This is an old post, but I have this same washer and we have figured out how to run loads that need more water and straight hot water. It's a little bit of work, but for the size of the tub and other features of this washer that we like, we think it's worth it. Here are the steps we go thru for towels (or anything we think needs more water and hot water straight from the tap): 1) Place towels in tub. Do not add soap or bleach. 2) Turn to towel setting, cold water and let fill up just enough until towels are soaked. 3) Put on Spin only and wait until water drains out, then stop it. Don't let it spin the towels dry - just enough for water to stop pumping out of drain and where you don't hear any water still sloshing in or under the tub. 4) Turn off the machine and wait 30 seconds. While waiting, add soap and bleach if desired. 5) Turn on machine, set to Sanitary. Push Start. Since the towels are now wet, they are heavier, so the machine will fill it with more straight hot water. Once the level of water is reached and the machine starts agitating, wait about 5 minutes. 6) Pause machine, change cycle to Towels, Hot water and whatever other settings you want. Push start. The water level will be maintained and the wash will be hot. Sometimes, if it isn't a lot of towels, once you switch it over to towels, it may add more cold water. I haven't had it do this if I let the sanitary wash for at least 5 minutes before changing the cycle. I do large loads though, so there really isn't much room to add more water anyway. We only have to mess it with when we want tap hot water. I have never washed an entire load on sanitary where it heats up the water. Mainly because our hot water is hot enough and I also don't want to wait 2+ hours. Hope this helps the OP or anyone else that has this washer. We have been very happy with our so far. My MIL has the SQ, but says it agitates too fast for her delicates. Other than that, she loves it.

Spin speed is unrelated to temperature/cycle chosen. You can adjust spin speeds separately by pushing a button. Heavy, whitest whites, and sanitary are only three cycles engaging the on-board heater. Heavy and whites will boost to 127F +/- 5F. Sanitary goes to 157 +/- 5F if I remember correctly. The machine does, in fact, deliver those temps in the wash. Your results may vary depending on your ambient temps for machine, clothes, and amount of water in your inbound lines. With my 9400, with 130F water entering the machine from the first drop, and a full load of clothes and machine at 75F ambient, my "hot" setting results in actual wash temperature of 100-105F if using a cycle without the heater. Cycles using the heat-boost all take longer. Don't have manual in front of me. I think I'm remembering those heat-boost cycles correctly. Your manual will tell you which ones...just in case I'm remembering wrong.

I like Jerrod's suggestion to look at the clean out area at the pump, what ever that is called, lower left front. His comment makes sense to me. Carolina, front loaders clean mechanically too, it tumbles the clothing into a pool of water. This pool of water is, I believe, calculated for depth depending on the programmed cycle. For example "dress shirts" cycle has a deep pool and softens fall of the tumbled clothes. "Whites" is a shallower pool and the fall with each tumble is more aggressive. I also doubt that the 3 hour trip for the washer did anything, unless they tipped the machine onto its side. I have transported 2 old Mieles 6 hour distances without the shipping struts. One machine, the struts were missing, the other I tried using my modern struts and only got one inside to sort of brace the drum. Anyway the machines are fine. Getting jostled down a flight of stairs with a dolly to the basement, without the struts in place. One machine I opened and tested the shocks, as @Linus (Bjorn) suggested and they were perfect.

We bought the TC5 late last month and I love it so much! It replaced a GE front loader that was only 3 years old. I love doing laundry now - our clothes and towels are a lot softer and smell cleaner, even without using a detergent with any fragrance. It washes so quickly and things have just come out really clean. I love it and won't go back to anything else. We also got the 10yr warranty with it through the end of the year. The 2018 TR models got terrible reviews, I'd definitely stay away from those. For the TC5, if you have it on Normal Eco it only washes on cold and with less water. The other cycles use more water and any temp. We wash almost everything on the bulky cycle with warm water and it fills up about 3/4 with water. We've used the deep fill option a handful of times. I do about 8-10 loads or more a week. I recommend!