Re: End of the line for my Saeco Magic Deluxe?
Thanks for the offer AngerManagement - what was wrong with the machine that you saved? Did you need to get parts?
The internet is full of stories of many of these machines being plagued with faults. The repair shop seemed to have dozens of superautomatics waiting for repair or pickup. As Fix points out many are related to the plumbing so there must be hundreds of these units retired with perfectly good electronics. Now all I have to do is find one...
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
End of the line for my Saeco Magic Deluxe?
Collapse
X
-
Re: End of the line for my Saeco Magic Deluxe?
the repair price sounds a bit high just for a main board
depends wether it has blown one or two boards
the main problems with electronics in coffee machines is steam or water leaks
all machines need to be serviced to help prevent this problem
graham
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: End of the line for my Saeco Magic Deluxe?
If ya in Brisbane... Happy to take a look... Fixed one teh other day... Not pritty... But enough to allow them a few more crappy coffees before having enough to buy a true coffee machine :-)Originally posted by 57544E59494E48533B0 link=1244075715/0#0 date=1244075715After serving me very well for about 4 years, my Saeco Magic Deluxe lit up the service light with a jammed brew unit. Following a Saeco service sheet I manage to remove the brew unit and override the micro-switches to set it back into the correct position but nothing happened.
I brought it to the Saeco recommended (at the time of purchase) repair centre here in Brisbane. After a few days I got a call to ask if I wished to go ahead with a repair that exceeded my initial $85 fee. The trouble seemed to be a circuit board / power board unit which failed. Unfortunately the cost of the repair was quoted at an extra $685!!
The new machine cost less than $900, 4 years ago and now it would seem I have to spend $770 to make it work again
So Coffeesnobs... what to do? I have retrieved my machine which is now a very expensive paperweight. Is it worth a second opinion? Another repairer? Should it become landfill for the what could amount to a couple of 10c resistors? Could the board be cannibalised from another machine with failed plumbing?
I understand these type of consumer devices are not designed to last forever or to be easily repaired and please note I have nothing against the repairers, but there just seems to be something inherently wrong with dropping the machine in my bin.
Your thoughts?
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: End of the line for my Saeco Magic Deluxe?
Debate about auto vs manual and coffee quality? What debate? None here! ;D
With your original question about whether your machine can be repaired or cannibalised I am not sure if too many Coffee Snob members would have much experience in fixing or repairing these machines.
Might be an idea to take it to another tech?
My brothers VS commodore body control module packed it in. The parts were going to cost $80. I pulled out the module, found some broken solder joints. Re soldered them, no problems since. Might be the same for your machine.
The waste aspect? A part of making a machine cheaper (especially an electronic one) is to combine parts. The power supply will be on the same board as everything else, an IC will now do many of the things that dedicated circuits used to etc.
The Silvia has no power supply. There is only one voltage in the machine. No controller board. No ICs. No relays (yes I know the three way is sort of a relay). A few heavy duty switches, a pump, a brass boiler, a few thermostats, a three way valve and a steam valve. Thats about it.
The retail for the Silvia and Rocky is about the same as the retail for the Saeco Magic Deluxe.
The money taken from the quality of the Saeco goes into all the auto stuff. The auto stuff taken away from the Silvia goes into the quality. You just going to have to do the dosing and tamping yourself!
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: End of the line for my Saeco Magic Deluxe?
Your solution then to both problems (lack of working machine and throw-away items) is to go with bassways suggestion.Originally posted by 23203A2D3D3A3C274F0 link=1244075715/2#2 date=1244081793My despair is more to do with the waste aspect - from coffee machines to whitegoods and TVs etc, there is less and less being repaired after the failure of minor components. I realise that this is reflected in the cost price of the new devices - making previously high-end items affordable to the masses but fosters our throw-away-society.
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: End of the line for my Saeco Magic Deluxe?
Thanks Bassway. You have made a very valid point about factoring in the purchasing of devices from manufacturers that do make parts readily available, and enable you to service it through a longer product lifetime.
I dont want to enter into the debate about auto vs manual and coffee quality. Dont get me wrong - I know there are better set ups to make better coffee - but for me (the sole coffee drinker in a two person house), the superautomatic was a fair compromise between price, quality and convenience. As long as it kept making coffee I was happy to keep drinking it!
My despair is more to do with the waste aspect - from coffee machines to whitegoods and TVs etc, there is less and less being repaired after the failure of minor components. I realise that this is reflected in the cost price of the new devices - making previously high-end items affordable to the masses but fosters our throw-away-society.
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: End of the line for my Saeco Magic Deluxe?
Mmmm...
Super automatics will not produce a coffee as good as a manual. So advise that most Coffee Snobs would give is bin it, bring the budget up and get a Siliva/Rocky combo. The Silvia and the Rocky are built well, will last into the decades, parts are easy to get and with a little extra effort produce a much better coffee.
However to some people the time and effort to get a good coffee isnt worth it. Nothing wrong with that (ducking for cover).
$770 to repair? I believe the unit is $1299 RRP. There is a site selling (out of stock at the moment) for $740 delivered.
Bin it!
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
End of the line for my Saeco Magic Deluxe?
After serving me very well for about 4 years, my Saeco Magic Deluxe lit up the service light with a jammed brew unit. Following a Saeco service sheet I manage to remove the brew unit and override the micro-switches to set it back into the correct position but nothing happened.
I brought it to the Saeco recommended (at the time of purchase) repair centre here in Brisbane. After a few days I got a call to ask if I wished to go ahead with a repair that exceeded my initial $85 fee. The trouble seemed to be a circuit board / power board unit which failed. Unfortunately the cost of the repair was quoted at an extra $685!!
The new machine cost less than $900, 4 years ago and now it would seem I have to spend $770 to make it work again
So Coffeesnobs... what to do? I have retrieved my machine which is now a very expensive paperweight. Is it worth a second opinion? Another repairer? Should it become landfill for the what could amount to a couple of 10c resistors? Could the board be cannibalised from another machine with failed plumbing?
I understand these type of consumer devices are not designed to last forever or to be easily repaired and please note I have nothing against the repairers, but there just seems to be something inherently wrong with dropping the machine in my bin.
Your thoughts?
Tags: None
- Flag

Leave a comment: