Customer Reviews

Bosch Vision 500 Series DLX : WFVC6450UC 27 Front-Load Washer 4.4 cu. ft Capacity - White

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is my first front loader. This washer does a great job, but it seems like there is a bit of residual soap left in the fabric when the cycle is complete. I could be using a little too much soap, because this is a high-efficiency washer and requires less soap. In addition, we have a water softener, so I need to cut back on the soap. I always do an extra allergy rinse cycle. I do have to leave the door ajar when I'm not using it, otherwise it smells musty. I always wipe out the gasket after I've completed my laundry to remove any excess water. It is really, really quiet. It can spin very fast. My engineer husband is so impressed that he loves to stand and watch the washer spin. It must be a geeky thing.

Mid to below average unit. If you want the clothes to rinse free of detergent you have to use so little that the clothes don't get fully clean. I called Bosch about this and they recommended I either, use less detergent (1Tbs is the recommended by them) or run a whole additional cycle to get them clean of the detergent. I would not recommend this unit.

It functions properly about 80% of the time, however it has WEIRD issues that just show this product was not well tested or thought out.

Sometimes the timer will get all the way to zero without changing cycles. Yes, it has continued to wash clothes for several hours while I was at work and the count down stays at 1 minute left, it never finishes, it never changes cycles.

Sometimes it just doesn't spin the clothes, it will get to the spin cycle, and just slowly spin for ever without getting up to full spin speed, again, it never finishes it's process.

Sometimes the door lock doesn't work, it will not unlock, and just keeps trying to unlock again and again.

Sometimes I hit pause and it causes an error, and it starts the drain and spin cycle immediately.

No wonder Bosch stopped making washers and dryers. After a disaster of a machine like this, I am sure they have lost all credibility in the product category. From other reviews of the Bosch Vision 500 I have read, it seems I am definitely not alone.

We purchased an electric Bosch Vision series washer & dryer set(with pedestals) from Lowe's because it was a very good deal. I don't know if I have enough room here to express all the exasperating things about these machines, but will hit some of the low points for us. They are probably okay if you are a complete Nimrod, and want the standard settings on the machine to do the thinking for you, but I have been doing laundry many years now, and I know what temperature, cycle, etc. that I need to get certain clothes clean without ruining them- but with these units, you don't have options such as temp control (except on 2 cycle selections) or length of cycle. It does however, think that a choice of spin speed is vitally important, because you can change that on every cycle. It has a choice of several cycles which are pre-labeled for certain types of materials (e.g jeans, comforter) and a generic "Quick Full" and "Quick Light" cycles. I don't really know what temperature these wash in-(and unless you refer to the graph in the manual, you won't), so I only use them for those things that have been washed 1000 times before. Many cycles seem extra long-the Xtra Sanitary cycle is about 3 hours long when you add a stain cycle.And you may think I am kidding on this next thing, but the minutes during the countdown of a wash cycle are sometimes much longer than a minute. One time, a cycle had one minute left for 5 minutes- and this is not the same everytime- Seriously.
Now, let me be straight, I have found nothing seriously adverse about the way they clean the clothes. That's pretty standard. The drying on the otherhand, takes some creativity on which cycle (usually cycles) to choose to get the stuff dry in the least amount of time.
The end cycle signals are the MOST annoying feature. They ring incessently (okay, that's a lie...they do stop after sometime longer than 20 minutes of beeping about every 6 seconds). I haven't let the beep go on much longer than that, because it drives us crazy- but if you are trying to sleep or just can't get to the washer right away- it will drive your whole household insane until someone rushes in and opens the washer door to stop it. How many times do you have to be reminded that the wash cycle is finished? Once or twice would suffice, right? The dryer also has its own annoying cycle beeps- which can be changed if you want to. I am still figuring this out.
Rinsing well seems to be a problem, and I only use 1-2 tablespoons of detergent, as recommended, even if you add the Allergy Rinse. Sometimes I set it for another "Quick" cycle just to rinse it. There is not a choice for rinse only.There is, however a Drain & Spin Only- which is useful if you feel you need it.
This leads me to vibration mode. On Max Spin our whole house vibrates- sounds like a helicopter is hovering overhead.We have now opted to choose a lower spin speed each time we start another load, if we actually remember to do it.
Tonight, the new irritant was this:
Most washers/dryers have the option of changing the door opening based on how you have them arranged. We, after wrenching these two monster units into place in our newly remodeled laundry room, erroneously assumed we could switch the washer door opening, as we could on the dryer. Uh-uh. So now we have a washer that opens to the wrong side.
Umm, what else? Oh, yes...the drying cycles (on the dryer of course) restart their time ALL OVER AGAIN if you happen to want to open the door to check on how your load is doing, or add another item. For example, if you have chosen a cycle that takes 60 minutes, and it's been running for 40 minutes- and you are wondering if your shirt is dry enough yet so you open the door to check on that shirt- and no, it's not dry enough so you throw it back in and close the door. The timer then automatically re-sets back to 60 minutes- (no kidding).You get to start all over again, or choose another cycle entirely.
So, if I had enough money to give these away, and get another brand (like my old LG's), I would. If this helps someone else avoid some angst, then it has been worth my time.

The only reason I'm giving my Bosch NEXXT washer any stars is because it's lasted seven years, albeit all but having shaken itself to death. That's both a blessing and a curse. Had it died I've have been put out of my misery. Pros: It's quiet(ish). You will have to bolt it to the floor like most front loaders though. I also like the fact it heats its own water which lets me keep my water heater set only high enough for a comfortable shower. Cons: Oh where do I start. The design is apparently to save water. It doesn't use enough water, particularly in the wash cycle, to do the job. I find I have to add anywhere from a quart to a whole gallon of water to the wash cycle (depending on load size) to be sure all the clothes get wet, much less clean. I've taken clothes out of the washer after a complete cycle which still stunk of B.O! It takes forever and sometimes doesn't get up to full speed on the extraction (rinse) cycle. I have to watch it to make sure it actually does get up to full spin. I've taken clothes out after the washer is done that not only are soaking wet but soapy too; which tells me it never fully extracted after any of the cycles. How's that for an "automatic" washer! And then worst of all, both manufacturer and dealer support is disgraceful. I've been told to use different soap, use less soap (<2 tbs.), run an empty load of vinegar water once a month, all blaming me for this terrible design, and never owning up to actually trying to do anything to make things right. I know I'm overreacting, but I'll never buy another Bosch product again nor will I shop at this retailer ever again. Shame, shame, shame. (actual model number of my 2004 model: WFMC3200UC/01).