LG WD-1238C

Excellent – Did about 12 loads per week. Great at cleaning & rinsing clothes. Gentle on clothes. Only used the short cycle, didn't need to ever use the longer cycles. Had it for 8 years & 10 months. Love front loaders & will definitely be getting another LG front loader washing machine.  Show details

Fantastic provided you use the funtions it has, to make life easier – I've had lg wd1238c for 6 years with no problems. I wash 2/3 times/day mostly very large white massage towels and it has handled everything i've thrown at it. Please read your instruction manual you can press 'pause' wait a minute for the safety interlock, then open door and add 'forgotten things' then press pause again to continue.… Read more

Provided you’re not using an eco cycle with a high water level visible up the door.

Mould. All front loaders are prone to this at the bottom of the rubber door seal where it stays wet. Leave door open when not in use and i also leave the end of a small hand towel in the damp area to dry it.

No mould in 6 years though the rubber is getting a bit degraded at the bottom.

I used a disposable nappy liner cloth so 'poop' goes in bin and then the towelling nappies wash easily. (note:- for hygiene reasons you should always wash nappies on hot even if they have been soaking in 'nappy solution')

The secret for getting oil out of massage towels is to prewash with a tablespoon of dishwashing detergent as clothes washing powder is not designed to clean this much oil from towels (this might also work well with very dirty industrial clothing).

For very dirty items try soaking them in the machine. Add everything and start as usual then after 5 minutes of washing press pause then time delay and set an appropriate time. This gives the washing powder more time to work and soften the grime.

I do my massage towels either overnight so they are ready in am.

Or during day so they are ready when i get home to hang out.

I use the time delay feature most nights so the machine is not making noises late at night and my washing is ready just as i'm finishing my morning coffee :-).

Hanging things up asap avoids a lot of ironing.

I agree about the end of wash beeper and then having to wait 2 minutes for the safety interlock to release so door can be opened it drives me [censored word removed] crazy.

I love the 1200rpm spin speed as towels dry in half the time on the line (dryers just wear them out, as thats where all the lint comes from your clothes and towels wearing ) they also dry in my garage or on frame in lounge when its raining (not possible with old machine as they would drip & took too long to dry and would smell musty.

Spend time getting the machine level and it will minimize noise, shaking and "walking" while spinning.

Then get 'anti vibration' pads from hardware to further reduce noise transmission through floor (this is very important in apartments. Be a nice neighbour).

I don't use clothing softener just an extra +rinse cycle to stop towels feeling 'harsh'.

I think that its more eco-friendly using a little more rinse water instead of softener chemicals in it. Very high speed spin, pause to add forgotten items, delay wash function I should have bought the larger model to get more towels/wash, waiting 2 minutes to oped door after end of wash beeper

Efficiency seems great, but clothes just need additional washes – We bought this machine on the basis it would be water efficient, and 'everybody' was getting a front loader. (We were coming from being a Top Loader Fisher Paykel users) This machine has never washed my husbands filthy clothes properly. I often have to wash them twice to get them clean. We are renovating and have an outside laundry, and live in a… Read more

cold climate, hence the machine is in a lockable, but often very cold room. This has made it highly prone to mould around the rubber ring, which is really frustrating to continually have to clean an item, that is meant to be cleaning things for you!

Another issue, which other front loader users would know, is that you cannot open the door once the wash cycle has begun- so that extra dirty sock you found, will have to wait another 1 1/2hours until the cycle is done.

I had a top which the end of the sleeve accidentally got caught in the door when I closed it (I was not aware), and when I came back the shirt had spun so much it tore off the end of my shirt, plus ruined the rubber seal (needing replacement).

There are just lots of little things that make this machine really unfavourable to use.

Another thing- it beeps when the cycle has finished (which seems handy), until you go to get the washing out, and then you have to wait another three minutes for the water to drain from the drum Why not make it so the machines notifies you when the water has drained, so it really has 'finished'??

