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Made by Monkeys
Latest Content
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Missing Magnet Revives Washing Machine
Made by Monkeys 
7/5/2012  35 comments
A critical magnet -- that was not even indicated in the user manual to be part of the washer -- was missing.
There's a Heater in the Freezer
Made by Monkeys 
7/3/2012  31 comments
Design News' own Richard Nass recently ran into a problem with his refrigerator, leading him to believe it was made by monkeys.
Salt Container May Raise Your Blood Pressure
Made by Monkeys 
7/2/2012  28 comments
Flaws in the plastic injection molding process made the popcorn salt a mess.
Lawnmower Twisted Its Drive Belt Useless
Made by Monkeys 
6/28/2012  31 comments
The drive belt twisted itself useless after only seven hours of use. The owner then stepped in with a fix of his own.
Cord Configuration Leaves Hair All Wet
Made by Monkeys 
6/25/2012  8 comments
The hair dryer kept failing due to a poorly assembled cord.
Plastic Components Couldn't Take the Heat
Made by Monkeys 
6/22/2012  29 comments
The brake lights failed because the Audi couldn't take the heat.
Washing Machine Can Keep the Change
Made by Monkeys 
6/14/2012  31 comments
You have to dismantle this washing machine just to clean out the coin catch.
Digital Recorder Unorganizes Your Music
Made by Monkeys 
6/11/2012  13 comments
Digital audio recorder names your song files with its own confusing system.
Determined Homeowner Gets Coin Catcher Clean
Made by Monkeys 
6/7/2012  36 comments
The washer came with a coin trap. Great idea if you can get to the coin trap to clean it out.
Dryer's Heater Element Ran Red Hot
Made by Monkeys 
5/30/2012  30 comments
The Kenmore dryer worked fine, except the heating unit got stuck at red hot.
Metal Trumps Plastic in Lawnmower
Made by Monkeys 
5/21/2012  45 comments
The plastic gears in the wheels of the mower were not enough to stand up to the steel gears in the drive shaft.
Shop Vac Flaws Grind Use to a Halt
Made by Monkeys 
5/15/2012  34 comments
Trying to fix the shop vac's motor revealed a slew of design problems.
Engine Shakeup Stumps Service Crew
Made by Monkeys 
5/10/2012  101 comments
When the engine isn't running right, sometimes you have to wait until it breaks before you learn why.
Cutlery Basket Damages Dishwasher's Rep
Made by Monkeys 
5/3/2012  39 comments
The poorly designed utensil basket on this dishwasher could have been improved for just a few pennies.
Pushbutton Problem Blanks Dehumidifier
Made by Monkeys 
4/30/2012  21 comments
The dehumidifier came with pushbuttons that couldn't take the humidity.
Slim Profile Hampers Cable Shielding Tape
Made by Monkeys 
4/26/2012  40 comments
A tape manufacturer created ultra-thin conductive tape that was so thin, it had no conductive abilities.
Heat Pump Runs Hot & Cold
Made by Monkeys 
4/25/2012  13 comments
The smallest connector can cause major problems with a heat pump over the years.
Missing Bearing Breaks Garage Door Opener
Made by Monkeys 
4/20/2012  25 comments
What happens when the bearings are missing from the design of your garage door opener? You get a new one.
Refrigerator Is Hot to the Touch
Made by Monkeys 
4/16/2012  29 comments
When your refrigerator is hot instead of cold, you have a problem.
Rocket Team Notes Curious Design Feature
Made by Monkeys 
4/11/2012  8 comments
The rocket needed a fix to defuse static buildup, but the cure was worse than the problem.
Poor Lamp Socket Design Sparks Danger
Made by Monkeys 
4/10/2012  28 comments
It's time for a new approach to lamp socket design, especially when choosing materials and manufacturing methods.
Broken Toaster Had Hidden Fix
Made by Monkeys 
4/9/2012  39 comments
After tearing apart the broken toaster, we found a simple control on the bottom would have easily fixed the problem.
Shop Brass Damaged the Clipper Ship
Made by Monkeys 
3/29/2012  14 comments
Shop brass -- a cheap version of bronze -- may not be strong enough to hold a clipper together.
Homeowner Overrides Three-Speed Fan Switch
Made by Monkeys 
3/27/2012  31 comments
One tug on the chain of a three-speed fan should turn it on at slow speed, right? Not this time.
