Your experience is totally different than mine. Mine is six years old now and still works perfectly. Maybe you had a lemon unit. What model was it?

Spewey,
I am glad you have had a good experience. I also own an Asko washer. I have replaced the pump which, though under warranty still cost $200 to repair despite the part. The dryer has been a nightmare. W6 221 Quattro 1200 rpm. The techs who have worked on it told me directly the problem is not that it is a lemon, but that the model's blower assembly does not work as designed. In addition, this very big busy independent appliance seller, does not offer Asko appliances anymore as they are not dependable. But they service them...alot, the most of any appliance they carry. They carry hi end stuff only. Teh worst thing is that Asko will not acknowledge this with me, and simply say we are sorry. In 6 weeks, I have had to take it in 3 times at average cost of $75 per lint removal. Now, after 2 weeks I cannot turn it on without leaving my home as it is running so loud.

Asko had similar troubles here in the UK. People stopped buying them, and as a result they no longer sell under their own name in the UK. IMO the Asko dryers have to be one of the worse designs out there, and they don't even have reverse tumbling - a must on a Euro dryer, and a feature which even the el cheapo dryers have here in the UK.

Even though Asko's haven't been sold for a few years here, and less of them were sold, the appliance shop that I work for still sees more Asko units than Miele or AEG units, both of which have far more of the UK market share, and most AEGs and Mieles are about 10 years old before they first see the repairman.

Still, they can be good machines, and have to be better than some of the rubbish sold in the domestic market here in Europe. My mum this week has just returned a frontloader that was just under a month old which failed due to a bad motor, and has replaced it with a Miele, if anything just for the peace of mind and to have a washer that just does its job without any hassle.

Jon

If your Asko is under warranty, you shouldn't be charged for parts or service.

Where should I look for this trapped lint? I have nothing in my fan assembly -- is it somewhere else?

Well, I just checked the fan assembly -- no lint, nada, zilch, zippo, nicht, nein, nyet.

I was reading through some epinions posts about Asko dryers and you'd be amazed at the things people do. One person complained about the unit overheating and constantly shutting down, then at the end of his review he adds: "After much head scratching, we finally realised that we have never removed the lint from the lint collector (just behind the front door), and there was so much lint built up it was preventing the hot air from venting out."

How dumb can some people be?

Now I'm not saying this is what you did, but if you don't clean the main lint screen regularly, any excess lint overflow will obviously head back into the fan assembly. You must clean the lint filter after every load -- it's clearly stated in the manual, and I follow that procedure. I have never had any lint problems. I started doing the routine fan check as Asko recommends in its manual, but I stopped after the first few because there was nothing there. Still nothing there after 3 years.

I don't know what people are complaining about. I suspect, without intending to offend anyone, that a lot of the problems are due to user error or misuse.

Help from anyone...
I recently purchased the ASKO W6461 and T761. These are the first washer and dryers I have ever purchased. Reading these message boards, I am not extremely concerned with their performance and worried these lemons are going to fail me. Any tips to prevent this or am I doomed?

Is the dryer really this horrible?

Thanks!

Sue

suziesuesue, no need to worry. I have a W6761 washer and T761 and have not exeperienced any of the lint problems the OP was posting about. Look at my post previous to yours... I'm not saying the OP did this, but someone on another forum dissed the Asko dryer for spreading lint throughout the unit, and in the end he realized "oh, duh, I have never emptied the lint filter". Some people are just stupid -- nothing you can do about that, I suppose -- and then they spread these horror stories that have no basis in truth. User error is a gross understatement.

To the OP, who is probably long gone by now, if you have to take your dryer in for a lint cleaning every two weeks, then there is an issue on YOUR END with something that you're doing. Don't blame the dryer. Either you're not emptying your lint filter regularly, or your vent run is too long and out of spec, or you have a blockage somewhere.

I've had my T761 for four years now, and only two problems -- Asko has a fuse bypass fix, which you should get done under warranty, otherwise your dryer fuses will blow on a regular basis. I also melted and snapped the belt in my dryer by putting heavy rubber-backed rugs into the dryer which somehow jammed and caused the belt to snap.

My W6761 had the motor replaced, but this was not due to a mechanical problem. The motor developed a slight squeaking sound during high speed spin, which apparently only I and my dogs could hear -- nobody else heard this -- and Asko replaced the motor and upgraded a few components in my unit since they already had it opened up. All is fine.

You have two very good units that will last you a long time. You have a 3 year warranty, which is incredible compared to the competition's 1 year warranty. Enjoy your laundry pair and don't look back. Lots of satisfied Asko owners out there, and a handful of loud complainers.

OH, if you want the perfect detergent for your Asko, go grab yourself a box of Bi-O-Kleen Premium Powder from drugstore.com -- it's on sale for less than $9 for a 54 load box. It's the best detergent I've ever used, and it's environmentally friendly.

I have the T721 condensor dryer and I've had a lot of problems with it.

1. The door seal/gasket stretched out, making it difficult to close the door and allowing lint to bypass the filter and clog the condensor unit. The tech replaced it, saying he'd never seen this happen before. Now, almost one year later, the replacement seal/gasket has also stretched and there's a new one on order.

