Workerbee, you might get more responses on this thread if you post it to the laundry room forum.

Gordonr I am not comparing the W4840 with the 1215. I am comparing the 1215 6K 220V with the 3XXX 5.5k 110V. I posted a question in the Wiring Forum about the difference between 120V and 220V and why NA uses 120V and the rest of the world does not. A lot of technical discussion over there but here is the easiest answer to one of my questions: "Is 220V really more efficient than 120V?" "Yes. Given a certain amount of energy needed in watts, the higher the voltage, the lower the percentage voltage drop and the less the energy loss over the same size wire. That's why the power company can supply a whole neighborhood with two relatively small wires at 7200 volts (or more). The high voltage is potentially more dangerous, though, so it is transformed to a lower voltage for consumer use. It's amperage that determines the wire sizes needed and a 120V system has to transmit almost twice the current (amperage) as a 220v system delivering the same amount of energy (watts). Because ampacity-to-wiresize is basically a square function, the wire has to be roughly four times as large. Otherwise, severe voltage drop will occur over any appreciable distance and more energy will be lost to heat generation due to resistance."

A couple of sanitary cycles with LCB did the trick on the gaskets. Only thing I had to so was on 1 cycle, I took a cloth to wipe the upper part of the gasket, threw some old towels in (to make a higher water load) and the gaskets are perfect. Inner, Outer, Backside of inner, etc. I must have done 6-10 loads of Sanitize, with 2 of them using dishwater powder and the rest LCB. Next is the outer drum. LCB did break up the top layer of whatever was on it. Assuming it's BioFilm, etc, any other suggestions on what will cut it without any mechanical agitation....Just short of me opening up the beast. I did not have citric acid on hand, so I used up 5 packets of descaling powder I use on my coffee machines. In removed very little bit of the biofilm when using this.. I need something that will do it ~ALOT MORE~ . Trying to see if I can get this clean chemically before I attempt to open the panels up..to get access

Molly is talking lack of controls because she is comparing the new Miele's with the older ones. The older ones let you program in extra rinses, high water...this and that and you did so right on the console. I believe mine is newer than Molly's but it still has the selector dial, but some of that programming was removed, although I can still get the machine to do much of it. The older ones like mine had different cycle selections in that you picked a fabric type such as cotton, silk, wool, perm press.. and then within each fabric type you selected a temperature from tap cold up to almost 200F in some cycles. The newer ones have the push buttons, with names like Sanitize..whatever.. but I am used to thinking"this is cotton and it is dirty and there is no elastic in it,and it is color fast so I am washing it at 180F" But the 4840 does have the custom cycle which will let you customize the cycles. So I think the new Miele models are going to offer as much if not more control than many of the current models sold today...Just not as much as the ones before. My neighbors see the options on my machine and their eyes glaze over and they say "I just want to push a button and go, I don't want all of this" so for the most part the current overall market didn't want what was Miele was offering.... Folks like me are used to those selections and flexibilities so I will be keeping my "OLD" miele washer for as long as I can. I have the new gas dryer and it is fine.