Wow! It'd be great to see a picture of the bummed machine sitting out in your hallway! Hubby got a digital camera handy?

Sure does. I talked to him this morning and he says the deep grooves are on the inside of the door. I find that hard to see in the photos, but now you know what to look for.

These were taken after he had pushed it back to check on the carpet; it was way out in the hallway when he first got home.

He noticed after he took the pics that the left side is all busted out too - not broken, but some serious dents. It appears that the drum broke loose and just went haywire in there.

BTW, I'm not restricting my choice to Bosch or LG - I'm open to other brands as well, if anyone has any suggestions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dryer photos

I think you should send the photo-set to Bosch including an 8x10 of the frame with the little window saying "error". Sorry for your trouble, but that frame is hilarious when viewed along with the others. Thanks for posting these.

Don't understand it, though. Every machine I have experience with will stop itself before allowing spin-up with such an imbalance. If you receive any interesting feedback, I'd like to learn about it.

I have read that some people have trouble with vibration with the LG's. Maybe they are just not level? The new Duet, Epic, and Samsung are supposed to be really good for less vibration. The Samsung has something called VRS to cut the vibration even at 1300rpm spin. I would check out all the websites and see what they have to say.
It looks like your Bosch should have stopped way before it did all that. Maybe your warranty will cover and they will replace it.

He might have caught a small portion of the pad in the door when he shut it. I did this with a pair of jeans one time. It don't take very long for them to get tangled into knots. I started hearing this thumping noise. So I went to check it out. Good thing that I was near enough to hear the noise. No damage but a lesson well learned.

I find the whole situation fairly hilarious, so I don't blame anyone for laughing a bit. I mean really, how can you not laugh at this? :) Fortunately we can afford to replace it; I'm sure I would find it a lot less humorous if that were not the case.

He has been trying to call the service dept at the appliance store (a chain local to Portland, Oregon, not one of the big guys) but keeps ending up on hold and giving up. So no word on our warranty status yet.

Regarding vibration, the LG Tromm Steamwasher has a Spinsense feature that apparently is supposed to help. I searched for Spinsense here and found nothing. Can anyone comment on whether this is helpful or a gimmick?

Be thankful that all it did was walk out of the laundry room before it terminated itself. It could have flooded your house.

MRB

Due respect to whatever "spinsense" may be, your Bosch shouldn't have done this -- regardless of load. Should have tried to spin a number of times and then quit if it couldn't acheive a reasonable balance. From what I saw in those pictures, assuming you're still under warranty, I think you've got a good claim.

The manufacturer's warranty is only two years, which of course expired mere months ago. But I did buy the extended warranty and the store says it sounds like they will replace it. They are sending someone out on Monday to look at it. I have to say, assuming it all works out this is the first time that buying one of those warranties has actually been worth the cost.

Since this model has been discontinued I'm hoping that I can switch to something else if I want to. I'll find out more on Monday, hopefully, but in the meantime I need to decide what I want to get instead. So suggestions are still welcome.

Janine, you made me laugh out loud, and I thank you for that. I think what I find most humorous is the casual tone of your post. Many people would be freaking out as if the apocalypse were upon us. Great post!

As for your washer, I know the 6400 had some issues with electronics early on. They were so damned sensitive that cycles were taking hours due to false readings on suds, drain, and balance issues. These issues were supposedly fixed, but I have to wonder where your washer fell into place, before or after the supposed fixes? There is no reason the machine should not have detected the situation and immediately shut shut down.

With your extended warranty, I'd take no prisoners at the store. I would expect them to step up readily and do right. The machine looks like a "total" to me. Under no circumstance would I accept an offer of repair after such an incident.

As far as what to choose.....What you've experienced is VERY unusual for ANY machine. I've never heard/seen anything like it. If you liked the machine otherwise, you may consider getting another like it with no worry about whether such a thing will happen again. It won't. Bosch/Siemens remain the only machines that guarantee wash temps in every cycle which may or may not be important to you. They're nice units.

If you'd rather move on, I can heartily recommend my Whirlpool Duet 9400. Over two years, now, since purchase/install and its been reliable as a doorstop. The new ones are better than mine. Features similar to your Bosch. I would pay some attention to service situation in your area. I was impressed with Bosch but their light service network in my area pretty much knocked them out. Your area likely different.

When I was making my decision to replace my vintage 2000 Bosch, the local Lowes had a Samsung VRT, new Duet with 6 point suspension and Bosch platinum on display and all power-up.

