Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

[Lazarus]

Hi all,

Siemens WQ14Q390GB/15.
Purchased: Sep 2014
Bearing is going – clear cut.
Warranty: 5 years

Machine cost £550 at purchase. I am reading many horror stories about warranty clauses, that allow manufacturer, to get out of replacing the bearing/sealed drums.

Asking for help and advise from multiple people. What is the best approach to take given the info above – in addressing the problem. Machine is still in warranty.

I do not know the precise number of washes I have done in the 2 years I owned the machine.

£250 ish per year is simply too much for a washing machine.

Thread is open to any and all. I genuinely appreciate any advice and approaches shared, which will help me with this situation.

Thanks to all that choose to contribute.

Lazarus.

[don]

Re: Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

Hi

If the fault is genuinely the bearings or anything else like a cracked spider or concrete weight they will simply repair it FOC.

If it is something stupid like a blocked filter causing a racket they will charge you!!

Phone them on 0844 892 8989 with the ENR and FD number from inside the door frame to get the call booked in.

Don

[Martin]

Re: Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

Lazarus you asked the question back in 2014 as to what machine to buy. On recommendation you invested in a Siemens and now 2 yrs later you are certain the bearings on it are shot. Are you sure? It is comprehensively covered by a 5 yr warranty ( provided you registered your purchase with them initially). So, your next step is to call them out to fix it, assuming your diagnosis is correct that is?

[Lazarus]

Re: Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

Thank you both for your replies.

The bearing is definitely the problem.

I guess I should’ve started with the following question:

Given the details I listed in the original post (it’s definitely the bearing) – will they definitely cover it under warranty?

I am concerned that there may be clauses or exceptions that can be used e.g ‘wear and tear’ or the like; which will leave me stuck.

I simply want to build up a picture of what I might be facing, before I act.

I know from the many Tv programs regarding consumer rights, and from stories mentioned in the whi@h magazine, that companies often find ways to avoid replacing/covering expensive replacement parts.

I want to be prepared.

Please advise on this.

Lazarus

[Martin]

Re: Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

If the bearings are a problem and you have registered your purchase then Siemens will call and fix it for you completely free of any charge, no ifs or buts.

[Lazarus]

Re: Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

Thank you Martin,

That has put my mind at ease.

Can I ask the forum, why are there numerous posts mentioning that there is a ‘wear and tear clause’ regarding bearings – even if within the warranty period.

This is the source of my confusion!

Lazarus.

[kwatt]

Re: Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

Many warranties, manufacturer or extended will have such a clause in them.

The reason being that you can often find products being put in inappropriate use, abused, misused and so on and that’s a way for the manufacturers to protect themselves against that to a degree.

So even for the like of Miele and others, the warranty depends on use just like a car, 3 years or 100,000 miles and so on, same thing only different.

All you can do is have a read through the T&Cs and see what is and isn’t covered although I’ve no idea what will be covered in Siemens warranty. Martin seems confident it’ll be covered but I’d check.

K.

[Martin]

Re: Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

Lazarus wrote:Can I ask the forum, why are there numerous posts mentioning that there is a ‘wear and tear clause’ regarding bearings – even if within the warranty period.

For the drum bearings to fail in 2yrs that cannot be classified as fair wear and tear to a point where they would refuse to fix it FOC. Unless you are running a B&B or hairdressing salon and it is operated without the terms & conditions of the warranty.

If it is used domestically only and appears in prime condition to the engineer on inspection AND has no signs of being tampered with by yourself, then no worries.

[clivejameson]

Re: Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

Martin is quite correct…and I’ve heard anecdotally that a number of the WQ machines have had this problem. At two years old the manufacturer is unlikely to quibble….

[1totalshambles]

Re: Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

“Martin is quite correct…and I’ve heard anecdotally that a number of the WQ machines have had this problem. At two years old the manufacturer is unlikely to quibble….”

And the Bosch and the Neff sister branded machines too bearing failure is common. I`m almost retired now so I don`t repair a lot of machines but my point is even I come across this ever increasingly so that surely makes things worse. I have also come across heater failure because the pcb relay sticks alowing the heater to come on full blast for 5 secs on spin just before its internal fuse goes pop. This supposed up market stuff is no longer reliable and the sooner the public and the trade stops trying to kid themselves the better. I seriously think folks would be far better off with a simple 6kg 1200 spin Logik for less than 200 quid e.g L612WM13. Why? Parts are fairly cheap, thousands of them sold because they are so reasonable and then they`re expendable when they go wrong big time, never been to one where the bearings have failed at 2 years old, 4 yes but not 2! Why does the trade not like these machines? There`s no money to be made on repairs that`s why or rather who`s going to lash out a typical 60 quid callout plus parts on a 170 quid machine that`s 5 years old, answer: only a very few people.

