Hummm...makes you wonder...does anyone make anything anymore that's top notch in quality, not top notch in price?

Seems he has a defect/lemon...Mine works like a charm...you need to get Miele to replace the unit if you already have had problems...

I've had the 4842 for a couple of weeks now with no problems. (knock on wood)
It's just weird that your machine didn't do it right from the beginning. I wonder if you had a load that was so out of balance that it threw the whole drum off,...but then again it has built in protection against that. I'll ask my Miele repairman if he's seen that problem. I'll be talking to him next week.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out if you will.

Thanks! It cleans beautifully, and the Clean Machine cycle is great. Our entire house is Miele, and over the years, we've had 4 sets of Miele washers and dryers...and they've all been great (except for the first batch of 4840s and 9820 dryers).

In the 3 weeks I've had the new set, there has not been one speck of rubber from the door seal. When it started on Friday night, I was doing a medium sized load of t shirts and kids clothes, using Persil and the Normal cycle! Very upset...and I cannot use the machine. I really hope Miele tries to rush a service visit. I just cannot imagine what could make the stainless drum start rubbing the rubber seal hard enough to start shredding it! It was quiet during the entire cycle, and the clothes were soft and clean (well except for the rubber shavings :).

Is it possible that it's not the drum? Might you have had something sharp in the load that damaged the rubber seal? I would ask Miele for a new unit after having more than one problem in the first 30 days.

Albeit completely unsubstantiated, this might be shipping or mishandling of the unit. May I respectfully inquire whether the shipping struts were removed after the install or before? Thank you.

P.S. I would greatly appreciate those with the new W 4842, and new glass portal, to please post a photograph of said portal exhibiting the new inward glass portion. Thank you.

The shipping struts were not removed, until the machine was set in place, in our laundry room. It was delivered and purchased from the same high-end authorized, Miele retailer in Santa Monica, CA that we have used for almost 15 years! 4 sets of laundry units, 2 double hung oven sets, 4 dishwashers, 2 vent hoods, a speed oven and 2 canister vacuums have all been purchased from the same dealer...and there has never been an issue.

When I get a chance, I can snap a picture of the new W4842 glass door. It is So different from the W4840. I wonder why Miele thought it was necessary to change to door so much? Both our former W4840's glass doors seem to function just fine.

Why are you buying new washers and dryers so often? Sorry if you mentioned the reason above...

When I get a chance, I can snap a picture of the new W4842 glass door. It is So different from the W4840. I wonder why Miele thought it was necessary to change to door so much? Both our former W4840's glass doors seem to function just fine.

Thanks in advance. I am anxious to see the new door to determine whether they have reduced the glass portal mass; hence, weight. I am speculating that the new portal design might be partly owed to the washing machine's inevitable door sagging, thereby affecting the latch assembly alignment. This sag becomes prominent after one year's time since the door goes into a post-stressed situation. I asked our Miele tech whether Miele had found a solution to the sag for our model, and was they have not and are not pursing one. Final answer: Live with the sag.

The glass portal actually is larger and appears heavier, as it is not slanted, and protrudes deeper into the wash drum cavity.

Granted I did not have either W4840 longer than a year, but I never had the sagging issue!

Lip2000...I am an appliance addict, and regularly change appliance, and a lot if times end up going back to what I had. Financially not smart, but addicted to appliance buying and installing! :)

Granted I did not have either W4840 longer than a year, but I never had the sagging issue!I am at the end of what can be done to adjust the door sag regarding the hinge's position. The door's latch just makes the roller enough to ride up it and thereafter into place. My wife and I are empty nesters, and we are the only ones ever to operate the machines. No articles of clothing have ever been draped over the doors; there has been nothing to cause the sagging other than Miele's own design and materials. The only aspect I can think that is now is fault if the slow deformation of the door hinge as it is an alloy. I might visit a machinist shop and study what can be doneÃincluding a fine-tuning adjustment that can be accomplished without taking off the front fascia. We are at the end of our warranty so it does not matter, and instead of waiting for Miele to properly address this issue I am better off simply taking care of it myself.

