Diagnostic fee

[BillBaker]

I can’t believe that the dealership didn’t suck it up. They made a mistake, it happens.

Difference being some admit it and step up., some don’t...

I haven't really dealt with the dealership for a few weeks upon my initial request for a refund. I'll be back at them soon.

 

[BigPapa]

Bill and I have been talking about this situation this morning. We’ve come to the agreement that it’s symptomatic of our “Throw-away” society now days. We're in the lost world with the 12 valves. Nobody, ESPECIALLY Cummins, Dodge, or any of the "new class" of diesel techs, gives a hoot about anything more than five years old anymore. We've become the "use it then throw it away" society. NOTHING is built to last anymore.

This is why you can't find a TV or electronics repair shop ANYWHERE anymore. That stuff has become so cheap it's not worth fixing. All we can do now days is choose the product that gives you the best performance NOW, knowing it’s not going to last, and we’ll throw it away. I grew up learning to buy the best you can afford with the knowledge that it would LAST and if you did have a problem with it, there would be someone that had the knowledge to fix it and took pride in a job well done.

These people are getting hard to find. Most of the current class of techs like the fellow Bill’s dealing with, that dealer’s “Master Tech”, are products of this. Used to be, being the “Top Tech” meant you’d learned from the past masters of the trade, that you’d been instilled with the “tricks of the trade”, that you knew what you were doing inside and out, and that you took pride in your work and great satisfaction in your customer’s confidence in your abilities. As I told Bill, being a “Master Tech” today means you’ve passed all the training classes, that you’re “efficient” and can make the dealer money, and that you’re totally brainwashed into the belief that everything your told by “corporate” is correct as if God wrote it himself. There ABSOLUTELY are exceptions to this syndrome such as many of our fellow TDR members that are employed at a dealership.

This leaves us in the situation that if you happen to have a quality piece that WAS built to last, like our beloved 12 valves, your screwed when you need something repaired because they've outlasted all the techs and people that actually knew how to fix them. This is why I've learned as much as I can about them so I can be as self sufficient as possible or that I at least know who to go to for help.

-Scott

 

[BillBaker]

BINGO... What he (Scott) said.

 

[mwilson]

To reinforce what Scott is saying I went to my town's transfer station Saturday morning, had some scrap metal to drop off. When I backed up to the staging area I was dismayed at the pile of appliances being scrapped. There was a bright red front load Maytag washer with a matching $400.00 red base / drawer combo tossed in there along with several other washers, microwaves, dishwashers, etc...

That Maytag could not have been more than four years old at that. Probably just needed a circuit board or an inlet / mixer valve.

So what I figured is that it is tax refund time and it is easier to scrap an almost new machine and buy another one...sad situation....

 

[Wayne M.]

In agreement.
To add, were in such a materialistic society, and pile on the fact that nobody pays cash for large purchases anymore. This causes us to be such a throw away society.
Mike, I bet that red machine is there because it’s red. Time for a decor change.

 

[Shiner]

To reinforce what Scott is saying I went to my town's transfer station Saturday morning, had some scrap metal to drop off. When I backed up to the staging area I was dismayed at the pile of appliances being scrapped. There was a bright red front load Maytag washer with a matching $400.00 red base / drawer combo tossed in there along with several other washers, microwaves, dishwashers, etc...

That Maytag could not have been more than four years old at that. Probably just needed a circuit board or an inlet / mixer valve.

So what I figured is that it is tax refund time and it is easier to scrap an almost new machine and buy another one...sad situation....

You bring up a sore subject...and a source of pride from years past, for me. I am a Maytager. Hated to see the company go. Had many family and friends worked there. Was a great company until outsiders were brought in and the bean counters took hold. A few bad ceo's from outside finished her off. Used to build machines that lasted 40+ years and could be repaired for a few dollars. Then EPA/energy regs come along and Front loads come along. Many settled lawsuits later over mold(frivolous suits-as any washer will mold), anyway, most everything out there is made to a price point and the consumer is playing the odds. It's a crapshoot to get the best bang for the buck. Incidently, I still have several pairs of various models of dependable care machines, oldest is somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 yrs. old. I buy them/pick them up....sometimes free, and fix and return to use in my rentals. Getting harder to get critical parts though as Whirlpool has obsoleted most parts.

 

[Wayne M.]

Shiner, you’ve just summarized just about every American brand name in pretty much any product category. I was a big Maytag fan. My first laundry duo was the first gen Neptune front loader and matching gas dryer. I got them at a factory store that was near me. The salesman was so proud of that machine as it had just come out. I still have the dryer. Only a gas solenoid and the belt tensioner in 20 years.

 

[Shiner]

Shiner, you’ve just summarized just about every American brand name in pretty much any product category. I was a big Maytag fan. My first laundry duo was the first gen Neptune front loader and matching gas dryer. I got them at a factory store that was near me. The salesman was so proud of that machine as it had just come out. I still have the dryer. Only a gas solenoid and the belt tensioner in 20 years.

