does anybody have any more pictures of these machines. my auntie had one of these before she got her indesit 610w.
i would love to get a picture of the drum, love the drum style on these machines.

That was one quiet machine!!!

Good old Bendix, here's a pic of my Nan's very battered old machine, identical to the one above. It last 17 years.

See the you tube link. The Bendix ad is 1.26 in.

Rob

I know the Bendix Corp. had nothing to do with white goods at any stage in its existence but it did license its name to other companies both in Europe and the US to manufacture white goods. It's a little like the way Electrolux is using AEG's name now. Bendix Corp was a defense company and produced high tech electronics for the US and other Airforces. They were also a major radar technology developer. However, the company has long since disappeared and merged into various other larger entities.

I'm just wondering who in Italy was manufacturing these machines. They were by all accounts a fantastically well built product and well up there with the Mieles and AEGs of their day.

An aunt of mine had one which lasted over 20 years without anything other than a very minor repair. She replaced it with a Miele as that's the only machine that the service guy who came out considered to be a worthy replacement.

really gutted - i cant post any pictures and wont be able to do so until probably the end of december - and all these groovy threads being started. Oh the frustration!

The big door bendix's were great machines - lived with the one at secondary school for three or so years. very quiet machine.

Thinking about it, i have already posted in the the previous bendix thread, most of the square door images i had.

I will watch from the sidelines for a few weeks and then will try and make up for my enforced posting absence.

Cheers
Paul
p.s i am typing this on my parents computer - landlord changing internet providers in his usual unplanned, chaotic way! he is a t%££"r

Philco built these in Italy, at the time they were probably the quietest machine around. Bendix quite often featured a sleeping baby in their ads to get the point across lol

Seamus

Didn't Philco Italia become part of the Merloni Group ?
if so, perhaps some of that quality's living on the Aqualtis...

Ya never know- the Aqualtis is turning out to be a pretty reliable machine apparently. Our local Hotpoint engineer had only been out to 10 odd calls to them !

Seamus

Wow, I was barely born at that stage, but I remember some of those ads. They must have run for a few years. I certainly remember that Branflakes song and the super noodles one :)

I don't remember the tesco ads at all though. Was Tesco a discount supermarket back then? They re-entered the Irish market having failed in the 80s here. Their reentry was done by purchasing one of the largest supermarket groups Power Supermarkets who traded as Quinsworth and Super Crazy Prices (yes, they did actually use that name!) in the mid 1990s.

My Mums half sister used to tease me with that phrase as a kid whenever I was at my grandparents house sat in front of their early 1980s Servis Quartz 600/602/603 and dryer set. (Small door series before the full cabinet door series came along late 1985). Never knew why she was saying it though until this year. Im guessing that the advert or a variant ran for a long time as she is only 4 years older than me. Bendix made by Philco Italia of course. My Paternal grandparents had a 1000rpm model in black control panel from since I can remember as a kid until 1992 when it was replaced with a white Philco 1000rpm with vari temp dial. The same design that was on the Tesco Value powder box until early this year. I always and still feel that the Bendix were the cheaper cousins of having a Philco badged one -they just aint the same. Made by Philco so prefer them to be badged Philco if you get my drift. Would love to own a Philco to bring back many memories of the gentle quiet wash action, the scent of boil washes with Persil non bio, Safeway Green softener (Alpine sort) and the rhythmatic noise. Rob

My absolute favorite among vintage front loaders!

They were so quiet, stable, refined, extremely reliable and to top it all they delivered outstanding wash and rinse performance.

The later Autowasher Electronic series 7148 and 7168 were even quieter and improved rinse performance by adding a 500RPM spin at the end of the wash. The previous series models 7142A, 7147, 7147A and 7147B did not spin after the wash but they spun after all rinses.

The last of the true Philco Bendix washers with the Induction Motor was the 71258, it was also the quietest with the new Microchip Motor control module. The 71258 also had a Stainless Steel outer tub whereas previous models used Vitreous Enameled Mild Steel. Alas cost cutting reared its ugly head and the wonderful quiet Induction Motors were dropped in favour of cheap, noisy unreliable Universal Motors (Carbon Brush). The machines were never the same after that!

David

My mother is still using a machine from the series shown in the TV advert. It only has a timer dial (temperature is selected by the position of the timer) and power and half-load buttons. It is indeed very quiet. It's starting to show some rust between the control panel and the door, but is otherwise still in perfect working order. Her second washing machine in 47 years ... the first naturally being a Bendix too.

