Bosch Washing Machine Drum Replacement

[technofast]

My 5 years old Bosch washing machine was making too much grinding noise. The service guy inspected and told that the bearing has worn off and the whole drum needs to be replaced as the bearing alone cannot be replaced as it is welded to the drum. The drum replacement will be around Rs.15K. Earlier I had a LG washing machine where the bearings and drum were separate and the bearing can be changed easily. The technician said the drum can be cutout and welded with new bearing but said it would mostly fail in couple of months time as the water might start leaking. It is surprising that Bosch and maybe many other companies now deliberately build them this way as they will only last so many cycles and the machine itself needs to be replaced in couple of years time.

Now can I replace the drum or should I go with a new Washing machine. The Bosch technician told that if the drum is replace it will work as good as new.

 

[panther]

My 55000 Rs siemens washing maching failed in similar manner it came with Made in Germany tag. The technician told me it was because the machine use very less water and the indian detergent was very corrosive, gave me an estimate of 26000. I threw it and bought another siemens wasching maching running fine for 3 years now and is made in india.

 

[manucitc]

Tried calling local service guy take his input too

 

[nRiTeCh]

My 55000 Rs siemens washing maching failed in similar manner it came with Made in Germany tag. The technician told me it was because the machine use very less water and the indian detergent was very corrosive, gave me an estimate of 26000. I threw it and bought another siemens wasching maching running fine for 3 years now and is made in india.

So you mean German made works best in German waters and conks up in India?

 

[technofast]

Tried calling local service guy take his input too

Yes, a local technician inspected and gave the same estimate and said that the bearing cannot be separated from the drum. He told that the high end washing machines like IFB, Siemens, Bosch manufactures like this only.

Post automatically merged: Jul 7, 2020

My 55000 Rs siemens washing maching failed in similar manner it came with Made in Germany tag. The technician told me it was because the machine use very less water and the indian detergent was very corrosive, gave me an estimate of 26000. I threw it and bought another siemens wasching maching running fine for 3 years now and is made in india.

The Bosch technician told not to use powder detergent and instead use only liquid detergent as powder detergent contains too much of salt and corrosion will happen in bearings. I've been using both but more of powder detergent.

 

[Njc111]

If the thing about powder detergent is true then I would say that Bosch is complete junk. I too own a Bosch washing machine and it's 2 years old. Your problem has me worried too. If this is the competence of Bosch in designing a washing machine then I would say that it's no better than the jugaad produced by our Indian local mistri.

 

[rdst_1]

It's definitely not true. How naive are you guys if you want to believe everything a mechanic says? I have been using a Bosch washing machine since 2013 with Ariel Front Load detergent powder. No issues faced till now.

 

[technofast]

Powder or liquid detergent is not a big issue but when you need to replace the whole drum when only the bearing has worn off. The drum is spic and span, clean and as good as new but Bosch chose not give the option to change the bearing alone. Probably it is the same with all other products today whether it is electronics, refrigerator or washing machines. To replace a small part the whole unit needs to be changed. It doesn't make sense but that is how the manufacturers want that today.

 

[6pack]

It doesn't make sense but that is how the manufacturers want that today.

Makes sense for the company's bottom line. Shareholders and CEO's want more money and to spend less on everything else. This is why we are seeing non replaceable parts and hard to maintain products now. It's extremely bad for the environment but money is first for such people.

 

[technofast]

Makes sense for the company's bottom line. Shareholders and CEO's want more money and to spend less on everything else. This is why we are seeing non replaceable parts and hard to maintain products now. It's extremely bad for the environment but money is first for such people.

Yes, on one hand we are told to avoid plastics but then these manufacturers do more damage to the environment and the government looks the other way. Anyway I have decided to buy a new washing machine and this time I will make sure which ever brand I buy the drum and bearings can be separated.

Post automatically merged: Jul 8, 2020

I got a call from Bosch mechanic. It seems they do not have the Drum part and needs to be imported from China. He said with the current situation it is not possible to import from China. Bosch will consider exchanging the machine for 5K and remaining I need to pay for which ever model I choose.

