Thread Number: 93516  /  Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Miele Washing Machine - Mixed Feelings. Help?? 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 1181838   6/5/2023 at 05:04 (327 days old) by MatthewZA (Cape Town, South Africa)        

***Calling all the Miele experts***

After regularly keeping a finger on the local pulse (Marketplace, Gumtree) I found a Miele washing machine in pretty decent cosmetic condition, that was being sold for an absolute song. Hubby and I drove through to the seller (only 25 mins away) Thursday evening to pick up this beast. 96kg of approximately 10 year old German engineering 😅 that we then carried up the stairs to our 3rd floor apartment. The seller says they're selling due to having been given a 13kg top loader from one of the kids, and they don't have the space to keep both washing machines.

I gave it a very good clean, I suspect the previous owner only used the Express cycle, as there was a very strong detergent buildup smell. I cleaned out the dispenser and ran an empty Cotton's 75C cycle with a Fairy dishwasher pod, and that really made a difference. The next morning I ran another Cotton's 75C without any detergent, just to do a hot flush on the machine. Hubby then washed the dogs bedding Friday morning, and then Friday afternoon I ran an empty Express cycle with a few capfulls of Miltons fluid, followed by 2 rinse only cycles with white vinegar. The machine was now looking and smelling amazing, so I was ready to start doing laundry.

Saturday I ran 4 loads on 4 different cycles:
1) Work pants (chinos and jeans, about 7 pairs in total) on Cotton 40C with Short and 1400 spin

2) mixed dark fabrics (t-shirts, hoodies, sweat pants) on Automatic Plus (40C and 1200 spin as standard) note this was not a full load

3) 2x winter coats on Express but with Short deselected so cycle was 30 mins, 40C and 1000 spin.

4) 3quarter full load of lights (easy care button up work shirts and a few t-shirts and 1 thin hoodie) on Minimum Iron with short and Water Plus selected, 40C and 1000 spin

Today I changed the programming of water plus to include an extra rinse as well as upping the water level on wash and rinse. And then I washed another 3 loads:

1) 2 sets of double bedding (2x fitted sheets, 2x duvet covers, 8x standard pillow cases and 2x continental pillow cases) on Cottons 60 with short and water plus, 1400 spin

2) weekly towels (4x bath sheets, 3x hand towels, 2x bath mats and 1x face cloth) also on cotton 60 with short and water plus, 1400 spin

3) mixed load of pajamas, socks and underwear on Cottons 40 with short and water plus, 1400 spin.

What I like about this machine:

It's VERY robust. This is my first Miele and I clearly see why everyone comments on their robustness.

It's very quiet on washing

Doesn't take long to balance a load before spinning

Even at 1400 spin, creasing seems better than with my Siemens at 1400

Very spacious drum for a 7kg machine

Now, for the shocking parts of what I don't like:

Compared to my Siemens (iq300 9kg 1400 rpm, purchased new 2020), the cycles are very long, even with Short selected. VarioSpeed on the Siemens takes a lot more time off than what Short seems to do on this machine. My Siemens can do a 40C wash in 46 to 90 minutes, depending on the cycle. Miele seems to be minimum of 90 mins, even with Short selected.

The Miele seems to struggle with getting water logged. Every load I washed, every interim and final spin, got water logged. This rarely happens with my Siemens and when it does, the machine detects it very quickly and stops the spin, drains the excess water, and spins again but ramps up slower to avoid a water log. The Miele seems to just power through, waterworks show and all.

There's no pause button on the Miele. If I noticed a water log on the Siemens before the machine did, I could hit pause, and then restart which would then cause the machine to drain and redistribute before continuing with the spin. Miele seems to only have the ability to cancel the cycle completely.

The interim spins on the shorter cycles on the Miele are a problem. Automatic Plus and Minimum Iron seem to just do a very short burst spin for the interim spins, not taking much water away, and then moving to the rinse. Only Cottons does a proper 2 minute interim spin. I believe good rinsing starts with a good interim spin, so I worry about rinsing efficiency on the shorter cycles. With the Siemens, even on the mixed fabric cycle and easy cares, it still does a proper 2 minute interim spin at the selected spin speed.