I have had two girls with this machine (starting half way through my first daughters infancy) and this machine is not recommended for using MCN's/cloth nappies with. When we had the top loader, we could simply soak or dry pail the nappies, then tip them straight into the top loading machine. With this front loader (and presumably all front loaders) you had to handle the nappies again- sure poop isn't going to kill you, but hey, if it's not necessary...Additionally, I have had to wash nappies several times to successfully 'strip wash them', due to the incapacity of this machine to thoroughly wash things. Water efficient (on face value), space saving (can put dryer on top), looks sleek and modern Does not wash really dirt items, rubber seal prone to mould, cannot add items once cycle started

Disappointed – I am an optimist. Eager to do the right thing, this is my second water-saving front-loader, but I have basically just tolerated this machine since buying it. Weight redistribution has always been the major disadvantage of this machine, are all front-loaders like this? Walks with its efforts to re-align and because it spins so hard. Loud after 6… Read more

months; mostly reliable but occasional dirt streaks visible on some items in white loads. I liked the way I could programme it to finish just before I got home. Good variety of programmes. Only 3-yrs-old, my LG has just blown itself up while trying to redistribute the load for spinning, tripped the power and lucky it didn't blow everything else on that circuit up with it. What is wrong with today's whitegoods. My mum's 30-yr-old top-loader is still going strong (yes, its a Whirlpool)

Terrible – If it weren't for the cord and me pushing it back once and a while it would probably go for a walkabout in my lounge room. I tried adjusting the feet but not much good. Now it washes for about 20mins then freezes and makes a humming noise with all the water inside. Don't know how its going to cost for repair. I feel guilty putting it out for waste… Read more

collection because it looks too new :(

NEVER ANOTHER LG COZ I KNOW WHAT IT STANDS FOR. Attractive design and all the facy stickers, fuzzy logic whatever it meant. LG=Lousy Goods. Bad technology coupled badly built. My machine broke down a week after the warranty expired. It has never been good from the start:

.Noisy and vibration.

.Left lint and detergent residue on clothes.

.Clothes were all crunched up, needed ironing.

Thought it was good! – Seemed to be fine. Left powder residue on clothes if we used the recommended amount of detergent. The cycles were longer than the old Simpson machine but it is a water miser. At three years old, only light use, a very loud bearing type noise started on the spin cycles. Motor bearing is stuffed! Never had I had any bearing go before in a… Read more

washing machine at less than ten years (Hoover in early 80s).

Update:

Returned from vacation break. First wash, water would not spin out. Found a 5 cent coin in the outlet area - coin was well corroded. Spin would only work on slowest (400) cycle. Normal wash - the spin would not occur. During mid-cycle spins the the tub agitation was massive and loud bearing noise. Tub bearings had gone. This is a very expensive labour repair. Machine replaced by a new Samsung (Choice recommendation). Only the two of us at the house since the previous repair. Efficient and quiet in normal operation. Motor failed at three years. Not eliable according to repair technician.

Excellent – I'm very happy with this machine. It has given us no trouble and is easy to use and quiet. It displays the cycle time remaining. It has a very quick 30 minute cycle for lightly soiled items, which is very quick by front-loader standards. Have had for 2 months and it works well, nice wash options, quiet operation. Even the finished cycle noise… Read more

is cute. Child-lock option still doesn't prevent a child from turning the power button off. There isn't an option to drain/spin the machine if you've stopped a cycle - would have to run a short 30 minute cycle to get the door open without heaps of water coming out too.

Good – Excellent machine after LG serviceman explained the correct amount of detergent and need to use a cleaner every 3 months and minimize use of fabric softener(builds up sludge and holds lint - can dirty clothes)Hard towels are a fact of life on front loaders if you use high spin speeds(give them 5 minutes in dryer before hanging out)Front loaders… Read more

need careful levelling and prefer a concrete floor. Don't use stands - they will vibrate. If you read reviews you will find that all brands including top end products can give problems Hot water inlet, gentle on clothes, no problems with lint, vibration or noise, prewash, extra rinse, 30 minute cycles,pause to add items, cleans better than our previous top loader, excellent paint work after 4 years (unlike some)Now trouble up until now despite doing 15 loads a week Pump a little noisy when draining. Drum bearings have just become noisy- lucky we have 6 year warranty

OK – Had a top loader for 11 years never had a problem and the washing was great everytime always came out clean and never had to rewash. Would buy front loader again but not this brand. I too like many did my homework before purcahse and relied on the choice review and I think I won't be doing that again... Wash time for quick wash is ok, looks great… Read more

too, capacity is perfect for a family of six Clothes come out too crease, coloured clothes has to be washed twice sometimes for they have dark marks on them like the detergent was not doing its job like brown gooey stuff, white clothes also comes out with streaky dirt marks. Have now had for 3.5 years and thankful we took an extra 5 year waranty for it now makes a very loud grinding noise and the load I had in there stunk of burnt rubber.After reading other reviews hoping the wait time is not too long with four kid I do about 6-7 loads a week

Good – A good machine. Have been using for 2 years, twice a day at least, and it has not missed a beat. Husband works in coal mine and his work clothes are put on prewash and then cotton wash at 60 degrees. They come out nice and clean apart from some marks that would need divine intervention to remove. So cant blame the machine for those. I like the… Read more

wash options available on this machine. I like the spin cycle choice also. As mentioned in an earlier review. There is no lint filter. I did have some trouble with getting the feet adjusted to prevent shaking during the spin but once that was worked out we never had another problem.

