My Frigidaire Gallery front loader GLTF1040AS0 had a catastrophic failure on Thanksgiving day. Exactly 3.5 years after purchase.
Since the labor warranty is expired and I have mechanical skills, I tore into the machine on Friday.
2 of the arms were so corroded they broke, needless to say there was also damage to the plastic housing as well.
Frigidaire/Electrolux would not help. Told me they would warranty the basket only, not the parts the failed basket damaged. After talking to 3 different Electrolux people and finally a supervisor, they said they would not repair my machine and offered me a voucher for 45% off a new Frigidaire machine. I declined the offer, stating I'd like a check for 45% of the retail price of my failed machine. They would not deal so Frigidaire/Electrolux has lost a customer forever.
I found the part needed as a complete assembly at http://www.repairclinic.com/referral...1265&N=1063854. The complete assembly (front and rear shells assembled with the wash tub and pulley) was $227.00 with tax. They are located in Canton MI about 35 miles from where I live.
In speaking to the repair techs at RSI, they said they see higher failure rates of the tub spiders in folks using well water and water softeners.
I decided I would do something to reduce the possibility of corrosion.
I pulled the new tub assembly apart and removed the Stainless basket assembly. Unbolted the spider/shaft assembly from the basket. I cleaned the aluminum spider to remove all grease. Masked off the shaft and seal surfaces and proceeded to paint the spider with Epoxy appliance paint. I heated the aluminum using a hair dryer to promote better paint adhesion before painting.
I reattached the spider/shaft to the stainless basket (using thread lock on the bolts). Reassembled the complete tub assembly and installed it in the washing machine.
Dry time on the paint is 5 to 7 hours. I waited 16 hours and did a run on the reassembled machine to check for leaks. No leaks found and it's as quiet as the day it was new.
For $230.00 and about 7 hours work I now have a machine that is better than new. I know the epoxy paint may not keep the aluminum from ever corroding, but I'm sure I've at least doubled the life of it.
C'mon you engineers at Frigidaire!! Regarding the spider, did you really not know that aluminum will not last under water? To make matters worse, the inner tub is stainless and they are coupled together. Add water to these dissimilar metals, and you have a basic electrical cell with the aluminum slowly donating it's atoms down the drain! It's like the spider arm was meant to corrode away...
I see reason here for a class-action lawsuit, if I only had the time...
I have also suffered the dreaded "spider" breakage on 2 of the 3 brackets on my Kenmore 417.42142100 after 3.5 years of use.
I have also had a hole punched through the back of the shell as a result of this breakage, almost identical to one other posting that I have seen on this forum.
But, because the manual states that the drum is covered by a "Limited Lifetime Warranty", I decided to pursue this with the Sears where I purchsed it. I took all of my paperwork, and there 3 photos to the Appliance Manager, then calmly and kindly spoke of my dissatisfaction, and inquired about what they could do to help.
The manager indicated that nothing could be decided until Sears had a chance to look at the washer, typically a $65 service call, a fee which Sears kindly waived for me. So I scheduled an appointment for the next day, then cleaned and neatly organized all of the parts that I had dissassembled.
The next morning, the technician viewed the damage, and indicated that all of the damaged parts (wash drum, rear shell, and front shell) would be replaced under this "Limited Lifetime Warranty", and that all I would have to pay would be a discounted rate of $132 total for labor.
Unfortunately, this ordeal is not yet done, as the parts are now on order, and not expected to arrive for up to 2 weeks. But, so far, I am very pleased with service I have received, but I will reserve final judgement until all is said and done.
Interestingly, the tech indicated that the normal price of these parts would have been $605, and total cost of repair would have run $867, all for a machine that is currently priced at $599! In the auto industry, this machine would have been "totalled", but it seems that Sears must be charging Frigidaire for this issue, they seem more than willing to assist.
I will post again once everything is up and running again, but my best recommendation for those who have suffered this damage, is to try to pursue matters as I have done.
Last edited by daschtick; June 15th, 2006 at 01:06 PM.