I originally thought that Minimum Iron or Automatic Plus would become my go-to cycles for daily clothes that get washed on 40C, with only the loads that need a 60C cycle getting done on Cotton, but it looks like Cotton with Short would need to be the go-to.

I am going to try doing more frequent smaller loads (2 days worth of laundry) on minimum iron and automatic plus to see if that results is less or no water logging. Maybe I just need to change my laundry habits a bit to fit the Miele?

All things considered, I don't think I'm going to enjoy the Miele as much as I had hoped. The Siemens is in the spare bedroom, so I may just keep the Miele for a few more weeks to play with it and then flip it, and put the Siemens back in place.

Are my dislikes normal? Is it just because it's a 10 year old machine? Are the newer Mieles better with these issues?

Pictures for reference. As always, all feedback is appreciated.

Apologies for the essay of a post 😅

  Photos...       <              >      Photo 1 of 5         View Full Size



Post# 1181841 , Reply# 1   6/5/2023 at 07:17 (327 days old) by mieleforever (SOUTH AFRICA)        

Hi Matthew,

We have the exact machine and we have it for the last 13 years. We are a family of 5 plus a yorkie, who's bedding gets washed on 60 deg celsius every second week, so I guess what I am trying to say is that the machine gets used at least 10 to 12 times per week. We never use the short cycles, mostly cotton at 60 deg, coloureds we use auto plus and then minumum iron and hand wash cycle.

The machine is rather straight forward, but is really a beast when cleaning and spinning and yes we also sometimes get the sudslock from time to time, we however just select another spin cycle and all is fine.

We have washed "dry clean only" on the hand wash setting with the appropriate detergent, and never had any problems.

It really is a reliable machine and we have never had any problems - other than the occasional suds lock.

I have no experience with the Siemens washer (we have a Siemens Dishwasher, Fridge and Freezer), I have however seen my sister's Bosch (as seeing that Bosch and Siemens is basically the same company) washer wash, and I must say I am a bit dissapointed in the washing results and the construction. But each to its own.

All in all I think you should give the Miele another go as it is a vastly superior machine to anything else out there


Post# 1181842 , Reply# 2   6/5/2023 at 08:12 (327 days old) by matthewza (Cape Town, South Africa)        

Hi Aldo

Thank you for the response. Always nice to see the other South Africans here on AW.

I am very glad to hear positive feedback on the same model. This is my first Miele, so I guess as much as I am a laundry enthusiast, I need to learn the quirks of the Miele. Prior to this I was a die-hard fan of LG front loaders, but when the last one started to give issues, we decided to get the Siemens. And I fell in love with the Siemens very quickly because of how much customisation it offers on every cycle - I can extend the cycle time with adding a stain treatment option, I can shorten the cycle with VarioSpeed, and I can select Pre-wash in conjunction with VarioSpeed, for example.

The Miele is definitely a beast, I just was not expecting a Cottons 40C cycle to clock in at 1hr49mins even with "Short" selected ;) I do find it strange that if you select a temperature of 60C or higher, it reduces the cycle time by removing 1 of the rinses. It does have a very vigorous wash action, even on Minimum Iron, which I really like. And it is very "no nonsense" when it comes to balancing and going into a spin. I just need to figure out how to avoid the water locks. And I already use less than half of the manufacturers detergent dosage recommendation, because I find I get far too much suds if I use the recommended dose. And the machine isn't always full to the brim, so I can get away with less detergent and everything comes out very clean. I use a combination of Skip powder, Skip liquid (regular green bottle), Woolite and Clicks brand liquid (I really like their dark wash liquid more than the Skip darks), depending what I am washing.

I did laundry on Saturday, today is Monday, so I will wash again tonight after work to see if a smaller load works better. We are only 2 people in the house, but I do between 7 and 9 loads of washing a week, incl the dogs bed, our towels and bedding.

PS. We also have a Siemens dishwasher, an iq100 (bought new in 2019), and I must say, it is the best dishwasher I have ever used!

Post# 1181854 , Reply# 3   6/5/2023 at 14:28 (327 days old) by Mrlaundry1011 (South Wales, UK)        

I had a W5740 and never liked it, sold my edition 111 W3164 also after purchasing my W1. The W1 range is far better in every aspect in my opinion, especially spin performance, I wouldn’t have another old one

Post# 1181984 , Reply# 4   6/7/2023 at 04:06 (325 days old) by mieleharrison (Empingham, Stamford)        

in relation to the sudslocks.....my w3922 started spontaneously doing many unusaul sudslocks and waterlocks and I ignored it for a bit but then realised that something wasnt right......turns out (thanks to this great forum!) that the air escape hose was jammed up with a very small piece of fabric. Once this was removed i have had no sudslocks since, even when i have been heavy handed on the detergent.....So maybe try cleaning this hose?
it is the smaller hose to the left and front of the drain pump going all the way up to the drawer....it is then connected to a y piece and I pulled it all out and forced water down it all! was really easy in the grand scheme of things!
really messy explanation so perhaps another member could explain with more sense!

Post# 1182025 , Reply# 5   6/7/2023 at 14:53 (325 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        

These machines have a drain pump vent system.
If the pump has air in it, it can't properly move water. That pump vent system is ment to keep that from happening, but if it gets clogged, water and suds locks are very common, basically given.

That vent system is basically just one small hose leading from the pump housing to the drawer housing and that gets clogged VERY easily. Once clogged, it won't be unclogged by just running cleaning cycle.
You have to take the machine apart, take out the hose, clean it, unclogg it.

See the attached picture from the german spare part listing - part 24 is the vent pipe in question.



90min is a short wash for a full load on Cottons Short. Half load is 60min.
Easy Care Short is about an hour.
Keep in mind though that the Siemens only allowed loads up to 5kg on SpeedPerfect, technically anyway.

There are several software versions adressing various spin issues over the years. If you happen to have an early version, you might have gotten a bad software version with to agressive spin behaviour.
Getting an update now would involve a service call, so not worth the money.



  View Full Size
Post# 1182072 , Reply# 6   6/8/2023 at 07:04 (324 days old) by matthewza (Cape Town, South Africa)        
Blocked Pump Vent Hose

 Thank you mieleharrison and henene4 - I looked into this, and found a Youtube video showing how to access this hose for cleaning and resolving this same issue. I have borrowed a set of torx screwdrivers from a work colleague, so will give this a try over the weekend. It seems quite strange that a company as advanced as Miele would have this kind of pump system that can easily get blocked, and cause one to have to take apart the machine just to flush the pipes.

Does the W1 range also have this same style of drain pump system? There is a used WKH 120 WPS (twindos and power wash) that I am looking at, but if this range also has the same potential to get the blocked drain vent, then I might steer away.

I washed 2 small loads (about 1-third full drum), 1 load on Automatic Plus and one on Minimum Iron + short (took 10 minutes off the cycle time after the load sensing), and only 1 of those loads caused a water lock on the final spin. I canclelled the cycle and then selected seperate spin on 800, which spun flawlessly. I then just ran the load through my seperate spin dryer before drying.

@henene4 - yes, technically one should not load more than 5kg into the Siemens when using VarioSpeed, which most of the time, I dont have more than 5kg in the load (as I am quite a "chronic sorter") but I have noticed that even with VarioSpeed selected, the machine does sometimes add 5 or 10 minutes after the load sensing, if it feels it necessary. It never reduces the time further with VarioSpeed, it will either stay the same or extend the time. If it extends the time due to it sensing a bigger load, it more often than not will also add more water and the extra time mostly goes towards a longer final spin, from what I have noticed.

Post# 1182088 , Reply# 7   6/8/2023 at 16:37 (323 days old) by Brisnat81 (Brisbane Australia)        

My 3xxx machine had that hose blocked when I got it. There were bean bag beans stuck in it. I cleaned it out 10 years ago and haven’t had an issue since.

If you like how the machine works once you’ve cleared it, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Post# 1182360 , Reply# 8   6/12/2023 at 00:48 (320 days old) by matthewza (Cape Town, South Africa)        

Thank you everyone for the advise - it was so much appreciated! I decided to sell this machine, got a buyer very quickly, as I am looking at a W1 - have posted a new thread to discuss an get info on that


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