Ok, sign me up…
“American soldiers traumatised by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are
to be offered the drug ecstasy to help free them of flashbacks and
recurring nightmares. The US food and drug administration has given
the go-ahead for the soldiers to be included in an experiment to see
if MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, can treat post-traumatic
stress disorder.” [read more]
For most Bosch’s, this sequence will turn off the incessant end-of-cycle signal. If it doesn’t work on yours, consult the tech sheet in your dishwasher (co-located with the schematic):
rosehillworks wrote:
I am thinking about buying a new washer and dryer instead of repairing my kenmore frontloader set. Is there a brand worth buying that will last awhile before dying. I am a family of six and really need a dependable washer and dryer set.
Thanks,
Helen(Posted in the Appliantology Group repair forum)
A good question and one I get asked a lot during service calls. It’s also hard to find unbiased information on this topic. Like Terry said, forget about Consumer Reports— they are either a scam organization or just plain stupid, I haven’t figured out which. Here, I’ll talk about the cheap top loaders that everyone likes to buy; in a subsequent post, I’ll talk about two of the best washers on the market today: the Staber and the Whirlpool Duet.
First off, you have to accept that the days of getting ~15 trouble-free years of service from a new appliance are long gone. On average, expect to do repairs every two to four years, no matter which brand you buy. What varies among the brands is the frequency and expense of the repairs. And, no, it’s not an evil plot by the manufacturers. Think about it: you can buy a new washer, dryer, refrigerator, whatever, for about the same number of dollars that you would have paid 15 years ago. Meanwhile, during that period, inflation has increased (so the dollar buys less), manufacturer’s costs have increased (materials, labor, insurance, worker’s comp., etc.), yet, magically, you can still buy that appliance for the same number of Federal Reserve Notes! How is this possible?
Because it’s not the same quality appliance that you would have purchased 15 years ago. “Aha! So they deliberately build them flimsier so they’ll fail more!” Nah, nothing nearly so exotic. The real story is a mundane matter of the manufacturers having to build appliances that people will buy, that people can afford to buy. If you had the opportunity to buy an appliance of the same quality and workmanship that you could have gotten 15 years ago with today’s dollars, you’d pay at least four to five times as much for that appliance.
Ok then. So the good news is that you can buy a new appliance for the same number of Federal Reserve Notes as it would have cost you 15 years ago. The bad news is that there’s a hidden cost of ownership in that you’ll be doing repairs every two to four years. But then, that’s why God gave us Fixitnow.com and the Appliantology Group!
Now, on to brands. In general, Whirlpool brands seem to provide the best overall value, meaning the best optimization of price and reliability. This is not to say they’re trouble-free, no-siree-Bob, not by a long-shot. You’ll still be doing repairs on ’em about every two to four years. But, in general, the repairs will be comparatively minor. For example, after three years, you may need to replace the drive coupler or the lid switch on a Whirlpool direct-drive top-loading washer– both of these are simple repairs that rate at most two mugs on the SUDS-o-meter. On the other hand, in the same three year period, you could be replacing the transmission or some other major drive component in a Maytag or GE top-loading washer. Even if such a repair is covered by warranty, you have to deal with the whole fuss of getting warranty service which, in some areas, could take weeks.
I’ve also found that, as a company, Whirlpool is very easy to deal with. They tend to go the extra mile to take care of the customer. They make warranty parts procurement easy, even for the consumer. And they make technical information readily available, a particularly enlightened paradigm when other manufacturers seem to go out of their way to make it difficult for independent servicers to obtain technical service information on their products. GE is especially bad in this regard. Speaking of GE…
Avoid GE appliances and all GE brands. They charge a premium for their products yet their repair frequency is as much or more than other brands. And the repair will cost you more because GE parts can cost two to three times more than comparable parts for other brands; it’s not like they’re better parts, either– GE just charges more for ’em. Why? ‘Cuz they can. Appliance techs often joke that GE stands for Greedy Electric. But, sadly, the real joke is on the schlumps who buy GE appliances.
