Why do domestic appliances always gasp their last on or about a holiday when you can't get spares or a service guy out?
In our case I strongly object to service engineer's extortionate charges, and we had already organised a bearing and seal kit from ebay last week, so today we set to and stripped the washing machine down.
Creda and Hotpoint use a pretty standard set of bearings and seal, so one kit covers most models. We got a set of brushes for the motor as well, but they were OK. Total price was just under £14 including postage, which is VERY favourable compared with the official service agent's prices!
The actual job took about 90 minutes - and a pack of elastoplasts.
I have never seen so many razor-sharp edges on metalwork! Even the drive pulley which was a pressure-casting had sharp edges on it that drew blood.
The motor is on top of the drum and very easy to get to. The door seal is held with piano-wire clips, one like a Jubilee clip and the other is a push-together plastic arrangement. The drive pulley is held on with a large nut, and it is threaded as well, which was unexpected.
The front of the drum is clipped to the back and it all came apart without too many problems, except that it needed more violence than I expected to shift the bearings out of the housings, and the replacements went in with some Copaslip around their circumference.
A long drift is needed to get the front bearing back inside, but that was all.
Original bearings were Polish PLT brand, replacements were mr Skefco's finest, made 'en francais'.
Peter
-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web: