Hot take: I think the new 'smart' washer boards are a step back, not forward.

I've replaced the main control board on three different high-end models in the last month. The old ones from five years ago had maybe 15 components you could test and replace. These new ones are sealed black boxes with one chip. A simple $2 relay failure on the old board meant a $40 fix. Now it's a $300 part swap, minimum. The company line is 'more reliable,' but I'm seeing them fail just as often, just in a way we can't fix. Has anyone found a good source for troubleshooting these integrated units, or are we just stuck ordering the whole assembly?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia_carter24d ago

My washer's brain is a $300 paperweight now.

colescott24d ago

Ugh, it's the "planned unrepairability" business model... brilliant for them, terrible for us.

patricia3224d agoMost Upvoted

Tell me about it, my neighbor patricia_carter had to junk a perfectly good dryer last year because the control board fried and cost more than a new unit. They design these things to be disposable now, it's a total scam. Makes you miss the old machines that just had a simple dial and lasted twenty years. Now if a fifty cent sensor goes bad, the whole appliance is basically trash. They've got us all by the wallet and they know it.