I can't help but I noticed that there are many posts here on the forum about Miele's "issues". It makes me wonder what is the percentage of the people here that have Mieles compare to other brands.
Is a Miele the new Toyota? It seems like the quality is not like it use to be.

@czechchick2, the washer washes beautfiullyÃbetter than any we have ever owned. It is this bothersome latch alignment issue that pains me. Due to the weight of the washer (for shipping cost purposes) Miele most likely sought to reduce weight in an already very heavy door assembly.

You also tend to hear more complaints in forums such as these because they are great places to diagnose issues and receive help from others. Also, when you spend $3,000+ for a washer and dryer your expectations tend to be a lot higher.

@sshrivastava, you have mentioned some great points. The reality is that if we hated our Miele washer and dryer, we would have gotten rid of them. Instead, I am seeking solutions to a minor issue. So much so that I am willing to enlist a machinist to custom fabricate parts, if deemed necessary. I believe that qualifies my wife and I as endorsing Miele. Also, Miele not being publicly traded strikes another very positive chord with us.

Miele tech was here, and cannot see why the rubber door seal/ring was rubbing and leaving shred in the wash drum. He did find and show me about a 2 inch area on the rubber ring, that was indeed rubbing the stainless steel wash drum. There was also a considerable amount of thick, yellow oil/grease stuck inside the inner part of the rubber ring (he said this is the 2nd time this has been seen on a W4842). He took the entire machine apart (I could not even look that much, as it made me so nervous seeing my machine in like 20 pieces). He deep cleaned all the inner seals and inner wash drum and a special 2+ hour wash cycle is being performed with some kind of Miele deep cleaner, degreaser, descaler. I'll keep ya'll posted! Fingers crossed/touch wood/push thumbs! :)

larsi, when you say your soap tray kept being pushed out, can you describe that to me.? Sometimes on my new 4842 when the machine is spinning the tray will creep out a little. I've been thinking maybe it's caused by unbalance loads and vibration....but nevertheless it should not be creeping out one bit, right??
My machine is slightly off balance too as the level indicates. I have to call them back for that. I though also that might have something to do with the tray creeping out....

good luck...I'm sure your machine will either be fine, or replaced.
Even Miele has "glitches" once in a while but once they're fixed they're fine, in my experience with Miele appliances anyway.

Hi Monaw! When I took delivery of my W4842 3 weeks ago, the soap tray would pop out a little with every load (wash, rinse, spin). The Miele Tech replaced the spring loaded flap, on the back of the soap tray, and also did something with that little plastic, mechanical flap that is way in the back of the soap cutout (can only be seen or felt, when the soap tray is fully removed).

It now only pops out a very small amount during use, and he said that is normal...something with back pressure!

I've done 3 load now since the Tech was here yesterday, and there seems to be no new rubber shavings in the wash drum...but there is still A LOT in the inner, white fiberglass drum. He said it will eventually go away, but it is in the same places as before (somehow, not transferring to clean clothes, thankfully). Clothes looks and smell perfect, and the machine is running beautifully!!

Over the years, we had a few glitches with our Miele ovens, but once they get fixed....they do seem to stay that way. It took over 2 years to get our ovens perfect (they always worked, but the temp was erratic at times). They replaced the entire brain...and now it is amazing, and preheats in record time!

You and a helper can easily balance the machine with a level (not expensive and any hardware store has them...they're great for hanging pictures too!). The bottom of the machine, or pedestals have 4 "feet" that turn to raise or lower the machine...so every corner can be perfectly level!

larsi, glad to hear your problem is fixed finally! Do did he end up replacing the gasket then? That had to be stressful with a brand new washer. Maybe they'll give you an extra years warranty? They should.....it's worth checking into.

Yep I have put the level on top of the washer and it looks to be a good 1/8th of an inch low on right front foot. I'm going to see if my husband can lift it so I can try and adjust the foot. I hope it's only the front right foot because we can't get to the back feet without pulling it out. ugg....I'll have to call installers back then.

I still haven't learned how to properly load it sometimes for a good balanced load....and I'm a little nervous about harming it. I guess though from what I've observed, It won't go into a spin it can't handle.

You must be very good at loading since you are seasoned. Any tips for me?
How full do you fill yours? 2/3?

Thanks Larsi! Appreciate the info....I think my tray is fine.

Hi Monaw! Sometimes I pack it 2/3 or more full, sometimes only about 1/2 full. When I wash king size sheets, I wash them alone (they clean and tumble better not crammed with other items).

I did have Miele set my rinses to Water+. It fills the wash drum with significantly more water, than the factory default. Our clothes feel cleaner, softer and fresher having a high water level rinse. If you choose to do so, Miele will do this free of charge.

Also, after each load I ALWAYS clean the soap tray and softener siphon valve...and I NEVER close the door to the washer all the way. Decades with a front loader, and not any mold or mildew...ever. The key is keeping the machine clean, and always letting it have air inside. Also, when not in use, I keep the soap tray on top of the unit...to further allowing breathing.

@larsi , it the inner portal piece of the your new W 4842 polycarbonate versus glass? The portals on the W 48XX series are two pieces; the W 4840's are both glass. Thanks in advance.

Fahrenheit 451...The W4842, just like the W4840 has solid glass, both on the inside and outside. To my knowledge, Miele is the only brand to offer glass on both the interior and exterior. The build quality and materials used on the W4840/W4842 is totally amazing. Glass, metal and super high quality plastics everywhere.

Thanks larsi !

@larsi, any pics yet? And can I add the door hinge assembly to the pics request list? Thanks in advance.

Looks like the pedestals flew through customs, the installers just left and my beautiful new W4842 and T9802 sit in what appears to now be a much smaller laundry room! After having my Asko pair for about 7 years now, the Miele set is HUGE by comparison. The shipping struts are so big and heavy I could skewer a vampire with one.

The installation went off without a hitch. These are professional Miele installers who do Miele all day long. They were so careful and very expert in what they were doing. Both units were leveled perfectly, rigid ducting was used for the dryer, and the washer was run through a self-clean cycle. The installer said the machine self-calibrates a lot of sensors when it's first run, so he recommended I let it run the full cycle and not interrupt. It's almost done, after which time I'll try a real load of laundry.

The dryer is much quieter than my Asko and puts out a lot more air judging by the height of the flap on the outside air vent. Conversely, the water pump on the Miele is much louder than the Asko. I'll report more when I've actually had a chance to complete a wash load. Stay tuned!

It sounds like Miele is on the same wagon now as any other manufacture, make it with the cheapest supplier that they can get there hands on. I mean come on, for what you paid for the machine, which is a premium price, if the Tray dispensor doesnt work properly, that in its self would of had me want a whole new machine. On top of that, now the rubber gasket needs replace because it rubs off in the first few loads?? Come fix it my behind, I want another one. So much for their quality control, and guess what? They charge a premium price for the product....

Actually gates1, Miele does not outsource the manufacturing. They manufacture not only the machines themselves in their own factories, but also the parts that go into the machines. This is one of the reasons why I bought Miele again. My first Miele experience - the La Perla dishwasher - is continuing to be fantastic going on 4 years now. Best appliance I've ever owned. My Asko washer & dryer set were quite advanced for their time in 2003, but the Miele set blows them away in fit, finish, and perceived quality.

Not all units can be perfect coming out of the factory, and you do tend to hear a much higher proportion of complaints over praise in an appliance forum such as Gardenweb. Many folks come here to figure out potential problems. For every one problem machine on here there are probably 25 perfectly happy, satisfied customers who are not experiencing any issues. I've owned Apple computers for as long as I can remember. I've owned a total of 8 Macs and have only had one problem that was covered under warranty. However, if you visit an online Macintosh forum you would think there were nothing but problems.

gates1...The tray dispenser was fixed the next day after the machine was deliver, by a Miele Senior Tech! Try and get that kind of service with Samsung, Whirpool, LG, etc... You'll get some "contracted" idiot, that knows a little about a lot of machines, but not enough about one! Miele Service is Miele Service.