I told him I will sell this for scrap and will never buy Bosch again.

 

[Njc111]

Very regrettable position taken by Bosch. They should guarantee serviceability of a machine for at least 10 years and if they are unable to do so then compensate the customers fairly.

 

[adder]

There are many times I have discussed this in TE, If you look at front load washing machine threads I recommended people to buy LG because their drums are not welded, rather held by screws. Companies which use sealed drum in india are Bosch/siemens/whirlpool/bako.
Companies that have removable drum are Lg, Amazon basics, Miele. I would avoid samsung front loaders like plague since they have spider failure.

Miele is the best it has a stainless steel tub and externally placed bearings like in late 90s/early 2000 era IFB/Bosch washers but they cost north of 80k, atleast in EU their machines have free extended 8 to 10year warranty on registration basis.
Amazon basics while it does have a removable drum, you wont get any other spares for it like door gasket etc. So I would avoid it too.

I have single handily fixed my whirlpool washing machine which had a bearing failure.The whirlpool service center refused to repair my 2008 bough machine and they suggested to buy a new machine this was in 2016. Its been 2 years and 9 months now and my fix is still going strong, albiet now the shocks need replacing. Replaced the cheap bearings inside possible no name chinese one with reputed SKF bearings.
My drum was held by clips, so it was removable. If you have welded drum, then its difficult to fix it but not impossible but I seriously doubt anyone in India will do it.

Bosch,seimens, whirlpool, etc have all moved to sealed drum to maximize profit, there was a EU lawsuit against these manufactures which resulted in some companies reversing their decision to use sealed drums. None of these companies models in India have a removable drum. So your best bet is to get a LG.

 

[Njc111]

I think parts availability for washing machines is problematic.
I had to dump an otherwise good Whirlpool front load due to non-availablity of a rather cheap part. It was only 7 years old at that time.
Then I bought a Bosch due to its German origin and brand reputation. So far it's working very silently and very good.
Last year I bought an LG front load for my parents keeping in mind the service of LG. LG is good but it moves from it's position due to vibrations.

 

[adder]

Last year I bought an LG front load for my parents keeping in mind the service of LG. LG is good but it moves from it's position due to vibrations.

In India LG front loaders also have some cost cutting. Unlike previous years LG models, the latest models have the shocks fixed to the plastic rat guard, instead of the usual method where its connected to the frame, hence you see more vibration as the plastic flexes.

My 2019 lg 8kg has more vibration then the decade old whirlpool with almost dead shocks. I minimized the vibration to a large degree by using a spirit level and check it from one corner to other (in X shape) as well as front to back side to side (+ shape) and level it by adjusting the legs, once you do this put the machine to spin cycle with clothes and you may still see it vibrate like in my case due to uneven floor, you will now need to lay on floor and check which of the four legs lift from the floor when its in spin cyle and then loosen that leg, so that it moves towards the floor touching the floor, and then tighten the top nut to secure it, do this until the legs stay firmly on the floor
My lg washing machine doesn't move a millimeter after doing this step.

One another reason why the machine vibrates more is because the bottom of the unit is now almost sealed by the plastic guard, when the tub assembly shakes up and down it displaces lot of air and that air cannot escape fast enough inside the body panels, I could observe the side panels flexing due to sheer air being displaced in spin cycle.

 

[technofast]

Yes, I agree with LG as I had one earlier for more than a decade and was able to change the shocks and bearings without changing the drum. When I moved to Bosch because of its superior wash quality and silent running I did not anticipate that I would run into this problem. I thought it will be like LG and the bearings can be changed easily.

Bosch,seimens, whirlpool, etc have all moved to sealed drum to maximize profit, there was a EU lawsuit against these manufactures which resulted in some companies reversing their decision to use sealed drums. None of these companies models in India have a removable drum. So your best bet is to get a LG.

Unethical practice by these companies but in India they can go scot free since there is no strong law to protect customers and even if there is one it is only in papers.

