Wow Sears is quoting a minimum or $200 without even seeing it? What if it turns out to be a hose that came unclamped and it take the tech 10 minutes to fix, is the minimum still gonna be $200? I can't see paying a $200+ trip charge, that's just crazy. Go to fixitnow.com and see if you can fixit yourself, or call in a local repair company, one that is more honest Sears. Just my thoughts.

I will add that if it does cost $200 to get it repaired then I would junk it, if a repair cost 50% or more of the purchase price on a major appliance, then it's generally not worth fixing.

Get your self a 1/4" nutdriver, and get down on your belly and remove the three screws from the bottom panel, and "view" things before calling anyone. The three screws are under the bottom front panel of the washer. You didn't say is was coming out the front door area, so start it up and see if you can locate it. Some of the areas that leak are the "pump" its located right in front of you when the bottom panel is removed. Next there is a "rubber boot" that attaches to the pump and to the lower section of the washer tub, there could be a slash in that boot. The other area might be the "two halves of the tub", put your hand under there and feel and see if theres water drops from the two halves. Next is to the left and up under the front where the door and dispenser tray is, there is a "rubber hose" from the dispenser to the inlet just inside the washer door, and that water from the dispenser, injects the water into the tub there. Check your hoses. Also open the door, and there is a rubber seal that seals the front panel and attaches to the outter holding tub, with a flash light, open the rubber or push the spin basket to the back and you can see between the rubber and see if there is a slash in the rubber and leaking there. brenton ps. usually if there is a leak, the signs are there.

These calls can be tricky, some are "stacked units" requires two people. Are we on pavement or gravel roads, and how far away are you. All these things figure in on the cost, insurance, etc. We techs know the safety involved in a call. Your situation is a leak. Theres electrical stuff under there, and we know what to do. We know where to look. Most independent techs charge in the range of 70.00 If hes any good, this call should take him minutes to find the problem, because he knows where to look, and what hes looking for. $200.00 is high in my area. But if you are smart and keep your hands and that out of the way and just look after you have the front off, you probably will get lucky and find the problem, and make a decision. brenton

Someone said, "How can they quote 200 to fix it with out looking at it" It was also said "Isn't 2 yrs kind of pitiful for the life span of a major appliance" Well did anyone think that the reason its leaks might just be the user, hey. Had one that she over loaded it and when it went into the spin program, the holding tub banged up against the dispenser tray and cracked it, so it leaked all of hell. They to blamed it on the machine, and the life of things, when it was her that was the problem. Also have MANY pumps with needles and pins and money etc in the pump and sheered off the impeller, dam machines are not lasting long hey, again, they didn't clean the pockets, this story can have a very long end to it, if I decided to post on dishwashers and all the junk and crap we remove from the sump on them. I like it when they say, how did all that get in there???????? yah, I wonder, I sure the hell wasn't me I tell them. Sears qouted you 200 min, well if your pump has crap in it, and its leaking, or you have torn one of the rubber hoses our door seal boot, yes it could cost that. If this was the case, and your the one responsible for the junk in the pump and the cause of the leak, will you post that the machine is ok, but the owner is the problem. brenton.

You really can't compare machines made 20 years ago with ones of today. And looking at the cost you paid for it vs the repair isn't necessarily the best way, rather I'd look at the repair cost vs the REPLACEMENT cost. You could buy a used machine cheap but if you look at replacing it with a $1000-$2000 machine, you probably would think $200 is a cheap alternative wouldn't you?

Another major question is whether you like the machine. If so, that's a point in favor of repair, and of course if not, it's a point against repair.

Sears is well-known for high service costs. Their service contracts are double, triple or more of the cost of a comparable service contract most anywhere else.

I'd call a reputable service company and get an idea what they'd charge. I'd also take a look inside. I had a hose clamp lose tension on my 30 year old machine and that caused a leak. I didn't think it was worth fixing but was curious what was inside so I popped the top and lo-n-behold, a simple hose clamp was fixed in minutes and a 25¢ hose clamp.

