So, are these machines working fine except if you want to add bleach or prewash? I need a new w/d amd am considering Miele. I don’t use bleach and have never needed a prewash cycle.

Eveeything works fine with the possible execption of the bleach/prewash issue. Prewash fix is starting to roll out now so it should be available for all affected models in the very near future.

For bleach the machine does not rinse the bleach tray even if the bleach option is turned on. They have acknowledged the problem but no fix yet.

if you use powder OR use the TwinDos liquid system then bleach (oxygen based) can be added that way.

OP Maybe edit the subject title. Fact is subject title is not true, let alone harsh. Miele is fully aware of issue, and it is not world wide either.

I had a Miele service partner tech visit on Monday who installed an update on my WXR 860 that was supposed to fix the bleach issue. They showed me a Miele bulletin that said,

“Issue: No bleach will dispense during the program selected. Bleach dispensing option is turned on. No faults are occurring, and the appliance is completing the program. Bleach is supposed to dispense during the last 10 minutes of the program, but it is still left in the detergent drawer (compartment I - Prewash) when the cycle completes.

Resolution: MDU appliance software update is now available to remedy this issue.”

However, in my testing the issue is still not fixed. There is water dispensed at the correct time but it does not flush the correct compartment, the same behavior as before.

I have scheduled another service visit and will keep testing. I will post any relevant updates.

Mark, Thanks for your suggestion, but I stand by the subject line. As I responded to you 3 months ago, a Miele representative told me that it was a worldwide problem. Specifically, they said they wanted to be sure it was not just a problem in America, and that they were not able to determine it was indeed a factory problem until they had amassed complaints from around the world. In my original post I mentioned Miele was aware of the problem but that they did not have a solution to fix it. This week Luna 123456 posted there would be a fix soon, but I have yet to be contacted by Miele about that and Hippo reported yesterday that the resolution still did not fix the issue.

Miele Rant

I just had a Miele tech out today to do a firmware update on my WXR 860 WCS hoping that the bleach would pull from the bleach well at the end of the normal cycle. No such luck. Same old problem. Not to mention that the tech managed to brick the machine and was here for two and half hours before he could get the firmware to update. Just as he was about to close the service call, order a replacement CPU and a dryer lift assist (stackables) (AND LEAVE ME WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING MACHINE) which would have taken in the vicinity of a week to 10 days, some certain someone from Miele who actually knows the technology called the tech and walked him through the issue. Seems that the tech's laptop was misconfigured and the commuication between the laptop and the machine was failing causing the firmware update to fail. Something about the speed setting between the laptop and the optical interaface they use. In any case, the firmware is up to date, the bleach problem is still not fixed. So far the only noticeable improvement is that the machine communicates the TwinDos fill level to the Miele app instead of my having to set it manually. The tech had no release notes so I have no idea what "fixes" or improvements are supposed to be included in the firmware update. All in all a very poor experience. I don't think Miele's service techs are up the task of dealing with the level of technology built into these modern marvels. "All the modern inconvieniences..." -- Mark Twain

Yikes! Thank you for posting.

There is no published fix for bleach dispensing yet. Only fix is for the the pre-wash issue.

Where does Miele "publish" such things? Thank you.

The Miele dealership just installed our WXI860 WCS washer and it has this bleach dispenser problem. The Miele service person had no idea how to fix this and neither did the supervisor. I wonder if we can take this problem to several other appliance review platforms and that might get Miele's attention. What a waste of everyone's time! We waited nine monrths for this washer and it is definitely not up to the famous Miele standards. Consumer Reports, Amazon, Digital Trends Reviews should all hear about this software problem and the way Miele has mishandled it.

Miele knows about it. others on this forum have posted about it and their contact with Miele.

Yes, Miele knows about the problem, but as illustrated above the Miele technicians and more importantly, the Miele customers have not been notified about any remedy in the works. The fact that the only source of information about this problem seems to be the Houzz website is pitiful considering how costly these Miele machines are.

It took over two yrs for some to correct the prewash/soak/add item error issue. You may be waiting a long time. CB is frowned upon anyway by Miele. Use Ultra White powder in mean time. At least your machines do not error.

The defect is not worldwide either. Got a list of those machines and model numbers across the globe?

A known problem? I'm confused, why is Miele knowingly delivering broken machines?

hwjessup: same reason software vendors deliver software with known bugs. Lame, I know, but that's what happens once you introduce software (or, in this case, firmware) control into a machine.

I work in the software industry, and I can not understand how it can take over four months to come up with the proper programming for a washer to dispense bleach at the appropriate time. It is a simple command that occurs at a fixed time during each cycle...should take a few hours for someone who knows what they are doing to accomplish. Seems like it isn't a priority to them, as they consider the twindos to be the basic functionality of the machine and the not the standard dispensers.

You already have a clear example of how this process will work. It is going to be awhile.

Anybody heard anything new on the bleach dispensing issue? Here's what's been happening with me. So far, Miele has sent 4 different techs, replaced two boards (the motherboard and the front panel interface board) and updated the firmware twice. Still, the machine does not dispense bleach in the normal cycle with TwinDOS turned off. It dispenses our own detergent just fine, but not bleach. So we are still adding the bleach to the fabric softener well and adding an extra rinse cycle at the end. Again, this is the WXR860WCS type HW21 washer. What baffles me is this: everyone on this thread seems to think that this is a "worldwide" issue. If that's true, why don't the techs know anything about it? I ask each one of them, do you know this to be an issue with this particular machine? And the answer is always, no, haven't heard anything. The ONLY tech who said straight out that it is a known firmware issue was the very first tech that they sent from a third-party service company. None of the guys from Miele, who always come in the red Miele truck, seem to know anything about it. Anybody have any new input on this?

I've just mentioned this on the other forum but neither manuals from France, South Africa, Australia, Singapore or Japan seem to reference chlorine bleaching in any way. The bug might be in the software but isn't noticed most countries don't even have the bleach option enabled.

Do the Miele models that don't have a bleach option enabled have a bleach dispenser? I am curious as to what users in the other regions think the compartment is for if it does have a dispenser.

In none of the manuals I have seen was there ever a bleach dispenser - just the compartment for pre-wash detergent (powder or liquid) on the right - and then main wash and softener.

Oh, my Bauknecht Big aka the Whirlpool Duet that was made in Germany, does have a bleach dispenser. It is, however, not labeled and our European manual simply ignores it. That being said, the dispenser is flushed during the first rinse, so dispensing chlorine bleach would be possible - if one knew about it.

After many tech visits for diagnosis and software updates on my WXR 860 WCS, including an update that was supposed to fix the bleach dispensing, Miele replaced my unit with a new one. They paid for a Miele installer to take the old machine and install the new one.

I tested the new machine today and it behaves EXACTLY the same as the old one. Water is dispensed somewhere at the correct time for bleach injection, but the correct compartment is NOT flushed at all. So despite the machine replacement my WXR 860 will still not dispense bleach. Calling Miele again on Monday…

Why would you think swapping out a machine would fix a software problem? The simple fact is that this is a software issue. No amount of swapping equipment is going to fix it. Until Miele release a firmware update to address this issue the problem will remain.

Mirle has most likely outsourced the software/firmware coding to a third party. This is most likely why it is taking so long to fix.

You really have two choices:

1. Return the appliance and get your money back. Buy something from a different comany.

2. Wait for a fox and use oxygen bleach in the mean time.

Continuing to pester Miele isnt going to make them fix the problem any faster. The people you are pestering have no control over how fast this gets fixed. All it is going to do is waste your time and make you upset.

Can ypu live with the machine the way it is now? If yes, then do so and wait. If no, return it and buy something else. Sinple Simple.

I have owned our existing Miele washers for years and have a combined 7900 hours on them. Never used a single drop of chlorine bleach in either of them. Dont miss it at all.

Don’t put the blame on Hippo. They just want the machine to work as it is supposed to. Miele is the one who replaced the machine. At some point THEY need to take ownership and clearly they dont know what the hell is going on if they just sent out a new machine with the same issue!

its issue after issue. All the sofrwear errors. Remember the Water intake Error still after two years! Their manuals have so many errors also. Someone needs to test these models and get the bugs out BEFORE they are released to the public. We are buying a Miele, not a no name brand.

SOMEONE needs to hold them accountable.

luna, as I posted earlier, Miele sent a tech to my home who installed a software update on my old machine with the following release notes:

“Issue: No bleach will dispense during the program selected. Bleach dispensing option is turned on. No faults are occurring, and the appliance is completing the program. Bleach is supposed to dispense during the last 10 minutes of the program, but it is still left in the detergent drawer (compartment I - Prewash) when the cycle completes.

Resolution: MDU appliance software update is now available to remedy this issue.”

So there was supposedly a software solution to the software problem, but it did not work. That is why Miele decided to replace the machine.

I am fully aware this is a software issue and I’m doing fine with AOB while it gets sorted out, but I would like a successful resolution in the end from Miele.

Has anybody’s WXR 860 been remedied via software?

