Washing Machine - Bosch or Miele?

[Janna]

Hi, everyone--

 

I used to frequent this board and have been a member for the last 8 years. I haven't been on in some time for no particular reason other than to spend less time on the computer (this site can be quite monopolizing of time!).

 

Anyway, I remember this board being full of some very smart people who offer perspectives that otherwise wouldn't be thought of for me. So, I thought I'd pop on here to ask for your opinions on a Bosch or a Miele washing machine.

 

We have had a top loading (with an agitator) washing machine for the last 17 years, a Maytag, that has finally given out. And actually, the machine still works, it's the dryer that has stopped working efficiently. I have toyed with just getting the moisture sensor replaced (that's the problem) and continuing to use the things until they drop completely, but to be honest, I know that other machines these days will clean so much better, use so much less water, and be much more efficient than what I currently have.

 

At the store today, while perusing the washer and dryers, I saw a Miele that dh and I are *very* interested in. The downside - *very* pricey.

 

But then, we saw a Bosch. It has been discontinued and the floor model is all they have left. For *half the price* of the Miele, we can get this Bosch washer and dryer *plus two pedestals*.

 

The problem is, I can't find any reviews for either of these models, nor a price for the Bosch to see if it's a good deal (the Miele seems to be the same no matter where I look, but there are no reviews). I have never had anything from these brands, but understand them to be good and reliable.

 

Do you have experience with either of these brands - especially the washing and dryer machines? Are they worth the money? I know they're *supposed* to last a long time...but do they? Will they last the 17 years my Maytags have?

 

Thanks for the help!

[AppleGreen]

I have had a Bosch washer and dryer for 5, maybe 6 years. I think it is the Nexxt series. I did a lot of research (check out gardenweb's laundry forum, that's where I did a ton of reading).

 

Anyway, it is supposed to be a very good machine, even the repair man who tried to fix it told me! I very randomly get their E04 code, which is sort of the catch-all code, making it difficult to pinpoint what the problem actually is-it can be anything from too much detergent (I put in a very small amount, but this machine seems particularly sensitive) to something being caught in the drain area (no small Legos of socks, ask me how I know!).

 

I was actually planning to go back to a top loader, but I am holding off. The dryer has been great. I am just not sold on the front loading machines, but other than that wonky code (which I was getting on a weekly basis for a while, t is less frequent now) the washer has been fine. All that said, when I was researching this machine, the Miele was definitely the favorite on Gardenweb and if I could justify it, that woud be sitting in my laundry room. :)

 

HTH! Happy shopping.

[Stacia]

I don't have a washing machine from either of those companies, but we have a Miele dishwasher & I love, love, love it. We've probably had it 11 or so years now.

 

We did have to call in a Miele repairman once (can't just use a run-of-the-mill appliance guy), but he was great. We just had a small issue w/ the dishwasher recently & a phone support person walked us through some steps so they could 'read' the computer code of the error over the phone, then told us how to remedy the problem. So, a 10 minute phone call & no repair person needed.

 

I think they have great customer service & products. I'd definitely consider a Miele washer when it's time to replace my current washer.

 

(Btw, my in-laws are Belgian & the washer they have in Belgium is a Miele. They also have a Miele vacuum & dishwasher & love them too.)

[cottonmama]

I have a Bosch Vision 500 that I am very happy with. I wash cloth diapers in it, and it gets them very clean... I will say my top loader got them clean quicker, and possibly got better results (hard to say if that was the washer because dd did all her #2 business on the potty by the time she was eating a lot of solids, and I used a lot of Borax back then, which I'm not using now).

 

The dryer doesn't let you do small increments of time. Mostly I just use the auto dry, but it's calibrated on the damp side... not a big deal; you just learn where you like which kinds of clothes.

 

The dryer also has this annoying feature where after it's done it turns back on every 15 minutes to fluff the clothes so they won't wrinkle. Nice in theory, but when I dry clothes before bed, it ends up fluffing while I'm trying to go to sleep, and the off and on keeps waking me up. I'm a lousy sleeper, though.

