8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Neptune Isnt a Total Disaster
Date of Review: Feb 19, 2005
The Bottom Line: I would only recommend this machine to mechanically inclined persons, and only a new purchase if Maytag has resolved all issues. Otherwise only purchase used at huge discounts.
Reading some reviews you would think there is no hope whatsoever for these washers with the mold problems anyway. I can understand the early model users with thier electrical problems being so upset, but even that is reasonably cheap to repair yourself with a soldering iron, a few cheap electronic components and some time. Certainly not hundreds of dollars for every failure unless you just simply are not mechanically inclined. In that case you definitely should steer clear of most any appliance that doesnt have a long term warranty you finance the repairs for in advance.
As for the mold problems I pulled mine apart yesterday after 4 years just because I read about so many complaints. Sure enough that machine was plain slap loaded with heaps of mold. Disgusting, stinky, and mostly ugly. With a few hand tools commonly found in the average home owners garage I was able to dismantle the machine, and scour all that mold away. That bad boy cleaned up so pretty it looked brand new. Yes it took me over 6 hours. Not something we are accustomed to doing with a home appliance and definitely shameful. But it is simply a design problem of front loading machines. I have spent that many hours doing the spring cleaning, Cleaning out the garage, doing yard work. I guess it wont kill me to do this every 3 or 4 years with my Maytag. Its been a truly fantastic machine otherwise.
Moral of the story is that you can wait for a couple hundred dollars from a class action suit, or just get dirty and get it over with. The machine is salvagable, and with preventative care and proper treatment this Maytag will last 15 years just like the old one. Why toss out a grand of your hard earned cash over some hyped up over reaction to mold. JMHO
