Maytag Neptune™ MAH6500A Front Load Washer

If you've researched this machine at all, you will know that it has major defects with the controller cards - both the motor controller and the master controller cards. However, these machines are deeply discounted and some have coupons for years worth of detergent that may make the purchase feasible if you are willing to buy extended warranty for the life of the machine.

I bought one of these machines about 5 years ago and I have a coworker that owns one as well. Mine failed a little over 2 years after purchasing it. The machine cycled normally, but the motor did not spin so you ended up with a wet, soapy mess. Unfortunately, my warranty had run out. I contacted Maytag and I was advised the motor controller board had failed and would need to be replaced. Note that the motor has a 10 year warranty. I was told the board was not warrantied, which seemed a little fishy but I am not arguing that point. The motor board is approximately a $200 replacement and I was willing to pay this since it was my choice not to pay for the extended warranty. The issue I have is that Maytag is forcing customers to pay for a new motor (another $200) because they discontinued producing the assembly that came with my machine (I'm sure it's because of the high failure rate). Since the motor is warrantied for 10 years I feel Maytag has the responsibility to produce the parts or upgrade the motor for free. Maytag disagrees. I researched the issue further when I found out my coworker's machine failed also (luckily under warranty) and found that the problem was common. I contacted Maytag to ask if they were considering a recall (this was before they lost the lawsuit). I'm assuming the phone reps have gone through quite a few bad calls because this guy was very rude when I pointed out he was incorrect with the statistics he gave me. I don't know if the reps didn't have correct information, but I was told there were no problems with these machines. Consumer reports showed 1 in 5 machines had failed at the time. My opinion is that customer loyalty means very little to Maytag; and after being point blank lied to, I will not buy anything Maytag again.

I do not recommend this product nor any product from Maytag because I do not feel they stood behind the warranty on the machine's motor. However, after they lost the lawsuit, I did get my machine fixed (about 6 months after it malfunctioned). It still has a glitch starting, but a few tries and it starts each time.

Discounting the experience above, I'm happy overall with the machine's performance. I don't get my clothes greasy normally and I don't have kids, so I don't know how well it'd work on tough stains, etc. But my clothes come out clean. I've used HE and normal, powder and liquid. I couldn't really tell a difference. The machine uses less water when you don't use a full load so I use adjust the detergent proportionately. With top loaders I've had powder not dissolve completely and show up on dark clothes, but I've not seen that issue with this machine. I've read about mildew issues, but I've not experienced that. When I think I won't be using the machine for a couple of days I leave the door open for a few hours to dry out so that may help.

I've had a top loading machine eat up a matress cover in the past and the design of the front loaders lets you wash bulky loads without fear. I have washed comforters, pillows, etc without any issues. I admit I put more jeans in the thing than I should, but it handles them without issue. I do believe the machine is gentler on my clothes than the typical top loader. It does twist the legs on my jeans more than toploaders. It's also easier to move clothes to the dryer as well.

I like its container on top to fill with detergent, bleach, and softener when you start a load and it does the rest. There is an extra rinse if you want to rinse with water after the softener rinse, or you can turn it off and the last rinse will be the softener rinse. I put liquid starch in the softener cup and turn the extra rinse off and I no longer need the can of spray starch. This does require a little more sorting of clothes but it saves me time doing laundry.

The delayed start is handy. The load takes a REALLY long time to wash on it's max setting and I like it to finish when I am getting in from work. Maytag markets it as matched washing and drying times, but it's really just a very long wash cycle. This isn't too big of an issue if you are doing loads back to back because you will be waiting on the dryer to finish, but day to day washing you may want to stay with the shorter wash setting.

The machine makes a little noise - nothing I'd consider loud - when it starts the spin cycles to wring the clothes, and it does this 4 or 5 times depending on your settings. But the wash cycles are remarkably quiet. I have trouble telling the thing is actually running.

Against my recommendation, my brother bought a newer model because the machine was heavily discounted and he was given coupons for 2 years of free detergent. I don't know how much the detergent was worth, but he felt like the deal was too good to pass up. His machine failed in about 6 months and a second time about 6 months later than that. So the reliability problem has not been resolved yet. When the machine is working, it works well and the repair takes about 90 minutes. If you can get the machine cheaply enough it might be worth a look. When comparing be sure to consider the price of extended warranty for about 10 years or something. I believe you will need it. I, however, prefer to use companies that realize the importance of customer loyalty.