[hsmom23]

I really like my set I got about 5 years ago. Haven't had a single repair on it, and I never get an error code like previous poster. We rent our home now and the renters also haven't had a problem with it. They take longer to wash a load but less time to dry a load. They are very heavy duty. We paid about $900 for the washer with the digital display and more load options and I think around $600 something for the more basic dryer five years ago. Hope that helps!

 

ETA: my set in the NEXXT ones also if that makes a difference.

Edited March 11, 2012 by hsmom23
Add brand name

[Miss Peregrine]

My Bosch lasted 4 years.:glare:

[Spy Car]

Have Miele washer and dryer. 5 stars (highest rating) from me.

 

Bill

[KirstenH]

All of our kitchen appliances are Bosch and we've been happy with them. Customer service is great on the rare occasion something goes wrong; the company stands behind their product. I was going to get Bosch for the W/D, too, but we ended up with Whirlpool Duet because I bought them on sale (scratch and dent/floor models). They work great and were less expensive than the Bosch would have been.

[Sugarfoot]

Have Miele washer and dryer. 5 stars (highest rating) from me.

 

Bill

 

Ditto this, except we actually have 2 sets here. One is the really large set-they are side-by-side, the other is the next size down-they are stacked. Love them!

[Janna]

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

 

Would it be fair to say that I can't go wrong with either one, or is one significantly better than the other?

 

Miss Peregrine, would it be fair to say that your unfortunate experience is the exception, or is it more common than thought? What brand did you go with after your Bosch died?

 

The Bosch we're looking at is a 300 series that has been discontinued. There is seriously NOTHING online in terms of reviews or even price. Looking on Craigslist, I don't see any Miele or Bosch W/D for sale, making me think either not many people have them, or they're really good.

 

The Bosch is $1630 for the washer, dryer AND two pedestals. I was thinking this was a really good deal (it seems like the pedestals are basically free, right?). I am tall (5'9"), so the pedestals interest me. The Miele doesn't have the pedestals (not a make or break deal - we can build pedestals for a fraction of the cost), is $3200 (ouch), but will most likely last 20-25 years (even though it isn't warrantied that long). It has PC access so anything that goes wrong potentially, can be submitted directly to the Miele headquarters in Germany for supposedly more efficient diagnostics, with the hopes of avoiding a service technician. I don't know if that is a strong selling point for me or not, to be honest. But the alleged 20-25 years of a working machine is. The Maytag we currently have is 17 years old and has NEVER been serviced. Not once. I'd like to keep it that way, and I've not heard good things about LG, GE, and Maytag anymore.

 

I was originally looking at another top loading without the agitator, but I have been told by more than one person that they don't wash as well because the tub is weight based and doesn't cover the clothing with water. Because they are all stacked on top of each other and there's no agitator to move them, the top clothes don't get washed as well as they would in a tub turned on its side, rotating (a front load). This makes sense to me, and I know I don't want another washer with an agitator.

 

Oh, and I really need a machine to wash well a small load (I want my kids to wash their own clothes without having to wait for other family members clothes in order to make the load larger). Will either of these do that? It seems like small loads are difficult because the tub is unbalanced and the clothes don't spin out well, then.

 

Would you all agree with these statements? Can't go wrong with either...yes? no?

Edited March 11, 2012 by Janna

[Sugarfoot]

I've never owned a Bosch, so I can't compare, but I do wash small loads in the Miele's all the time. Everything comes out great. I also wash really big loads, and they come out fine, too.

[Janna]

Thanks, Gina!

 

Does anyone know about the Bosch with small loads? Does anyone have additional thoughts or answers for the above questions? Still hoping for some responses. Thanks!

[Miss Peregrine]

I think our case was probably an exception. I had heard nothing but good about Bosch. It gave us no trouble at all until that fateful day. . .:)

 

We went with the highest model of Whirlpool Duet because it was the largest and we have a big family.

