@Nathan C

Nathan, how funny -- I just came to this thread for the first time in a year because my weakened spring eventually broke (!) and I wanted a quick reference for opening up the lock mechanism again. And voila, here you are with yet another excellent fix.

Do I understand correctly that you've basically wired in a second, new plug to power the lock relay that bypasses the main AC supply?

Do you have any guesses as to why/how the original electric supply weakens in the first place? Failing solder on the ELP motherboard? Wires pulling a tiny bit out of the harnesses? Imperceptible dust or cruft all over that eventually impedes the current just enough to matter? Slow malfunction of the little resistor unit where the AC enters the machine?

I was not able to correct the issue even with a shiny new lock from Miele, nor with entirely new ELP and EW boards, so am still puzzled as to the origin of this flaw.

I'm not facile enough with electrics to do what you've done, alas, but am keeping this for reference, thank you so much for posting it Nathan. In the meantime I've replaced the spring entirely with a new one that's slightly weaker. and it's working again (both locking for the wash and unlocking afterwards).

@Circus Peanut

My guess was that the problem was the relays, as they are mechanical wear components, but people like you have replaced entire boards without results on here, so I have some doubts there (although maybe they were lied to about the boards being new, or maybe the relays are so poorly made the contacts "corrode" in humid warehouse storage).

Unfortunately I do not have the skills and/or heating station for soldering/unsoldering on-board components, so replacing the relays on the board was not something I could test.

Great thread here for DIYers — thanks @Nathan C! I'm dealing with the same issue. I tested resistance on the electrodes, cables, switch and motor. Everything seems good except the motor has a high resistance it would appear at 60ohms per side. Can anyone check theirs as I don't know what the specification should be. Maybe these motors go bad?

@Circus Peanut @Cavimum @bobbi1023 @Jason

P.S. I talked to Miele customer service who were able to access tech notes — they didn't have anything about this issue.

@Nate R By motor do you mean the lock coils or the actual motor that turns the washer? 60 ohms is actually perfect for the lock coils.

@Nathan C Yes, I meant the lock coils. Thanks for verifying 60 ohms. In the meantime I sanded the spring and it worked, but I'd like to know why! Relays? I'd be interested in testing the "power board" as mentioned above.

...For your external power source solution, what did you use to power it?

@Nathan C thanks for the update. Could you post a picture of the manual setup when you get a chance? Sounds like the spring fix will only last so long here. Thanks as well for the 3D design. I'll have to get a buddy to print one off!

It doesn't appear lock is the issue though, for me anyways. I suppose the question would be to find out the correct electrical specs and verify that's whats being sent.

Also, for anyone interested here is the door lock part link, currently being sold for $150:

https://www4.miele.de/msd/MSD#/device/3643/etd/1678513083002/materialNumber/7021972/

The door wiring harness is part #6237951 - $77.69 and the Power-/Control unit ELP 255-KD is part #6921582 for $686, yikes.

Thanks @Nathan Cfor a very informative thread. Looks like we have a similar issue:

1 - Our 12 years old Miele Washing Machine is W4842.

2 - When we start the cycle with the drum door fully closed, very often the machine refuses to begin the cycle. We hear 2 or 3 clicking sounds followed by a message that says “Fault close the door and confirm with start”. But obviously the drum door is completely closed. In hoping to resolve the issue, we try to open and close the door and to start the cycle again but we hear the same clicking sounds followed by the same fault message. The only remedy that works only sometimes is to unplug the machine for many hours and then retry the cycle. This works sometimes but not all the time. So it appears that the machine is unable to start a cycle since it thinks the door is open when we know the door is indeed completely closed.

3 -The other problem is even if everything works and if we successfully start and finish a cycle, at the end of the washing cycle the door refuses to unlock and following the instructions of the manual we have to resort to open the door manually by pulling out the detergent drawer and insert a screwdriver into the slot of the emergency opener and pull upwards to release the drum door lock.

Disclosure: I'm not a DIY type and the repair needs to be done by a technician.

It looks like Miele has outsourced their repair service. They want $300 non-refundable/non-creditable "Travel Fee" for just showing up in order to diagnose the issue, order parts and come back to try to fix it with additional hourly fee of $150/hr, parts cost and the applicable taxes for the final invoice. After reading this thread it seems the cost can potentially be around $1k if the drum door lock assembly replacement won't solve the issue and if the Control Board or even the Power Supply (along with wiring harnesses) needs to be replaced, in which case we won't opt for repair and instead buy a new machine.