OK – I chose this washing machine based on the Choice report. Our 20 year old Hoover had bitten the dust, and a replacement was urgent. I suppose you get what you pay for, but I am disappointed with the lint deposits, and with the slight greyness of my white items, despite the fact that I am careful about separating colours prior to washing. Rinse… Read more

plus option (I have eczema), also options for quick wash cycles (ideal for sports gear and lightly soiled garments); like the 'cuckoo call' notification that cycle has finished Doesn't remove lint at all well. My old Hoover machine had a lint filter which was easy to remove and clean. The 1238c doesn't appear to have any lint filter (unless someone pinched the part when it was in the showroom!)

Bad – This in an update for an earlier review of mine. After 4 months, the spin cycle was getting louder and louder, until now the machine will make a very loud clunking noise and rotate until it hits a wall - as if it is out of balance, but actually its not. Repair man has viewed and thinks it may be a broken spider? which he said can happen to lg's,… Read more

but usually not until after 2 years of use. he will contact lg to find out if they want him to repair, or if they will replace. We have done less than 150 loads in this machine (average 4 a week). I liked that it was fairly cheap for all the features that it is in need of major repair after 6 months

Bad – Purchased in Jan 09. Worded great. Now makes loud grinding noise in spin cycle. Authorised repairer indicated it does happen and can't do anything about it. I'm checking if LG will help. Very unfortunate. Was very quiet. Now very noisy in spin cycles.

Terrible – I am very disappointed with this washer. Don't think I will buy LG again. I have got another washer, with different brand, that has been working for 8 years. And it is still working. It is big, with 7.5kg capacity, and relatively quite. Water efficient. We bought it less than 2.5 years ago. Now water leaks from the bottom and the drum makes lots… Read more

of noise while drying. The technician told me it is not worth fixing as it will cost me $600 (on top of the $132 that I have paid him for service call and labour, only to be told it is not worth fixing). He told me he had seen lots of troubles with this model of LG.

Bad – I have owned this machine for approx. 2 years, long enough to get a good idea of how it goes over a period of time. Not very happy with the washing performance, and definately not happy with the leaking at the front of the machine. Probably wouln't buy another LG - but would buy another front loader as they are better for the environment. It's… Read more

nice and big and relatively quiet The basic load takes about 1.30 hours and the hotter wash for towels, wtc takes about 2.5 hours. Leaks (sprays) water out the base of the door. All my clothes have turned a nasty greyish sort of colour - regardless of wether I sort them or not.

Excellent – It is an inverter model so it is very energy and water efficient. It takes a while to wash clothes but the delay start timer is a great feature. I put a load on in the afternoon and set the timer for it to be ready the followinig morning. Pause and add feature so that you can put in the sock that you lost on the way to the laundry. One of the few… Read more

model with a hot water connection, so perfect for house with solar hot water. Pause and add feature and a delay start timer. Nice big machine. Has a hot and cold water connection, Perfect for people with solar hot water. Wash cycle is very long, normal wash takes 1 hour 30 min.

Excellent – An Inverter in a washing machine, WOW now we save power as well as water and detergent. Great machine looks good washes great. Water saver, power saver, NO LINT!!!!! Save heaps on washing powder.\ Easy to use & holds heaps Have not found any!!!!

Good – I've been quite happy with it. Would prefer that I could add clothes part way through cycle - still haven't worked out how to do this but after reading that another reviewer is able to I'd better reread my manual. The only other thing I miss about my old top loader is the cold water options. Other than that it's fast, efficient and does the… Read more

job. Have had mine now for about 18 months without missing a beat - but did purchase the extended warranty just in case. Would buy again. Cleans clothes well, easy to use, quiet operation. Looks good and much more water efficient than my old top loader. Delayed start is very handy for a working family and we use this quite a lot. Would like greater options for cold water washing.