They sure don't make 'em like they used to!

Hi Nick,
The machine in the advert is the Bendix Autowasher Electronic 7148 800RPM spin. I am not surprised your mother's Bendix is still running perfectly, they were supremely reliable machines. They were prone to rusting of the cabinet especially around the detergent dispenser and the bottom of the door opening. Indeed many Bendix machines were replaced for cosmetic reasons; a severely rusted cabinet with mechanically perfect innards.

The Low Temperature button mentioned in the advert was interesting as it reduced the main wash temperature but extended the wash time by 12 minutes, this gave impressive results with less energy.

The massive Electronically controlled Induction Motor produces the most wonderful quiet hum, my favorite washer sound bar none. If there is any possibility you could video your mums machine I'm sure everyone here would be delighted to hear it running.

David

Hi Nick,
I forgot to say your mothers machine sounds like the Autowasher De Luxe Electronic 7133, it could also be a model exclusive to the Australian market.

David

hey took these today when i went home for lunch,25years old and there both like new,will post vids soon

washer dryer with 500rpm spin

rear of the washer dryer

classic philco/bendix drum

washer dryer drum

Ha! Those drums! They're just the same as the one in my Philco Agila 6 washing machine!

Seeing those old Bendix Machines brings back memories of my younger childhood LOL! We used to have the Bendix Homelaundry Centre 800 Washer Dryer which was an outstanding machine! Will never forgot the slight "humming" sound it used to make whilst tumbling! Or the drums :)

Thanks for taking those pics!!

Richard

I love the Bendix combo just above. I wish they made them today. Can we get a close up of the console and the dispensor.
Thanks,
Peter

Could somebody explain how these machines did the drying? I used to think they just blew hot air through the drum, like any conventional dryer, but then I started reading that they use cold water to condense the steam onto the outer drum (or something).

Here's a drawing i did of the bendix machine at the top of the thread including a bad drawing of the philco/bendix drum style.
i didn't know what the buttons were, so i just guessed and gessed the programms aswel.

Hi Luke

Here are some pics of Model 7147.

This model is the machine my mum purchased in 1981 but alas only lasted 4 years (My fault).

I recently found in my mums loft the dispenser drawer and the timer which I must have removed and kept. Next time I visit my parents I am going to get them from the loft.

Mark

Luke

Thought you may wish to know what the lights / selector switches are. Ive got the ones for model 7147. I think they are the same on 7147A

From the left:

Orange Light - Heater Pilot Light
Red Light - Door Lock Light
First switch - Economy Switch
Second Switch - Bio or Pre Wash Selector Switch
Third Switch - Spin Speed Selector Switch

First Dial - Programme Selector
Second Dial - Wash Timer Dial

I hope that info is of some use for you.

Mark

Your back! Good to see you back in time for Christmas with all your friends here, so glad your well too. Shame Paul is offline for a while but il let him know about the Bendix threads progress when I call him later tonight. He will be going nuts about not being able to see this for a while. Best go, work to progress with. Fab your back! Hope its for a while. Loadsa love. Rob x x

Hey Rob!

Yes Its great to back again with all my good friends. Sorry I have been away.Thanks for your texts and your comments, they were appreciated. It feels nice to be on here again with my appliance family.

Mark
xx

Rob forgot to say send my hellos to Paul. I hope his landlord gets his finger out and he can be back online again very soon

Mark
xx

Hi Mark and everyone.
Back online and great to hear/see you are back too Mark. How are all your machines doing? Have you found a replacement drawer cover for your Microtronic yet?

A great set of machines you have there. Wonderful bits of kit - every one of them.

Not really much to offer in the way of piccies - my supply seems to be everyone elses. Understandable really, bearing in mind all my Bendix pics are ones all you excellent people have posted elsewhere.

The only exception seems to be my line drawing image scanned from a 1977 Which Magazine...

the Bendix 7125

Cheers
Paul

hi there Mark.

I notice that your 7147 has a differing arrangement of buttons to the other 7147's already posted in the thread.

Is your machine a 7147A or 7147B (on the understanding that the all silver facia machine is a plain 7147)?

Also, do you know the model number of your 'Laundry Centre'?
First time in 20+years that I have seen an image of one - never saw one for real, only a small picture of one. Could you post some more pics of it - really got me intrigued.