Question: What's the verdict as the final solution for this issue at this time?

A) Complete door lock assembly replacement (we can go that route)

or,

B) The problem really is (can be) with other components (in which case we probably would skip those repairs due to the high cost?

All comments are highly appreciated.

@user02072016 @Nate R To answer your questions, people have said they replaced both the door lock assembly and the main board with no success. More people (including me) have confirmed that replacing the door lock assembly doesn't fix it though.

One remaining possibility (absurd if true) is that it is the cable between the board and the lock... like spark plug wires going bad, or maybe just the contacts, but we have no confirmation of this.

At this point I would say, the "final solution" is the manual method I came up with for now. No technician is going to be willing to implement it though, you would need a handyman friend that is up to the task. I have updated my original post with a diagram of the manual modification.

Thanks again @Nathan C.

At this point we are leaning against having the unit repaired and opting for a new unit. It's really a shame since we really liked the quality of the washing of this unit. Not sure if the new ones are any better or worse!

BTW, I seem to fail getting your screen name hyperlinked in these comments. Using the @ sign followed by Natan C does not bring up your screen name hyperlinked. My sincere apologies.

Edit: I figured out how to hyperlink the usernames with spaces in them :-)

@Nathan C thanks for the update. I will give that a go if/when the spring method wears out. @user02072016 I'd say a new machine makes sense given the potential costs. But if you can find someone a bit handy it doesn't take a whole lot to try sanding the spring to weaken it, which seems to work for some folks and doesn't require any new parts. Might take an hour or so, involves removing the top and front of the machine, taking out the latch box, disassembling, sanding the spring down, and then reassembly. Careful not to grind down the spring too much.

@Nathan C I tested the wire harness and it was good in my case.

@N R - Thanks for seconding the idea of a new machine instead of repairing our 12 years old washer and dryer. The high repair cost of the older models, discontinuing our RemoteViosion units support without any advance notice whatsoever, and dealing with currently Miele's outsourced offshore customer support (Costa Rica) for any other upcoming repair is a major deterrent.

Again, this thread and all the info, especially provided by @Nathan C , has been extremely helpful for us. Thanks so much everyone.

I have the same issue with my W4842. I have changed the door lock already and it didnt fix the problem. I’m wondering if the issue is the power supply from the machine cord to the control board. If any of you have isolated the cause to be the power supplied to the controller how did you fix it? Very frustrated because the machine is perfect otherwise.

@roni973 Did you change the door lock yourself or had Miele to do it for you?

@Nate R For future reference you don't have to actually remove any panels to mess with the door lock. It is accessible after only removing the front drum seal. It does take some jiggering to get it in and out this way but is *much* faster

I removed and replaced it myself. Through the door seal. Getting it to re-seat was a pain in the butt, tho.

@roni973 Thanks. I wonder if others have had the Miele service to do the repair and if Miele has successfully resolved the issue for them. Would love to know how Miele is fixing the issue.

Funny you should say that-I wrote an email(today) to Miele support to have a technician call me before I commit to them making a house call to see IF they have resolved this issue in the past. It seems that ppl have changed the control board and the problem is still there. Just a frustrating issue all around.

@roni973 - Please keep us informed what they say and if you go ahead with them what the solution would be and the associated cost. Like you said, it's very frustrating since the machine is perfect otherwise.

I will-you all have been so helpful so it’s the least I can do!

@roni973 - Hi, would you post an update if possible? Thanks.

Machine still not fixed. Asked Miele to have a service tech call me before I’d schedule a $150 “walk in the door” visit to see if they’ve had success fixing this issue. They said NO. I haven’t decided to spend the $600 for the control board because all purchases are final.

My other thoughts on this are “could the power cord be the cause?” I don’t understand how the control board can still work but not power the door latch properly. Something is off-I just haven’t figured it out yet. Very frustrating indeed!

@roni973 - Thanks for the update. I was told my “walk in the door” fee was going to be $300, which I refused to pay not knowing they can actually fix it.

I'm curious about what happens if the tech replaces the door lock, but it doesn't solve the problem and if later they suggest changing another part, will we be responsible for paying for all the parts and the labor in attempting to find a solution?

