Beko Washing Machine - Repair or Recommendations?

[blinkybillow]

G'day, first time - long time and all that. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, was unsure about where would be best to post.

Been dealing with a nightmare of a washing machine from Beko. A month out of warranty one of the water inlet valves stopped opening, so cycles would get stuck halfway through. This same part had been replaced twice before, most recently 6 months ago. Expecting the worst, I called Beko and got told (essentially) to go fuck myself.

To summarise quickly; first they refused to honour the warranty at all because it was one month outside the window, then after I kicked up pointing out that the repairs should be warranted I got told that I wasn't qualified to diagnose if it was the same fault (it was) and that I would need to pay someone to come out and diagnose the fault, then send a report to Beko and only then would they honour the warranty and provide parts/repairs, but all this would be at my cost/arrangement. After confirming that they definitely would reimburse the costs if it was the same fault, I called the local authorised repair mob, got quoted $200 and warned that they had been through this before and the customer never got reimbursed.

This had already wasted a couple of hours and felt like I should cut my losses and just fix it myself, assuming that it was just going to need a replacement solenoid I took it apart and was somewhat surprised to see piddly blade style connectors (IDC) instead of the spade style that I've seen on every other washing machine. So my first question, is this normal now? I know that there isn't much in the way of current going through here but this seems like a silly place to cut costs with 240V running through it, I thought these types of connections were reserved for data/phone lines? (At least that's the only place I've seen them before.)

Anyway sure enough, the connection to the dodgy valve had a lot of play (previous repairer being rough? doesn't really matter) and intermittent continuity, so I just stripped the wires and soldered direct to the solenoid (I know this is probably upsetting to some, but I'm the only one that will ever work on this machine now.) After the missus handover, I was told it was still knackered, so pulled it apart again. After discovering that there was a constant current leaking through the solenoid, I (with what felt like unnecessary difficulty) pulled out the control board to have a look, unsure if the solenoid was driven by a relay or transistor. Even while doing so, I was expecting to find a mess of potting compound, so it was nice to find that I could actually see the components, but then found that instead they had coated the board in a layer of what looks like a clear acrylic-based coating, obviously this is because of the moisture-rich environment it's expected to operate in, but again, is this normal? I thought putting a thermal insulator on top of a transistor was always a no-no? Isn't this why the potting compound is so expensive, because it is conducts thermally but not electrically? Funnily enough they didn't even finish coating the whole board....

But my biggest gripe in all of this is that every single transistor on the board as a glob of black covering the codes to identify (applied under the clear coat...) Is there ANY actual legitimate reason for them to do this? This more than anything else is what has really got my goose... I really would welcome an explanation to calm me down....

Anyway, so this is where I'm at at the moment. The model of machine I have doesn't use all of the outputs on the board and there are two transistors next to the knackered one that I could relocate (assuming they match) but that seems like a lot of work only to find out that there is some sort of logic programmed into an IC that bricks the machine if a component is missing. I could try and scrape back the black paint or take a best guess at replacement, but all of this seems like a lot of work/risk for a poorly made machine that is going to have another fault in a few months.

So, as much as I would like to be talked out of it, I think the best thing to do is cut my losses, strip the Beko for parts and just get a new machine.....

Only I don't want to end up here again in a few years so, PLEASE recommend a washing machine! Obviously Beko is out, so too Whirlpool (same parent company,) anything made in Turkey also automatically out as I have been led to believe that Beko's parent company (Arcelik, no really, I kid you not, they are called ARSELICK) do white label manufacturing for other brands.

I assume most on this forum are going to have similar thoughts, but in an ideal world I'd like to find something that works forever and I never have to touch. Failing that, I just want something simple - frontload, >8kg, no firmware/internet dependencies, ideally the most complicated circuitry in the machine should be the motor controller with everything else as simple/reliable as possible using readily available parts. What I really want is the washing machine I grew up with, just with a modern motor (I never realised how much I would miss that wonderfully horrible mechanical buzz when the load finished.....) I know I'm not going to get that, but I'm definitely suffering from a case of once bitten, twice shy - hopefully someone has some insight here.