We have had Miele in the last 3 of our homes (kitchen, laundry and vacuums). Miele is one of the ONLY companies in the world that handles every aspect of the design, manufacturing, servicing and distribution of their products. No machine is perfect...but Miele is SO ahead of every other manufacturer (German, USA or Asian).!!

Miele units are factory designed and tested to last 20-25 years. Most other brands aim for 5 years. Our Miele tech said he sees Miele laundry units and dishwashers everyday that are 20+ years old...and are still going strong and 100% problem free.

Do you really think a Miele Senior Tech is going to criticize the product to a customer? Not very likely. Many of us just want a machine that provides clean laundry (regular clean is good for many of us we don't need to have the cleanest laundry on the block) reliably at an affordable price - in my opinion this is not what Miele is selling. If your in a position to pay a premium for those things then Miele may be a good option.

There is no such thing as reliability without quality.
Miele makes the highest quality washers and dryers on the market today. They are built like tanks, and they are built to last! Quality control is at the highest standards.
That doesn't mean that there will be zero issues with them, but the issues will be few and far between the average "unreliable" machine of far lesser quality.

Don't know why some people have a problem with that.

Day 2 and everything is working wonderfully! I've done about five loads so far and the machine is performing like a champion. I'm actually shocked at the high level of build quality. People aren't kidding when they say they are built like tanks. They really are! The porthole door assemblies are incredibly robust. The door glass is actually real glass on both sides - not plexiglass or plastic. The doors are heavy and you can feel the quality when you open or close the doors. They click perfectly with very little force required. The pedestals are wonderful and have a soft-close mechanism so you can never "slam" the drawers shut.

I am able to fit about double into the W4842 as I could with my Asko W6761. I thought I would miss the high output heater of the Asko, but honestly my clothes seem to be coming out even cleaner in the Miele at lower temps than the Asko! No, I'm not seeing things. The Miele wash action is much more aggressive than my Asko in terms of how fast the drum spins and the degree to which the clothes are tossed around. This undoubtedly has a direct relationship to cleaning ability.

I also like how there is a separate water spout at the top of the door glass. This spout operates separately from the water coming through the detergent drawer, and is used to rinse the porthole door. I think this is a very cool feature. It's also part of the machine's "allergy" function if enabled in the service menu. The other half of the spout sprays the laundry with water, when needed, from just above the porthole opening.

I haven't explored all of the different MasterCare programs, but so far I'm very impressed with the cleaning ability and build quality of the machines. As I was driving to work today I saw a truck unloading a pair of Kenmore front-loaders in front of my neighbor's house. I briefly spoke with the installers who said they removed the shipping bolts and packaging before putting the units on the truck "to save time". I feel sorry for the people who will be the recipients of what most likely will end up as junk due to the installer's oversight.

I'll keep reporting as I discover new things. Stay tuned!

Quick question to anyone who can access the service menu on their W4842. I tried hitting RESET, but it did not reset any of the values. All of my settings seem to be sticky. Does anyone know what the default setting is for:

RINSE PROCESS (sensor-controlled rinse cycle)

The W4840 service manual states that NO is the default value, however I swear when I looked through my menu the default value was YES. But I want to make sure I'm not crazy and perhaps I hit YES by accident but don't remember?

I appreciate the help.

From what I have experienced the menu will show you what the selection can be changed to. So if Rinse processes is currently tuned off, when you pull it up in the menu it will say "ON" because that is what it can be changed to. I'm still new with the machine myself (day4) so I could be wrong :)

I will post some pictures later. I even took the top off of the unit and yes I have the glass door pic. Any other request send them my way. Oh and here is a quick vid with a not so good camera.

Here is a link that might be useful: New Miele Set

I am very impressed with the T9802 dryer. According to the service manual it moves 400 cfm of air. The dryer has a brilliant sensor. On Normal, it leaves just enough moisture in the clothes to keep static cling at bay and gives clothing a soft, fluffy feeling. This is not a dryer that will "bake" your clothes into a crispy, staticky mess. After running a few loads through this dryer, I doubt I'll ever use fabric softener again. It's that good. The dryer also auto-reverses itself every 5 minutes to ensure clothes are not tangled. This was one big problem I had with my Asko dryer - its "butterfly" action twisted sheets and comforter covers into a tangled ball. Not at all with the Miele dryer.