 

Small loads came out fine but I didn't many of them.

[Jlynn]

I have never hated a Washing Machine/Dryer set as much as my BOSCH. We still have the dryer but sold the washing machine to the movers (let them know what we felt about it though). It was a top loader (500 Nexxt series)and always stopped mid cycle due to uneven load issues. Would rearrange clothes and the darn thing would start the cycle completely over!! It would also leave a ton of water on clothes because it wouldn't rinse/spin properly. And I coudn't just run it on a spin cycle.

 

The dryer is a whole 'nother pain. It's actually a fire hazard because the vent tray compartment is designed so that you can't get a vaccuum cleaner nozzle into it to get remaining lint/fuzz.

[Janna]

Well, we bought the Bosch, to be delivered tomorrow. Main reason for not getting the Miele - cost. We'll see how the Bosch does for me - it's got to be better than the 17yo Maytag I have now, right? Plus, the pedestals were free - that's a huge bonus since I'm tall! Thanks for all of your responses!

[Guest Payton]

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking at both these washer & dryers and have the same questions.  Does anyone have any updated info?  Janna, how do you like your Bosch?

Anyone else?  Thanks!

[Sugarfoot]

My Mieles are running right now! They're working as perfect as ever! Good luck in your search.

[TraceyS/FL]

Miele owner here.... I will type more later at a keyboard. I know I did a couple of months ago on another thread too.

[threedogfarm]

I have owned both so I can give you my opinion.

 

First of all, consider whether you are in an area where Miele service is readily available.  We bought our Miele from a local dealer and when we had a problem with it we could only go to them.  Unfortunately they were the type who would put you on a schedule for "some time in the next two weeks" and then call the night before to schedule the appointment for the next day.  At that time in our lives that kind of last minute scheduling did not work well (not to mention we had a baby in cloth diapers and being without a washer for two weeks was NOT convenient to say the least).  Our washer had something wrong with it that just couldn't be figured out.  Miele reps finally came up to VT from NJ and couldn't figure it out and and we ended up with a new one (the original was less than 1 year old).  After moving 4 years later it turned out that the only Miele dealer within 1 hour would only service machines that they sold to customers.  I had to beg and plead to get them to come to our house.  

 

Now, I'll explain what was wrong with the machine:  they are so sophisticated and sensitive that they did not do well with well water that had not been softened.  At least that is my experience with them.  Our water is hard and it clogs the filter pretty regularly and affects the filling rate, etc. which can cause issues obviously.  We own a Miele dishwasher and I love that machine but again, if something happens, it is just difficult for us to get someone to work on it.  No other repair man will touch it.

 

So I ended up replacing the Miele with a Bosch.  MISTAKE!  That machine was awful.  They just put a large cement block in it to keep it from shaking.  We have it on the first floor of a house (with a basement underneath) and it would shake the floor one room over.  Within the first year it needed a circuit board replaced and some other mechanical thing.  When the whole tub had to be replaced I begged the store to just replace it with something (ANYTHING!) else.  I ended up with a Samsung that I really like.

 

Now, if you have a reputable dealer with a good service dept in your area and you have city water or softened water I would definitely go with a Miele washer and dryer.  Hands down it washed the best and I loved all the different cycles, etc.  It was VERY GENTLE on clothes.  We had the smaller machine and I really liked the size of those machines.  But the Samsung is definitely a good machine and at a much lower price I am very pleased with it.  It also handled our hard water better but over the past year we finally did install a water softener FWIW.  

 

As for longevity, I would have to be honest and say that I do not think any one brand will necessarily last beyond 10 years.  Over the long term things in the Miele would have to be replaced (remember, I had a Miele that had a circuit board and other parts replaced BEFORE it was a year old) and even small items can be pricey and may affect your decision as to whether fix an older washing machine or replace it at that point.  Now when I buy an appliance I look at what it will cost me to own for 8 years and then see whether that's worth it to me or not. . .