Sorry to hear of your experiences. Electronics can allow appliances to pretty cool things - but also can fail and make the appliance worthless. Unfortunately, a number of people have reported using self clean, and frying electronics. It is surprising manufacturers have not come up with a better way to insulate the electronics, or delete the self clean option. Finally, I agree, it is hard to believe a manufacturer claims that the life span of their fridge is 6 - 7 years, they can easily last 20 years. If they put the 6-7 year lifespan on their ads, I would suspect they won't sell many fridges.

>Replacement motherboards and component parts were no long available because KA said the expected life expectancy of their refrigerators is 6-7 years

Whoever told you that is an idiot. Parts are no longer available because the Japanese manufacturer of the motherboard of that fridge had its factory and warehouse destroyed in the tsunami. While I'm not trying to make excuses for Whirlpool (they should have found a different manufacturer and continued to sell parts), the product is NOT designed to last only 6-7 years (despite you getting a lemon) and they did NOT discontinue the part with the intention of forcing people to buy new products.

There are services that repair appliance boards. One I've used is FixYourBoard.com, for my parents' Whirlpool wall oven for which the board had gone NLA (at the time, it may be available again) due to a sourcing problem similar to what HVTech42 describes.

Sadly, the large corporations have factored in planned obsolescence (and extended warranty/repair contracts) into their profit margins. Perhaps these companies can't survive (or make a profits for shareholders) by building appliances that last. (That lonely Maytag man couldn't stay in business by building durable and reliable machines......) Or else they're playing tricks on the consumers purely for profit. Or perhaps they have to build these lesser quality products to make appliances affordable to the average consumer. I suspect it is all of the above.

Just think of all the scrapped appliances filling the dumps. What a waste.

If I were to do it again, I'd steer clear of the big corporations and fork out the big bucks and go with wolf and subzero. Yes, it is more expensive, but you pay down the road in time away from work (for servicing and extended warranties) and having to rebuy in 8 years. Not to mention the headaches.

The consumer wants cheap cheap cheap we get cheap cheap cheap. Many are hypocrites, buying the cheapest junk and then complaining when it needs repair not far down the road. The small amount of people willing to pay more for quality products won't stop the trend. Appliances seem expensive, but when you compare them to appliances 40 years ago they really aren't. The dollar amounts are similar, but that's about it. Costs of manufacturing products and pretty much every other aspect of doing business have increased. Retail prices have done the opposite. Do people really expect the quality to be the same? Paying more does not guarantee you a better product either, often you're just paying for design and features. Some manufacturers like SubZero/Wolf in the kitchen and Speed Queen in the laundry room do pay more attention to quality, but even they aren't perfect, as a quick glance at past posts on this forum will tell you.

"Posted by Teehee1984

If I were to do it again, I'd steer clear of the big corporations and fork out the big bucks and go with wolf and subzero. Yes, it is more expensive, but you pay down the road in time away from work (for servicing and extended warranties) and having to rebuy in 8 years. Not to mention the headaches. "
_________
If only that were true. My Wolf DF range was shot after 4.5 years. The range top still works but the oven is dangerous to use. To think we bought it with the idea that Wolf stands behind their products. They are no different than anyone else. Major disappointment. Major migraine.

I think ALL major appliances are a PITA. And please throw the "consumer wants cheap" out the window when you're dealing with many of the brands we discuss here on the board - you see how many on these threads agonize over minute quality differences between exorbitantly priced appliances.

My appliances are about nine years old. On the BS range top I've replaced the igniters a couple of times, having to do some major fabricating this last time to remove and replace the screws, and have an ignition module that I still need to get around to replacing.The Bosch dishwasher caught fire (minor, luckily) and I had a friend rewire, so the subsequent factory recall to fix the issue was a day late and a dollar short. Just glad it didn't burn down my home and family. I have had to repair my Jenn-Air FD CD fridge for a burnt out module, a rusted set of wheel adjusters (that damaged the floor), a dead main gasket, and from day one the drawer door does not stay on properly - that's a lost cause. At the time, this JA was the best before you make the big jump to the SubZ. The ONLY appliances we have had NO issues with - the VAH and the dual convection Thermador ovens. And I use the hell out of the ovens - e.g. often running both at 525 at the same time for pizza, but I've only self cleaned once or twice so maybe thats the issue.