 

[Simson G]

I have been using bosch front load for 5 years and now faced a problem, wherein during spin cycle on heavy load, drum is being hit at the inner walls and making thunder sound and moves my machine from its place rest of the time it works fine. I called for the service engineer and he told drum to be replaced and cost 10k. Very strange without even opening my machine and not even analyzing where the noise comes from, just said the drum to be replaced.
Bought for the Greman quality at premium cost but life cycle just like low cost brands only.

 

[technofast]

I have been using bosch front load for 5 years and now faced a problem, wherein during spin cycle on heavy load, drum is being hit at the inner walls and making thunder sound and moves my machine from its place rest of the time it works fine. I called for the service engineer and he told drum to be replaced and cost 10k. Very strange without even opening my machine and not even analyzing where the noise comes from, just said the drum to be replaced.
Bought for the Greman quality at premium cost but life cycle just like low cost brands only.

Drum is sealed in Bosch WM. It is the bearing that gives this problem as it would have worn off. Now you cannot replace the bearing alone in Bosch machines and entire drum needs to be replaced. 10K seems to be reasonable as for me I was quoted 16K plus service charges. Go for exchange during the forthcoming Prime day sale in Amazon.

 

[Be61]

My 5 years old Bosch washing machine was making too much grinding noise. The service guy inspected and told that the bearing has worn off and the whole drum needs to be replaced as the bearing alone cannot be replaced as it is welded to the drum. The drum replacement will be around Rs.15K. Earlier I had a LG washing machine where the bearings and drum were separate and the bearing can be changed easily. The technician said the drum can be cutout and welded with new bearing but said it would mostly fail in couple of months time as the water might start leaking. It is surprising that Bosch and maybe many other companies now deliberately build them this way as they will only last so many cycles and the machine itself needs to be replaced in couple of years time.

Now can I replace the drum or should I go with a new Washing machine. The Bosch technician told that if the drum is replace it will work as good as new.

Same is my case. If the repair cost is >=50% of the machine cost, then it's a useless brand.

I have been using bosch front load for 5 years and now faced a problem, wherein during spin cycle on heavy load, drum is being hit at the inner walls and making thunder sound and moves my machine from its place rest of the time it works fine. I called for the service engineer and he told drum to be replaced and cost 10k. Very strange without even opening my machine and not even analyzing where the noise comes from, just said the drum to be replaced.
Bought for the Greman quality at premium cost but life cycle just like low cost brands only.

Yes, I have the same problem and I have wordt opinion on this brand now. Cost is 20k and repair cost is 10k. What a funny situation !

Drum is sealed in Bosch WM. It is the bearing that gives this problem as it would have worn off. Now you cannot replace the bearing alone in Bosch machines and entire drum needs to be replaced. 10K seems to be reasonable as for me I was quoted 16K plus service charges. Go for exchange during the forthcoming Prime day sale in Amazon.

But the thing is - even if we are ready to get it repaired with 10k, there is one more trouble - he says the warranty is just 3 months.

 

[t3chg33k]

Not sure about the model, but after 5 years I had issue with noise from the drums during the spin cycle. It cost 3-4k to replace all the dampers for a machine purchased for over 30k 5 years back. Had a much worse experience with IFB in the past with frequent breakdowns, so the operational cost for me has been really low.

 

[blr_p]

Not sure about the model, but after 5 years I had issue with noise from the drums during the spin cycle. It cost 3-4k to replace all the dampers for a machine purchased for over 30k 5 years back. Had a much worse experience with IFB in the past with frequent breakdowns, so the operational cost for me has been really low.

Which brand machine was this. Bosch ?

The Bosch technician told not to use powder detergent and instead use only liquid detergent as powder detergent contains too much of salt and corrosion will happen in bearings. I've been using both but more of powder detergent.

The issue is the bearing seals failed. And that happens if there is too much foam generated in the wash. It surprises me it would happen in just 5 years.

This is the main reason to stick to detergents formulated for front loaders. They cost a little more than others but they end up protecting your machine in the long run.

Which powder or detergents were you using ? link to them if you can