A machine that needs a service call because of an imbalance, or because of normal stuff in an unemptied pocket, isn't well engineered IMO. But I guess the service tech often gets the blame.

I've been in the repair business over 35 years and the reality is that the same stuff that screwed up a 1960's and 70's machine is the same stuff that screws them up today.. It's just today there is a public forum to voice complaints of how a simple nail left in a pocket caused minor/major damage to a washer.

As to comparing building materials of machines from yesteryear to today you are correct they don't build them like they used to. Some in my industry might even say they are built better today.
Did you ever wonder how they sold a top load washer in 1970 for $399 and now almost 40 years later they still sell top load washers for the same $399 ? Wasn't gas about .30 cents a gallon then ? A loaf of bread .25 cents. Price of a modest home $25,000. Wouldn't logic tell you that a major appliance price should have kept pace with other consumable items? Is it possible that technological advances have been able to keep the price of appliances static when they really should be costing maybe 5 times more?
By the way I'm not seeing any shortened life expectancies either. Back when I started in the business a washer would average 12 to 14 years in life. I have not see this appreciatively change over the last 35 years. As always I see some machines that had a shorter life and I see some machines that have an extended life but the majority still seem to fall in to the 12 to 14 year category. The one constant is that the product user who properly maintains their machine tend to get the longest lives out of them and the users who don't check pockets, overload, use too much detergent, etc. tend to get the shorter lives out of their appliance.
This is not really just my humble opinion but just my experience from working on a few hundreds of thousands of appliances.

Conventional wisdom is, replace an appliance if the repair would cost half or more of the replacement price. Prices of top-load washers are around the same as in 1970, but repair costs have certainly gone up, what with increases in labor rates and transportation costs. So that alone, the increased ratio of repair cost vs. replacement cost, could lead to decreased washer lifespan these days. It's just easier for a repair to cost half or more of the replacement price.

Looked at my post from last night and realized it's a rant... not helpfull. ( it was a tough day ).

1st review your manufacturers warranty to make sure that pumps, hoses, tub and motors don't carry extended warranties.

I agree with the top posters that if you feel at least handy enough to remove the access panel you should at least take a look to see what may be leaking. Just make sure you unplug the washer before removing any panels.

Also remember that with most service companies the trip charge/estimate is the probably the most expensive part of the repair. eg: if the trip charge is $90 and the estimate comes to $170 what your really looking at is an additional $80 to the $90 that you are already spending to have the tech look at the machine.

I recommend calling a couple friends and find out what local servicer they are using for their repairs. You can also look in the phone book for servicers but do a quick check with the BBB before setting up an appointment.

Yes it's worth having a 2 year old machine repaired.

Sorry for the previous rant.

jakvis, everyone has a bad day, but at least you have the decency to admit it!!

This problem is one reason I started getting extended warranties. My dryer is almost five years old. We had an intermittent problem with it. Of course when the repairman came it was running fine! He told me what to look for if it happened again. Of course it went bad after he left, and I checked what he told me to. Called & set another appointment for him to come back. I figure that experience alone probably paid for the extended warranty!

Well I do not purchase extended warranties. By the time you have bought four or five of them, you can replace one major appliance. The example is when we remodeled the kitchen, six major appliance warranties would have cost in the $1000.00 area. That $1K would replace anything except the refrigerator. Just put that warranty money into a savings account, and over your lifetime you will be lots of money ahead.

DP

Well I never buy extended warranties either but when I bought my Whirlpool duet 2 years ago, the salesman talked me into a 5 year warranty. Thank god he did! Machine was fine for the first 2 years and then hell broke loose. Since June, there have been 2 repair companies and about 10 visits from 3 different repairmen and still not working right and only about 60% working. Do they have a lemon law for washing machines? How long do I put up with this? Cost to repair is at about $700 now. They are coming again next Thurday to repair again and if it does not work, I'm going to call the dealer and see what he says because the repair guy says they keep trying until it's repaired.
When the warranty is up...going to sell the machine and maybe go back to the top loader!!!!!