Thought those 'universal' washer door lock kits were junk, but one saved a job yesterday

Had a call for a front loader that wouldn't start, showing a door lock error. The OEM part was backordered for a month, and the customer needed it fixed. I grabbed a generic kit from the van, expecting to waste an hour. Followed the install, which involved splicing three wires and mounting the new latch. The machine ran a full cycle without a hiccup. Has anyone else had a good run with these aftermarket locks, or did I just get lucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

allen.ruby11d ago

Check the brand of that universal kit you used. I've had the cheap no-name ones fail in a few months, but the slightly better ones with the clear instructions can last a couple years.

terry_torres4011d ago

That's a really good point about the instructions. The cheap ones have those blurry pictures that make no sense, and you end up guessing which part goes where. A clear diagram can save you from cross threading something or missing a key seal. Even a decent brand can mess up if you install it wrong because the guide was useless. It's worth paying a few extra bucks just to avoid that headache later.