2. The dryer started making grinding noises when the drum turned. The tech came and disassembled and reassembled the mechanism, lubricated a few parts, and it no longer makes noise. He was not quite sure why it happened.

3. The pump failed so that water leaked from the dryer - lots of water. The tech came and replaced the pump. He also taped a cracked hose temporarily, and later replaced the hose and a float.

The local repair service has been excellent - they send the same guy out in less than a week and he's very pleasant and informative. All of this work has been performed under the 3 year warranty.

On the other hand, the Asko Advisory Center (in Houston?) was pretty useless. I have a stacked washer/dryer with a slide out drawer in between. I'd asked the installers if I needed to do anything besides clean the filter and they said no. The manual said to clean the condensor unit, so I called Asko and I was told that I didn't need to clean the condensor but did need to clean the fan yearly.

I asked them how could I open the panel when the slide-out drawer blocked the screws. They said I had to get someone to help me move the dryer.

I asked the repair tech and he told me of course I had to clean the condensor. He showed me how to tilt the dryer and open the panel. Not a heavy lifting job. I clean the lint filter after every load and clean the condensor monthly.

The dryer is OK on normal, although not speedy, but it's really slow on low.

I'm not a complainer generally, but I think I have a lemon. I've joked with the tech that by the time the warranty is up he'll have replaced the entire innards of the dryer.

On the other hand, I've had no problem with the washer.

Claire

I know that condenser dryers are not the best at drying or the most reliable pieces of equipment, but it sounds like you have far more service than you should at this point in time. My T761 had the fuse bypass and a belt replaced -- that's it. It's happily chugging along, as is my washer.

My dryer has started making noises. It is model T701. It has been a great dryer except for two repairs due to fuse, but works perfectly.

Can't figure out the noise but will sound like someone dropped a bunch of little steel balls or change in. It will make the sound on an off, not enough to be annoying but still, it really shouldn't be making any sounds since it wasn't before. Any ideas?

Could some loose change have found its way into the fins? Have you put your head in the drum to try to isolate where the sound is coming from?

The dryer is relatively simple, internally, and there should be no ill effects to disassembling it and taking a peek inside. Be careful, however, as Asko uses surgical steel inside the unit and there are some sharp edges. This may be all you need to diagnose and fix the problem yourself, if its simple.

I posted on Jan 24, 2007 about problems with my T721 condensor dryer. Since then, I've had numerous problems, most of which were fixed under the warranty.

However, I have one recurring issue which puzzles me and the tech. The Asko Advisory Center just brushed me off today.

The gasket/seals keep stretching out and need to be replaced. I've had the dryer a little over three years so the warranty has expired.

1. During the lifetime of the dryer, I've had to replace three door seals. This is the inner gasket which seals the part of the door that contains the filter. The newest gasket is now beginning to stretch.

2. More expensive (and off warranty) was the replacement of the whole condensor unit because the front and rear gaskets stretched. $266 for the parts.

3. Maybe associated with the same problem is the fact that various plastic parts (door latches) and the condensor unit handle, were deteriorated as if some chemical was eating away at the plastic.

When I first observed the problem, I was using Tide HE and white vinegar instead of fabric softener. Since then I've used Tide HE plus OxiClean (or a Shaw's knockoff) and recently I've switched to Biokleen detergent plus the OxiClean knockoff plus white vinegar. Small amounts (per manufacturer or less) of all.

I clean the filter after every drying session and I clean the fan at least yearly. The condensor unit gets cleaned every month or two, although I let it go for three months just before the condensor gaskets failed. The condensor always feels very oily when I clean it.

The tech said that he was told that the oil was a normal part of the operation of the condensor.

All I can think of is that there is a component of that oil that eats away plastic, and/or there is some chemical in the laundry that isn't getting completely rinsed out.

I've had no problems with the W6021 washer which just keeps chugging along. I use the Normal Plus setting at 140 or 160 degrees, rarely 175 degrees.

The tech is scheduled to come back on Wednesday with the last few parts.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Claire

Am reading all of your posts- I am surprised at how many are unhappy. Or is this a case of when something goes bad all the negatives come out, but the positives just go their merry way!?
My Asko washer/dryer are the 7005 model- about 10 years old and absolutely no problems.
I was disappointed about the salesman telling me that it could handle a queen comforter- it does not. In general it does not hold as much as a regular top loader. I have a top loader for the 'big stuff'. I live very rural and get pretty dirty sometimes- the Asko does clean really dirty stuff better.
I have a cheapo in my condo- I think it is Danby- anyway- they work just as good as the Asko- the Danby dryer turns both ways- goes on for 1 hour-it turns for 5 seconds every 10 minutes for 1 hour after clothes are done. The Danby washer does not do well with a single heavy item, though- a small bath-rug for instance.

I have had a T760 dryer for approx. 10 years with not one single problem. I do clean the filter every time, but that is all I do. My 20605 washer is also still going strong.

Anyone thinking about buying an Asko clothes dryer should think twice. I’ve had one for 6 years and replaced the belt twice. To the tune of $1600.00. My recommendation buy a cheaper dryer.

Anyone thinking about buying an Asko clothes dryer should think twice. I’ve had one for 6 years and replaced the belt twice. To the tune of $1600.00. My recommendation buy a cheaper dryer.