So as a simple test for vibration, I threw my leather jacket into each machine and did a HS spin. Also, same test without any load. All had stands, but I did not really know the care/level in setup. So test had limited usefulness, but better than nothing.

The Samsung was pretty impressive with the Duet not far behind.

Apparently, the Bosch was not very level, since I could slightly rock it. With no load, it did ok. But as soon as I put the jacket into it, it almost came off the stand and made quite a scene in the store. Really caught me off guard, since I figured it would shut down at worst. I think it would have come off the stand, if I did not power it off.

So the test was not valid to compare vibration, since the Bosch was not as level as the others. But the fact it did not shutdown was my concern.

FWIW, while looking at all these machines, I ran across three separate Bosch washer with sprung doors. Never did see this problem with any other brand. The first one, you just assume some kid hung on it, but three?

It really looks like the suspension failed. I would theorize that the washer was going about its business when the support for the drum failed, causing it to just fly all over the place. Still, the thing should sense out of balance conditions. (Or maybe they only check while getting ready to spin?)

I have the Steamwasher and find that, although not as quiet as the Bosch, it does a good job. I have sat and just watched it a number of times. (Not unlike reality TV). When the LG is ready to spin, it tosses the clothes back and forth to balance them. It will spin just fast enough to get the cloths to cling to the drum. If it wobbles too much at that point, it goes back to tossing them around. I thought it would never achieve a spin with one load.

I almost bought a Bosch, but with the top-panel controls, I couldn't stack them. So we went with LG to save space in the garage. When stacked, the dryer vibrates a bit, even though the washer isn't moving at all. That must be caused by the "weight" of the sheet metal they use to make the exterior (which the dryer sits on).

I'm just glad your house wasn't flooded! When you get a new unit, maybe you could invest in some of those Flood Safe stoppers on the lines...just in case. ;-)

This is too funny. I would have loved to been in that room when your husband discovered this!

Some guys dont want to do anything around the house to help...at least yours is trying.

An update:

A repairman came yesterday to look at the machine. He tried to play it cool, but you could tell he was impressed. :) He told us that even though people buy big FLs to wash comforters and such in, you really shouldn't do it because once the item gets wet it turns into a load that can never really be balanced, which can wear out the suspension prematurely. He didn't exactly say that was what happened here, but sort of implied it.

I asked him why the off-balance sensor didn't save the machine and he says that the drum rose up to hit it and broke it off the underside of the top, so probably that happened right at the beginning and after that it was all over. He said that the suspension parts were not broken, so the drum did not actually break loose, it just moved around with a lot more force than it is supposed to.

As cool as he was about it with us, my husband overheard him talking to the folks back at his office and said he sounded a lot more amazed and awestruck talking to them. :)

Because the machine is only 3 months out of manufacturer's warranty they are going to try to get Bosch to approve replacing it with a new one. They are supposed to call us today and let us know. I didn't think to ask what our options are if they say no; cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess. I did buy the extended warranty from the store, which should kick in if Bosch says no.

I will post again when we know what the resolution will be.

"....even though people buy big FLs to wash comforters and such in, you really shouldn't do it...."

"...once the item gets wet it turns into a load that can never really be balanced..."

This is hooey. I wash bulky items now and have throughout my life with whatever machine I had. (Talking many different machines over 40 years) I've had machines fail to achieve balance and shut themselves down many times -- especially the older models. I've never had one move around or destroy itself. Current model, Duet 9400, is by far the best in this regard. Pillows, comforters, mattress pads, sleeping bags, etc. no problem. Often takes several attempts to re-balance the load before spinning up but never spins up unless its OK.

Your Bosch is very similar to my Duet. It has all the same capabilities and safeguards and should not have done this. All of them advertise the capability of larger loads and bulky items. They've got no place to run with this. You bought the machine. You bought the warranty. They accepted your money and your confidence. You accepted their assurance. Their turn to perform. You get a new machine.

Just to be clear, I didn't get any sense that the guy was trying to tell me that they wouldn't fix/replace it because I had washed a mattress pad in it. It was more of a "you might not want to do that in the future" sort of thing.

Whether or not it was hooey, I can't say. I have had a lot of issues with vibration with this machine, pretty much from the beginning, which I attributed to having it upstairs and on a pedestal. As time went by it seemed to get worse, and once in a while I'd have to re-spin a load because it was still too wet after the cycle finished. So something has not been right for a while, and I just hadn't bothered to do anything about it. Whether or not I was wearing out the machine prematurely by washing comforters and mattress pads in it, I can't say. I had thought that it was throttling back on the spin speed because of the vibration, and that was causing it to do an inadequate job. Whatever the cause, we'll probably never know.