That said, I'd buy them all again. Except maybe get a 48" BS instead of the 36" and something different in a FC CD fridge - that interior drawer door drives me nuts.

It really is surprising to spend big money and then learn that "hassle free" does not come along with the package. Whenever anyone has come by who is considering the Bluestar or similar commercial style appliance, I try to explain the full picture.

I did say that paying more didn't guarantee it would be better. A lot of the time you are just paying for styling and features, not real increased quality. Or you're paying for better exterior quality, but not superior quality components inside.

We have the same problems as you. Remodeled 8 years ago, bought what I thought were the best appliances for my budget at the time, and have regretted the purchases for the last 3 years! My biggest pet peeve is the Thermador wall oven. Just like you - our probe hasn't worked for years and the main circuit board has failed in the top oven, which they no longer make. So much for keeping ovens for 20 years these days!

Our kitchen is in this age range, too.

- The Elux vent hood filters don't do much for catching grease. When I take them down to wash, I see grease above them. One of the halogens doesn't work...It isn't the bulb, as I've tried changing it.

- One Elux fridge flashes an error code, but it must be a sensor, because the fridge continues to work, thankfully.

- One Bosch dishwasher ruined our Marmoleum Click flooring, because the racks are so wonky, the bottom one wore a tiny spot in the door gasket that allowed slight and unseen, but constant dripping that eventually made the floor swell. We now have 1 lower end Miele and 1 of the original upper mid-level Bosch dishwashers...The Bosch racks are constantly adjusting themselves and adjustable pieces coming loose. So far the Miele is OK...It's only been in a year, but sometimes the silverware is still dirty after a wash. (That may be user error of some sort.)

- The Wolf range top works great, but the black pans are a cleaning nightmare for a family who cooks so much. I came on here today to revive an older cleaning thread on the subject. I am wondering if they could go in the oven during self-clean, or if I could have them sand-blasted and refinished. Ok...maybe I'm a little frustrated and getting a little crazy. But, as I said, it hasn't had any functional problems, so that's appreciated.

- Dbl Oven #7 (it's a Gagg, after 2 F&P, 1 Monogram, and 3 Wolf) is 2 yrs old. The probe works, but the readout doesn't always, so it may display a lower temp for a long while the roast is actually almost done. If both ovens are on, the display gets warm and the lights go out. Sometimes I think I turn on the lower oven, and come back and it's not going...So I have to turn it off and back on. The day before Christmas, dd was slow-baking a nut granola in both cavities at 175 for several hours and the whole oven just turned off. Nothing on the display but lines. Turning off the breaker for a bit worked to start it again...for now? After my problems with Wolf, my wonderful salesman threw in a 3 yr extended warranty for this oven. Thank goodness. But I haven't called, because I haven't wanted to face the hassles of repairs and such, and trying to get on-and-off problems diagnosed.

- F&P laundry equipment limped along for about 5 yrs with repairs that didn't stick, and is now replaced with Speed Queen. Hoping the lack of electronics and features, and the heavy construction means this set will last and last.

We do have an Elux freezer and a 2nd Elux fridge that still work in all ways... Hoping not to jinx that!

We tried to buy quality. Yikes.

This post was edited by rhome410 on Fri, Jan 9, 15 at 21:27

Just to clarify my previous post I wasn't trying to say all the blame goes on the consumer. I think this overall systematic decline in quality is due to lots of factors, just bringing up one that people forget sometimes. And I agree with the statement made earlier that all major appliances can be a PITA.

Yikes is right rhome410! If you would like I can look up the error code on your fridge on the Elux service site just to make sure it isn't something that could become a problem later.

Thanks, hvtech42. I did that awhile back. It's a code about the evaporator fan motor. I didn't call anyone or order a new motor, because as I found suggested, I turned the breaker off and back on, and the code went away. Since then (probably 5 yrs or more by now), the error code shows up intermittently.