Fisher and Paykel GWL11 Top Load Washer

Pros: Does conserve water
Cons: Noisy and does not drain properly.

I read all the reviews about this washer before buying it 5 years ago, so expected the very best.  I found it is noisy, does an average job of washing, and does save on water. Now we are having problems with it not draining completely, so water stays in the bottom after washing and starts smelling after a few days.

The dryer also has problems with the timer not working.

Pros: Nice spin cycle (when it works).
Cons: See the above.

We have a F & P Ecosmart washing machine.  It broke down after a year and a half.  The drum went bad.  Okay, these things happen...sometimes.  But, F & P are very unreliable and untrustworthy in getting it fixed.  It is still under warranty and we are going on a month to get it fixed, and yet it is still not fixed.  Horrible, customer service.  HORRIBLE!

Pros: Energy efficient, water-conserving, automatic water level, ultra fast spin speed.
Cons: Slanted plastic top, difficult bleach dispensing, jet engine noise from spin cycle

My Fisher and Paykel is my favorite washing machine. I am fortunate enough to have three washing machines in three different places. My old faithful Maytag, My new Fisher and Paykel and my new front-loding GE. The Fisher and Paykel gives me by far the cleanest and softest clothes. The price was reasonable and the energy savings make this a very cost-effective machine to operate. I would recommend the Fisher and Paykel over any front loader. The front loaders do not get clothes rinsed well and things truly look dingy. My white towels washed with my new front loader are no longer white. The towels washed in the Fisher and Paykel are definitely white. I bought the Fisher and Paykel sight unseen after reading reviews on Epinions. I have been happy with my purchase.

Pros: it looks good sitting there.
Cons: unreliable, poor service ,washer is worthless , pass up fisher paykel washers

if you want pretty it looks nice however if you want durability forget it, while I have had cheaper washers last
years longer it lasted 4 years and some months but during that time the many calls made to new zeland were met with something like what you calling here for buddy and in the firt 20 seconds a recommendation of here call this guy mabey he can do something for you, in all service stinks to high heaven and the realiability of the washer is minimal but it does work sometimes , all in all I would'nt have another if they gave it to me.

Pros: Washes clothes
Cons: Flimsy lid, no bleach dispenser, unreliable, bad customer service

I admit I was spoiled by having a Maytag for over 26 years without ANY repair bills. When it finally gave up the ghost, I was going to replace it with another Maytag, but a convincing salesman assured me the F&P was equally reliable, and had a 10 year warranty. After 3 years of use (approximately 3 loads per week) the F&P quit working and needed to have the motor control module replaced at a cost of $280.44.
After calls to the store I found the 10 year warranty was very limited, and of course, did not cover the cost of replacing the control module.
This machine washes clothes no better than the more inexpensive washing machines, and with the high repair costs, you'd be better off buying something else.
Fisher & Paykel - never again!

Pros: The high speed spin and ease of operation
Cons: Lack of help from Fisher&Paykel

The first two years in use was great and my wife loved the washer but naturally, right after the 2 year warranty expired we have started having problems with water leaking onto the floor (have checked the water levels) and also some type of spots (maybe grease) getting on the clothes in the washer. We have called Fisher&Paykel asking how to open the top so I can look to see if there is something loose that can be fixed reasonably easy but they would not give me that information and would only give me the phone number for an authorized repair shop. Obviously, they want us to call the repair people and spend $150.00 to have them come out and tighten a screw or bolt.

Pros: Easy to operate
Cons: Needs repairing too often

The first two years of owning this machine I loved it! It is easy to operate. I really like the time delay. However, after that it seemed like one thing after another started to need replacing. Thankfully, my husband is handy and has been able to replace the parts himself. He found that Sears will order what parts are needed each time also so the down time for the washer is usually only about 1 week each time. Considering we only have 1 child in the house the washer is not overly used, so I can't imagine what households doing more laundry are running into with this machine.

Pros: takes up very little room but can handle large load capacity
Cons: makes loud whiny grating sound - F&P state this is THE design. Washes poorly too.

Top priorities for buying a washing machine were: quiet, above average performance, and high reliability.
Problem: laundry space 30" deep with sliding doors on - this eliminated Kenmore HE4T [dream machine].
Relied on Consumer Reports. CR rated F&P GWL11 high overall; very close to HE4T. Most importantly, GWL11 rated above average for quietness.
Purchased F&P GWL11 Feb 2005, feels like 10 years.
Was going to buy F&P dryer if I liked washer but I just want to throw the F&P washer out! It is extremely loud and the sound it makes is a whining grating sound which the manufacturer states is the way the machine is made [on purpose IMAGINE]! Also, the manner in which you add detergent/fabric softener/bleach is not desirable and annoying. What a waste of money.
Owned Whirlpool previously - lasted 12 years. Would have purchased another but current push button models were all too deep.

