Asko has the highest washing temps(205 degrees vs 150-165) and has a reputation as good as its competitors.

Here is a link that might be useful: LINK

I would also go for an Asko in that situation.

The Miele W3033 (and W3035 and W3039, which are the same machine with different exterior finishes) is a very nice choice in a 24" wide front loader. If you search on the W3033 model number here you'll find it discussed in a number of posts. I've also included a link to the Miele USA website page for them below.

Happy shopping.

Here is a link that might be useful: Miele washing machines

Thanks for the feedback so far. I've never heard of a Asko, so I'll do some research on that.

The repairman that worked on my Bosch said that while the Mieles are great, they are very expensive to repair (being European and all that, just like the BMW's), is that the case?

None of the European machines are cheap to repair. My last Miele went 15 years without any service issues at all, then the motor failed, the most expensive part in the machine. It would have been $825 to fix, so I bought a new one. Most people's Miele's don't seem to need a lot of repairs.

Miele will also extend the warranty from 1 to 5 years for $249, which seems pretty reasonable to me since they guarantee that you'll get a Miele authorized service person and genuine MIele replacement parts.

I've had a couple of recent Asko machines that do...odd things.

Things like not stopping pumping water out, even when there's no water in them. Or saying a load is unbalanced when it has 2 towels, 2 facecloths, and 1 bathmat in it. Or spewing water out the fill drawer.

They clean really well but has anyone else seen these problems intermittently?

I've had all three machines through 2 houses in the last 10 years. Miele, Bosch and Asko are the rankings I'd give in that order. My Asko controller board went at 9 and couldn't be replaced. Rather than repair I went with a new Miele set.

Choices depend a lot on laundry needs IMO. F.ex. Miele does everything well. Bosch does everything well. Asko does whites well and has the most precise temperature control but fell short for me on the shorter cycle loads. And while I liked having the hottest settings, they weren't very practical for modern fabrics and were rarely used. The delicate and wool cycles never worked. We have a lot of black and synthetic loads so the Bosch & Miele were better fits for me.

The dryers are another whole area. I actually like the Bosch best though it was a condenser and got things very hot. Asko left everything wrinkled and balled up. The Miele dryer is by far the most adjustable but it's also the trickiest because of the adjustability and occasionally annoying to use. But I've had great results and it does things the others don't do at all.

Given my experience with the Bosch, I'm thinking about buying an american brand - anyone has good recommendations? Like GE / Maytag / Whirlpool? Remember - has to be 24".

Also - my Bosch dryer still works great. Does any know if I will be able to stack it on a new washer (non Bosch brand)?

thanks!

LG makes a 24" washer. I don't know of a GE/Maytag/Whirlpool 24".

Here is a link that might be useful: LG Compact Washer

We just looked at the 24" LG units at a local BestBuy. They seem fine, but we're replacing our standard-sized, front-loading LGs for smaller units (Miele, Asko, or Bosch).

Incidentally, our experience with LG hasn't been without a few hiccups [Edit: in retrospect, however, I have to say I still have a high confidence in the brand, and am now about to buy another LG--the washer/dryer combo]

LG Tromm-series (2007):

1. After about three months of service, clothes started coming out of the dryer with black marks all over them--the entire drum was replaced under warranty (though, we still have no idea what actually caused the marks since the drum looks perfectly fine).
2. Now in its sixth year of service, the washer started to emit a funny smell on the first load after remaining idle for a day or so (the smell disappears after subsequent loads). [Edit: further reading on this forum has now educated me on this rather common problem.]
3. Also in its sixth year of service (now), the dryer makes a loud rumble noise [Edit: again, thanks to this forum, I've now learned that repairclinic.com is a great resource for such common wear-and-tear issues--I suspect that the dryer rollers simply need replacement--a mere $37 from repairclinic.com].

That said, the 24" LGs we saw looked fine (available only in white--which is actually slightly off-white), and are displayed in a faux-counter installation in-store. They're currently "on sale" for $899 each.

This post was edited by studio460 on Mon, Jun 3, 13 at 11:43

There is the GE 2.2 Cu.Ft. Model # WCVH4800KWW. It seems to be a pretty good washer from the reviews I've read.

Yes, twebbz, though I've yet to see one in person, the GE units are rather good-looking machines. They appear to be well-reviewed; however, I noticed that "customer reviews" on retail sites (e.g., Home Depot, Best Buy, etc.) also include "aggregated" reviews taken from the manufacturer's website as well (which I think is weird). I've read many reviews two or three times due to this odd and unexpected marketing practice.

Nevertheless, the GEs are priced right, seemingly well-reviewed, and not bad-looking. The only problem I have with the GE unit is their ever-so-slightly longer overall depth dimension of 26 5/8" (an inch deeper than most other 24" machines, and 1/8" deeper than standard counter-depth). It's enough of a struggle as it is to wedge a compact machine into an under-counter installation, yet still have enough clearance for hoses, etc. But, maybe it's just due to a big handle or something--I don't know.

This post was edited by studio460 on Sat, Jun 1, 13 at 13:08

By the way, after long consideration of Miele, Asko, and Bosch 24" units, I think I've actually finally settled on the 24" LG washer/dryer combination unit, model no.: WM3455HW. It's the only combination unit I'm aware of sold in the US (save for the toy-ish looking, slim-featured Fagor unit). I would love to buy the Miele combo unit instead (and, was actually my first choice), but unfortunately, it's not available in the US.

We're planning an under-counter installation, and this LG combo unit allows us one additional 24" base cabinet (where none existed before) in our currently under-renovation laundry area. Plus, it only requires 120VAC, and is ventless. I've read all the caveats, and despite condensor dryers' inherent longer drying times, it still appears to be a very positively reviewed machine. Sometimes it takes me hours just to move the clothes from one machine to another, so I'm really looking forward to the convenience.

This post was edited by studio460 on Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 6:07

They have the GE washer with it's dryer on display at my Lowe's store. It is a snappy looking design and appears to be of high quality.