Front loading machine have built in heater, and some models have selectable temperature thermostat so you can select the water temperature that you need(ie between water temperature to 90 degC).

Most top loading that I know off, do not have built in heater but some do provide secondary inlet for hot water. That is you need an external heater to send hot water to the machine.

My parents have been using front load ever since their first machine, currently we're on the second and this machine is about 10 years old, relatively fuss free operation and so far has not broke down.

Beko machines used to be sold as "Europa" by Kee Huat Radio here, they are made in Turkey. Ours died after 12 years with a failing water pump / timer (program control) + weakening motor and with no spares available.

Before you buy any washing machine, do check on the service availability locally. Online reviews on customer service cover for overseas market and is not exactly applicable to us. As I still remember waiting for nearly 3 weeks for the rubber gasket for our "Europa" machine to be flown in from UK and we replaced the gasket ourselves. The part was from "Beko"

If going for front loading, suggest you look for Induction or Inverter Motor, the standard motors used on this machines are Universal Motor which is very noisy during spin. I am currently using Panasonic, after replacing our previous Front Loading machine which also lasted for about 11 years.

If drum not spinning, but you can hear the motor working then it could be the belt snapped off. Can be DIY if you want. if the belt has snapped then you need to get it from Electrolux, chances are they may have stock.

If ball bearing fell off, I think it maybe an expensive repair. They do carry certain wear and tear parts like belts, the rubber gaskets etc for at least about 13 years. But of course are you going to spend about RM 200-300 repair for a machine that may or may not last for another 2 or 3 years down the road. But the truth is the old washing machines are much more lasting compared to current new generation ones, we will be happy if our Panasonic made it past 7 years.

We've been using Amway SA8 Laundry Detergent on our previous and current front load machine. No issues whatsoever, but the current Panasonic model is more efficient hence we use less soap but the wash is still clean. I think Amway detergent is more expensive then Persil and the Persil we get here is not of the same quality like it use to be.

Normal soap will cause the machine not to rinse effectively (some modern ones will stop with"suds lock error code") as front loading machine uses less water. Does not exactly cause breakdown of the machine.

I am using Panasonic front loading machine for almost a year now, so far so good but you need to make sure the machine is leveled properly (ie using a level tool) else it won't spin. Had the technician come three times to solve this problem but otherwise its good. Expecting to last at least for another 5-6 years.

AFAIK, most companies sub to 3rd party, its the same for Panasonic. Their turn around is fast though. Probably if you go for higher end brands like Bosch or Miele, then the company will service you directly.

So far using Panasonic Front Loader, it uses less water than my old Europa Front loading machine but clothes seem cleaner and no issue of poor rinsing. IMHO the washing method employed by the machine and also using low suds soap for both modern top load and front loading machine is the way to go

The new LG six motion washing technique seems nice but not sure how effect is it.

I see, glad that medic rinse solved your prob

Have you actually tried their service? If it is really as what they promise, then I guess its worth spending more on Bosch

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This post has been edited by dayalan86: Jul 16 2013, 10:43 AM

For Electrolux, avoid the models with filter built into the drum section as there are many reports online on the filter getting clogged with coins and requiring service call, and I the cheaper 6.5kg machine is not very durable this is based on what the Electrolux sales guy at the Electrolux store told me (ie if you hardly wash jeans in it then its fine otherwise look for 8kg above model and the price is very expensive). The reason I went for Panasonic is the bigger sized door (makes it easier to load and unload) and at the time of purchase they were giving 3 year warranty on the PCB board, hence the decision on the Panasonic.

Look for Inverter washing machine, not so much on energy saving but inverter washing machine can vary the motor rotation speed to suit the type of clothes and its also very quiet (you don't the high pitched sound of universal motor).

This post has been edited by dayalan86: Jul 16 2013, 01:58 PM

Panasonic and Samsung Inverter are not direct drive as well, only Hitachi and LG are direct drive. Provided if the price is reasonable, Electrolux should be better buy but the Asian counterpart offers more features for less. That being said, Electrolux remains as one of the more reasonably priced European brand compared to the likes of Bosch and Beko. Bosch sub 3k models are manufactured by Hitachi (the ones not made in Germany).

Also worth mentioning, that some of this modern washing machine will refuse to spin if they "think" that they are not being level properly or even on flooring which vibrate. Had to spend extra to get vibration absorbtion pad for our Panasonic washer, some of these machines are too critical because of the higher spin speed.

This post has been edited by dayalan86: Jul 16 2013, 02:00 PM

Yeap something like that, but I did not get the specific ones for washing machine as this are expensive. I got mine from RS Online, and looking back you could even use thick rubber mat (which are not smooth to touch) to increase the friction between the washing machine feet and the floor (esp tiled floor). This can be bought from hardware shops.

This post has been edited by dayalan86: Jul 16 2013, 02:39 PM

The main advantage of Inverter is being noiseless, probably direct drive produces even less noise, I am not sure. But universal motor has the high pitched sound

You can check at the shop, just look if there is filter inside the drum section. Usually the washing machine should have a filter door in front, and these are the conventional one. Just search online for Electrolux model you're looking at and you can see the reviews on them Mine the filter issue was confirmed by the Electrolux store sales guy, hence the higher end Electrolux also does not have the filter built into the drum section.

This post has been edited by dayalan86: Jul 16 2013, 10:54 PM

My old 6kg never vibrated even on overload but as it grew older and I think the failing motor cause it to make weird sounds and a even higher pitched spin with squealing (motor bearing was the cause).

But once with Inverter there is no looking back, now we can do laundry at anytime of the day and I think the cheapest Inverter model is currently from LG and in terms of specs I think Panasonic. Does the Hitachi retain water on the underside of the door gasket? The thing that I liked on the Panasonic is the gasket design which is completely dry after a wash cycle. The two previous front load machine owned by parents always left water in the door gasket, causing mold to grow and it stains the gasket as well.

Almost all Front Loaders have filters located outside the washing drum, which is usually found in front of the machine for trapping lint and coin from entering the water drain pump. But one or two particular Electrolux front loading machine have the filter located inside the drum (in one of the paddle beaters), this design while is good in trapping lint but is pretty much troublesome if coin gets trapped in it and do require service calls. And some cheap front loaders do not have lint or coin trap in the filter section, just a hole to examine the drain pump, the drain filter is also something that needs to be checked while buying a front loading machine.

For top loading, the filter has to be inside the drum because of the way a top loader works (pushing the water from the bottom to the top of the drum) and catching the lint using that filter.

If Bosch, go for the models above RM2.8k, the lower end ones seems very cheaply built.

I took extended warranty on our Panasonic to cover the PCB board, they do provide coverage of 3 years for the PCB board as a standard, but I topped up for another 3 year coverage. Plus mine has a LCD screen, which I think is also capable of failing within a period of 5 years. It was the cheapest available 10kg machine when I got it last year with a whole load features in that price range.

The Mechanical Timer washing machines were the most robust and reliable, however, they are not available anymore.

I look at it more like insurance, we never know when it is going to fail.

The current washing machines do have more electronics then compared to the machines from 10 years ago and these things are not built to last, if you Google, almost all the brands have their own issues. Probably if you get Miele or so, they may last, but then again are we going to spend about RM 6-7k for a washing machine?

It does make logical sense to take extra coverage of about RM 200 for additional 3 year coverage for items that can go wrong like a PCB board which is likely to fail around 3-5 years of age. At year 6, I think if the machine breaks down, its worth replacing it with another more efficient one. So my calculation on the washing machine price did include the extended cover as well.