I haven't heard anything good about the Neptune. Have you googled "Neptune class action suit" to see what comes up?

Whirlpool bought Maytag two years ago. They make the Cabrio, Sears Elite Oasis, and Maytag Bravos - all HE toploaders w/no agitator.

The Bravos is the most recent machine and seems to be the best, from all I've seen and heard, simply by virtue of earlier bugs being worked out. Hope this helps.

i_dig_it,

Yes, as mara 2008 says above, the Maytag Bravos is a fabulous machine! My grandmother has one and just loves it! She has the MTW6600 model # but the MTW6700 model that mara has is even better as it was an improved version of the 6600.

As for what to do about your Neptune, I'm not sure. I don't think that the dealer or Maytag has to contact you though, but I'm not positive. Contacting Maytag is probably the best thing you could've at least at this point.

By the way, based on reviews I've seen on this forum and elsewhere, and since Whirlpool now owns Maytag, it seems the Neptune is to the Bravos as night is to day! Hope this info helps! :o)

I have the Maytag Neptune, the second model they made, which I purchased May 1999. I have had no problems whatsoever with them. I always wipe the boot out and leave the door open after each wash. I remember receiving notification about the Maytag class action lawsuit at the time, but since I was having no problems then (and no problems now) I did not return the form to participate in the suit. I believe there were a lot of problems with their first model of Neptune which prompted the class action suit.

I had bought the Maytag Neptune in 2000. I had the mold problems, plus problems with the control board and door lock. I never received notification of the class action lawsuit.

I just got rid of it and bought a GE Harmony TL, which I love.

When they took the Neptune out of the house, it started leaking water which smelled to high heaven.

Just search for "Duet Mold" or "LG Mold" or "Frigidaire Mold" and you'll soon see that Maytag didn't corner the market on front loader mold.

People who wash in hot water, use bleach, go easy on the detergent and fabric softener and leave the door open will not have problems with front loaders.

I don't know what your laundry habits are but if you had problems with Neptune you are likely to have problems with another FL brand as well.

I have a Neptune that's 9 years old. The bearings for the tub are going out. It's just wore out. Otherwise, I haven't had any problems. I don't keep the door open, but I do use bleach in some of my loads. Pretty much everything gets fabric softener that's been thinned with water. I do use powdered detergent but can't really tell the difference between the HE and regular. I just don't like the liquid variety. I do use minimal soap. Otherwise, I don't do anything special, other than it's going at least 5 days out of 7.

I was notified of the class action suit. I assume I was notified because of registering the washer. I didn't participate because I didn't have any issues.

I agree with Curiousshopper, if you are having mold issues, then I would think you are going to have the same problem with any front loader.

I also have an 8 year old Neptune. I was notified of the class-action but I only had one problem with the door lock and Maytag fixed it free even though my warranty had been out 6 months. Other than this no problems.

Clean your boot with some Tilex or Clorox clean-up spray. Spray it, then lay some paper towels on the spots and spray the paper till it is soaking. This way it will keep the spray in contact with the problem better than just spraying and it running off. Leave it for several hours/overnight then remove the paper and wash the boot with hot water and soap. Afterwards leave your door cracked and use some Affresh tablets in it ever so often.

People who wash in hot water, use bleach, go easy on the detergent and fabric softener and leave the door open will not have problems with front loaders.

I don't know what your laundry habits are but if you had problems with Neptune you are likely to have problems with another FL brand as well.
* * *
the mold etc seems to be just part of having a front loader and taking the above steps like Curiousshopper says, should control the problem. It is just the 'nature of the beast' I think. The front loaders have definite advantages over top loaders but nothing is perfect. They just need a bit of specialized attention in that area. Suppose we can't have our cake and eat it too.

Have a 8 year old Neptune that I had in storage for 3 years ( when the class action was going on) didn't find out about things till my motor control board burned out.

Got the conversion kit, my BIL had it installed in 45 minutes and I haven't had any problems since. One thing I did do was I UNSCREWED the light bulb that comes on when you leave the door open & removed it.

[Whenever you go into a modern laundry mat that uses front loaders ALL of the machines there never close between washing & you never see any mold at those laundry mats either.]

Just remove the light bulb & give the thing a chance to breath between washings. Get some Tilex (or a 30% solution of Clorox & water for us cheapskates) Chlorox is cheaper then Tilex! . Give the outer ring a good scrub and you should be good as new.

I do my laundry in a laundromat, and believe me, these washers can get mold. I have learned to avoid certain washers just because they stink. I think it takes a while for these machines to develop the problem since they are usually in constant use, but they are not immune. Nose around in the fabric softener dispenser sometime. Blech.

I have a Neptune also. I don't notice the smell as much as the gunk build up in the front around the door rim. I am going to try a product that a friend highly recommended. You can find it at smellywasher.com (looks like it's $16 for a yr supply bottle). I'm hoping to pick some up this week and will let you know if I have any success with it if you'd like.

I didn't even know about this forum until after I got my Duet. After using it, I automatically left the door cracked just because common sense just told me to. But that said, the Duet doesn't have an interior light. The Maytag Neptune does? No wonder people were shutting the door after a wash. The mold issues wouldn't have been so bad if at all on the Neptunes had there not been an interior light and people left the doors cracked.

Neptunes did originally have a tub light. It was eliminated in a later engineering revision, along with several other revisions to improve reliability and performance -- eliminating the separate recirculation pump, changing the door lock from a wax motor to a solenoid, changing the bleach and softener dispensers from wax motors to solenoids, different drive motor and motor controller board, adding a water heater to the top-end model, changing the door boot and modifying the final rinse and spin sequence to help flush/clean the tub against mold/scum buildup, and probably other things I don't know about.

I don't know about the Neptune specifically, but on some machines the tub light will turn off automatically after a time, even if the door remains open.

I put a paint stick between the button and the door to keep the button pushed in when the door was opened. Solved the light issue and the machine staying on issue while still leaving the door open.

I have the same problem now with my Neptune (front loading machine machine purchased in 2004) a lot of mold around the door. What can be done about that??