LG made direct drive its signature long before most of the industry followed, and almost everything about repairing one of their washing machines follows from that decision. There is no belt and no carbon brush set. The rotor is bolted to the back of the drum, a hall sensor tells the board where it is, and an inverter drives it. Two of the traditional wear points simply do not exist, which is why so many LG machines run for a long time without a service call at all. What replaces them is a dependence on sensors and electronics, and a mechanical arrangement where the drum spider and the bearings carry the load directly.
£80
call-out charge per visit
Labour is included for most repairs. More extensive or complex jobs may require additional labour, which we always quote and agree with you before starting. Parts are charged separately and always quoted before we fit them.
We are not registered for VAT. The price we quote is the price you pay.
That spider is worth knowing about. On a direct-drive machine the aluminium spider that connects the rotor shaft to the stainless drum lives in a hot, wet, detergent-rich environment, and on machines that have spent years on short cold washes it can corrode. The symptom is a rumble that grows, sometimes a rattle, and eventually play in the drum. It is a genuine strip-down and it is one of the repairs we will price carefully with you before recommending it, because on an older machine the numbers do not always work.
The far more common LG jobs are cheaper and quicker. A machine that will not spin usually points at the hall sensor, the door lock circuit or a drain the machine gave up on rather than the motor itself. Door locks fail and leave you unable to start or unable to open. Drain pumps choke on the usual coins and bra wire. Inlet valves stick and the machine either overfills or refuses to fill. Errors reported on the display narrow the search but rarely name the part, and we verify them with a meter rather than ordering off a code.
Parts supply is reasonable — better than some far-eastern brands and not as deep as the long-standing European names. Boards and motor assemblies are the expensive items, and some are supplied as a complete unit rather than as the failed component. We identify exactly what is needed on the visit before anything is ordered.
The fridge freezers are the other main strand, particularly the American-style ones. The usual pattern is frost building behind the rear panel until the fan starts striking it, a compartment running warm, a blocked drain leaving water under a drawer, or a dispenser and ice maker that has stopped. Those are all electrical, mechanical or seal faults and all repairable. We work on that side only, not on the cooling circuit itself, and we will say so plainly if that is where the fault sits.
Our honest verdict is that LG is generally worth repairing. The build is solid, the drive system is durable, and most of what fails is a sensor, a lock, a pump or a valve rather than the heart of the machine. The exception is a corroded spider or a main board on an older appliance, and both get costed openly with you. We are independent, with no manufacturer relationship. The visit is £80, covering diagnosis and labour on most repairs, and parts are quoted before fitting.
Usually: There are no brushes on a direct-drive LG, so this points at the rotor position sensor, the door lock circuit, the inverter board, or a spin the machine abandoned because it could not drain or balance.
On the visit: We confirm the drain is clear and the lock is confirming closed, then take readings from the sensor and the board rather than fitting electronics on a hunch.
Usually: Worn bearings, or corrosion of the aluminium spider that couples the rotor shaft to the stainless drum — a known weakness on machines run for years on short, cold, detergent-heavy cycles.
On the visit: We rock the drum at twelve and six o'clock to gauge the play and inspect the spider where it can be seen. This is a strip-down job, so we cost it with you honestly before you commit.
Usually: A failed door lock assembly is the usual answer, but a machine that still believes there is water in the tub will hold the door deliberately, so a drain restriction presents identically.
On the visit: We drain the machine down first, release the door without damaging the trim, and then test the lock assembly properly instead of fitting one on the assumption that it is the culprit.
Usually: The defrost circuit is no longer clearing the evaporator, so ice builds until the fan strikes it. Common causes are a failed defrost heater or sensor, a door seal that has stopped pulling tight, or a blocked drain.
On the visit: We strip the rear panel, clear the ice and test the defrost heater and sensor, then check the seals and drain path. If the fault turns out to be in the cooling circuit we tell you rather than chase it.
Usually: Usually a sticking inlet valve or a pressure sensing system silted up with scale and detergent residue, which is common in the hard water across West London and Harrow.
On the visit: We test the valve, then blow through and clean the pressure chamber and hose before condemning a sensor, because a scaled pressure system is regularly mistaken for a failed component.
Electric domestic appliances only, in your home, across 16 districts within 4 miles of Northolt.
3-month guarantee on the part we replace. Any part we replace is guaranteed for 3 months from the date it is fitted. This covers the replaced part only — it is not a warranty on the whole appliance.
Direct drive means the motor rotor is bolted straight to the back of the drum, with no belt and no carbon brushes. It is a durable arrangement and it removes two of the most common wear items in a conventional machine, which is why many LG machines go years without a call-out. It does not make the machine immune. The load now runs through the drum spider and the bearings, and the electronics and rotor sensor carry more of the responsibility for making the machine work.
A rumble that grows steadily with drum speed, together with play when you rock the drum by hand, usually means the bearings or the aluminium spider that connects the rotor shaft to the drum. Corrosion of that spider is a known issue on machines run for years on short cold cycles with heavy detergent use. It is a genuine strip-down rather than a quick job, so we assess the play on the visit and cost it with you openly before recommending anything.
Usually yes. Frost packing up behind the rear panel means the defrost circuit has stopped clearing the evaporator, and the noise people notice is the fan striking the ice. The causes are almost always a failed defrost heater or sensor, a door seal that no longer pulls tight, or a drain channel that has blocked and refrozen. All of those are repairable. We work on the electrical and mechanical side only, and we will tell you straight if the fault lies in the cooling circuit.
Reasonably so — better than several of the newer far-eastern brands, though not as deep as the long-standing European names whose parts stay in the aftermarket for a very long time. Sensors, door locks, pumps and valves are generally easy to obtain. The awkward items are the inverter boards and motor assemblies, some of which are supplied as a complete unit rather than as the single failed component, which pushes the price up. We identify exactly what is needed before ordering.
Have the model and serial details from the rating plate to hand if you can find them — it is usually on the door frame, behind the kick plate or on the back of the appliance. It lets us check the part before we arrive.