The faults we are called out for most often, what usually causes them, and what the repair involves.
Won't spin or drain
Likely cause: Nine times out of ten this is a blocked drain pump filter — a coin, a hairpin, a child's sock. After that it is a failed lid switch or door interlock (the machine will not spin if it cannot confirm the door is shut) or a stretched drive belt.
What we do: Clear and flush the pump filter, then test the interlock and belt under load. A pump or lock replacement is a same-visit job.
Typical repair: $130 – $320
Leaking water underneath
Likely cause: On front-loaders, the rubber door boot splits at the bottom where debris collects. On top-loaders it is more often a cracked drain hose or a failed tub seal. Persistent over-sudsing from too much detergent will also push water out of the dispenser.
What we do: We locate the leak under a live fill rather than guessing, then replace the boot, hose or seal.
Typical repair: $140 – $380
Loud banging or grinding on the spin cycle
Likely cause: Worn drum bearings, broken suspension rods (top-load) or shock absorbers (front-load). A sharp metallic rattle at high speed is usually something loose in the outer tub — an underwire is the classic.
What we do: Bearings and suspension are worth doing on a good machine and worth walking away from on a cheap one. We tell you which this is before you spend anything.
Typical repair: $180 – $420
Won't start or won't fill
Likely cause: Blocked inlet screens at the back of the machine restrict fill until the cycle times out. Beyond that: a failed water inlet valve, a faulty door lock, or a control board that has lost its mind.
What we do: Screens clean out in minutes. Valve and lock replacement is a routine part swap.
Typical repair: $120 – $340
Door will not unlock
Likely cause: Front-loaders refuse to release the door while there is water in the drum, so a drain fault presents as a locked door. If the drum is empty, the interlock solenoid or control board has failed.
What we do: We drain the machine safely, get the door open without damaging the lock, then fix the underlying drain or interlock fault.
Typical repair: $130 – $260
Clothes still soaking wet at the end of the cycle
Likely cause: The machine never reached full spin speed. Usually an unbalanced-load sensor, a partially restricted drain, or a worn belt or motor control board that cannot hold the high-speed phase.
What we do: Diagnosed by watching an actual spin ramp — the fault only shows under load.
Typical repair: $140 – $330
Error code, or the cycle stops partway through
Likely cause: Modern washers halt and post a code rather than run a cycle they cannot complete. Water level (pressure) sensors, chafed wiring harnesses and main control boards are the usual causes.
What we do: Have the code ready when you call — it narrows the diagnosis before we arrive and often tells us which part to bring.
Typical repair: $130 – $400
Price bands are typical all-in figures for parts and labor on this type of repair and are not a quote.
Diagnostic starts at $89 and is credited against the repair if you go ahead. You always get a firm price before work begins.