Narrow washing machine reviews

Reviews of narrow washing machines are extremely varied and numerous. Even without much effort, you can find hundreds of opinions about these machines. However, our goal was to find real opinions from experienced users and even washing machine repair technicians, and here's what we found.

Hotpoint Ariston VMUF 501 B

Vladimir Sevastyanov, Nizhny Novgorod

I'm a washing machine repair technician with 20 years of experience. I've opened up all sorts of machines. Sometimes I encounter problems that take days to diagnose, and then wonder how best to fix them. I'm writing this review because one of the major appliance retailers had a big discount on the Hotpoint Ariston VMUF 501 B washing machine, which is very low quality. And for our guys, it's just cheap. Incidentally, it only costs about $230, which, by today's standards, is a steal for a brand like Hotpoint Ariston.

So, let's get down to business. Over the past month and a half, five buyers of these cars have contacted my workshop. All of them say they were "ripped off" with warranty repairs, but that's not the only thing they have in common.

• Everyone bought Hotpoint Ariston VMUF 501 B washing machines and washed them for 2 to 5 months.

Surprisingly, none of the five customers' narrow Hotpoint Ariston VMUF 501 B washing machines lasted even six months.

• Three of the five had failed bearings, one had a burnt-out control board, and another had a burnt-out heating element. The latter got off lucky, as the first four repairs were very expensive.
• None of the clients violated the terms of use.

The first time I opened the case and did a quick inspection, I discovered that these machines lack a filter. I can't say for sure whether this is designed into the model or whether the batch of machines arrived without one, but the fact remains. One customer's control board burned out, most likely due to the lack of a filter. For a modern automatic washing machine, the lack of a noise filter is a significant drawback.

Next, I had to deal with the bearings. The Hotpoint Ariston VMUF 501 B washing machine's drum is non-detachable, so before change the bearing in the washing machine Hotpoint AristonI had to saw it apart. This isn't the first time I've encountered this difficulty, so the operation of converting a non-separable tank into a disassemblable one was a success. When I got to the bearings, they were practically dry; practically devoid of grease, so it's no surprise they soon failed.

The most interesting thing was that the bearings were made of some unusually soft alloy. I took out the damaged bearing and bent it quite easily with my fingers, creating a figure eight. I don't recall ever encountering anything like this. I installed proper bearings and a heating element from another Ariston and returned the washing machine to the customers. Those who came in with a burned-out heating element received their washing machines the next day. I also installed a heating element and replaced the temperature sensor and heating element for them.

The moral of this story is this: don't fall for advertising, don't buy washing machines of dubious quality, and if you buy any appliance, carefully fill out the warranty card and make sure it includes all the necessary stamps and signatures. If you encounter a similar situation, don't rush to a repair shop to fix the machine at your own expense. Hire a lawyer, go to court, and defend your consumer rights there. After all, who better than customers can teach a negligent seller to comply with consumer protection laws?

Ilya, Moscow

The day before yesterday, this washing machine was brought to me for repairs. I calculated the repair cost, and it came out reasonable. I'll make the customer happy this evening. I think he'll choose to buy a new machine, as paying almost a hundred dollars for repairs when you paid just over two hundred for the whole machine is unreasonable. I want to use this review to warn other buyers against buying the Hotpoint Ariston VMUF 501 B. It's a piece of junk, the assembly is terrible, and the parts are clearly from China!

Candy GOYE 105LS-07

Elena, Tver

I consider myself an experienced user of automatic washing machines, having owned a total of seven different ones. The Candy GOYE 105LS-07 is my eighth automatic washing machine. I chose this machine carefully. I needed:

• the washing machine could spin the laundry at a speed of at least 1000 revolutions per minute, since practice has shown that
  

  

  Satisfactory spinning of cotton items at a lower drum speed is not possible;

• the washing machine could hold at least 5 kg of clothes;
• the machine had a display, preferably an informative display and clear controls;
• the machine should be narrow so that it fits easily into our small bathroom;
• The washing machine should be relatively reliable and have many positive reviews from users.

The Candy GOYE 105LS-07 meets all the above requirements, but I still discovered some shortcomings after almost seven months of use, and I'd like to share my thoughts with you. First of all, I was concerned about the machine's limited load capacity, which is 1.5-2 kg.

If you put in less than 1.5-2 kg of items, it washes normally, but during the spin cycle it either freezes or simply spins the drum empty, and the laundry remains completely wet.

The Candy GOYE 105LS-07 has a very large gap between the drum edge and the cuff. This means the cuff doesn't cover this space very well. As a result, small items like socks and underwear get sucked into the drum quite easily, making it difficult to remove them later. Once, we even got a child's T-shirt sucked into the drum. We quickly found a solution: we now wash all small items in a special bag, although I should note that I haven't encountered similar problems with other brands of washing machines.

Also, during the first month of use, I discovered that the washing machine had torn my duvet cover. It's a good thing it was an old duvet cover and not, say, a new blouse. My husband reached into the drum, carefully felt around inside, and discovered several metal burrs, which he immediately removed with a file and sandpaper. Now my washing machine doesn't damage clothes, but from what I read on forums, I'm not the only one with this problem. Well, I've shared everything I thought was necessary; draw your own conclusions!

Vadim, Moscow

I learned how to repair automatic washing machines myself three years ago. First, I fixed our first Indesit, which was a pain in the ass. Then I fixed my mother-in-law's Siemens machine, which I got much faster and more confident with. Now I'm fixing our new Candy GOYE 105LS-07. It turns out the thermostat burned out. This surprises me, since this is the second thermostat I've installed in the last year. I talked to repairmen on forums, and it turns out the thermostat is a common problem with Candy washing machines. "Live and learn," I say.

Indesit EWUD4103

Yana, Prokopyevsk

We have a unique niche in our bathroom, left to us by the workmen. During our first renovation, we decided to fill it with bricks and tile. That's how it remained until the next renovation. Just before the bathroom renovation, I had the idea to restore the niche to its original condition by installing a washing machine in it. The problem was, my husband could only determine its length and width; he'd somehow forgotten the depth. Eventually, he assured me the niche was at least 40 cm deep, and I seriously considered installing a narrow washing machine there.

Either we miscalculated somewhere, or our memory failed us, but when my husband dug out the niche, it turned out to be only 30 cm deep. We really didn't want to change our plans, so we started searching hard for a washing machine with a 30 cm depth, but as you can imagine, we couldn't find any; they simply didn't exist. Then, with a stroke of luck, the new Indesit EWUD4103 model came out and was quite affordable.

The advertisement promised that its body was only 30 cm deep, but in reality it turned out to be 33 cm deep, taking into account the handle, but that was fine with us.

The quality of the washing machine was also excellent. It washes perfectly and holds 4 kg of laundry, which is a bit small, but not unbearable. It spins at 1000 rpm – absolutely fantastic. It has a ton of features and programs. We were very pleased with the purchase, and we saved space in the bathroom by placing the machine in a niche.

Sergey Emelyanov, Rostov-on-Don

The washing machine is excellent. I bought it recently, but I already feel it's much better than my previous four. I especially liked the selection of washing programs. It only has the right programs, no unnecessary clutter. Now I've taken a fresh look at Indesit washing machines and will never again say they're low-quality or crude, even though I thought that way just a short time ago.

In conclusion, reviews from experienced users and experts on narrow washing machines are quite mixed. Everything depends on the specific brand and model. One thing is certain: reviews from experienced users are generally informative; they know exactly what they're talking about, so it's worth listening to their opinions. Good luck!

   

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