Adjust Text Size
small medium big

Washing Machine Repair

Written by Nickel - 3 Comments
  •  Tip It!

When I got home from work last night, my wife informed me that our washing machine is broken. It seems to go all the way through to the spin cycle, but then it won’t spin. You can hear the motor whir, but it’s accompanied by a grinding sound and the tub just sits there. My first guess was that the belt had come off. That’s a pretty easy fix, so I decided to investigate. Unfortunately, after getting the front service panel off and looking around a bit, I soon discovered that the belt was just fine — still on, and plenty tight… So what’s wrong?

Based on what I read at this appliance repair site (which is a great resource, and definitely worth bookmarking), it seems most likely that the hardware that attaches the inner basket to the agitator has worn out. While this sounds like a fairly straightforward repair, we’ll be heading out of town on a short vacation in a few days, and I don’t have the time nor the parts to do it myself. Thus, the repairman is coming this afternoon. We’ve been told that the minimum charge for a service call is $55… Anyone care to guess how much this will end up setting us back?

Side note: I’ve decided that now is an opportune time to replace the rubber water supply hoses with stainless steel hoses. The rubber lines don’t last forever, and it’s not pretty when they burst — especially if it happens when you’re away from home! It’s also a good idea to shut off the supply lines when leaving home for added protection against water problems.

Published on July 14th, 2005 - 3 Comments
Filed under: House & Home

About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!

Related articles...

» One Year Ago This Week (July 9th – July 15th)
» Printable Lowe’s Moving Coupon
» Washing Machine Repair, Part Deux
» From the Archives (July 15th – July 21st)
» From the Archives (July 8th – July 14th)
» Avoid Check Washing With Special Ink?
» Fender Bender Update
» Yet Another Toilet Repair

Was this article useful? Please sign up to receive our content via e-mail:

You will receive only the daily updates, and can unsubscribe at anytime.

3 Responses to “Washing Machine Repair”

  1. 1
    Daytonscott Says:

    Another great appliance repair resource is RepairClinic.com. You can easily identify the problem using thier wizard and order the parts with lots of fast and faster shipping options. I have successfully completed two washer repairs, a dryer repair and a stove-top burner overhaul using them. When it comes down to it, the parts that wear out on these large appliances are often a straighforward, rather easy repair.

  2. 2
    FMF Says:

    I’m guessing it will cost you $100.

  3. 3
    mbhunter Says:

    Second that on RepairClinic.com — their newsletter is good as well. Comes about once a month and has lots of information with minimal ads. If you ever need a part, their Parts Decective is excellent, and all of the pictures for the parts have a scale on them.

    Here’s a page from there on washing machine troubleshooting:

    http://www.repairclinic.com/0088_11_1.asp

Leave a Reply

Top Cards by Category

 
Apply now for Chase Freedom® Visa - $200 Bonus Cash Back

Earn $200 Bonus Cash Back after you make $500 in purchases in your first 3 months. 5% Cash Back on up to $1,500 spent in bonus categories each quarter.

 
Apply now for http://www.fivecentnickel.com/rewardpoints.html

Receive 10,000 Membership Rewards bonus points when you spend $500 in your first three months of card membership. Redeem bonus points for gift cards valued at $100. This is a charge card with no pre-set spending limit.

 
Apply now for Platinum Card® from American Express

Earn 25,000 Membership Rewards(R) bonus points when you spend $1,000 in your first three months of Card membership.

 
Apply now for http://www.fivecentnickel.com/lowratebalancetransfercreditcards.html

Enjoy a 0% introductory rate for 18 months on Balance Transfers and 6 months on Purchases. Earn up to 5% cash back in categories that change.

 
Apply now for Discover® More Card - $0 Balance Transfer Fee!

Enjoy no balance transfer fee for a limited time. 0% introductory rate on Balance Transfers and Purchases. Earn up to 5% Cashback Bonus in categories that change like gas, restaurants, department stores and more. Limitations apply*

 
Apply now for http://www.fivecentnickel.com/lowrateplatinumcreditcards.html

Enjoy no balance transfer fee for a limited time. 0% introductory rate on Balance Transfers and Purchases. Earn up to 5% Cashback Bonus in categories that change like gas, restaurants, department stores and more. Limitations apply*

 
Apply now for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN

Enjoy amenities for you and your business, like: complimentary airport club access, including American Airlines Admirals Club(R) lounges.

 
Apply now for http://www.fivecentnickel.com/studentcreditcards.html

5% Cashback Bonus in categories that change like gas, restaurants, department stores and more. Limitations apply*. Up to 1% unlimited Cashback Bonus on everything else. No annual fee

 
Apply now for American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card

Earn 3X points on airfare, 2X points on gas and groceries, and 1X points on everything else.

 
Apply now for http://www.fivecentnickel.com/credit-cards/credit/bad

Reports to 3 major credit bureaus monthly and acceptance at millions of locations worldwide, including website purchases and reservations.

Previous
Pause
Next

FiveCentNickel User Survey