The sound tells you the story
A washing machine that hums quietly through the wash cycle but sounds like a jet engine the moment it starts to spin is almost always suffering from one thing: worn drum bearings. The bearings are the small sealed units that allow the drum to rotate freely on its shaft, and they are the single most common wear item in a modern washing machine.
Why bearings fail
Washing-machine bearings are lubricated at the factory and sealed for life. Two things kill them: water ingress (usually from a failed rear seal on the drum shaft, which lets detergent water reach the bearing race and wash out the grease) and time (bearings have a finite lifespan — typically 8–12 years for a domestic machine, less for machines used more than five times a week).
How to confirm the diagnosis
- Empty the drum and spin the machine on its highest spin speed with the drum empty. If the noise is still there, it's not the load.
- Open the door and try to move the drum by hand — grip the top of the drum aperture and pull the drum forwards and backwards. Play of more than 2–3 mm at the top of the drum indicates worn bearings.
- Rotate the drum slowly by hand and listen for a rough, gritty feel — good bearings turn silently and smoothly.
Repair or replace?
The honest answer depends on the machine.
- Machines with a serviceable drum (most Miele, most older Bosch/Siemens, most AEG) — the outer drum can be split and the bearings replaced for around £50–£90 in parts. If you're competent with a spanner and don't mind wrestling a heavy drum, it is a good DIY job. Otherwise budget £180–£280 for an engineer.
- Machines with a sealed drum (most Whirlpool, Indesit, Hotpoint of the last decade) — the drum is welded shut and cannot be split. The only repair is to replace the entire drum assembly, which typically costs £200–£350 in parts alone. On a five-year-old machine that originally cost £280, the maths does not work.
The parts you'll need
- Bearing kit (front and rear bearings plus the drum shaft seal) — specific to your model
- Sometimes: a new drive belt
- Sometimes: a new rear tub gasket
- Tools: 30 mm socket for the pulley nut, a bearing puller or a soft mallet and drift, standard sockets and screwdrivers
Never assume you can substitute bearings from a similar model. The bearing race dimensions and the shaft seal specification vary by manufacturer and even by model year. Order by model number.
What to expect after the repair
A machine with new bearings sounds like a new machine again. Expect another 5–8 years of service from a repaired machine, provided nothing else was on its way out.
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