After 2+ years of ownership now I will say I would easily buy this machine again... That said I have had 2 service calls... the first time the pump stopped... it was replaced and it's run great ever since...until I washed a rubber backed bath rug and the backing fell apart into crumbs and plugged the line... service cleaned that out for me and it's been great ever since... now that second time was entirely my fault... I knew the backing was old and delicate... but I was trying to push one last wash and a month or so out of the rug... dumb move... Personally the only 'guts' I've gotten near is to open the round 'access' on the bottom front which allows you to open the clean out prior to the pump... when I've checked there (other than with the rug incident) there is never anything of consequence... and it's solely been an 'execrise' in how to do it... That said... be aware that a small item (kids socks, small panties, etc) will occassionally end up in the gasket by the door, and then you have to decide if you're going to hold onto it for another load, or give it a good squeeze out and toss it into the dryer... I have found if I put this type of item in the washer first when loading the problem does not occur as often... maybe once per month or two... not great, but not a deal breaker in my mind. From comments some have posted here is seems that some bosch models do not have a spin option on the dial any longer, so I'd watch for that as IF you end up unbalanced you can get a 'soggy' load at the end and then you just need to re-spin the load after rearranging it... again, not frequent maybe I've done this 3-4 times in 2+ years??? but if you don't have the option to select only a spin, you'd have to rewash needlessly. If you don't currently have a fl machine, be aware, cycles are longer... I find my typical normal regular wash time is about 1 hour per load, unless I select the 'quick' wash of ~25 minutes. good luck with whatever you end up with.

dmlove: I don't see your other thread. What is the exact title? Yes, we have the washer-left dryer-right setup. My exhaust vent is out the back wall. So I need to maintain approx 4" behind the dryer for the rigid aluminium duct to make a 90* turn at the dryer exhaust and at the wall vent. This required me to choose a dryer with no more than a total 30" depth, including the front door handle and anything sticking out of the back which would contact the duct. This requirement kept us from considering the Duet Sport dryer, or frankly any other FL washer dryer mates. I did consider modding the laundry nook so the doors where out farther, but it would have looked like a "hack". Since the washer/dryer are out of sight most of the time, we really did not mind going with a traditional, non-matching dryer which fit the nook depth. We got the Maytag MDE4608A which was half the price of the Duet Sport Dryer, but still had a 7.0 capacity, moisture sensor and drying rack. I did not see anything else in the sub $400 range with a moisture sensor and drying rack. I also liked the way the Maytag introduces heat from the back of the drum and pulls it out thru a front vent. Much like a GE in this regard. I would also note our dryer has the option of routing the exhaust vent out of either side instead of the back. As I understand your setup, you need to maintain 4" in the back of the dryer, and then raise it up so you can route the duct to the side wall vent. Correct?

"So what do you all think about putting some plywood down under the washer and dryer?" I'd definately give that a try - especially since the appliances are hidden in a closet anyway. I think Miele manuals contain recommendations on the thickness and installation of plywood. Also, you can buy a "Fixing kit" from Bosch (24.90 USD). It basically locks the washer's feet to the floor. Here are the instuctions from page 44 of the Miele W4080 manual: "Installation site For best performance front loading washers should be installed on the ground floor or basement of the building. A concrete or reinforced floor is the most suitable surface for the washer. These floors are less prone to vibration during the spin cycle. If the installation must be on a wooden joist floor: the corner of a room where the stability of the floor is at its greatest is the best place to install the washer.  the machine must be leveled and securely positioned.  to avoid vibration while spinning, the machine should not be installed on soft floor coverings. Install the unit on a 1 1/4" (32 mm) thick, 28" x 31" (71x78 cm) wide plywood base. Ideally the base should be large enough to span several joists and should be anchored to the joists and not just the floor boards. If the machine is installed on a raised platform it must be secured with retaining clips available from your dealer or Miele. If installed on a masonry or concrete base, the base should have a ½" (13 mm) to ¾" (19 mm) high rim. This must be done to prevent the washer from vibrating off the stand during the spin cycle." HTH, Alex

So it turns out you guys were right about what the problem was! After failing thus far to fix our old washer, and with the fat rebates, we decided to buy a new HE machine. So we carried the old machine down the stairs and hoisted it up into my Jeep. Well, what do you know, in the bright sunlight and ideal viewing angle of the bottom of the machine, we could see those skate pad thingies in some places crumbling to dust. :( I was like, "You said you looked at these and they were fine!!" In the very dim lighting of our laundry room, and the viewing angle when the machine is upright, he didn't notice the deterioration. There is also a lot of black greasy dust, so some of the metal parts might also need replacing before it would spin nicely again. However, by this time we were already the owners of a new Whirlpool Duet 9400SZ. I thought the deal at Costco was too good to pass up for a HE machine with these features. We had to bring it home and install it ourselves, so we definitely earned the savings. (Other stores have "free" install and haul-away.) We have a 180-degree turn in one doorway, 90-degree in anothers, and stairs. However, I was unsure whether I'd like this new washer, so I appreciate the insurance of Costco's 100% satisfaction guarantee, plus 2-year warranty. (I wouldn't be surprised if they let us return the old washer, but that doesn't seem right to me.) So far, I am not thrilled with the Duet. I want to like it, and I REALLY don't want to carry it back down the stairs to return to Costco. But towels, especially the Turkish ones, emerged with a horrible new texture, like the loops are hardened, flattened, and clumped. There were lines or even whole areas with loops pulled completely out of some towels so that only the woven base remains. With clothes, using the normal or delicate cycle and cooler wash temps, I'm not seeing damage, but they're not getting as clean as I'm used to, either. And yes, I read the manual, and yes, I'm using HE detergents. I was already using Kirkland Free & Clear Ultra HE and OxiClean even with my old machine, and I relied heavily on long soaking (done manually) to get everything clean as gently as possible. I don't know if I can get as good of results with this machine even though on paper it has great features.