I have had several Miele W4840s, W4842s and 3 older (std. Euro sized 240V models). NEVER had any issues with mold, mildew or smells! That being said, betweeen use, I NEVER fully close the door & when not in use, I keep the soap tray out and either sitting on top, or in the wash sink. NO front loader will have mildew issues, if you keep the main door and soap tray open to allow air to circulate. My family in Germany & Sweden have been using their front loader for decades...and not the slightest mold or mildew issues. Just let the machine breathe between use, and you will be 100% fine!

In terms of vibration and noise. Miele might not be the one for you. While the build quality and materials are THE BEST in the world, and they are tanks...they do not use any of the advanced anti-vibration technology like Samnsung, Electrolux, LG, etc.. Miele relies on the sheer weight and design of their units. Once properly balanced, and rubber feet locked into place (and if you have the pedestals proerly and securely installed and feet locked)...the 4840/4842 is quite balanced. Just do not expect the machine to hit 1400rpm spin speed and not hear it! Wash and rinse cycles are very, very quiet though! I would not trade my Miele washer, dryer, dishwasher, speed oven, 30" oven, vent hood or 2 vacuums for any other brand!!!

Everything Larsi said. We just bought our 4840 (store demo) model in March and at first I was really freaked out about the vibration sound, they came out a few times for it, but now I'm used to it. The vibration would shake the house! But now - no. Mine is on the first floor (sort of first floor, garage is underneath) and not stacked, honed marble floors.

Are you pleased with the performance?

Yes! Yes! The best washer I've ever had, ever!

Do you have any problem with mildewy smells?

Never, except for one isolated incident where I left the door shut between washings. I opened it after that and haven't had a problem since. In fact I leave the washing machine door completely open as wide as possible.

Best machines of this size money can buy, hands down. At first I thought why should I have to leave the door open? But I soon realized along with keeping the machine mildew free, which I already knew about, itÂs the best way for the glass window to dry. It really isnÂt a big deal, second nature to me now and totally worth it. Though I will say the only time I remove the detergent dispenser is to clean out the FS buildup. I never leave it open I havenÂt had any issues, cracking the door seems to work fine on its own. As far as vibration I havenÂt had experience with these units on a second floor. The washer is very heavy, about 300 lbs I think. I could see how that could resonate through the house at 1400 rpm. Mine however, first floor and very stable and quiet.

Maybe you could try them from a store that would let you return them within a certain time period if you werenÂt happy. If you have a store. I had to order mine online. I would give them a shot regardless. These little tanks are worth their weight in gold.

You can avoid any FS buildup by first filling the FS compartment 2/3 full with vinegar, then adding your preferred dose of FS. The vinegar will dissolve any past buildup and prevent new buildup from forming.

sshrivastava,

Back in late August (28th I think), in a post regarding FS and vinegar...you posted how there was no point in using vinegar, and water worked just as well. Do you use vinegar or water?

I know it's been beaten to death, but I've metioned several times that Miele DOES NOT recommend vinegar to be used in their machines. A Miele Senior technical advisor/technician told me he has seen what white, distilled vinegar does to hoses and seals inside of Miele washers.

With what our W4840/W4842 units costed us...it's just not worth it using vinegar if Miele says not too. Miele says you can use any residential fabric softener you like, and any he detergent (of course they like you to use Persil or the Miele Care Collection), but the Senior tech said the units have been extensively tested with Tide he liquid and powder...and that is fine!

@larsi: I combine a capful of vinegar with a capful of diluted fabric softener in order to keep the dispenser residue-free. I don't believe a capful of vinegar in several gallons of water is going to do any harm. When I have a fresh bottle of FS, I use half a capful of the full strength stuff combined with a capful of vinegar. Once I've used up about half the FS, I re-fill with water and shake. That dilutes the FS to about 50%. At that point I use a full capful of diluted FS combined with the same amount of vinegar.

This is all so very scientific. LOL :)

I love mine! I never hear it, even during the loudest spin cycle. Mine is in the basement, so I can't comment on the vibration issues. Also, I took the advise of many readers and do at least one sanitary wash per week and I never full shut the doors.

My bro who is such a tight wad is actually considering getting one after installing ours and using it!

It gets clothes spun dry so well, dryer time is nothing! I used to wait 1.5- 2 hours for my clothes to be dry!

It really is awesome.

