Does this unit have a hot water inlet or just cold?

According to the manual, the Extra Hot setting (*205F) is only available in the Sanitary mode. Otherwise the highest temperature is *140F.

I can't help but I would ask for my money back than run to Miele.

The 6424 only has a cold water inlet. The manual I received claims that Extra Hot is available on Sanitary, Auto, and one other mode I can't recall, but all I have tried for verification of the temperature is the Sanitary setting (which does seem like the appropriate test).

Manual see p 21 and 22You must have a different manual. The one on line currently lists extra hot as 205 and hot as 140. Extra hot is available on the sanitary cycle only.

Practigal, there may be different manuals out there, and different specs, not sure of course. All I am looking for with my machine is just one setting where the 205 degree extra hot temp is available. I don't need to wash at that temp too often, so the sanitary mode is just fine if that is the only one available, which it may be. But as I mentioned earlier, I can't get to that temp in any setting.

I had a different model Asko that had issues with the lowest settings -- delicate etc. Replacement machine was the same. Suburbanmd had the premium machine which had other issues.

My Asko heaters worked as specified. But some of the full cycles did not. Then the heater wouldn't work at all and I was told the controller board needed replacing. There wasn't one available anywhere (company had been sold). I had to replace.

My personal opinion is that Asko machines have either software or board issues. Suburbanmd can add his.

If you can get them to buy backthe pair that's the best result. I'd replace with Miele or Electrolux which both have reliable heaters though Miele's goes to 158F and it is a 220 v machine. I've verified it reaches temperature on sanitize and hot.

Here's some history you might find interesting. Up until end of 2015 or thereabouts, the Asko 6424 control panel looked like this:

Then they changed it, to what you presumably have:

Maybe you can find new-old-stock of the old one, which I know I'd prefer.

No question that Extra Hot should be 205F, from the manual as well as the fact that Asko isn't arguing. Doesn't help if they can't provide a machine that works that way, of course. The table in the manual brings up another question, though. What temperature do you get on Cold? If it's tap cold, that would be unsatisfactory in my opinion, unless you live in a year-round warm climate.

My Asko story involved the 8844, the Pro Series. Some features didn't work right, because of what were evidently (to me at least) software problems. I have nothing but praise for Sub-Zero Wolf, Asko's rep in the US. They picked up the machine, and gave me a check on the spot for the full price I paid plus tax. I replaced it with a Miele Little Giant, which has been great. It's expensive, though, and needs a separate 30 amp 240V circuit. Its capacity is less than the Pro Series, but comparable to your machine. I don't know of any other boil-wash washers available new in the US. The Canadian Miele W1753 might meet your needs, and could be made to work in the US, but Miele probably wouldn't sell it to you, and wouldn't service it if you did get one. And Seattle is so close to Canada.

This makes me curious to check the temps on my Blomberg. Does one just open the detergent drawer a little and poke a thermometer in when the water is filling, or is there another way to measure how hot the water is? (apologies in advance if this is a colossally stupid question!)

Actually a good question. On my Asko, you have two choices. One is to open the door mid-cycle, which unfortunately means the machine will mostly drain itself, making the measurement of the water temperature problematic. The other option on my machine is to open a small door on the lower left of the machine and unclamp a clear tube that serves as a drain of some sort, then try to take a sample without creating a watery mess on the floor. So it is not easy to do, even for the service tech. The simpler method of course is just to feel the glass, which in the HOT setting should be hot. But that is overly subjective and unscientific for the purposes of proving anything to anyone other than myself! But I haven't been wrong yet.

Suburbanmd: Thanks, I agree with you that the old Asko control layout
with actual temps and speeds is preferable to the simpler, but somewhat
dumbed-down hi-lo button choices. My preference is usually for more,
and more specific, choices, than fewer. But I can live with it, I
guess, as long as they work. Your new-old-stock idea is intriguing, and
I may call Asko/Sub-Zero up and ask about that model's availability,
because there seems to be a batch of the 2016 6424 models here in
the NW (at the very least) that don't operate up to temperature spec. I don't want to swap
out this one, my third, and find that the fourth is no different. And
the better control layout would be a bonus! I will also say that Asko/Sub-Zero
has been accommodating and responsive so far with my numerous service
requests, no complaints there.

Would something like this Infrared Sensor or Infrared Thermometer work more efficiently and consistently?

Quite possibly will work well on the glass and the interior drum/clothes once I open the door. I think the issue will be will Asko service accept those results, vs. actual water temperature. But I do have an old one that I will try. Thanks for the suggestion!

According to this

http://www.thermoworks.com/learning/infrared_thermometry101_limitations_of_infrared

infrared thermometers can't read through glass. They'll give the temperature of the glass itself.

The tube mentioned at the bottom of the machine is a pin-trap drain and not meant to be used while the machine is in operation according to the manual I had.

If you like the Asko machine that's one thing. But, performance wise, as far as compacts are concerned, it doesn't compare to Miele.

The 205F water temperature was one I rarely used. It was excellent for whites, however.

That was not offset by the other issues -- for me, at least. IME a swap will not be a solution, not on the 4th or the 10th machine. After the second, they simply told me they could no longer help me.

When I checked the temp on my Duet I studied it as it washed several loads watching the clock, just as it started its drain I hit cancel, it drained several seconds and the door unlocked I shoved a digital therm into the center of the clothes...I knew though as soon as I opened the door there was no heat. 111F...I repeated this process on my allergen cycle, but this cycle you can clearly hear the heater come on and go off, this was a bit trickier because I had to cancel just as the heater shut off before suds cool down started..therm shoved into center of clothing gives me 154F..perhaps it would be a few degrees hotter before the water drains, but still...and this cycle should be right around 131 not 154+ LOL...my Whites cycle gives me 140F , I can't remember my Heavy Duty temp but its hot and suds cool down does activate. I'm not complaining, far from it..I love my Duet even with its mixed up board.

Machines with very high temperatures may do "suds cooling" (adding cold water to lower the temperature) before draining, in which case that method won't give a true reading. You'd know, because you'd see the water being added.

I should have clairfied I hit cancel just before it starts its suds cool down, after I hit cancel than it drains. My Duet does go into suds cool down if I've chosen hot on 3 cycles, allergen, whites, heavy duty.

Most machines are designed to stay locked when the user could be burned. I can't see how you would take the temp or be able to get at the interior to read it if it is working properly.

On my Asko, it is possible to open the door mid-cycle by pressing and holding the unlock button, which causes most of the water to be drained from the drum before the door is unlocked. I suppose that is the safety mechanism. As far as I know that unlock sequence is the same regardless of water temperature. But having no standing water in the drum makes taking a temperature reading difficult, since the only way to reach any water on my machine is to remove one of the detachable blades and stick a thermometer down into what water remains at the bottom of the drum.

Continuing on the semi-off-topic topic of water temperature, I was running the tub sanitize cycle on our Blomberg compact washer (model WM98400 SX) today and decided to dig out the infrared thermometer that I, for some unknown reason, own. Water was sloshing against the bottom 1/4 or so of the glass and it was very hot to the touch, so I aimed the beam down towards the bottom of the glass. I got readings as high as 164, which I'm happy with, as the manual says sanitize uses the "Extra Hot" setting of 167 degrees and if the exterior of the glass was 164 that's very close. Granted, it's not Asko's 205 . . .