Yes, and it is sad. They tried for many years before the plant shut down, to discontinue the dependable care top load, but every time the stores got wind of it, the orders would spike. They always told us they could not raise the price because people wouldn't pay it, yet Maytag was the 1st to sell a $1000+ washer. The performa series was a pos joke out of affiliate they had purchased. They dove down to grab a price point and soiled the name, but by then, the coffin lid was closing. Speed Queen came in to fill that void and did a good job, until a redesign in 2016, and they are worthless/overpriced machines that don't clean. I was gonna buy a set until I found that out. (I put the Maytags I had here, ino the rentals and ended up buying a set of clearance units. So far so good. Still have a Neptune 5000 series front load washer at one rental. 3000 series was a parts donor(I bought 3000 new, and 5000 was a test mule from R&D that were available at employee sale.) Maytag side by side just got replaced last summer at 21 yrs-wife updated....the fridge). Said fridge went to Minnesota and still going strong. I used to do appliance repair/refurbish. Lots of junk out there today.

 

[Wayne M.]

I had a Maytag Wide by Side with the funny doors. That ate boards though. I now have a whirlpool duet where king Neptune was, and now GE Cafe in the kit. The range is great but the DW and fridge are meh at best. Not worth the $$. I wanted USA stuff.

 

[Dan_69GTX]

What amazes me is that people complain about quality of stuff then they complain about the price. Then they go and buy something at Wally world or Harbor Freight and complain it didn't last. Then after a while folks might pay more for quality, but by then all the quality producers are out of business.

The opposite side of that is Maglight - it was stated that Maglight would never be able to sell to the general public because it would cost too much and folks wouldn't pay.

 

[NIsaacs]

You bring up a sore subject...and a source of pride from years past, for me. I am a Maytager.

If you didn't grow up with one of these, you don't know what good is

Ours had the 1/2 hp 4 stroke Briggs & Stratton but the older ones had this Maytag two stroke, ours did have the ratcheting foot pedal start.

 

[BSeyler]

...Thus the saying, “Getting a tit in the wringer!”

 

[Shiner]

What amazes me is that people complain about quality of stuff then they complain about the price. Then they go and buy something at Wally world or Harbor Freight and complain it didn't last. Then after a while folks might pay more for quality, but by then all the quality producers are out of business.

The opposite side of that is Maglight - it was stated that Maglight would never be able to sell to the general public because it would cost too much and folks wouldn't pay.

That is where Speed Queen went wrong when they redesigned. It was a $8-900 machine but had a really good rep until the redesign. They specifically got back into residential to fill the Maytag void. No manufacturer is content with a proven design, they seem to "engineer" to price points, rather than to longevity as in the past. I always said, "how many different ways are there to run water through clothes, or clothes through water?" Most bells and whistles are never used, but they drive up prices of machines, considerably. And the cost to fix is greater also. I also joked at the designer colors and such, I am a throw a load in and forget guy. Shut the door and come back when done. Biggest choice I make is how big a load. I went from mag-lite to Fenix,(mainly because close proximity to Brownells), a good light is worth it's weight in gold. We all paid a premium to get a cummins, so people do pay for a good product, with a good reputation, and longevity engineering. Remember, we bought a Cummins and got the RAM/DODGE for free!

 

[Shiner]

If you didn't grow up with one of these, you don't know what good is

Ours had the 1/2 hp 4 stroke Briggs & Stratton but the older ones had this Maytag two stroke, ours did have the ratcheting foot pedal start.


View attachment 111956 View attachment 111957

Correct. Wife's aunt had a brand new wringer washer in her basement when she passed. Still in the box. That was about 10 years ago. It was one of the last built.1983 if I remember correctly. She was a tough ole woman, would go to the mailbox, in the snow, barefoot. Feet like leather. Burned wood. hung out laundry, etc. It was a sad day when Maytag was sold. Museum still full of these as well as gas car, everything in between.
When Maytag built their own garbage disposals, consumer reports did a test on disposals, well Maytag reps. walked over and threw a handful of nails in theirs and it ground them up...….test over......others wouldn't even think of doing that! My father in law painted those disposals. Still have a few of those in my shop. Good ole days.....

 

[jhenderson]

...Thus the saying, “Getting a tit in the wringer!”

I can’t claim that bit of notoriety but my brother did run his arm through ours. Broke it in two places.
On the new washer discussion, the last great washing machine in our home was a Frigidaire with Dual Action. You could watch the clothes come up from the bottom of the washer and head back down while circulating. Even my pine pitch covered Carharts came clean.

 

[BillBaker]

Back on the subject here. Complaint filed with BBB and will wait a response. Pursuing this as there is a point to be made and acknowledged.

 

[fest3er]

Back on the subject here. Complaint filed with BBB and will wait a response. Pursuing this as there is a point to be made and acknowledged.

Yup, like between me and the local fire marshal's office and our disagreement on fire code 609.2 and mechanical code 509.1, I've a point to make; we'll meet Monday to talk it through.

 

[BillBaker]

Yup, like between me and the local fire marshal's office and our disagreement on fire code 609.2 and mechanical code 509.1, I've a point to make; we'll meet Monday to talk it through.

Haha... to each his own. May be worthwhile or not. Can't say you didn't try and that's the only way to find out regardless. Sometimes, I repeat sometimes we can make changes.

 

[BillBaker]

And there you have it. From FCA...

 

[mwilson]

Well apparently someone at FCA can still run the parts system....