@cavimum (up thread, from last year) had mentioned they finally had to have the main circuit board replaced in order to resolve the issue and that it was very expensive.

Another problem is that we can't tell the technicians which part to change. We have to trust that they will choose the right one paid at our expense. Do I have it right?

I replaced the door latch with no success 😡 so I’m just assuming the control board is “bad” but it still has power and all the cycle choices light up but it just won’t “turn on” the cycle.

Again I'd recommend the spring method if possible. It has worked for me for a couple months now. @user02072016 I would ask what their policy is, but personally I don't think you should be paying for anything that doesn't fix the issue. And I think the $150 should include diagnostics, and any other cost should be parts and labor.

My door latch is a bit different. Not sure if the spring is the issue on this one because the new one is doing the same thing as the replaced one!

@roni973 The spring is never "the issue". But weakening it is more of a band-aid for the weak action of the unlocking mechanism. A weakened spring can more easily moved by a weak unlocking mechanism.

Edit: Now that you have 2 locks you might as well try it. Nothing to lose really.

LOL! I had such a difficult time getting the lock back in the machine that I never want to attempt it again. I have very limited access due to the machine being in a small ½ bath.

Up-thread, I've explained our issue in my first post.

Looks like we now have found a trick to prevent the machine from refusing to start a new cycle due to the recurring message "Fault close the door and confirm with start".

Let’s assume the machine is set for a 30-minutes cycle. Here is our workaround:

1 - Set a timer for 28 minutes to ensure that you are at the machine 2 minutes before the cycle ends.

2 - Insert a screwdriver into the emergency door opener slot and manually open the door either when the "End" message is displayed or immediately upon hearing the first click when the machine is trying to release the door lock.

By following this workaround, our machine has successfully started without any faults for the previous 10 cycles. In our experience, it appears that waiting for the second click at the end of the cycle is asking for trouble as it results in encountering the same fault issue.

At least for us and for now, this workaround is a preferable alternative to dealing with the Miele’s expensive service and unpredictable results or purchasing a new machine all together.

Now if only I could get my machine to “start” in the first place…😩

When not in use, leave the machine unplugged. Although this approach has yielded mixed results for us in the past, with the machine occasionally failing to start, it now consistently starts without any issues when left unplugged during the idle time and applying the trick I mentioned above.

Well-I bit the bullet and scheduled a service call. I’ll follow up after my wallet is sucked dry. 😣

@roni973 Good luck!

@user02072016 Look into my 3D printed alternative to using the screwdriver to end the cycle. It essentially installs a permanent switch in that spot (with a tiny bit of superglue) so you can just use your finger.

Thank you Nathan! Hoping for the best - going to the laundry mat is getting old...!

@Nathan -

To clarify, will the 3D printable piece replace the current lever or will it super-glue to it without requiring the removal of the machine's outer cover?

@user02072016

It simply fits into the place where the screwdriver goes and turns the existing thing into a finger switch if you add it with a little bit of superglue. You can see it in my post above from 8 months ago.

@Nathan

Good to know that the cover does not need to be taken off.

Regarding the 3D add-on piece in the picture, more question came up:

- Is the longer leg of the piece intended to be inserted and glued into the existing cavity (i.e., the cavity currently used for inserting a screwdriver), while the shorter leg is meant for finger grab pull action?

- Does the protruding piece hinder the drawer door from fully closing?

- How do we go about printing your add-on since we do not have a 3D printer?

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE!

Well, I bit the bullet and had a service tech come out to diagnose the washer. Turns out I wasted my money on the door lock part. It was the main control board. Very expensive part, but my circumstance left me no choice. The tech was beyond awesome-he is a Miele recommended technician, not employed by Miele. I was slightly apprehensive because he wasn't directly working for Miele, but I had no choice as Miele seems to be outsourcing their service techs. Anyway, thanks to all on this board-it has been a Do It Yourselfers great resource. I am very happy to have my washer back! BUT now I have to my dryer fixed as well-while the tech was fixing the washer, I showed him the dryer that was making a clicking sound each time the drum made a revolution. I though it was nothing to be concerned about, but it turns out it is. Evidently the sensor that tells if the clothes are "wet' or "dry" is hitting the drum. If it breaks off, the dryer will stop working since it won't know that it needs to heat up to dry a load of clothes. So, he will be returning to make that fix as well. At least it is not an expensive part compared to the control board. Here's hoping for many trouble free years for my Miele washer!