Good – Overall, I am pleased with this machine. It is quiet, and very efficient-It has removed marks in items that I thought were permanent fixtures. I really like that it is quiet & low water & energy use. It is very easy to operate and there is an easy to use child lock, important with a curious two year old! We bought it to replace a Fisher &… Read more

Paykel that loved our repair man a bit too much. We chose it over other models because of its competitive pricing, the large capacity and it was one of the few models that allow use of your own hot water, and allows you to pause it in mid cycle and add items. The only things so far that I am not totally pleased with is that I cannot choose a cold wash in every cycle ( they are all pre programmed ) and the soap does not always dissolve from the detergent compartment without encouragement.

Bad – Guess you get what you pay for as was only $750, compared to $1200 - $1500 for Electrolux/Bosch , which do seem to be far superior. Definately not same quality as Lg Top of range front loader I purchased around 3/4 yrs ago, which was around $1400 then, and only started playing up out of 2 year warranty (again water was coming out of machine,… Read more

but bottom this time)...Luckily Retailer Harvey Norman was quick to replace with other machine, unlike other retailers..WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANYONE WHO HAS PROBLEMS WITH ANY MACHINE TO SEEK QUICK RESOLUTION, DON'T LET RETAILER DRAG THINGS OUT. Looks Good, Snazzy Looks....short cycle , rpms can be altered water was leaking from door. Had it mounted on top of a cabinet and entire thing would move including washer on top, which was'nt supposed to happen. Spin at 1000 didn't seem to be wrung out very well...Very noisy final spinning and high pitched end of programme very loud (louder than previous LG washer 3/4 years ago) and unable to change volume!

Excellent – Great machine. Have had no major problems with it. Like the fact that it is easy on water and electricity and especially like the timer function that means i can set the machine to run in the early morning during off peak electricity and then hang out the clothes before i go to work. Too easy! Have been using mine for 2 years now and i'm very… Read more

happy with the machine. On two occasions has kept the dye from the previous wash and has stained clothes in the next wash i do. I am now a bit more careful and rinse it if properly by running an empty wash if i think there might be a problem.

Good – I've had this machine for over two years now and I'm quite happy with it. The reasons I bought it was the brushless motor, 7.5kg capacity, low water usage and the LG name. No service call outs, no leaks, averaging five washes per week for more than two years. I've never had a front loader before, so maybe some things in my review are… Read more

common to all of them.

The rinse hold is good, it means the machine stops and waits for me before dumping the rinse water and spinning. That's when I hook up the hose to the garden, select the spin speed and hit the go button to finish the cycle.

I'm amazed it stops before flooding if the plug is left in the sink. How it does this is every 10 seconds or so the pump reverses and if water comes back down the hose, the sink must be full and it stops. EXCELLENT, because the kids have done this a few times, before and after the new machine.

I can add clothes after the machine starts, which seems normal to me (it is my first front loader) but other people think that's a great innovation. Actually it annoys me because it takes minutes on pause before I can open the door, and if I leave it on pause for more than say, ten minutes it powers down and I have to start the cycle all over again. The service centre say it's not meant to do this. Will get around to making service call within the next three years (has 5 year warranty) in the meantime I just don't use the pause function.

My house is brick veneer with solid tas oak floorboard, including the laundry. My gosh this thing can vibrate the house. Once it's upto spin speed the vibrations tame right down. There are optional thick rubber feet to dampen the vibrations but the cost is ridiculous. I made my own. Maybe this is a problem with all front loaders.

It's got a really noisy system bee-deep bee-deep when it powers up and when the cycle finishes.

Clothes are almost dry from the machine at 1200rpm.

Anything below 60 degrees is cold tap only. 60 and above needs the hot top connected, but the manual warns in capitals to never supply water at greater than 70 degrees. Not sure how this would affect people with solar hot water or combustion stoves. Two years in no faults.

Has rinse pause, so machine waits before emptying rinse water, allowing me to hook up hose to garden. This is good because I don't want to put strong soapy water on garden, just the weak rinse water.

Machine stops if plug left in sink, rather than flood house. Fantastic

Brushelss motor - A most excellent technology. Vibrations. Special LG vibration absorbing silicon rubber feet are around $50 extra! They would only cost cents each to make and should come with the washer.

Powers down if out of balance or on pause for too long. Have to start wash agian. Fortuately iot's almost never out of balance. Service people say it shouldn't do this and offered a service call if I get back to them with details on the extended warranty.