Hopefully I will find out today whether Bosch and/or the store will come through with a replacement or if we are going to have to fight for it.

I plan to have the replacement machine installed sans pedestal and we'll probably put a thick piece of plywood down over the vinyl flooring in the laundry closet. Hopefully these will help the machine run more smoothly and quietly.

Ok, so they called and said that Bosch had approved the replacement. I asked which model I was going to get and he said they still had some 6400s in stock, and that they would deliver tomorrow. The extended warranty goes away with the old machine (tied to serial number) so I chose to pay $149 for a new one. I'm sure I could have fought that, but it's not my style and not enough money to be worth the hassle.

However, they called back a little while later and my husband took the call. Turns out the guy was looking up the number for the pedestal, not the washer, and they actually have to order the washer. We're supposed to get it a week from tomorrow. Of course my husband didn't think to ask if we were still getting the original model or a newer one. I don't really care as long as the features are the same.

So what do you all think about putting some plywood down under the washer and dryer? Will it help? Will it help enough to let me keep the machine on a pedestal?

hello,so Im new to this forum,and just to let everyone know I had the Bosch Nexxt 500 and took it back to lowes 2 weeks later,excessive vibration thumping noise when spinning,the entire machine would just shake,and yes it was properly installed.Anyway I bought a Samsung DV337 with VRT ,10 times better than the Bosch,this thing spins at 1300 rpm and the machine barely shakes,this is the best washer I have ever seen.The price is high (1400for the washer,999 for the dryer)but its worth every penny.save yourself some time ,dont buy the bosch

"Bosch had approved the replacement"

Well, OK! Suggest paying attention to model number of replacement, however. Like most mfgs, Bosch makes a broad line of machines. Be sure your intended replacement is identical or equiv. if newer model. I'm always wary of games some vendors play. That includes delivery, install, and take away charges. The new warranty deal is disappointing but I understand it if everything else is OK.

Yea, I thought it was a good sign, but we'll see. It's kind of hard to tell which of the current models is the most comparable; looks like the 700 series, but a reasonable person could say it was the DLX series too, from looking at the feature comparisons. It wouldn't be the Platinum, becuase that lacks the sanitary cycle that mine has.

"So what do you all think about putting some plywood down under the washer and dryer?"

I'd definately give that a try - especially since the appliances are hidden in a closet anyway. I think Miele manuals contain recommendations on the thickness and installation of plywood. Also, you can buy a "Fixing kit" from Bosch (24.90 USD). It basically locks the washer's feet to the floor.

Here are the instuctions from page 44 of the Miele W4080 manual:

"Installation site

For best performance front loading
washers should be installed on the
ground floor or basement of the
building.

A concrete or reinforced floor is the
most suitable surface for the washer.
These floors are less prone to vibration
during the spin cycle.

If the installation must be on a wooden
joist floor:
the corner of a room where the
stability of the floor is at its greatest is
the best place to install the washer.
 the machine must be leveled and
securely positioned.
 to avoid vibration while spinning, the
machine should not be installed on
soft floor coverings.

Install the unit on a 1 1/4" (32 mm)
thick, 28" x 31" (71x78 cm) wide
plywood base. Ideally the base
should be large enough to span
several joists and should be
anchored to the joists and not just the
floor boards.

If the machine is installed on a
raised platform it must be secured
with retaining clips available from
your dealer or Miele.
If installed on a masonry or concrete
base, the base should have a ½"
(13 mm) to ¾" (19 mm) high rim.
This must be done to prevent the
washer from vibrating off the stand
during the spin cycle."

HTH, Alex

Look at the Miele super large capacity washer/dryer w4840 and the T9800 before you buy another laundry. This is the best laundry on the market. go to www.Miele.com.

Thanks, whirlpool_trainee, that was very helpful. Do you (or anyone else) happen to know if the plywood will give enough stability that we can get away with putting the new machine on a pedestal? Is it possible to secure the pedestal's feet to the plywood and if so, would that help?

I know it sounds crazy to even think about pedestals after all this, but the door on these is *so* low to the ground without it. The pedestals are relatively short comapred to other brands (I think the pedestal for the LG is about twice the height of these) which ought to mitigate the problem somewhat, but probably not enough.

I no longer have a choice about going with anything else; since it's Bosch that's paying for the replacement, it has to be another Bosch. Which reminds me, I asked about what model has been ordered and apparently it really is the exact same one I have. I didn't think they made them anymore but I guess there is a stash of them available somewhere.