Maytag Neptune, Expensive and not worth it...
Written: Mar 19 '01
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Pros: Saves water, nice looking design, ergonomics
Cons: Mildew, noisy spin cycle, incompetent repair service
The Bottom Line: Too much money, too much aggravation and too much mildew!!
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| bsauter's Full Review: Maytag Neptune MAH4000 Front Loader Washer |
The Maytag Neptune washer and dryer promised a lot and delivered little, except for aggravation. We could have saved half or a third of our money and bought something that did the job better. This review focuses on the washer.
The Neptune is a nice looking washer. It has a smooth rounded design that looks like quality. The control functions are easy to read and use. You can move from left to right on the control panel and set everything in order. The buttons are solid feeling and positive. The unit as a whole feels sturdy and well built.
BUT…. Maytag needs to go back to engineering and get some things straightened out.
Mildew is a big problem. Due to the front-loading design there is a rubber gasket around the door. This gasket collects water from the wash and rinse cycles and which will stay there. Mildew is the result if you do not clean the water out with a rag after using the machine. The salesman told us to do it once a week but that is not the case. After a couple days, mildew will start to form and you will smell it. If you forget and leave your clothes in the washer for a couple days you are in trouble. You know how your clothes start to smell a little off if you forget them in the washer while they are wet? In the Maytag they smell horrible since the mildew has a head start.
When we had a litter box for the cat in the laundry room we thought that it was dirty the first few times we smelled the mildew. After cleaning the litter box and then opening the door of the Maytag we realized our folly. Whew!! Get the gas mask! We hear there is a fix for this problem now but it does not work very well. We will try the fix anyway because it can’t get any worse than it is.
The other big gripe we have is how the machine sounds. When the machine is filling with water and going through cycles it is fairly quiet. But it seems like no matter how carefully we fill the tub, when it comes time for the spin cycle it makes a big racket. On a regular top loading machine the tub will bang when it is out of balance. Same here with the Maytag but we hardly ever seem get to rid of the noise. Small loads or big loads bring on the same problem. The Maytag repairman tried leveling the machine after installation and making sure everything was adjusted. He did improve it somewhat because the machine does not “walk” while spinning anymore but we have given up after three service calls. Now the customer service reps say it’s the way it’s loaded.
Maytag may claim this is a large capacity tub but it really does not seem like it. Being a front loader does account for this somewhat because you can’t really stuff the machine to the gills or the clothes will fall out when you open the door. We could get a lot more in our old Admiral machine.
On the plus side our clothes seem to last longer and look a little better because the front-load design is easier on them. There is no agitator, which saves the clothes. The clothes are partially submerged in the water and rotate in and out of the water. I don’t know whether this is the best system for actually cleaning clothes because they must rely on the water and detergent alone. A top loader with an agitator can actually help “beat” the clothes clean.
Save your money and look on for a better washer. Also see my review of the Maytag Neptune matching dryer.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 999
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Epinions.com ID:
bsauter
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Location: Metro Indianapolis, IN
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Photo studio owner and 22-year police officer.
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