Another sad joke is Maytag. This once-venerable maker of the standard-bearer of appliance reliability has taken a page from the GE playbook: make cheap junk and sell the hell out of ’em. The recent class-action settlement for the Neptune washer is one visible example. The only Maytag-brand appliances that I like anymore are the Maytag-branded dryer and the Maytag- or Magic Chef-branded gas ranges. Avoid the highly over-rated Jenn-Air brand– it’s just overpriced junk.
Frigidaire (often pronounced Frigg-i-daire by technicians working on their equipment) makes about the same quality product it always has: mediocre. If someone held a gun to my head and made me pick from either GE, Maytag, or Friggidaire, I suppose I’d choke down my bile and take the Friggidaire. The worst part about the Friggidaire is working on them. Friggs require a high degree of manual dexterity for some repairs, especially on their washing machines. These machines seem like they were designed to be worked on by extra-terrestrial technicians who have a third arm sprouting out of their chest. And from the customer’s standpoint, Frigidaire is a real pain in the pooper to deal with– unlike Whirlpool, they won’t send out needed warranty parts directly to a consumer to make their own arrangements for the repair.
Then lots of people ask, “Ok, well, what about Kenmore? Is that a good brand?” Well, who makes Kenmore? If you bothered to click that link, you’d have seen that everyone makes Kenmore… except Kenmore. Y’see, the only thing Kenmore makes is money. There ain’t no Kenmore factory in Malaysia or anywhere else. In the old days, all Kenmore appliances were made by Whirlpool exclusively. But not so any longer. So, if you buy a Kenmore, you don’t really know what you’re getting. The other problem with Kenmore is that you’re stuck dealing with Sears to resolve warranty issues since Kenmore takes over the product warranty from the manufacturer. Running a do-it-yourself appliance repair website, I hear all kinda sordid stories about people getting ripped-off or jerked-around. This one about a Kenmore refrigerator in Florida has got to be one of the all-time classics.
Recommended Reading:
I just got one of those cool web cams, you know, those X-10’s that you see in popup ads everywhere you go on the web? Yeah, one o’ those. Well, I finally broke down and bought one. It was easy to set up and seems to work pretty well. I have it set up here on top of my monitor, taking pictures while I’m working. Here, check out the latest shot from the live Samurai Web Cam.
See you later.
Everyday, Samurai Appliance Repair Man helps thousands of people fix their own appliances. Why, here’s a recent testimonial from a satisfied do-it-yourselfer:
|
"When my Scrotum Scrubber 2000® broke, I went into a pure, blind panic. The manufacturer, Scrotilia Corporation, was going to charge me $115 for the repair with a turn-around time of more than four weeks! In desperation, I searched the web and found Samurai Appliance Repair Man and, boy, am I ever glad I did! The Samurai helped me diagnose the problem and figure out what part I needed for my Scrotum Scrubber®. I bought the part through an online vendor and was happily scrubbing away in just a few days. Domo arigato, Samurai-san!" |
What can the Samurai help you fix today?
Finding those appliance parts you need just got a whole lot easier, Budrow. Now, you can find the part you need right here, right now using this spiffy new form:
Go ahead, try it out with your own appliance brand and model number. You won’t break nothin’; in fact, you’ll quickly find that part you need to fix something!
Already have the part number and just need to order the ding-dang part taco-pronto? We-l-l-l, we gotcha covered there, too, Hoss. Check this bad boy out:
Oh yeah, it’s slick and it’s quick. Take it for a test drive. Let’s suppose you need a new ignitor for your gas range and you happen to know the part number is 12400035 (this is the part number for the Maytag ignitor kit, which works great in most ovens, regardless of brand). Well, go ahead and enter in that part number, 12400035, above and, walla!, there it be, bigger n’ life. It works with any part number– I haven’t been able to stump it yet!
Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be placing these spiffy new parts look-up tools into strategic spots throughout the website to make it so convenient to buy parts that hopefully we’ll increase parts sales here at Fixitnow.com.
People often ask me, “Oh, thrice-blessed Samurai, how can you offer such an incredible website with all this free repair help?” The answer is simple: parts sales. The thing that made me realize I need to make parts ordering easier and more obvious is because lots of times I’ll be helping someone in online chat figger out what’s wrong with their appliance and they ax me, “Ok, do you know where I can buy the part?” Meanwhile, there’s a big ol’ “Buy Appliance Parts Here!” link staring ’em right in their eyes!
I never understood how people could use a reading-intensive medium like the internet and yet they don’t read. I dunno, too many words or something. Why can’t Johnny read? ‘Cuz Johnny went to gubmint schools. Y’see, I know I’m safe in saying that some of my users are functionally illiterate because I know that most of ’em won’t even bother reading this anyway. They’ve long ago skimmed on to the next purdy picture, or called me on the toll-free hotline to find the answer that was right in front of ’em on the very page they had open in their browser… but didn’t bother reading it. One day, websites will all be equipped with Peter Jennings talking heads and then we won’t have to be bothered reading a bunch o’ gobbledy-gook no mo’.
Come git me, Mother, I’m through.
Appliance Wisdom
Appliance Repair Revelation, The Secrets of Household Electricity… REVEALED!
Samurai Appliance Repair Apprenticeship Training
Appliantology 3000� Microchip Implant Now Available
Mailbag: Whirlpool/Kenmore Direct Drive Washer Suspension Springs
Mailbag: Whirlpool/Kenmore Calypso CE Error
Mailbag: Making Simple Repairs Complicated
Mailbag: Removing Mineral Deposits from a Dishwasher
Whirlpool Taking Over Fisher & Paykel?
New Member Settings for the Appliantology Group
Appliantology Repair Forum: Glitch or Hack?
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
The Government Program that Saved Us from the Jungle
New and Improved Sounds at Fixitnow.com
The Samurai Gets Stabbed in the Back
Louie and the Samurai Reproductive Units
Obituary: Common Sense. Died 24/7/1960 in America’s Heart, USA
Somehow, almost two months worth of posts were deleted from the repair forum at the Appliantology Group. This is an extremely active forum with dozens of posts per day. You’ll notice that the most recent post (after the current ones) are dated 11-30-2004. I have no idea how all those posts got deleted but I do know that neither myself nor any of the group assistant managers deleted all those posts. As incredible as it sounds that a Microsoft product might have a glitch, I can only assume that this is exactly what happened in this case. I’ve sent an email to MSN Groups help and am optimistic that I’ll get a reply soon, maybe even within the next 12 months. I’ll keep you posted.
The more insidious possibility is that the group was hacked. Even though this is a free repair forum where other techs and I donate our time and expertise to help people fix their own appliances without charging a dime, I will not tolerate this kind of vandalism– if indeed it is. So I am putting up my own money as a reward to help nail one of these hacker punks.
If you have personal knowledge that the Appliantology Group was hacked, I am offering a cash reward of $1,000 if you can provide the proof that will allow me to prosecute and convict the dirtbag perpetrator.
Thanks for your help.
As you Appliantology groupies may have noticed, there’s been an increase in spam postings in the repair forum recently. Because of this, I’ve had to change the group membership setting from open, meaning anyone can join without needing my approval, to restricted, meaning I have to approve all new members before they can post in the forum. I hate having to do this because 1) I like the group to be completely open and 2) it means more work for me– never a good thing. But, from experience, I know this is an effective deterent to spammers because they’re easy to spot. They always use nonsensical usernames like, ngkhj876, or they give some vague reason for wanting to join that makes no reference to appliance repair such as, “I really like your group!”
