Does this sound odd to you...?

[ChrisH]

Does this sound odd to you...?

What happened: the other day our Neff dishwasher made a loud noise when it was running. We didnt think too much of it but when we went into the kitchen 10 mins later there was a burning smell. We opened the machine at that point to make sure it had stopped (we are not sure if it had kept running, it was on the drying stage so hard to tell... nonetheless some operating lights were still on).

The Neff man's diagnosis: today the Neff repair man came and found that some cables had been burned through at the top of the machine door (he asked if we had had a power surge). He kept looking in the machine and, bizarrely, he proceeded to advise that the pump and the motor had also 'gone'.

Given our machine was working fine until 'the noise' the other day, this would suggest that some sort of power surge or electrical fault had broken two major components of the machine. Is this possible? And if so, is this common?

Obviously if the guy was talking nonsense then we would like to avoid spending several hundred quid on a replacement. The machine is less than 3 years old, albeit unfortunately out of warranty!

Thanks in advance for your help.

Chris

 

[zipper]

A voltage spike could certainly fry the electronics. But to take the pump and circulation motor with it? hmmm....I don't think so.

 

[Leccy758]

A water leak could take out the circulation pump which could short the electronics.
The electronics could fail but usually do not damage anything else.
Power spikes can take out electronics but rarely a motor
The drain pump hmm they are pretty immune to failure on the motor it self unless running continuously or getting wet windings.

Seems a bit like covering all the bases and changing everything in the hope of curing whatever went wrong.

Neff are basically bosch machines and I usually find the heater relay fails or the solder joints on the relay fail on the PCB

Bit odd but cant be sure without seeing the evidence and seeing which wires had burnt.

 

[cakeman]

sometimes the wires that run from the base to the PCB in the top of the door can almost melt on and cause a burning and major short.
is worth taking the front panel off and having a look for piece of mind at least

 

[ChrisH]

Thanks for your comments everyone.

Should we go back to Neff and ask for an explanation as to why 3 faults have occurred at exactly the same time?

If they cant answer this reasonably then we might be able to insist they send someone else out to have another look?

 

[zipper]

I would like to hear their comments because it sounds a little strange to me.

 

[ChrisH]

I have had an interesting response from BSH HOME APPLIANCES LIMITED repair people. I have pasted it below. This actually sounds like a bit of a result as I think they are offering a 250 quid saving on the normal retail price of the machine. It does beg the question, however, is this an admission of guilt?!

Any thoughts on whether I should push this further??



"Good morning,
Thank you for email. I am sorry to hear about the problem that you have experienced and any disappointment caused.
I have spoken to our engineer and he has confirmed that this problem may have been caused by a power surge. The electrics within the appliance are connected and they have different voltages. If the heater has been taken out, the module and wiring loom will also be affected. This does constitute an expensive repair.
As your appliance is only three years old and having inspected the appliance, in view of the findings we are prepared, as a gesture of goodwill and without prejudice, to offer you the current equivalent new machine, model S51E50X0GB for the concessionary sum of £203 inclusive of VAT. In arriving at this figure we have taken into account any previous costs incurred.
The replacement product would be subject to the manufacturer's two year parts and labour guarantee for repairs. This offer also includes delivery of the new appliance to installations which meet the manufacturer's criteria. The fitting of, or costs involved of replacement panels which may be necessary, and any modification to furniture or plumbing is not included, and would not be undertaken by the delivery personnel. This agreement is subject to our collection of the displaced unit, at the time of installation of the new appliance.
We trust you will give this your consideration.

 

[ChrisH]

Also, we have an ikea kitchen panel on the front of the dishwasher, which will need to be removed and hopefully put back on the new machine.

I am a DIY disaster... is this something I should even think about trying?

 

[rocks1]

its quite common for manufactuers to offer a con sale ,did you pay for the fix in the first place if so how much .plus the 230 for a new one ,how much are they if you google it for a new one .

 

[zipper]

It sounds like a good offer to me, this particular machine retails for around 500 pounds. If it was a power surge that caused the problem it isn't the manufacturers fault anyhow. For example; if your house had suffered a lightning hit (which can cause a huge power surge) then your house insurance would normally cover the cost of repairs. As far as I see it BSH are not obliged to offer you anything. I would accept & when they arrive to install it you ought to sweet talk them into changing the front panel for you, it only takes 5 mins.