My KitchenAid Artisan is sick...help!
My beloved fuchsia Artisan mixer is not well. I've had it for a little over 4 years, and I bought it refurbished from the company. It has been wonderful to me for these years, but a few days ago, the motor started making a funny (bad) noise, and there was a distinct smell of burning rubber. I turned it off, let it sit for a bit, then turned it back on. The same thing happened, and it was clear that the motor was messed up because the attachment was moving very slowly. I turned off the mixer and haven't touched it since for fear of further damage.
OK, now that you have that info...
I emailed the folks at KitchenAid and they told me to take my mixer to an authorized service center, the closest of which is an hour away (in Gaithersburg, MD), which is, quite frankly, a long way to drive to fix my mixer.
For those of you with KitchenAid mixers - have you had any problems with yours, and, if so, how have you fixed it? I am trying to avoid going to this service center so any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!!
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10 Comments:
Yes, and I carried it in to the shop. You're not under warranty, though, and I was. Is there anywhere around listed under "small appliance repair" in your Yellow Pages? Have you called any kitchen stores around that sell KA to ask if there's somewhere they recommend? I understand an hour's drive is less fun in your neck of the woods than in some others, but you may have to.
lemons at 3:36PM on 12/04/07
You could try searching for a Hobart service center in your area. They make KitchenAid mixers. Also, professional knife sharpening services often repair small and medium appliances.
zapatista at 3:50PM on 12/04/07
I strongly advise you to take it to the authorized service center. If they do not fix it properly you have recourse. If Jim the local "I fix everything" guy messes it up he will only reimburse you back the cost of the repair.
JerzeeTomato at 4:07PM on 12/04/07
I agree about the authorized service center comments, I would also call ahead and see if they have a price estimate as I've heard sometimes it's not worth a fix because it would cost about the same to buy a new one.
I know you aren't under warranty but I've heard good things about their call center like they can listen to your machine over the phone and diagnose the problem. I would imagine they'd have a way to pay for that, did they offer that at all?
I'd probably google the issue and see if anyone else has the same problem and how they fixed it or how much it cost. When I was looking to buy my new KitchenAid this year I googled them to find the right one for me, and to see if I should get refurbed and found hundreds of sites talking about them.
Finally on their KitchenAid.com website I know there is a forum where a few members work for KitchenAid and many others have had mixers for decades, perhaps they would know immediately what the issue is and have better advice for you?
Good luck, this is certainly not the time of year to have a broken KitchenAid!
bobcatsteph3 at 4:48PM on 12/04/07
I had a similar thing happen to mine -- ended up being a stripped gear. They're actually designed to strip (they are made of nylon instead of steel) so that you don't damage your motor if you accidentally overload it.
I ordered the part for $24, found a manual online and did the repair myself. If you're not mechanically inclined, take it to a repairman though. It ended up being more than I expected, but not impossible to do.
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 5:05PM on 12/04/07
I had something happen to mine after a move, the motor sounded a bit clunky so I sent it in for repair to an authorized repairman. That worked great, as I recall it was not too expensive, this was over 4 years ago, and I have totally lost how much it cost, but I was fresh out of college with no job, so I will assume it wasn't too bad.
Bummer though about your mixer, I hope you get it fixed soon :)
Sarahrm at 5:25PM on 12/04/07
Wow wow wow - I just called KitchenAid and they are sending me a NEW fuchsia mixer! (Well, they're sending me a refurbished one, but that's because I bought mine refurbished, and the color is technically called Cranberry, but it's a fuchsia color.) They gave me the option of getting a different color, but I am attached to my fuchsia one so I got the same color (should I get a different one - plum or grape???).
Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions. Thanks to Jodi at KitchenAid, I am on cloud nine right now!!!!!!! :D
charm city cupcake at 5:31PM on 12/04/07
KitchenAid definitely has great customer service. Mine died (while still under warranty) and they sent me a box and a pre paid ups waybill. UPS came and picked it up, a few days later I had a new one with a new warranty.
seyo at 6:52PM on 12/04/07
KitchenAid is the best! I'll never buy another brand stand mixer.
punkin712 at 5:58PM on 12/06/07
I burned out two heavy-duty Kitchen-Aid stand mixers in the course of ten years. I now have a Viking 7-quart mixer and so far...so good. I make a LOT of bread at home so I'm probably not your average home cook. My dream machine though would be one of those big, mama-jama commercial hobart mixers. *dreaming*
damosel at 11:06PM on 12/06/07