Unfortunately, it also means a slight delay before a new, prospective member can get help in the forum. But, while I’m laid up recovering from the microchip implant in my spine, I can check in with the forum more frequently and approve pending members. So, the inconvenience for the new member would be equivalent to, say, running out of toilet paper while on the john and waiting for their spouse to bring a new roll. Or something like that. You get the idea.
Anyway, this will all hopefully be only temporary until this wave of spammers passes us by. In the meantime, I invite you to join me in singing a rousing round of Popeye the Sailor Man.
Today’s Affirmation for Effective Appliance Repair: All of me is beautiful and valuable, even the ugly, stupid, and disgusting parts.
As many of my long-time grasshoppers know, the CIA occasionally calls upon the Samurai for special assignments which are particularly dangerous (for example, this assignment I did in Iraq).
I have recently completed yet another covert assignment for The Company; this one involved testing a prototype of an implantable microchip. My assignment was to be the human test subject and to have this protoype implanted into my spine. This was the real reason for the back surgery that I previously told you about. For obvious national security reasons, I was unable to reveal the full nature of the surgery to you at that time.
The Agency has declassified portions of this project and I am now free to tell you about this brilliant technological breakthough. The microchip is called the Appliantology 3000® Total Appliance Awareness Microchip Implant (TAAMI). Its purpose is to provide appliance repair technicians with instant and total access to information on every appliance ever made or that will be made. TAAMI meets or exceeds all of its design objectives. Below is a photograph of the Appliantology 3000® Total Appliance Awareness Microchip Implant:
Appliantology 3000® Microchip
I cannot emphasize strongly enough how much of a windfall TAAMI is for our national security. The successful implantation of TAAMI into every appliance repair technician in America will make our nation invulnerable to all threats, foreign and domestic.
I know many appliance technicians reading this have serious concerns about receiving such an implant. Some of you are concerned about civil liberties issues such as privacy; others may be apprehensive about having a device surgically implanted into your spine. Let me assure you that you have nothing to fear on both counts. Privacy in this electronic age is an illusion–Big Brother already knows everything about you.
As for the surgery, ain’t nothing to it. A skilled surgeon implants the chip into the lumbar region of your spine, as shown below:
Location of TAAMI Implant
The procedure only takes about an hour and half and you’re out of the hospital that same day. You’re left with a tiny, permanent lump at the base of your spine which is completely unnoticeable. You can barely see it in the picture below:
Side View of TAAMI Implant Site
But wait, there’s more! The Appliantology 3000® Total Appliance Awareness Microchip Implant is also an integrated communications device. Throw away your cell phone, voice recorder, and all those other gadgets. Since the Appliantology 3000® microchip is uplinked to the global satellite phone system, you can make phone calls to anyone in the world from whereever you are by simply talking! Here’s an example of a voice recording I made today on the implant by simply speaking normally:
The sound quality is a little muffled because the sound has to travel down my spinal canal to reach the microchip at the base of my spine. But still, you can hear the words clearly. Sound quality enhancement is one of the design goals slated for the second generation of TAAMIs.
If you are a currently practicing appliance repair technician, the Department of Homeland Security will be contacting you soon to schedule your implant surgery. In the meantime, I am available to answer any questions or discuss any concerns you may have regarding the Appliantology 3000® Total Appliance Awareness Microchip Implant. Feel free to post your questions or comments here; email me at samurai AT fixitnow.com; or call me at (603) 526-7129. Remember: we appliance repair technicians are the vanguard defending Truth, Justice, and the Ameedican Way!
As many of you know, the Samurai had back surgery last week for a ruptured disk at L4-L5. The surgery went well but I’m out of action for the next three months while my back heals up. Last week, just four days after my surgery, our neighbor’s refrigerator crapped out on them… again. The refrigerator is a Maytag top and bottom with one of those wimpy Panasonic evaporator fan motors. I had previously replaced the motor because it had burned out and, from what they described (fan in the freezer not running), it sounded like the motor might have burned out again. Dayyam! Well, the Samurai is dedicated to his craft and, fresh back surgery not withstanding, I was duty-bound to fix that refrigerator. So, I did what any Samurai Appliance Repair Man would do in my situation: I drafted two of my Samurai reproductive units into service to help me fix our neighbor’s refrigerator.
