John "combo52" is the resident Speed Queen front-load booster around here.   He may be able to advise you on what may be causing the noise your machine is making.

Based upon what John has said in the past, you would have a tough time doing much better than Speed Queen for build quality and longevity in a front-loader.

Don't the SQ front-loaders come with a longer-than-two-year warranty?

Your machine is being used in a residential setting.  That is all that should matter.  Less than two years even with as much use as your machine has had still isn't enough for it to be failing already.

I think Joe is onto something.  If you've been running full loads, and considering how often you've been doing so, the odds are pretty decent that a coin or button could have worked its way into the outer drum.

Any chance you could record the machine making the noise and post it here?

Of course the guy at the dealership wants to sell you a new machine.  He clearly is not at all familiar with the product, or thinks you're not.

I suggest you contact SQ directly by phone -- not one of their dealers.  The number should be provided in the literature that came with the machine, or on line.  SQ will dispatch a certified repairman in your area as part of your warranty coverage.

If the guy the dealer recommended won't work on a machine that's under warranty, that strongly suggests he's not a SQ authorized repair man.  In other words, if he touches your machine the warranty is void.

From what you've described directly above, I wonder if one of the tub's springs has broken.

Considering your location, I'd guess water usage isn't much of a concern.  A SQ top loader would be far less expensive even if you went with the top of the line model, but the top loaders do still have a tendency to eat through drive belts, which could become a nuisance considering how much laundry you do.  I also maintain that rinsing is sub-par on SQ top loaders.  I had an Amana, which at the time was a SQ clone, and it sucked at rinsing, particularly towels.

Be advised that the newest SQ machines for 2015 will have electronic controls, so if you prefer knobs and dials, now's the time to shop.

I still think your front loader can be repaired and that it will provide you with many more years of service, but if you've found you prefer a top loader, that's understandable.

Jon, you again prove front loaders yield far superior results and gentleness compared to a top loader!!! 

If you are spending 53.00 a pop at the laundry mat maybe you should get like a Kenmore or a Duet in addition to the Speed Queen you have.  This "backup machine" would not have to be as expensive or as durable as the Queen

You need to escalate directly with SQ.  As advised above, DO NOT contact local dealers or service agencies.  Contact SQ directly.  Insist that they take responsibility (although I don't think you'll need to insist) and see the repair process through to your satisfaction. 

Again, DO NOT contact any local businesses.  If SQ provides you with contact information for a local repair service, ask that they make the call and conference with you and the repair people so everyone is on the same page.

All of this advice is moot however, if you never registered your machine with SQ after purchase.

Surely you are not the first person in northwest Oregon who has required service on a SQ front loader.  Somebody in your area has to know how to repair them.

There's always your local newspaper's "Action Line" column, if they still run one, or a local TV station's consumer-focused segment of their newscast, if any of them devote time to one, but you really don't have that kind of time to waste waiting for results.

I'm not a "twit" and I don't do Facebook, but as Malcom stated above, those have proven to be effective and relatively instantaneous methods to shame those who are behaving badly into quick remediation.

Still, the first thing you should do -- if you haven't already -- is contact SQ directly and keep escalating until you get results to your satisfaction.  If it's not your nature to be a squeaky wheel, put your best game face on and start playing some polite but serious hardball.  The situation your local dealers and servicers have placed you in is truly unacceptable, and that is why you need to go over their heads and take your issue to the source.

Eddie, they didn't say that the machine WILL need more repairs.  They said only in the case that the machine did need repeated repairs for this same problem would a replacement be considered.

Dave, if you haven't been using "he" detergent, that could be a contributing factor to the bearing failure.  Too much suds can cause bearings to fail on a front-loader prematurely, perhaps even on a commercial grade Speed Queen.

I'm glad you managed to get SQ to arrange for repairs.  It's understandable that the servicer would prefer to perform such a big job at their shop, although it's an inconvenience for you.  I hope your machine won't need further repairs for many years to come.

Ralph

Rich, my interpretation is that SQ isn't charging Dave for the repairs.  I think it was a hypothetical statement by the servicer about the retail cost of repairs being higher than what Dave paid for the machine new.  My guess is that it's still cheaper for SQ to absorb the cost of their own parts and reimburse the servicer's cost for labor than to provide Dave with a new machine.  If the machine was out of warranty, that would be another story with Dave looking at sky high parts and labor, and a new machine would be the cheaper way to go.

Does anyone know if SQ FL machines found in laundromats instruct to use only "he" detergent?  If not, I would think they'd be replacing a lot of bearings on them.  Either that, or SQ builds their FL machines in a way that higher sudsing detergents don't present a negative impact on the bearings like they do on the more flimsy FL machines produced by other manufacturers.

And DO NOT volunteer how much laundry you're doing.

they believe it is a couple of different issues either the tranny and clutch are going or the bearing/ support arm is broken in the machine.

The term "tranny" doesn't offend me in the least.  Not that I practice any such behavior -- I find it a total turn-off unless maybe you're Dame Edna, but live and let live.  I don't think the term is considered derogatory.  Or is it? 

David, relax.  You're fine.

I mean seriously -- Speed Queen could be considered an offensive term and how many times has it appeared in this thread?

You want offensive?  Try "NORGE!"

Eugene, I think that just as with other taboo terms, proprietary use is acceptable.

I think David said somewhere above that he could produce the sound just by rotating the tub by hand. 

If you were closer I would say bring your clothes and do them at my house, but I think it would be cheaper for you to do them at the laundromat due to the distance.  

Unless--any AW members in Dave's area that could help the guy out???   If this is not a guy in  need of a wash in, I don't know who is.

Well, SQ needs to decide quickly.  Keep the pressure on them.

This is also a very poor reflection on the supposed commercial build quality of SQ front loaders.

At this point, I'd say you need to find yourself a good old fashioned extra-large capacity Maytag from the '70s or '80s.  No matter what you threw at it, you'd have a very tough time making one of those machines fail as catastrophically as the SQ did.

A Maytag from that same period would be easier to find, would without question last longer than the solid tub SQ, and would be easier to find parts for if needed.

If the washer pictured in the link is an extra-large capacity, it could be a $25 solution.

It's their warranty, it's their baby.  Next stop, state Attorney General, who do they think they are acting like this? LG