Had a look at Westinghouse, Fisher & Paykel and Haier so far, but when I asked the rep at Good Guys if I could take off the lid on the display models and look at the internal construction/assembly I got the same response I would've expected if I'd just asked if I could fingerbang her cat. I don't trust reviews, because how can someone know if the machine is problematic within 3 months? And most other forums aren't as focused on the design/repairability so it's hard to know who or what to listen to.

Help me EEVBlogonobi, you're my only hope....

[jfiresto]

You might investigate buying a Miele with a five or ten year service contract. I would or could write more if I knew your budget, usage level and how badly you don't want to muck with the next washing machine.

[Haenk]

I think most machines are really garbage today. They are manufactured to break right after the warranty expires. That is no joke, and technically not an easy feature.
BEKO is not exactly a premium brand, as you noticed.
I`d certainly avoid anything Electrolux as well. I had to replace or repair *all* the Electrolux made machines/appliances so far, lacking available parts some had to be replaced instead of me repairing them.
For now, I´m doing OK with Bosch Siemens Group (BSH) machines, none failed so far. But those are receiving cost cuts as well, might not be as good as a couple of years ago.
Maybe ask a repair technician, which machine *he* would buy.

[AndyC_772]

Last time I had to buy a washing machine, here's what I did:

1) Assume that whatever I buy will be unreliable, and uneconomic to repair unless covered by warranty.

2) With that in mind, conclude that the length of service I can expect equals the length of the warranty. Anything beyond that is a bonus.

3) Divide the retail price of each model by the length of warranty to get an effective annual cost of having a working washing machine.

4) Pick the cheapest, according to this figure of merit.

I ended up with a Miele, specifically the model that was the cheapest one in their range that qualified for their 10 year warranty.

These days, I'd probable also filter according to any 'smart' or connected features. If it needs wi-fi, it's out of contention.

[jfiresto]

That's largely what I did to buy a just fancy enough Miele to have still been made in Gütersloh. (I believe they have since shifted their production to Poland.) A disadvantage of buying a Miele that has no net connection is having to put in a service call to get firmware updates – and paying for the visit if the tech can not show they fix a failure.

[blinkybillow]

Cheers all, seems like good advice.

When I got the Beko, it was a brand I didn't recognise and the sales rep spun a yarn about how it was a high quality European brand trying to break into the Australian market with aggressive pricing. I had a lot of shit going on at the time and the Bosch had just given up (after a decent innings) so just took him at his word and bought the piece of shit.

After dealing with their miserable warranty team, seeing phone connections used for 240V, a slew of cost cutting measures inside and yet still having the budget to paint over the transistor numbers, I would love to find that sales rep and shove the entire machine right up him ideally while it's still in one piece.

For what it's worth, the machine gets daily use (family, kids, dog....) but it's not treated poorly, I've always made sure it's kept square, plumb and level, heavy loads are minimised or split. I doubt we've ever really made use of the full 8.5kg rating, but I'll confess I don't actually know how this is measured, if it's dry it seems way too high, if it's wet then when does the weight count? Before the spin cycle or after, and if after is it after 600rpm or 1400? or somewhere in between? I could probably look this up but to be honest, the missus says we need the same size or bigger and it means a lot more to her than me so 8.5kg+ is what it will be.

Budget is the minimum I need to spend to get the best value, I don't mind paying 2-3 times as much to get something that will last 4-5 times longer, but I really don't like the idea of paying for a name tag when the internals and lifetime are likely to be similar. The pessimist approach of expecting death at warranty and just working back from there makes sense to me for better or worse, but I'm open to being swayed to a particular brand (or ideally specific model) if someone else rates them over a long run rather than the 3 month reviews that are everywhere.

I had a pretty good experience with the Bosch before the Arselick Beko, but I saw a video a while ago (I think it was Jeff Geerling?) talking about a Bosch washing machine with gimped offline functionality. I really, really, would prefer everything to be as dumb as possible and at worst be functional offline. My washing machine doesn't need to be online, the thought of depending on cloud services or receiving random firmware updates at random intervals makes my poo runny and I really want to avoid if possible.

Anyway, I appreciate all who have replied so far, the advice has been great. I definitely feel like I came to the right place, so thank you all very much for your time and sharing your insight.