So I grabbed a fresh brewski (Sam Adams Winter Lager) and summoned two of my reproductive units to begin their apprenticeship training. Ollie grabbed my tool bag from my workshop, Samenilla tucked my clipboard under his arm, and together we trudged outside into the frigid New Hampshire day. I fished a new evaporator fan motor out of my service van and hobbled off through the snow and ice with my two apprentices to our neighbor’s house.
Our neighbors weren’t home so we went on inside and were greeted by their two elderly and rotund rottweilers. I opened the freezer door and, sho ’nuff, the fan motor was dead. I instructed my two apprentices to remove everything from the freezer. Once emptied, I guided Samurai Apprentice Ollie on removing the freezer back wall retaining screws so we could access the fan motor. Here she is in action:
Samurai Apprentice, Ollie, Dismantles the Freezer Compartment
As soon as the back wall tilted forward, the fan motor started running! My slightly fermented brain told me that we had a bad connection somewhere. My keen, Vulcan squinties located the problem right away as soon as I removed the power plug to the fan motor. One of the wire pins in the connector was fuzzed out with blue mold, as you can sort of see below:
Moldy Evaporator Fan Motor Connector Plug
Connector Socket on the Evaporator Fan
The preferred fix in this situation would be to replace the connector plug. But I didn’t have one. Now, here’s where my years of being a certifiable appliance parts changer paid off in spades. I picked out as much mold as I could with a piece of wire, reconnected the harness and the motor ran fine. Then I gave it the tug test: good to go.
Everything was proceeding nicely except a new problem suddenly emerged: I had finished my beer and was now working sudsless! This was a crisis of the highest order so I made an emergency phone call to Mrs. Samurai. She sprang into action and sprinted down to the neighbor’s house with a fresh brewski. Now that’s what I call the perfect woman!
Samurai Apprentice Samenilla re-assembled the freezer back wall. Here he is in action:
Samurai Apprentice, Samenilla, Demonstrates His Nutdriver Technique
So, with the help of two apprentices, the Samurai fixed a refrigerator just four days after having back surgery. If I were doing all the work myself (before back surgery), I could have torn the freezer apart, made the repair, and reassembled it all on a single bottle of beer. And rightly so, since this repair only rates a single mug on the SUDS-o-meter. But here’s the moral of the story: you have to invest time in your apprentices if you’re going to pass on the craft to the next generation of appliance parts changers thus preserving and defending truth, justice, and the Ameedican Way.
sfdfgsdfgsdf wrote:
the sound on your website is REALLY F*CKING ANNOYING. do YOU like it when websites have really long annoying sounds when you go to them? didnt think so.
_______________________________
Message sent from IP: 68.33.109.109
It’s exactly this kind of constructive criticism that enables us continually to refine the unique user experience we strive to achieve here at Fixitnow.com. Based on this email, we’ve made some modifications to our website’s sound system. Play the clip below to hear the pleasing new sound that will play on each and every page of this website to enhance your user experience:
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of
Common Sense who has been with us for many years. No one knows for
sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in
bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such
value lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the
early bird gets the worm and that life isn’t always fair.Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t
spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults,
not kids, are in charge). His health began to rapidly deteriorate when
well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for
kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash
after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student,
only worsened his condition. It declined even further when schools
were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a
student; however they could not inform the parents when a student
became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten
Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and
criminals received better treatment than their victims.Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit in
her lap, and was awarded a huge settlement.Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and
Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his
son, Reason.He is survived by two stepbrothers; My Rights and Ima Whiner.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was
gone.
Thanks to Matushka Galina Tregubov for passing this along.