Hello - we purchased the W4842 and also matching dryer. I would not recommend either. In fact, it was probably one of the worst purchases we have ever made. I don't see how they clean any better than our old Sears Kenmore FL model and they cost a lot more. As others have stated, the washer does vibrate a lot, so make sure if you do buy it, to keep it in the basement.

The old Kenmore FL's have a good reputation here. The question is whether current Kenmore FL models are as good, or do they suffer from dumbed-down temperatures, limited internal heater use, and insufficient water levels. My point is that the Miele may clean better than a new Kenmore FL you could have bought instead.

Are you using the Normal cycle? The Normal cycle on the predecessor W4840 model doesn't use the internal heater at all, making it useless in my opinion. IIRC, there are differing opinions on whether the W4842 Normal cycle uses the heater. I wish someone would plug it into a Kill-A-Watt box and see if the wattage goes up to 1000+. If Normal doesn't use the heater, then use Custom instead.

I don't know if you've used the Extended option on the Miele, or whether your old Kenmore could lengthen its wash cycle as much. The extra wash cycle time gives even better cleaning results, in my experience.

gfish49366, can you be more specific with regards to your criticism of the W4842? Why wouldn't you recommend it? Why was it one of the worst purchases you have ever made? My experience has been quite contrary to yours, and the things I love about the Miele W4842 are:

• High build quality. Units are very heavy and built at Miele's Pro line plant in the Czech Republic. Switches are industrial grade, counterbalances made of iron/steel instead of concrete, solid spider assembly, the list goes on.
• Top notch cleaning. I've had Neptunes, Askos, and now Miele. The Miele W4842 cleans my clothes better than any other machine I've owned. I didn't think it would be possible to top the Askos.
• Flexible programming. You can defer to Miele's MasterCare pre-programmed cycles or you can roll your own with the Custom feature. Every possible option is available, a taste for every palate.
• Reversing dryer. This is a critical function for any dryer to be able to provide consistently wrinkle-free, evenly dried fabrics.
• Machine intelligence. Miele has programmed a lot of brain into this baby. A full-speed spin before/after every rinse. Up to three rinses are programmable and the machine will add even more if it doesn't spin up to full speed due to balance issues or if the load was sudsy. That's just one example.
• Reasonable cycle times. The cycle times seemed very reasonable to me, and a bit shorter than my Asko.
• Two year warranty. If it's installed by a Miele authorized installer, they will add a second year to your warranty at no cost. In other countries the defacto warranty is 10 years.
• Built-in heater. You can wash in temperatures as high as 158ðF. The heater functions in most cycles and ensures terrific wash results.
• It's fun to use!

There is so much more to this machine, but truly it is amazing at powering out stains I never thought would come out. I have an old pair of oven mitts that were just okay coming out of my Asko which now look almost new after a couple of washes in the Miele. I don't have a single complaint about this washer & dryer. They exceed every expectation and over deliver in the area of cleaning, ease of use, and quality.

Stava...

I inquired about where the W4840 and W4842 were and are being built. According to Miele, both models are built in Germany & have never been made in the Czech Republic. Does your unit say Made in Czech Republic? None of my W4840 units or W4842 units were made in the CR. Also, on the Miele corporate site, it lists factories and what and where items are made...and residential laundry rooms are NOT shown to be made in CR. I have nothing against the CR, in fact I have been many times, but it is my understanding the our W48xx units are German made!

When I took delivery of my W4842 the wrapper around the unboxed machine clearly said "Made in the Czech Republic". I immediately picked up the phone and called my mom - we are both from there and love it very much. Our machines are built Czech tough! I believe the only Miele plant in the Czech Republic churns out their professional line. You can't argue with a label - it's right there in black and white!

That's odd SShrivastava. Especially since you are saying "the only Miele plant in the Czech Republic churns out their professional line". The W48xx models are classified as residential. Do you think the protective wrapping was made in the Czech Republic? I've bought OEM Range Rover, BMW and Mercedes parts and the wrapper says Made in Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc, but then the actual item says Made in GB or Germany. Both my W4840 and W4842 said Made in Germany & when I called Miele to inquire about the build origin, Miele told me that the W48xx models are not made in Czech Republic.

Odd, isn't this? I honestly do not care if the machine is made in Czech Republic or Germany, as both countries have a strong work ethic, and Miele plants worldwide are controlled and inspected by Miele headquarters in Guetersloh, Germany!

I just checked the Miele Canada site. The W48XX states "Engineered in Germany" not made in Germany. All the other machines (ie. Novotronics) say made in Germany. Hmmmm .... leads me to believe these machines are not made in Germany. Why would that be??

