Good choice March 25, 2010

I purchased a Whirlpool after a short but bad experience w/a high effeciency GE.  I've only had it a couple weeks now (hopefully, nothing will break down any time soon) but I love it.  It's pretty quiet - just makes a normal amount of noise.  It's low maintenance (so far), you can throw your clothes in and not have to worry about them and everything comes out fresh & clean.  I read other reviews on the unit & went for the 1 w/o the auto load sensor so I wouldn't have to worry about that feature not working.  I'm very happy w/it & I would recommend this washer. 

With luck you will get a good one and be satisfied, but.... September 01, 2009

I spent several days reseaching top-loaders before I went out and got this one,  and it's clear that when pretty much any of these top-loaders work, they are great, but that you also stand a fairly good chance of getting a lemon.

There seem to be several areas where problems may exist:

Clutches in this line ( I have the 5300 ) may or may not be noisy. Mine often makes a horrible clanging noise between cycles, like someone whacking the tub with a hammer, but other times is quiet at the very same point in the cycle.

I was fortunate to get one with a quiet transmission, but it's possible that yours will make noise.  Others have mentioned that once they had the transmission replaced, the machine became quiet, so it's clear that they can present a problem too.

The four water temperatures are just for show.  Really all you get (others have mentioned the same thing) is cold......a hot temperature of about 102* (no matter what the incoming temp may be)  .....while the cool and warm temps are within 5-10 degrees of each other.  I measured mine with a lab thermometer, so I can confirm what others have said.

Tubs can also arrive more or less out of ballance from the factory. Mine shook like crazy *without* any clothes in it.  Taping a 3/4 lb weight to a certain point in the tub helped it balance out a little, and confirmed that it simply was not in ballance to begin with.  The self-leveling legs in the back may also stick.  If you push down on the machine in either of the back corners, and the thing tips, you may have to fiddle with them. I had to jiggle the leveling mechanisum several times before I was able to get mine to sit solidly.

  Unfortunately the ATC ( Automatic Temp Control ) on my machine is a nightmare.  Temps are controlled by water valves that turn on and or intermittently during the fill cycle.  Each time they turn on or off, they send a huge water-hammer through the whole house.  Mine hammered on and off over 150 times to simply fill the tub to "full" on the hot setting, and hammered over 250 times to fill the tub to medium on the warm setting.   I can put my hand on the pipes in other parts of the house and feel as well as hear this surge slamming through the lines and some pipes in the garage actually are jumping. There is a valve for the hot water and one for the cold, and they both do it.  How long can my pipes in my elderly home be expected to stand this kind of treatment ?

I'll be calling the fellow to come out and see about it, but he may just say that "they all do this."  If so, this machine is going back and I will try and find another brand that controls the water temp in a different manner. Keep in mind that within this line, Kenmores are the same machines as the Whirlpools.

...........

If you spend time reading the web reviews, it's clear that almost all brands of the old fashioned top loaders on the market suffer from quality control issues.  Manufactures seem to be throwing quick, but often poorly engineered solutions at these machines in order to get them to meet new government energy standards.  In some instances these may work as intended, but add to this the apparent overall nature of qualiity control as it applies to top-loaders, and you may find that getting one that has no problems may simply be a matter of luck and good fortune.

If you go to the JD Powers site, you will see that LG and Samsung have the best quality, reliablity and satisfaction ratings across the board.  If you have the money, and are willing to go with a front loader, they may be the brands that provide the most peace of mind.

Just want a warmer warm August 07, 2009

The ATC (auto temp control) feature on the WTW5300VW2 top loader ruins what could be a rock solid washing machine. Although the switch shows 4 temp settings for wash, The ATC feature (used only on cool and hot setting) leaves you with 3 versions of cold and 1 hot.  This is hardly effective when washing different levels of dirt.

Tech specs range
cold= 65-68 degrees
cool ATC= 70-73 degrees
warm= 70-73 degrees
hot ATC= +95 degrees

Yes you can work around it by filling half hot then switching to cold but that sets us back to a rock in the river now doesn't it. It should be as simple as load and go.

I can't believe that would fly as a design solution!  I was assured by service that my machine is working "as designed". I just want a warmer warm. So much for brand loyalty....

Bad transmission August 06, 2009

This washer is big and quiet but after only two years the gears on the transmission went bad. A local repairman told me he has seen this often on this Whirlpool model. With no extended warranty, it is not worth repairing!