven years. He suggested getting the least expensive models out there. They will last the same amount of time as the more costly ones.</p>
<p>There was another thread about this a while back (do a search) and the speed queen came in with high marks, as I recall.</p>
<p>I’m hanging on to the Kenmore W/D we got 15 years ago when we bought our house. It has dials in the controls, no electronics, the washer is top-loading with an agitator. Hubby’s repaired them around 3 or 4 times, and they still chug along.</p>
<p>The white residue might be the detergent though. Ever since they banned phosphates, rinsing has been awful.</p>
<p>I had a minor repair to my dryer this summer and my repair guy told me the same thing about my Maytag set that is about the same age as thumper1’s. I constantly cross my fingers that they continue to enjoy their relatively problem free existence. He said front loading washers were really problematic.</p>
<p>flymetothemoom, I can either be refunded what I paid or they will replace with anything from their line. I have the store I purchased from originally helping me determine what will fit in what is now a rather shallow space. (Apparently they’re building w/d’s deeper than they did when we remodeled our home 15 years ago.) I have heard good things about speed queen and may go in that direction. I really just want to be happy this next time around!</p>
<p>2VU0609, I was told by others that the top loading machines (which I have now) have a harder time moving things around/getting clothes clean than the front loading but you’re saying you were told top loaders are better…very hard to figure this out. I really would prefer an HE machine, though; not a top loading one with an agitator.</p>
<p>I think she meant front loaders were problematic because of the reliability issues. </p>
<p>What is your price range? If you don’t mind paying more, Miele has an excellent reputation. I have their large capacity (can wash a king sized blanket) washer, and it cleans clothes perfectly. Sadly, the company made a strategic decision to streamline production and no longer makes this specific washer, which they sold in the US exclusively, since the rest of the world does not have space for large machines or king sized beds. :)</p>
<p>I did mean new front loaders. I had a dryer repair while S was an undergrad and I pumped the guy for his opinion at the time because S was friends with a young woman whose father was CEO of Whirlpool/Maytag and they had recently merged as one company. Repairman said Maytag wasn’t as good as it used to be and he would opt for a Whirlpool set at the time if he had to buy a new one and that he wouldn’t get a front loader. Now, that was almost 10 years ago. This summer when I needed another minor dryer repair I asked the same questions of a different guy and he said I should just keep what I had in good working order because they were better than what I could get new these days. I have always heard the front loaders are more gentle for the clothes, used less water, etc., but the repair guys have said they do lots of service calls on them.</p>
<p>I have Whirlpool Duet front-loading washer and dryer, and love them both to bits. I’ve had them for at least two years, no problems at all. I’ve washed everything from “dry clean only” wool sweaters to queen-sized comforters and rugs, and everything has come out perfectly. I believe I paid slightly more (around $50 per unit) to get the model made in Benton Harbor, Michigan instead of the model made in Mexico.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, don’t get a Fisher Paykel top load. We were told by our repair guy that this was the best machine, but it was nothing but problems for us. The most annoying issue was that it would constantly get out of balance, and was almost impossible to correct. It also made as much noise as a jet plane.</p>
<p>We finally replaced it with a Samsung front loader, which we love. I was opposed to the front load design because of all the mold issues I had read about, but we don’t have that problem.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it’s a pretty big machine, so it might not fit in your space.</p>
<p>We did have it repaired once, and there was no problem getting the part.</p>
<p>Oh oh I wish I read this thread before I went out and bought a Maytag washer last week for replacement. The previous one lasted 10 years. Interesting the guy that sold us this at Home Depot wanted to sell me warranty and he said newer machine doesn’t work as well. I knew better to stay out of GE but didn’t know anything about Maytag until I read it here.</p>
<p>Fisher Paykel is a notoriously unreliable brand. We had one of their dishwashers and had to call the repair people so often that I had it hauled off to the dump while it was still under warranty. When someone recommended a FP washer, I laughed. I’ve had very good luck with Kenmore appliances, including my Kenmore Elite front loader. I’ve had it for about 7 years, the outer edge of the electronic appliance lifespan, but it’s still chugging along.</p>
<p>Our old, beloved Maytag washer/dryer are is chugging along… almost 25 years old. We’ve repaired them each a few times over the years, but it seems worth it. . </p>
<p>I have the Bravos as well and to avoid the residue, had to really cut back on how much detergent I was adding. Not crazy about it. I had a Neptune before that and hated it worse. I mostly wish I had never gotten rid of my old fashioned washing machine. :-< </p>
<p>I think if/when we have to replace our 17-year-old Maytag set I will try to get the most basic washer possible. In the past year, I have used fancy new washers at several relatives houses and found them all lacking – they all had lots of electronic bells and whistles but did not do any better job cleaning clothes, and in the case of one, left a soapy residue. I think this was because it was an energy efficient washer and it magically determined how much water to use but did not use enough, and there was no way to tell it to use more. Very frustrating.</p>
<p>We have a 15-year-old Kenmore (front load) washer and dryer set that has never seen a repair. I had to go into the laundry room to look at the brand name before posting this as I just don’t think twice about them. Reliable as air.</p>