Pros: Less water, Dries Clothes in spin, easy to use.
Cons: I did not buy one sooner!

What can you say, this washer has no flaws! It uses less water, virtually dries the clothes, and uses less energy! I was a little concerned when I first purchased my Fisher and Paykel washer, but I do not think I would ever buy anything else, nor do I think I will ever have to buy another one.

Pros: It works for weeks, even months, before pooping out
Cons: delicate "hot house flower"

We replaced diverter valve, pump and circuit board (3x). Now we have a new problem. Rather than the flashing lights and repeating cycles, now it won't power up at all. (But IF it were only a drive belt replacement!)

This time, service said they'll come tomorrow; previous service call waits were a week.

Calling the FP toll free number helps. Our local repair person (where we bought machine in Seattle) initially replaced the circuit board (twice); FP tech support identified problem as fouled pump which repair then replaced with better results than before.

We purchased this machine with assurances of enhanced reliability due to simplified mechanics (direct drive; no belts). Made sense. However, it seems engineered to perfect lab conditions rather than those of real life. The pump fouls which burns out the board. Call FP directly when you schedule repair locally.

To be fair, the machine worked fine for 4.5 years before our constant sorrows commenced in August.

Is it unreasonable to expect a machine of this vintage to be trouble free, or, with troubles that are reasonably straightforward to correct, and stay corrected?

Pros: Uses less water
Cons: Always breaking down and very expensive to get fixed. Fisher Paykel people are very rude.

purchased this machine in September 2001, and have had nothing but headaches ever since. It has broken 9 times, and is now out of warranty. I have had the diverter valve replaced 9 times. While everything was free for two years under the warranty (except the service call fee), now that the warranty has expired, both F&P and the merchant refuse to do anything to help me get my money back or a new machine. Also, There is only one appliance company in my area that services this brand. Wait until it is out of warranty and you find out how much it really costs. I have spent almost the price of a new washer in service calls . This piece of junk is going to the curb.We just purchased a Maytag and could not be happier.

Pros: Top load
Cons: Not enough water to remove grime No hot water wash

This machine washes only with cold or warm water and does not use enough water in its wash cycle to remove grime. In order to achieve energy efficiency, this is how the machine is designed. If you think that you might ever need a hot water wash for your dirty clothes, buy a different machine. Apparently, for Fisher & Paykel marketers, an energy efficiency seal for their top loader trumped effective cleansing. Even if you have plenty of money to spend, please beware of these characteristics when you consider purchasing this washer.

Pros: have not seen any yet. the water savings may be a negative.
Cons: too numerous to mention. See the body of this opinion.

We have had ours for about two months. I wasn't real satisfied with the cleanliness of clothes, but could live with it if everything else was equal and we saved energy. However, after thinking about it, and having been without a washer for a week now since the circuit board blew, I decided enough was enough. This washer is not up to snuff. It's loud in the spin cycle, you can't tell how much longer a cycle is going to last because there is no read out on the display, and the clothes don't smell real good. So add that on top of what was supposed to be a pro (reliability), and you get a big negative feedback from me. Major repair two months into it???? Are you kidding me. We ran a Maytag to death (21 years) previously with no repairs.

Pros: large capacity, water saving
Cons: cleans terribly, noisy, loads are always out of balance.

I have now owned this washer for a bit over 2 years. In the beginning, I was impressed by the water saving features and the huge capacity. However, I realized fairly quickly that this thing cannot actually clean laundry. My wife and I have two young children, and as kids do from time to time, they spill on themselves, spit up, and generally make a mess of their clothing. This machine in incapable of getting stains out. We have used stain removers, tried soaking in the sink ahead of time, and any number of other methods. Nothing works; I think there just isn't enough water used to actually get laundry clean. The washer is also continuously out of balance, causing the thing to stop and alert you with a really irritating beeping. A load of towels will nearly kill this washer.

I also dislike the dryer nearly as much as the washer. It takes forever to dry a load and is very loud. The concept of the top loading dryer is very novel, and one of the big reasons we chose these two machines.

I would not recommend either the washer or dryer to anyone.

Pros: The Fisher Paykel washing machine did a decent job, while it lasted.
Cons: Short product life span of only 4.5 years in this case.

My Fisher-Paykel GW11 top load washer just died, after only 4.5 years of use.

The pump drain and valve failed, causing a slow leak that eventually shorted out the control board. Replacing these parts would have cost close to $300, and labor was estimated at about $175. Putting $475 into a $599 machine that is out of warranty (the warranty covers only 2 years) did not make sense.

Just FYI.