Terrible – I am very disappointed with this machine. I chose it after a lot of research including CHOICE reviews as I wanted to replace my trusty 20 year-old Hoover top loader with a more energy and water efficient front loader. I have found that it does not wash any better than my old machine, frequently develops a bad smell as water remains in the… Read more

machine between washes and rinses very poorly even when using the rinse+ cycle. It has broken down twice in the first 12 months of ownership leaving me without a machine for up to 6 weeks while I waited for repairs. Like another reviewer I had trouble with the pump. I think the high water efficiency means that it can't wash and rinse effectively.

I also thought it would take 7.5 kg wash but this is only recommended on whites. Other cycles take smaller loads according to the manual which adds to the time taken when doing the family wash. Hate this machine and regret buying it!!! Currently awaiting a new belt as it has developed an intermittent squeak. This machine is very quiet, heats its own water and does a handwash cycle. Very water efficient and has delayed start function. Can open door to add extra items. Very disappointed with wash quality. Found the whites cycle left clothes creased,rough and poorly cleaned. Have to do nearly all washes on delicate cycle. VERY slow and takes too long for large family wash demands. Towels come out like sandpaper and cottons are pilled. Suspect it puts holes in some items such as T-shirts.

Terrible – I bought this machine based on the CHOICE review and regret it bitterly! I didn't realise until I got it home the only true cold wash was the delicates. Any other cycle caused colours to run badly - on clothes I has had for years. That aside, the machine has leaked from day 1. 3 service calls later (including them having the machine for over a… Read more

month) and they insist there is no problem - meanwhile I need gumboots to get into my laundry!! With 3 kids under 4 I need a washer that works, and this isn't it. After 3 months of frustration I have finally managed to convince them to take the piece of junk back and give me a store credit - and my new machine won't be an LG! Easy to use, good display, child lock Only cold wash is "delicate" cycle, leaks, leaks, LEAKS, "customer care" hotline - I would rather call Telstra!!!

Good – We use the "Quick 30 cycle" for lightly soiled items and that works well. For very dirty stuff the cycle is closer to one and a half hours. We have had this nearly a year and very happy so far with no real gripes. Would definitely buy again. Efficient on water and power, washes well. Time delay start. We really like the "quick 30" cycle. spins… Read more

at very high speed, making drying quick. nothing really- except we can't get it to fill with hot water from our solar system except on the 60 degree or hotter cycle. However many machines have cold fill only.

Good – Haven't had a problem with it since I got it a month ago. Got it at a great price too, paid $800 including delivery at Clive Anthony's at Castle Hill. - Quiet and stable operation even when spining at 1200rpm - Easy to use controls - Can use liquid detergent. Direct from LG support: "Please dilute with warm water before adding into the machine"… Read more

- Brushless Motor with 10 years guarantee (One of the reasons I got this machine)

- Clothings are lint free after wash.

- Saves water + $150 government rebate - Have to wipe down rubber seal after each wash as it collects water

- Can not do full load cold washes

- Typical Cotton 30c full load wash takes 1 hour 25 minutes or more.

Terrible – This is a really bad quality products, HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED, unless you don't mind living without washing machine, it will take months for them to get the washing machine fixed. Does the job really well, quick cycle feature, good functions Really bad service, I've just bought it for 4 months and it has been broken twice, it is still broken until… Read more

now while still awaiting for the lg technician to come. (have been waiting for 1.5 months, and called several times, and they said, there's currently no technician available to come and fix).

Excellent – We love our new washing machine and did heaps of research before deciding on this one, some of our main concerns were: Energy Comsumtion,Water Comsumption and results. This machine has exceeded our expectations it was a great choice. Very happy. Fantastic to use and does an excellent job of cleaning. Clothes come out with minimal creasing which… Read more

really helps cut down on ironing time, uses very little water which is fantastic, also has a good energy rating.I like the fact that you can use the top of the machine to store laundry baskets etc and that you can place the basket on the floor and tip the washing into it. I find it easier than a top loader.

OK – Not a bad washer overall. Like the look and feel of the controls. Quite annoyed that the washer came with a faulty pump!!! We'll see how the replacement pump runs (when it eventually arrives). But, if the replacement pump fails also, then this washer will be replaced with another brand (perhaps Electrolux, or Asko)! Can use maximum spin speed of… Read more

1200 rpm without too much vibration (on wooden floor). Previous Bosch washer generated too much vibration on spin cycles (one reason why it was replaced with this LG washer). Nice and simple control layout. Plenty of wash options. Uses a brushless motor, which means less noise and vibration, and increased reliability. This brand new washer came with a faulty pump!!? Not impressed with that, as it was understood that LG washers are supposed to be fairly reliable. Awaiting replacement pump.