Thread Number: 37915
Miele 1900 series. |
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Post# 563764 , Reply# 1   12/17/2011 at 18:35 (4,507 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Around. Check estate sales, Craigslist and other such places.
As for doing the rebuilding, you'll need the parts, knowledge and tools, other than that it's not much more than a Miele tech would do; however the devil is in the details. Where to get the parts, who will do the work and how much will it cost. Far as one knows the only place in North America to source new Miele parts is through them, and it's ever cheap purchasing anything via that source. However you can build your "FrankenMiele" using parts from other machines. Take a peek around UTube (keywords Miele) to see some great work done by mainly Miele fans/collectors from Europe. |
Post# 564019 , Reply# 5   12/19/2011 at 01:32 (4,505 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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So I'll bite:
Qualin: use the search function with keywords "Miele,1986, 1918" to start off which should get you where you need to go eventually. For some purists Miele made too many changes in their new offerings especially those aimed for the USA market. First was the elimination of strictly 220v power in favour of 110v/120v. This of course limited water heating which IIRC the max temp now found on most Miele units is around 150F? I could be wrong on that so check. Then there are other niggling things such as the *plastic* out tubs, controls made overly simple and or more complex (depending upon how one views certain functions). Miele counters that Americans never wanted laundry appliances with the breath and range of options offered by Miele. Well at least they weren't prepared to pay >1500 USD for a *small* washing machine from them in any great numbers. The plastic outer tub and other changes were in part bowing to Americans by and large refusing to give up using LCB. |
Post# 564072 , Reply# 6   12/19/2011 at 11:36 (4,505 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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I found my 1918A Miele some years ago on Craigslist. A group home was being changed over to a single family residence and there were two 1918A's for sale for $200 each. I bought one... sort of wish now I had gotten both ;).
It is a very good machine. If it has a flaw it's that the upper temp is limited, for conservation reasons, to 170F. But I rarely go above 160F anyway on this machine, and it's more than enough to get whites very clean. And the 1600 rpm top spin speed gets them relatively dry as well. Of course the 2 cu ft capacity prevents it from handling large thick comforters, but it seems to do quite well with many other heavy items, including bath sheets. I don't know about later machines, but the 1918 and the W1065 machines are indeed built like tanks. You find quality features in the construction that are not found too much elsewhere: the inside of the cabinet and support members are finished in the same high quality white porcelain enamel that the outside is finished in. Instead of using concrete blocks for weight balance, it uses iron castings - which are well painted in black so they don't rust. And of course the inner drum and the outer tub are made of quality stainless steel. As long as the machine is working well or is repairable at a reasonable cost, I would recommend the 1918. |
Post# 564149 , Reply# 7   12/19/2011 at 20:48 (4,505 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Every now and then one saw or heard of a NIB Miele 19XX washer popping up from a dealer, but will admitt as time goes by that has occured less often. Still never give up hope. *LOL*
Methinks part of the problem is how Miele sends appliances to distributors. IIRC they must pay in full or a decent amount for what they order or at least display models. If they do not sell then there is the problem of what becomes of the units. Since Miele sets strict pricing guide lines (how they get away with not violating anti-trust regulations is beyond me), selling units a discount must be approved. This is all off the top of my head but remember seeing a lonely Miele W1918 years ago at local PC Richards. Salesman told me though the units were discontinued Miele wouldn't take the thing back and the store was limited in how much they could mark it down to get shot of the thing. IIRC the price wasn't *that* much off normal and so one wondered if it ever sold. Another trick to finding Miele appliances is to spread the word amoung contractors/decorators. Many times new homeowners rip out perfectly good Miele laundry appliances because they are deemed too "small" for their needs. |
Post# 566941 , Reply# 9   1/4/2012 at 14:19 (4,489 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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If the bearings fail on a Miele washer 1900 series or otherwise the first question to ask is if the thing is pemature or simply the result of the part reaching the end of it's life.
There are several postings on U-Tube of persons changing bearings on Miele washers, and IIRC Miele USA will do it if the thing fails under warranty, but there are unknowns as well. From what one has read on various UK/EU appliance repair and hobbist websites Miele has always used rather robust bearings and absent improper use of the machine they should last if not out last the washer. Problem with most all bearing problems is that usually owners of the machine either aren't aware of the problem and or notice so late that other things have become damaged as well. |
Post# 567036 , Reply# 10   1/4/2012 at 22:39 (4,489 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)   |   | |
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I can see several problems with the stainless steel bearing proposal.
One is that stainless steel cannot be hardened as much as various types of tool steel used for ball bearings. And those types of stainless that can be hardened are not as corrosion resistant and non-hardenable stainless (like 316). Two is that even if the balls and races are stainless steel and resist corrosion, there is the small matter of hot detergent water washing out the grease that is needed to lubricate the bearings. Even 316 stainless won't last long without any lubricant. Three is that it is the bearing seals that do the major work: sealing the bearing innards from the hot detergent water in the first place. Typically if the bearing seal fails, then shortly later the bearing will fail. Stainless might delay the failure a bit, but as I've said, the loss of lubricant will spell an early demise for the bearing anyway. Not that I have seen any of the above happen. I'm just speaking from an understanding of the metals involved and the probable usual cause of bearing failure. |