Many thanks
Paul

Hi Paul,
Perhaps I can help a little.
The 7147 and 7147A are identical cosmetically however they are quite different internally. On the 7147A the tub is different as is the rear tub panel; on the 7147 the Motor was mounted on brackets attached to the underside of the tub, on the 7147A the motor is mounted on two struts which are bolted onto the rear tub panel. The wiring harness was also modified in the 7147A as the motor terminal block was moved to the opposite side. There was an issue on the 7147 were any water leaking from the dispenser ran down the side of the tub and straight onto the terminal block causing a short and motor burn out, hence the move. The motor is also slightly different in the 7147A as it has no brackets; instead it has four threaded holes on the end housing (Pulley end) the pulley slips up between the two struts and the motor is bolted onto the struts. I hope this makes some kind of sense, perhaps Mark can post some internal pictures of the 7147 and 7147A or B showing the arrangement.

The 7147B is mechanically identical to the 7147A but it has the chrome and brown fascia.

David

Cheers for the info David - much appreciated. Some quite heavy upgrading work went on between the generations then.

As far as the externals go, it's that first 'BIG' button on Mark's machine which throws me a bit.

On the understanding that the all silver/grey facia machine is a 7147 and that the very first machine pictured on the thread is the 7147A? would Mark's machine be the 7147B? It certainly is different to the first one pictured.

Be great to get this one sorted in my head.
Cheers
Paul

Thanks Irish MArk!
when I was teenager I used to walk back from school for lunch and walked past a house which had a utility room housing that same Bendix 500rpm washer dryer! I always wished I could see it in operation but in 2 years I never did!!! My Aunty had the very first Bendix washer dryer. It was MASSIVE! Blue and silver fascia, only roated clockwise but was a fab machine! I have always been a fan of bendix!!!
Thanks for the memories
Peter

hey lads,just at work and logged on,il post some pics and internal shots after lunch,i have a few more which if ye can wait il post by the end of the week,re 7147 washer & matching dryer ect ect,cheers

Hi Paul!

Really good to see you are all broadbanded up again and back online.

My machines are doing well although im unable to use a couple of them as they are buried in santas grotto in the garage (I will post a thread in super about the grotto). The ones which are plumbed in and I can get to are the speed queen, 1509 and 3060. The 3060 needs a new pump as its very sqeeky and noisy as it appears to be the original. I have a couple of pumps so will attend to that in the new year when the grotto is down and I have the garage back!

Unfortunately no luck with the microtronic dispenser drawer. No one has one anymore. I was hoping someone would have one lying about in a box of old parts but no luck so far. I hope I manage to get one as it looks so sorry for itself without one. Im going to need to treat some rust under the door seal at the front of the drum so a question for you:

How do you take the wrap around cabinets off and the front part of the cabinet? I did change the door seal on the 18580 I had but can't remember how I did it! Ive never had the whole cabinet off though and would like to on the micro so I can check the motor brushes and other bits.

Thank you for any advice

Mark
x

How do Mark.

Believe me when I say its such a relief being back up and running again. Been very difficult knowing of what is being discussed and not able to take part.

Shame about the Microtronic powder drawer. Rest assured that I will keep my eyes peeled as will everyone else I am sure. As you say, there will be one lying around in a parts bin somewhere just begging to be discovered. One will surface one day, I am sure.

As far as bodysides are concerned, from my very vague recollection of my dad repairing a Liberatoresque when I was about 5 years old, and attempting to repair my grandmas Liberator dryer a couple of years later (he wrote it off and it became my toy for a few years and lived in the shed), I think it was a case of removing a number of screws around the back of the machine and then sliding the side/top sheet upwards and off its runners, thus revealing pretty much everything. I also distinctly remember that the side/top sheet was a b1tch to get back on, as it flexed and twisted as you fought to get it back in the runners.

The back panel part that you could remove followed the outline of the belt around the drum pulley and motor and protruded from the back of the machine, making the machines deeper that they actually looked.

As I say, this is from memories a long time ago when i was a mere whipper-snapper, so it might not be entirely accurate.
I'd be interested to know if my memories serve me well.

Welcome back Mark - great to hear from you again.
Cheers
Paul

Thank you Paul for your welcome back and the information you have given me. In the new year I will certainly be "giving it a go". Should be interesting how I get on.

The picture of the 18580 you have posted is the excact one I had many moons ago with the chrome door..

Looking at the Bendix advert, did I see a sloping glass porthole on that machine?

Most machines as far as I knew of that era (Hoover/Hotpoint) had those symmetrical 'Pyrex bowl' style of glass doors.

Mark, those are beautiful machines. I particularly like the one with the control panel on top. Looks like the combos we had over here in the 1960s.