How to change the door handle of a Bosch washing machine?
The quality of the plastic used to produce components for Bosch automatic machines is excellent. However, the door handle is the “Achilles heel” of German washing machines. Due to careless handling, the locking mechanism is often damaged. Let's figure out how to replace the hatch handle and what nuances to pay attention to.
The machine “does not return” laundry
Basically, the door handle fails when you try to open the machine. Thus, the user, wanting to remove laundry from the drum after washing, simply cannot do this. To open the hatch and remove things from the machine, you must:
unscrew a couple of bolts securing the top cover of the Bosch washing machine and move the panel to the side;
Carefully tilt the unit body towards the wall. Thanks to this, the drum will move back slightly;
crawl through the hole with your hand and feel for the lock;
unlock the mechanism by moving the “tongue” to the side.
You can also open the door mechanically through the bottom of the machine. To do this, disconnect the pan (if there is one), insert your hand between the front wall and the tank, and open the lock.
In addition, you can open the drum hatch of a Bosch washing machine using a thin rope. The cord should be inserted between the door and the body of the unit. Then, you need to pull the string and press it on the “tongue”. The locking mechanism should work and the door should open.
Some models of Bosch washing machines are equipped with a special emergency door opening cable. It is located at the bottom of the case, near the garbage filter.
Gaining access to the drum after each wash using one of the methods described above is not the case; it is necessary to replace the hatch handle.
Removing the door and removing the handle
After opening the door of the Bosch washing machine, you can begin the repair. First you need to dismantle the broken “plastic”. The hatch handle cannot be repaired; you need to buy a serviceable replacement part. To select an item, you should tell the store the serial number of the washing machine.
To remove the handle with your own hands, you need to:
unplug the power cord of the Bosch washing machine from the outlet;
close the shut-off valve;
open the hatch;
unscrew a couple of bolts securing the door to its hinges;
place the hatch on a flat, horizontal surface, so that the glass “looks” upward;
Unscrew the screws holding the door halves together (using a Torx 20 wrench);
insert a flathead screwdriver between the halves and separate them, moving in a circle. The main thing here is not to overdo it with pressure, so as not to damage the plastic elements;
press the lever securing the door to the body (this is necessary for the final separation of the hatch halves);
Remove and set aside the top part with glass.
We will work with the second, inner half of the door, on which the locking mechanism is attached. In most cases, the lever of the handle, designed to move the hook securing the hatch to the body of the washing machine, breaks.
To dismantle the handle, you need to grab it from the front with one hand and press the hook with the other.
After the mechanism lever leaves the hook, all that remains is to push the handle upward until it is completely disconnected. At the same time, the handles with metal rods will “move away” from the hatch and the edges. If you cannot remove the part, you should re-examine the design to understand its structure.You should not try to “rip out” the “plastic” with force, this will not end well.
Installation of a new part
Then you can begin installation. The hook of the locking mechanism should be inserted through the hole in the new handle, making sure that the metal pins located at the edges of the plastic part are in place. The mechanism should “grab.” Now you can fasten the hatch halves back together by tightening the bolts.
After connecting the door parts, check the movement of the locking mechanism again. The handle should move the “tongue” freely. If everything is so, you can hang the hatch from the hull. This will complete the DIY repair of the Bosch washing machine.
The quality of the plastic used to produce components for Bosch automatic machines is excellent. However, the door handle is the “Achilles heel” of German washing machines. Due to careless handling, the locking mechanism is often damaged. Let's figure out how to replace the hatch handle and what nuances to pay attention to.
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