Frigidaire does not get the bill for those warranty parts... every year they haggle with the Sears to sell their product and in turn they offer a lump sum for warranty repairs... if Sears goes over the amount then they take the hit... thats one reason for thier parts being so high... they make it up somewhere... I usually get 1 of those every 2 weeks to repair... Looks like the tech you get back is getting a break as you have it apart...
I also took my washer apart after the 2nd failure. It failed in 2.4 years. I have had 2 washers in 6 years. I could not believe how much buildup of oxide there was in, on & under the aluminum tripod. There was a hole about the size of a quarter thru one of the 2 arms that failed - must have been a defect. I have a water softener but use very little salt. Aluminum & water is not a good combination. Can you imagine aluminum water pipes?
Good idea painting the tripod btw. It is a simple, inexpensive technique to extend the life that even Frigidaire could do. The tripod could be nickel plated also to give greater life or they could have chosen a better material - one that would not corrode in water.
If you advertise a stainless basket then the tripod should be of similar corrosion resistance. Think of all the people that were taken by unsuspectingly buying these washers not knowing that their water would cause prematurely failure. Why hasn't a lawyer picked up on this appliance fraud?
I hope to post some pictures after I get it cleaned up.
My less than 2 year old Kenmore frontloader started making a clunking noise during it's spin cycle and and progressively got worse. I tore it apart and sure enough, two broken spider arm due to severe corrsion. It was apparent that it was caused by dissimilar metal bonded together without some sort of separation between aluminum and stainles steel. Didn't see any sign of corrosion preventitive finish on the aluminum spider arm. I am going to Sears today to see if I can get an explanation on how they can sell this product under it's present design. I can't believe that this would fall under warranty catagory since the failure of the part is designed into the product. Hopefully Sears will somehow acknowledge that there is a problem here.
I have attached some photos of the corrosion. Keep in mind that this unit is less than 2 years old.
MM
If you are from Canada, you can buy the entire tub assembly kit, which includes everything, for only 152.00. It , to me, was a bargain as compared to buying the individual parts, and changing the bearings, which I calculated as about 120.00 for all the individual parts and a new seal. For 32.00 difference it is a no-brainer. The tub I got was marked electrohome, but it is the identical fridgidaire/sears unit.
Just a quick tip for the average guy who wants to do it on their own. I followed the blog, and my wife and I had it all done in about 2 hours. Works just fine.
I ordered the parts from the sears canada parts depot. Make sure you ask for the tub kit assembly .
Last edited by Fridgidaire Hater; June 14th, 2007 at 06:40 AM.
Reason: parts order info
I purchased my Frigidaire based on a report from a consumer magazine. The model # of my machine is: GLTF1670AS0 Have had it for about 2 years and it's used once a week (along with the matching gas dryer) for 2 to 4 medium-sized loads. Have there been any improvements made regarding the 'spider' on the back of the inner drum? I don't use a water softener or the 'add-in' fabric softeners, but do use HE liquid detergent as required and occasionally a small amount of bleach. The door and boot is dried after use and the door is left open to avoid the mildew odor that forms otherwise. I just want to know if mine is one of those 'spiders' that I can look forward to having fail in the near future.
It seems like a lot of people have corroded and cracked spiders. Although they are under a limited lifetime warranty, consider the costs. I chose to throw out the washer fwt647ghs0 and donate the dryer. As has been noted - dissimilar metals, water and electric isolation result in galvanic reduction. Any company worth its salt would have had proper designers and design reviews. Run away from Frigidaire. I did! I just like to find out why things work and don't work. Great forum! Thanks!
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Tub "spider" corrosion/breakage
Have had it for about 2 years and it's used once a week (along with the matching gas dryer) for 2 to 4 medium-sized loads. Have there been any improvements made regarding the 'spider' on the back of the inner drum? I don't use a water softener or the 'add-in' fabric softeners, but do use HE liquid detergent as required and occasionally a small amount of bleach. The door and boot is dried after use and the door is left open to avoid the mildew odor that forms otherwise. I just want to know if mine is one of those 'spiders' that I can look forward to having fail in the near future.
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