DItto, ditto and ditto on all counts of 1) machine will not dispense bleach, 2) MULTIPLE service calls and escalations from my distributor, 3)calls to Miele and the distributor where I have had all the same info/stories about software challenges, 4) H/w repairs - switching out boards, etc., 5) finally they swapped out the whole machine. Still doesn't work on the new one.

I am beyond frustrated and can't understand why Miele can't test the machine inhouse/factory. I asked that they do that because I KNEW that I would still have the same problem when the new one arrived. So - this machine does everything - I think it even folds the laundry and puts it away. I don't even know if all those functions work! I just want the bleach dispenser to work! I use bleach on my whites!

I did not mean to blame anyone. I understand the frustration, really I do. I was just trying to be pragmatic. We know what the problem is, we are just powerless to fix it. The bleaxh dispenser fix will need to be a firmware fix. If Miele had inhouse programmers the fix would take maybe three months.

I am very confident they dont or no longer have them in house. Any model that has the new water diverter vs the older gear driven water path control unit seems to have the bleach dispensing problem.

You can still use bleach, but it has to be added to the tray in the detergent drawer after it is flushed the first time. There are a couple minutes between flushes to do that at the start of a cycle.

Not ideal, but it will work. Or just powder woth oxy or twindos.

My new Miele WXF660WCS has the same bleach dispensing defect discussed in this thread. I took delivery last week of December 2022. I'm posting for benefit of others owning this model and for documentation purposes.

I have a new WXI860 and have yet to try bleach, I might try water in the bleach dispenser to see if it clears during the cycle.

Miele frowns on bleach. Germany must laugh at us that use it. Don't expect a fix soon...Miele takes forever to patch firmware. I suggest Ultra White Miele powder in meantime.

Last week I noticed for the first time since we had this machine that the firmware updated on its own over the wi-fi connection. I just happened to catch the update cycle on the machine display. So I immediately thought to myself, hmmm, I wonder if this update will fix the bleach dispensing issue that I posted about almost a year ago on this thread. So, I did a test cycle, and tested a few more times after that. Tada!!! The bleach dispensing issues appears to have been fixed! Are any of you seeing the same thing?

Last week I noticed for the first time since we had this machine that the firmware updated on its own over the wi-fi connection. I just happened to catch the update cycle on the machine display. So I immediately thought to myself, hmmm, I wonder if this update will fix the bleach dispensing issue that I posted about almost a year ago on this thread. So, I did a test cycle, and tested a few more times after that. Tada!!! The bleach dispensing issues appears to have been fixed! Are any of you seeing the same thing?

Same here!

I also noticed that cycle times increased on my WXI860 for Cold washes except Normal cycle. I.e. Baby Clothes went from 1:56 to 2:56!

Sweet! Where are you viewing that installation history? In the Miele app?

Hi Tom! Yes, Miele App.

Profile>Appliance settings>Appliance updates>RemoteUpdate>Washing Machine Model

You must be iPhone. I'm Android and the app shows only that I'm up to date, nothing about installation history. Thanks for sharing yours!

Yep. iPhone.

Mine updated and resolved the bleach issue a few weeks ago.

littlegreeny, did you notice any changes to the cycles on your WXR860 after the update?

Hippo, I didn’t notice any changes.

I replaced my 24-year-old Miele washer and dryer Jan 25, 2024 and quickly discovered the bleach dispenser doesn't dispense bleach...or anything. Then I discovered this conversation. I called Miele Customer Service this morning and before I spoke to a human, a recording asked if I'd be willing to take a survey and leave a review after my call. I said yes. I was connected to a representative and after at least 25 minutes of mindless questions and being put on hold, the rep said they have no previous complaints about this problem...that I would have to call a technician. She apparently forgot that I'd started the conversation telling her what I'd learned on-line; that it's a widespread software problem; I was calling to see if there'd been a fix. So when she told me she could find no indication of such a problem I simply said "I don't believe you." I will call a technician...just to see what happens. In the meantime, I'll mix bleach in with liquid detergent. Oh...and I didn't get the call back for a survey or a review.

Hi. It should have been fixed through a software update.

Update

Update

dirtyknees, it is probably not a good idea to put bleach in with the liquid detergent. One of the main reasons will be too long of a time the bleach will be in contact with the laundry, and if the liquid detergent starts flowing into the tub taking the bleach with it before enough water is pumped in it could damage fibers.. Unless you only use the bleach for cleaning rags, I would recommend you not do that. I wonder if there might be an undesirable chemical reaction as well.

Miele washers flush the main detergent tray TWICE. Usually a couple minutes inbetween. Time it and you should be fine.

Better to use oxygen bleach or TwinDos.

I agree the issue will be resolved with a software update. Make sure your washer is connected to the internet via wifi and turn on automatic updates.