[TUMEMBER]

G'day, first time - long time and all that. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, was unsure about where would be best to post.

Been dealing with a nightmare of a washing machine from Beko.

Help me EEVBlogonobi, you're my only hope....

You can try this forum section. Unfortunately, the official language is Polish. You can use the Chrome browser and its translator. It's the only browser that can translate entire pages effectively.

You didn't specify the model of your Beko, so I couldn't find any potential threads about it.
https://www.elektroda.pl/rtvforum/forum338.html

[Warhawk]

I have heard from several places that Miele is not what it used to be. Still fine products, but they occasionally fail too and then it gets pricey.
We have a proven record of AEG washing machines and dryers among my friends. I will stick with them. Probably not the best you can get but last time I checked there were many replacement parts available.
Quite interestingly, last time I bought the dryer a few years ago, I bought it in Czechia and moved to Germany. The Czech market had a one made in Poland. Was nearly half the price. I remember asking someone (authorized service or so?) for explanation and they claimed that replacement parts have identical ordering numbers.
Maybe check AEG if available in your country.

[Whales]

But my biggest gripe in all of this is that every single transistor on the board as a glob of black covering the codes to identify (applied under the clear coat...) Is there ANY actual legitimate reason for them to do this? This more than anything else is what has really got my goose... I really would welcome an explanation to calm me down....

That's an asshole move.  It's "legitimate"ly in the interests of those who want things to be secret, and "legitimate"ly not in the interests of repair or ownerhsip.

Can you just change out the solenoid valves for different ones off ebay?  Measure the voltage they get given, it might be AC or DC, isolated (safe) or unisolated (live mains, dangerous).  They don't have to mount in the same exact spots, a short extension hose isn't the end of the world.

[gerbay]

I have heard from several places that Miele is not what it used to be. Still fine products, but they occasionally fail too and then it gets pricey.
We have a proven record of AEG washing machines and dryers among my friends. I will stick with them. Probably not the best you can get but last time I checked there were many replacement parts available.
Quite interestingly, last time I bought the dryer a few years ago, I bought it in Czechia and moved to Germany. The Czech market had a one made in Poland. Was nearly half the price. I remember asking someone (authorized service or so?) for explanation and they claimed that replacement parts have identical ordering numbers.
Maybe check AEG if available in your country.

AEG is not the same as the old German-made AEG. Electrolux bought the brand rights. The current AEG is actually an Electrolux brand.

[Warhawk]

I have heard from several places that Miele is not what it used to be. Still fine products, but they occasionally fail too and then it gets pricey.
We have a proven record of AEG washing machines and dryers among my friends. I will stick with them. Probably not the best you can get but last time I checked there were many replacement parts available.
Quite interestingly, last time I bought the dryer a few years ago, I bought it in Czechia and moved to Germany. The Czech market had a one made in Poland. Was nearly half the price. I remember asking someone (authorized service or so?) for explanation and they claimed that replacement parts have identical ordering numbers.
Maybe check AEG if available in your country.

AEG is not the same as the old German-made AEG. Electrolux bought the brand rights. The current AEG is actually an Electrolux brand.

I did not know that. ChatGPT claims that the first acquisition happened already in 1994 and then the whole rights in 2005. This is already long time ago. 

[chilternview]

The problem many white goods manufacturers have is that if they make stuff that would last 10+ years their sales would plummet. So they engineer in failure by using cheap nasty parts.

Miele have (had?) a good name although I've never had them, I've had Neff or Bosch or Siemens for washing machine/dishwasher/tumble drier and they've all lasted years (like 10 or more), until I either moved or refitted the kitchen. I would never, ever, buy a Beko. But I know people who do, cause they are cheap and they reckon on changing them every 2-3 years is cheaper than buying more expensive brands. I'm not convinced.

[monkey_magic]

They are pretty much all cheap garbage now, if you can find one with a split drum you might have some hope of repair but the parts are all usually a significant percentage of the cost of a new machine and not expected to last much longer than the warranty.
Miele is not what it used to be. I think Asko are supposed to be pretty good but still seem to want to tack on a load of smart IoT features that nobody ever wanted.

Most of the brands are just different labels on the same collection of parts.
Modern white goods are the perfect physical representation of enshitifcation.