Why did my machine break down?

All mechanical things break down after a while. Its not surprising that faults creep into them when you think of what we put them through. They are full of moving parts. They run water and electricity beside each other in a metal box that constantly vibrates. They contain valves, cables, pipes, motors, computers and numerous electronic parts. Do not feel let down by your machine breaking. In most cases we can easily repair it.

Is it better to repair or replace my machine?

I get asked this a lot and I know my answer as a repairman will sound biased. I think it is crazy to throw away a good machine because of a fault that in most cases can be repaired for between €55 - €80. It  would be like scrapping your car because you have a puncture. Clients often tell me about the washing machines advertised in the papers every week for  €199. I can assure you for this price the quality will be pretty dreadful. They are normally advertised as a lure and if the sales staff have their way you will be parting at least €450. Why €450? because a mid quality machine costs between  €450 and €650. A top of the range machine can cost over a  €1000. If you were to take the lowest priced mid priced machine as an example and had it repaired for  €55 as opposed to buying a new one you would save over  €400. This is well worth considering.

You say in most cases its worth repairing, what is the case where you cannot repair it?

In some cases it is not worth repairing a machine. I do my very best to evaluate this on the phone. If your machine is old or a low end quality machine (like the €199 mentioned above) and you have a major repair that will mean replacing a drum or a motor it may not be worth repairing. In most cases I would know a serious fault from talking to you on the phone and will advise on your options. Sometimes you may have to take a risk on spending  €55 on a machine and told it is not worth repairing than spending  €450 + on a machine when you could have repaired it for  €55.

Would a new machine not be a wise investment because of things like new technology and better engineering methods?

Sadly no, most washing machine companies started with an engineer or inventor like the Dysons, who wanted to design and build a great machine. When they became successful and well known they were bought out by investment multinational companies and they are only thinking about profits. They are constantly cutting production costs, they are using cheaper materials and parts. For example some machines now have sealed drums, this saves money on screws and glue during manufacturing but if your bearing goes or something gets caught in your drum it could be scrap. Thing like drums and soap boxes are made very thin and are cracking after a few months. There is a lot of debate going on about his at present. Also manufactures are trying to limit the life of machines to five years, but because the quality is getting so bad they are not lasting that long. In a lot of cases if you bought a good machine in the last ten years it will be a lot better built than a new one.

What are your working hours and how do I contact you?

I am completely flexible and if possible I will call at a time that suits you and if that means weekends or evenings that is ok. If you phone me and I do not answer I could be driving or conducting a repair and cannot take the call. Please leave a message and I will call you back. If my phone is off please text me and I will get back in touch shortly.  My number is 0872917495.