Great hardware, bad software – After 12 months of use, my overall impression of the Bosch WAS32742 is somewhat disappointing. While I am very happy with the build quality, style and finish of the hardware — poor software design has ruined the overall experience.
Default wash options are geared to produce favourable power and water consumption at the expense of wash quality. The system menu isn't complicated, but changing the wash cycle from the default economy modes to normal conditions is a long winded process. The machine does not remember your default preferences but does however provide two programmable cycles. I have observed several software bugs using programmable cycles, these include; incorrect wash time calculations and setting all load weights to zero regardless of actual load size. The appearance and types of bugs will vary depending on your programme.
The WAS32742 requires that you complete the loading process AFTER you select the wash cycle, therefore you cannot gradually keep adding clothes to the machine until you are ready to do a wash. If you select a wash cycle with clothes already in the machine, the load weight will be calculated incorrectly.
The WAS32472 seems particularly prone to unbalanced loads during the spin cycle, resulting in a drenched load at the end of the wash. This seems more likely to occur with lighter loads than heavier ones. Manually selecting a "spin only" cycle will usually fix the problem if it arises, however this is far from ideal, especially for a machine in this price range.
An optional alarm will sound when the wash cycle is completed. Alarm volume is adjustable, beyond this however there are only two options for how the alarm operates; no alarm, or continuously sounding every two minutes (roughly) until you stop it. I want an end of wash alarm, but I don't want to be harassed by my appliances when I'm busy. This is an extremely irritating feature.
I will no doubt continue using this machine well into its life cycle, however I am not happy with many of the design choices Bosch has made. If you can look passed the issues raised in this review (or don't see them as being issues) then you will probably be quite happy with this machine. Good hardware. Good looks. Poor software design has ruined the overall experience. Prone to spin failures. Annoying alarm.
My headline "Great hardware.." was probably a little premature. In the three years I have owned this model, the handle has had to be replaced three times. Bosch seems to have changed the handle design slightly in what I guess is an attempt to fix the problem, but clearly it hasn't worked. Pulling on the door paddle too hard or at the wrong angle will cause an internal component to snap. Once this happens, you will need a technician to open the door. I have always felt that Bosch door handles feel a little to weak and plastic.
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The spin issues seem to cross into other models of Bosch washing machines, I wonder when they will fix this problem ? Mine use to come out wet and if left overnight would smell too in the morning.