@roni973 Glad to have confirmation finally that replacing the main board fixes the issue. I would recommend holding onto the door lock still as the electrode contacts in the door lock are technically a "wear part" and may start to fail, making the door lock itself the problem later on.

Edit: This will first manifest as occasionally loads pausing mid-cycle until you hit start again, especially on high electrical load cycles using sanitize heat.

Yes, I will hold on to the door lock part although I hope I never have to replace it EVER again! It was a real pain to replace.

@roni973 - It's great to hear that your issue has been resolved and thank you for following up. I'm curious, did the technician determine on their own that the main control board was the problem or did you request that they check it? Additionally, if you don't mind sharing, could you provide a breakdown of the costs incurred?

Thanks again.

Thanks for the follow up. Weren't some people reporting they replaced the board to no avail?

When I set up the appointment, I told him that the machine would not start. When he came, he listened to the door lock make the dreaded "click" noise of failure and then went to get his laptop. The tech had a laptop with a magnetic type tool that attached to the panel near the power ON/OFF button. It was able to tell all types of stuff like "drum off center" "drain sensor" (just examples, my machine did not have these errors) that allowed him to rule out other issues. He said the control board was "bad" and it was. The part was $686 plus shipping ($40) with $250 installation. It was a lot of money, but my circumstances made it my only option (hard to explain, but the washer and dryer are in a ½ bath that was built around the machines-I'd have to remove the toilet and baseboard heat register and door to get them out of the room). In hindsight I wasted time and money trying to fix it on my own because I did not have faith in Miele service department since it has been outsourced-I got VERY lucky that the local tech was as good as he is-I felt 1000% better when he told me that he has the same machines in his own house so I knew HE knew what he was doing!

Nate R as far as I can recall, yes-some said replacing the board didn't work. For clarity, the board I had replaced was inside the machine, not the panel that lights up with the load/temperature selections.

@roni973 - Thanks again. I hope your machine remains durable for a long time now, especially after this significant investment, and that the part includes a satisfactory warranty.

For our household, we've been using the workaround I previously mentioned and it's been successful thus far. Our intention is to keep using it until it becomes ineffective. However, everything is going well at the moment.

Thanks again for all the updates :-)

Glad it worked out!

@roni973 Ouch, that installation fee was highway robbery unless he gave a warranty of some kind.

Pulling out the main board is a piece of cake. You just need to remove 2 screws on the side, remove the top cover of the machine and take a picture of where all the plugs go before unplugging everything and pulling the board out. It is a straightforward as it gets.

Diagnosis is valuable as well, when were talking about a $700 part that in some cases might not be the problem!

j'ai enfin retrouvé ce poste de ma dernière lecture de il y a 1 ans que j'endure le problème de déverrouillages. Maintenant elle ne verrouille même plus a chaud. Plutôt que d' affaiblir le ressort j'ai approfondit les 2 encoche de plastique ( la petite encoche) des 2 coté du dit ressort avec une scie a frette de Guitard (scie sans chemin et très mince)...... je me suis rendu au fond . Résultat très (trop) concluant mais j'y suit aller trop loin et maintenant la porte verrouille des que je la ferme. Je projeté d'étirer le ressort mais j'hésite car c'est viable tel quel juste a déverrouiller la porte manuellement. Les pointes et la micro switche ont été nettoyer et tester mais le problème ne viens pas de la.... (Je suis technicien sur des spas.... j'assume mes résulta sur ce que j'avance...) Mon impression c'est que a l'usure du temps et le poids de la porte en verre associé a l'usure des penture de la porte fait pression sur le mécanisme et empêche que le loquet de travail librement ce qui pointe sur le fait que le loquet neuf ou et la carte ne change rien...... Les bobine ou les relais sur la carte peuvent ne pas aider a avoir une belle impulsion pour l'électro aimant. donc dans certains cas cela peut aider.... et un relais ca se change en boutique électronique pour je dirais 50 a 75$$ et non 800$$$ pour la carte au complet donc pas beaucoup a perde dy mètre 2 relais neuf ......