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| March 21, 2017 | Volume 13 Issue 11 |
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Something different: Your chance to chime in on products and designs
Once in a while we get an email asking about product designs -- good and bad -- and what we think about them. "How come my bearings in my newer LG washing machine have worn out already?" or "Can't they make vehicle headliners that don't come apart?" are a few examples.
[Image: Designfax staff]
While we don't have all the answers, we thought we'd turn it over to Designfax readers to chime in about their experiences, good and bad, with product designs. We'd love, especially, to hear of suggested improvements, and, of course, if you've had a really positive experience with a solid product design or two. Now that would be great to read.
Here's one real-world example. A Designfax engineering reader recently wrote in:
"Can you find out why LG and other manufacturers don't use longer life bearings in their front load laundry equipment? The units cost more than $1000.00 each for the washer and dryer, plus the base units are another $300 each. I have a pair of LG units that have run fine for five years. Recently, the washer started making a racket that sounds like a freight train.
"The local appliance repair man charged $40.00 to tell me the drum bearing needed replacement and he could not fix it. I went online to the LG website, and they say they can fix it for $300.00 plus $100.00 if I want a warranty on the repair. The drum itself has a lifetime warranty, but that does not cover the bearing.
"I decided to buy a new washer, but the old base is not compatible with the new LG washer so they want me to buy a new $300.00 base. If I use the old one, the warranty is cancelled on the new unit. A better bearing would have saved me a lot of time and money.
"Thanks for reading my gripe."
Is LG specifying bearings that can't hold up, or is this a one-off situation? Is the machine design itself in part to blame? We'd like to hear your thoughts. Submit them in the feedback form at the end of this article space, along with your email address for follow-up.
And if you know why car headliners can't be made in one piece with a printed cloth-textured foam, well we'd love to know that too.
You can also send your product redesigns to the editor, mfoley@nelsonpub.com. We'll post some fair and informative submissions in an upcoming issue.
Published March 2017
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