Here is a link that might be useful: Miele Laundry

I found this information as well ...

"Miele manufactures its appliances and parts in nine factories across Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The high quality standards which Miele has set itself are the main reason why the key components are produced in-house. Even the controls for our appliances are produced at Miele's own electronics production plant. All new products are subjected to endurance tests - equivalent to 20 years of regular use! Few manufacturers even come close to matching our high testing standards."

Here is a link that might be useful: Miele information

@larsi: I'm laughing at your remark. Why would Miele advertise where its packaging was made? It makes sense that the W484X line is manufactured in its pro line factory - the W484X shares a lot of similarity with the professional units. It has a large form factor, larger drum, and probably shares other qualities that make it a better fit for a production run in a factory that is already tooled up for machines of this size. Their consumer plants churn out smaller machines.

Regardless, I think it's pretty obvious that the W484X line is made in the Czech Republic per the labeling on the exterior packaging. That's the clearest indicator you can have. No confusion here.

For goodness sake, I was made in the Czech Republic - so there is your proof that they produce extremely high quality products! :)

I'm sure this has been addressed before, but I can't find a soak/pre-soak function anywhere on the W4842. Is that feature just not there? Is there another way to "trick" the machine into doing a long soak?

Sorry so late for the reply sshrivastava. I agree that the build quality is high - these machines are heavy, but:

Vibration is terrible - much worse than our old Kenmore Elite FL. Miele has been out twice and said that it was normal. We just set it to vibrate on medium now and it is not as bad, but that defeats the purpose.

We have the gas dryer. It senses clothes are dry when they are not. The clothes are usually wrinkled - guess because it is too hot. Clothes and dryer get too hot. Again Miele says this is normal.

We are not impressed at all with Miele's service and why they have no remedies for someone who spent over 4k on their washer and dryer.

We do love the chocolate brown color, but that only goes so far. We were so looking forward to these, but they have just been a huge disappointment. My wife just walked by and mentioned we definitely need to try and sell them and get something else.

We just bought a w4840 a couple weeks ago, and while I am fairly happy with it, I have finally figured out how to set the maximum water level, and am hoping that allows me to cut down on the cycles I have to run to get rid of all the detergent! As it is, I've been washing clothes 2x and diapers 3-4x, which is utterly ridiculous!!

"We just bought a w4840 a couple weeks ago, and while I am fairly happy with it, I have finally figured out how to set the maximum water level, and am hoping that allows me to cut down on the cycles I have to run to get rid of all the detergent! As it is, I've been washing clothes 2x and diapers 3-4x, which is utterly ridiculous!!"

What detergent are you using?? Is it HE? Are you overdosing? It surprises me you would have that much sudsing if dosing correctly. Is your water hard or soft?

Back to the pre-soak... does anyone know how to do one in a W48XX machine?

Yes its HE. I use planet on the diapers & ecos on the clothes, mostly though I'm nearly out and plan on just using planet on everything shortly.

After a bit more playing, I figured out how to just do another rinse using mastercare, so I think I'll just be using that from now on :)

@gfish49366: I'm sorry you are having issues with your Miele pair. Mine are working beyond my expectations. The dryer works quickly and efficiently, leaving just enough moisture in the clothes to prevent static and yielding soft, fluffy laundry. The washing machine works extremely well and has exceeded my expectations. While there's always room for improvement, I'm very pleased with my purchase.

@sshrivastava, is your dryer gas or electric? I know @larsi also hated his Miele gas dryer for similar reasons.

We have had a gas dryer for the last 9 years and when I get my new machines I assumed I would get gas again. Gas is significantly cheaper than electric here.

@livebetter....Yes, larsi hated, hated his gas dryer :) I either had super damp clothes, or crispy, wrinkled and hot clothes. The Miele gas dryer was awful. USA and CA are the ONLY markets where Miele even offers a gas dryer.

Using an electric Miele dryer is not really that expensive. It does not need to run for very long, is very quiet and I just feel safer not using an appliance with a burning flame near clothing or lint. I LOVE, LOVE my electric Miele dryer. Over the years, I've probably had 5 or 6...all great!!

I have the electric dryer.

Here is a coy of the EnergyStar label for the Miele W48XX Series:

Miele W48XX EnergyStar Label

Im very surprized Miele has trouble with gas dryers. I mean the basic technology for a simple electronic drying system on a gas dryer has been around for decades. With all the claims of high tech research and development, that would be a huge disappointment for that kind of money invested.