The lint screen is "interesting". The reason I say this is because most of the lint accumulates at the bottom of the screen, very little at the top. When you remove the screen there is a fair amount of debris at the bottom of the opening which can only be reached with your vacuum cleaner's crevice tool. In this respect I preferred Asko's double-walled lint filter design. The removable filter had a coarse and fine mesh screen separated by an air gap. Whatever the first screen missed was caught by the finer screen.

I have re-programmed the Conductivity setting via the service menu. As indicated in the service menu, clothes washed in soft water have a lower electrical conductivity and the sensor needs to be adjusted. Having a whole-house water softener, I felt this was a prudent thing to do. So far so good. I will report back with more discoveries soon!

stava...I also had Miele program our dryer for the extended cool down. WOW...what a huge difference! When the cycle is done, the machine (T9800/T9802) runs another 5+ minutes with cool air, reversing in direction quite frequently (left right, left right....). The clothes are super fluffy, wrinkle free and cool to the touch!

Once a week or so, I use our Miele Solaris or Ariel canister vacuum with the Miele crevice tool, and clean out the bottom of the lint compartment. What's kinda cool...is the Miele pedestals for the washer & dryer will hold a Miele canister vacuum! And the Miele attachments all fit inside the dryer lint areas. Miele engineers everything, it's amazing!!

Hi larsi!

Do you have the 5-minute or 10-minute cool down? I assumed 5-minute from your post. I just programmed the dryer to do a 5-minute cool down. It's like having a built-in fluff cycle in every program! :)

Im glad your Mieles are performing great for you sshrivastava!! I know Miele products have a great reputation as my mom side of the family is german and they all own Miele everything! When my uncle moved to the states, he bought a miele FL. Id loveto find a retailer aound me to view these products...btw my HE3T sprays water on the inside of my door to keep it clean :)

stava....You know, it might be a 10 minute cooldown. It is for sure 5 minutes, but thinking about it...it does seem to go back and forth with cool air for more than 5 minutes. The Miele tech programmed it for me a while back. I LOVE it. Without kidding, I have not ironed anything, since having this dryer!!!

Try washing sheets with the Miele Collection "for delicates" and a little fabric softener and then drying in the Miele dryer. It is amazing. The sheets are like silk, and 100% crease and wrinkle free!!

caryscott: If your in a position to pay a premium for those things then Miele may be a good option.

This was not at all the case for us as when we entered our empty nester phase, we reduced our need for the laundry service we used profusely. We were more interested in purchasing units that were not candidates for built-in obsolescence either by poor construction, materials, or execution. If you look back at my posts, you will find that I intentionally took over six months to review what was out there before making a purchase. I narrowed it down to two brands: ASKO and Miele. Miele exhibits the most comprehensive design and execution throughout as can be seen on the back the machines to the front. What is even more encouraging is that I have seen the inner working of the units too, and it reinforces our final decision to purchase Miele. We have a fifteen-year old ASKO dishwasher that is doing well, and this morning I asked my wife what brand she would like to go with as its replacement (we have been discussing this for about a year now) her answer: Miele

caryscott said:
Many of us just want a machine that provides clean laundry (regular clean is good for many of us we don't need to have the cleanest laundry on the block)What is "regular clean"? Why wouldn't you want to have the cleanest laundry possible? Don't you want the cleanest clothes against your skin? Oh wait, I think what you're saying is that for a lower price you would be willing to put up with dirtier clothes? I think that's horrible!
in my opinion this is not what Miele is sellingMiele is selling what is quite possibly the best thought out, best engineered laundry system on the planet today. Some of us value that.

No, I think that what I saw caryscott saying was that they didn't need to have the best washing machine (for which they would have to pay the highest price). I didn't see where they said that they didn't value clean clothes, or didn't think that Miele was well-engineered, just that they didn't feel that they needed to pay the extra price for "the best thought out, best engineered laundry system on the planet today".

Believe it or not, not everyone can afford that. More power to you that you can afford it.

-Roger

So we can all agree that choice is a good thing! :)