If the dryer really is taking longer, then something else is the cause of the problem, not the sensor itself. The sensor does not control how fast the clothes dry, it only shuts the machine off when the clothes ARE dry ... within limits of the programmed sensor algorithms. What basically happens is that damp/wet clothes brush against a pair of sensor bars in the drum. The moisture completes an electric circuit between the two bars, which interrupts progression of the timer. Whether the timer is an electro-mechanical dial or an electronic board, the effect is the same. As the clothes dry, there is less moisture present even when items are touching the bars, so time runs out faster and faster as the drying process progresses. However, here are brief moments during tumbling when no clothes are touching the bars, so time does run-out in tiny fragments even at the start when the clothes are wet. If the vent duct is blocked or the machine isn't heating properly, time will STILL eventually run out and the dryer will turn off, even if the clothes are not properly dry. Try running a load on the timed cycle instead of the auto-dry cycle, and I'm betting it'll STILL take a long time and multiple re-cycles. If the clothes feel "normal" when pulled out of the washer in terms of how much water is being extracted, then have a look at the vent duct on the dryer. And that doesn't mean just the length of flex-duct that runs between the dryer and wall. You must check the *entire* length of the exhaust from the dryer to where it exits outside the house. I've seen cases in which the dryer was simply misaligned or pushed too far back, crushing the flex-duct.

Wrinkles from high-speed spin aren't inevitable -- Clothes spun at 1400 RPM in our Miele don't come out any more wrinkled than from our old TL. That's true even for my wife's and daughter's clothes. Someone in some forum, I think it was on automaticwasher.org, had a theory about this. Based on his observations of two different FL washers, he said that wrinkles are reduced if the machine distributes the load between stepped spins (spins at progressively higher speeds). My Miele doesn't do exactly that. On the cycles I use most often, it does a pulse spin, distribute, pulse spin, distribute, and then a stepped, continuous final spin. So maybe that theory has to be refined, but whatever, we don't have wrinkling problems. And I computed a G-force of over 600 G's, with a 1400 RPM spin and this machine's drum diameter.

Performance of auto-dry does vary somewhat between various brands & models. Intuitively and reasonably, the machine should produce clothes dried per the setting (normal dry, less dry, more dry, etc.) regardless of what's in the load ... but realistically different loads may need different settings to produce equivalent results. A load of denim jeans or heavy towels may need to be set more toward the more-dry range of the scale, while lightweight lingerie comes out OK toward the less-dry setting. For best performance, all items in the load should be of similar fabric weight. Mixing lingerie with jeans, for example, will result in overdried lingerie and damp jeans when the sensor tries to split the difference. Whether the machine's timer is a mechanical dial or electronic buttons, all sensor dry systems have a choice of target dryness levels. You'll need to experiment to find the right settings for the various kinds of loads you run. Once you find the right settings, the results should be consistent from one load to the next. One of my previous dryers that had a mechanical timer coupled with sensor bars in the drum. I had to set jeans and towels at the extreme Very Dry position to get a properly (to me) dried load, while casuals (knits, shirts, slacks) were fine at the center "normal" dry position. The dryer I have now (with electronic pushbuttons and sensor bars) dries everything perfectly at the default "normal" setting. Except I usually select the next-higher "more dry" setting for thick quilts and blankets. It's true that some dryers nowadays are oriented toward leaving the load slightly damp at the "normal" setting. In that case, select the More Dry button or turn the dial a little further as needed. That's why a range of settings is offered. Or, as weedmeister does, rerun the load at the Normal setting or whatever is appropriate ... it won't run as long the 2nd time and the end result is more consistent than guessing at a timed cycle. Very small loads, one or two items, may not dry as well as larger loads because the few items may not touch the sensor bars frequently enough for an accurate reading.

Ok! Good thoughts, thank you. So I did already clean the sensor (i.e. that chrome equal-sign item in the drum) with rubbing alcohol. Tumbles fine; had a very clattery quarter in there the other night and I know that's working. :) When I had the dryer vent cleaned and the vent tubing replaced, the dryer vent guy sucked out the machine as well and checked it with clothes running and said I had good air flow. And yes, when I said vent tubing I meant that the previous installer had put in that chintzy mylar looking stuff and I had it replaced with aluminum flex. The vent goes out to the roof (2nd floor) and I think that is because the laundry room is in an awkward corner where the main part of the house meets an ell (pic below; laundry room is in the main part of the house to the left of the dormer). Interior vent pic attached also. I'm going to guess then that it's a coil or temp sensor or voltage problem then. Will report back.