[Lazarus]

Hi all,

First of all – many thanks for the advice & guidance don, martin, kwatt, clivejameson, 1totalshambles & others.

I simply gave Siemens a call – the entire drum/tub assembly was replaced + heating element.

At the time of the replacement – the engineer was extremely rough with the side panels when accessing, removing & replacing the main assembly. He literally yanked them – almost to the point of bending them permanently. I remember him being in a very agitated mood when he arrived (complaining of having to cover other calls in addition to his own).

When he put the machine together – the ‘geometry’ of the machine was clearly ‘off’. The small rectangular panel that covers the Drain Pump Fluff Filter was no longer closing properly and did not fit flush. Water no longer travelled down the water channel specifically designed to avoid mess when draining and cleaning out the coin catcher – instead it leaks everywhere. The DPFF also requires considerable force to put back in.

Secondly – the sound of the spin cycle has changed – it is emitting the same early pitch change that occurred last time – which was eventually diagnosed as the bearing beginning to degrade. The pitch change is clear to hear – all members of the family have commented on it..

I am unsure what I should do now – the machine is still under warranty – but if I speak to Siemens honestly about what happened on the day the work was done – I’m not sure how they will take it.

I learned to live with the problems that were created that day – because it’s possible there was no other way to do the job. Yet I feel that I’m faced with a machine that’s already to breakdown again – and it won’t be due to anything we’ve done as users. Surely if as 1totalshambles says – it’s a known problem (bearing seal failure) on these WQ units – they should have sorted the design issue at the point of the replacement?

I’m directly asking fellow members for guidance and advice about how to proceed & what to do.

Warmest thanks to anyone will to contribute.

Lazarus.

[kwatt]

After two years there’s not a hope of getting anywhere with Siemens.

K.

[don]

While I agree with Ken in principle I think you have nothing to lose in contacting Siemens again. You may not get anywhere but if you don’t ask you don’t get. If you were that unhappy with the repair at the time then you should have got back to them straight away.

Reality says they “repaired” your machine two years ago and you have not contacted them since, so as far as they are concerned there is no redress against them.

Tread carefully and be nice 😉

Don

[andyjawa]

Another sealed tank bits the dust! £219.86 if you have to pay for one. Lazarus, how did you get on?

[Lazarus]

1totalshambles wrote:Re: Siemens machine – bearings shot – recommendations please

“Martin is quite correct…and I’ve heard anecdotally that a number of the WQ machines have had this problem. At two years old the manufacturer is unlikely to quibble….”

And the Bosch and the Neff sister branded machines too bearing failure is common. I`m almost retired now so I don`t repair a lot of machines but my point is even I come across this ever increasingly so that surely makes things worse. I have also come across heater failure because the pcb relay sticks alowing the heater to come on full blast for 5 secs on spin just before its internal fuse goes pop. This supposed up market stuff is no longer reliable and the sooner the public and the trade stops trying to kid themselves the better. I seriously think folks would be far better off with a simple 6kg 1200 spin Logik for less than 200 quid e.g L612WM13. Why? Parts are fairly cheap, thousands of them sold because they are so reasonable and then they`re expendable when they go wrong big time, never been to one where the bearings have failed at 2 years old, 4 yes but not 2! Why does the trade not like these machines? There`s no money to be made on repairs that`s why or rather who`s going to lash out a typical 60 quid callout plus parts on a 170 quid machine that`s 5 years old, answer: only a very few people.

Thank you both for that insight.

I’ve called in to Siemens twice now.

First time – I was lucky to get a CS agent that was able to talk through the problems with & create a plan moving forward. Pretty straight forward & efficient.

She doubled checked all the details & and arranged an (in warranty) engineer visit. I sent in a nice thank you email to her team.

I called in for a second time yesterday – to double check the date & ask a couple of questions. This time, although polite & proper – the CS agent undermined key assurances their previous colleague had given. I found him a little ‘stand offish’ & it was very difficult call. I am know rethink what kwatt meant ‘about not having any hope of getting anywhere with siemens’.

At this point I have an (in warranty) engineer visit (if accurate) coming up on the 27th.

My concern is that – understandably, these visits are done under time pressure.

Whilst the pitch change over time, is clear to all five family members (because we have been in this scenario before) – I am concerned that the engineer might not be able to assess the change on a 5 min visit. The bearing has begun to degrade, the seal must have failed again – and fellow members are clear that this is is a known issue with these machines.

I’d appreciate any guidance about how to best move forward.

Lazarus

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