The dryer can be fine tuned from the service menu to allow for higher or lower moisture content. Various other settings can also be selected, such as an optional cool-down period.

USA and CA are the ONLY markets where Miele even offers a gas dryer.

Most Miele Professional dryers come either in electric or gas (the bigger ones also with steam heating). Miele did sell a residential gas dryer in Germany for some time but it didn't catch on - there's just no market for it here.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I read somewhere That enviromentally friendly detergents do no clean as well as regular ones. I never used Eco detergent so I cannot comment from personal experience

@gates1: The reason, unfortunately, is that a lot of "green" detergent manufacturers are afraid to include enzymes. Enzymes are absolutely essential for cleaning certain fat-based and protein-based stains. Only two "green" detergents that contain a healthy amount of enzymes, that I know of, are BI-O-KLEEN Premium Powder and EcoVantage. These are also the only eco-friendly detergents I've used that compete with Tide and Persil on cleaning.

Other detergents which I've tried that can't hold a candle to Bi-O-Kleen, EcoVantage or Tide/Persil: Country Save, Charlie's Soap, Ecover, Le Blanc, All Small & Mighty, Wisk Dual Action and Method Squeaky Clean. It's interesting to note that EcoVantage claims to be "environmentally friendly" and a "sensitive formula" yet it also contains enzymes, washer protection agents, fabric brightener and color protection ingredients - most of which are absent from other "nautral", "green" or "environmentally friendly" products. Could EcoVantage represent the perfect balance between eco-friendly and cleaning ability?

Wouldn't buy one again.

W4840 - Have had numerous service calls in past 2 years. Continual problems with the door leaking, not latching, etc. Getting tired of having to call for service and having to be here to meet them (usually twice as they have to order parts and come back). Vibration is far greater than any other FL we've had as is noise during spin.

T9820 - Gets way too hot. Doesn't have cool-down cycle. Auto-sensor always stops dryer while clothes are still damp, even when on xtra-dry.

We've liked other Miele products. After this experience won't touch Meile again. Either their quality is inconsistent or they are reducing quality to increase profits.

@jsfox, what would you buy? This is the most negative comment I have ever read re: the Miele W48XX series. Is it possible you have a lemon?

What do you mean no cool down? It dries with heat and then just stops?

@ jsfox

The dryer does have a cool down cycle in fact you can adjust its time along with the moisture settings.You can call Miele who can walk you through it, have a Tec come out and adjust it, or I can send you the service manual that explains how to do it yourself.I added the extended cool down time and increased the dryness levels on all of the available cycle on mine. Works great!

Also the door leaking may not be what you think it is. If you don't clean out the rubber boot after washing a load with lots of pet hair, you run the risk of some of that hair getting between the seal when you close the door. If that happens, you will notice some water dripping as it wicks through the hair. You essentially have an obstruction in the seal that is conducting moisture outward.

I don't have any of your issues with my W4842 and I would absolutely buy Miele again in a heartbeat. Their build quality and intelligent design just can't be beaten by any competitor in my opinion. Sure there's always room for improvement, but I'm very happy with these units.

I also have the T9802 dryer and my clothes come out fluffy and with just enough residual moisture to prevent static and keep the clothes soft. I'm sorry you are having a bad experience, but there is a firmware update available for your model of dryer that can be installed by a Miele technician. That may solve some of your problems.

jsfox...You must have Miele just program your dryer, to adjust the settings and cool down program. Yes, yes...I know it should just be this way from the beginning, but it is not.

#1 Have the Normal Cylce not stop the clothes as moist as factory set. Have Miele set the cycle drier. Now, my Normal is actually closer to More Dry. I use Normal + Gentle option on EVERY load. Items could not be any better when dry cycle is done!

#2 Have Miele set the dryer to extended cool down/fluff. At the end of the cycle, the machine will do about an extra 10+ minutes of back & forth air fluffing. Not only does this cool clothes, removes wrinkles...but clothes, sheets and towels come out 100% dry and totally soft and fluffy!!

I would not consider any other brand besides Miele. Once I had the setting to my dryer tweaked, washer set to Water+ and the machine and pedestals properly adjusted by a Miele tech...my machines are flawless. I am VERY hard to please when it comes to appliances and cars, but every one of my Miele appliances meets or exceeds my demands!