Monoxide Detector Balky About Batteries
Made by Monkeys 
3/22/2012  48 comments
In order to put the batteries in this carbon monoxide detector, you have to break it.
Double-Lock the Lock-Outs, or Lose a Hand
Made by Monkeys 
3/13/2012  33 comments
When shutting down a line for maintenance, make sure the lock-out is double locked.
Washer Bearings Washed Out Early
Made by Monkeys 
3/9/2012  26 comments
Even though the bearings gave out early, this consumer still swears by front-load washing machines.
Machine Control System Won’t Communicate
Made by Monkeys 
3/7/2012  9 comments
When troubleshooting a communication problem, don't overlook the simplest setting.
Faulty Door Latch Frustrates Owner
Made by Monkeys 
3/1/2012  30 comments
The new storm door was great, but the latch needed help, over and over again.
Engine Mount Failure Shakes Oldsmobile
Made by Monkeys 
2/28/2012  35 comments
If the engine seems a little loose, it could be that all three engine mounts failed.
Harley Is Always Running Out of Gas
Made by Monkeys 
2/24/2012  29 comments
With a tiny gas tank and a faulty gas gauge, it's a pain trying to figure out when to stop to refuel.
Auto Climate Control Is Backwards
Made by Monkeys 
2/22/2012  67 comments
The automated climate controls do exactly the opposite of what is needed, despite the season.
Design Flaw Rusts Rear Mounts
Made by Monkeys 
2/2/2012  37 comments
Catching rusted rear mounts on cars before they fail is difficult if the rust is hidden.
Fatigued Controllers Render Washer Useless
Made by Monkeys 
1/30/2012  26 comments
After watching the harness break off from the washer controller twice, this owner comes up with a ruggedized fix.
HP Printer Is Baked Back to Life
Made by Monkeys 
1/24/2012  42 comments
The HP printer died. The owner found surprising success with a home-baked solution.
Why Are USB-A Connectors So Frail?
Made by Monkeys 
1/19/2012  57 comments
USBs are the most common PC connectors, yet they are also the most fragile.
Oven Door Is Not Child-Proof
Made by Monkeys 
1/16/2012  32 comments
If the oven locks for cleaning, why doesn't it have a child safety lock?
I/O Drive Stings Boat Owner
Made by Monkeys 
1/10/2012  15 comments
The Stingray boat ran into trouble with its Volvo Penta SX I/O drive.
Time Ticks Backwards on This Clock
Made by Monkeys 
1/6/2012  49 comments
Sometimes an appliance works great, but it just happens to work backwards.
Generator Fries Household Appliances
Made by Monkeys 
1/4/2012  41 comments
Peter thought he was wise to have a generator on hand during a power outage -- that is, until he nearly burned down the house.
PCB Couldn’t Take the Heat
Made by Monkeys 
1/3/2012  22 comments
Sometimes when you fix an appliance, you're fixing problems that began in the design process.
The Radio Is Buried in the Dash
Made by Monkeys 
12/29/2011  19 comments
The old car radio tubes had to be changed frequently. Unfortunately, the radio was buried in the dash.
Robotic Misfire on K Car Weld
Made by Monkeys 
12/27/2011  26 comments
Robots do a great job of welding, as long as they weld the right spot.
Harley Hindered by Lower Belt Guard
Made by Monkeys 
12/7/2011  62 comments
One tiny screw stands between a safe highway ride and disaster.
Are Front-Load Washers Less Reliable?
Made by Monkeys 
12/1/2011  48 comments
Reliability seems to have slipped with front-loading washers.
Ghost in the (LG) Fridge
Made by Monkeys 
11/28/2011  26 comments
Whenever something breaks on this refrigerator, it somehow fixes itself.
Malibu Headlamp Replacement Necessitates Bumper Removal
Made by Monkeys 
11/23/2011  65 comments
If you want to change the headlamp on the Chevy Malibu, get ready to take apart half the car.
Changing the Oil? Check That Seal
Made by Monkeys 
11/22/2011  24 comments
When the motorcycle started sliding through the turn, it was clear the oil seal wasn't holding.
Don’t Disintegrate My Mercedes Wiring Insulation
Made by Monkeys 
11/16/2011  17 comments
There's something hot about the wiring in the early 1990s Mercedes.
Backwards PCV Valve Broke My Car
Made by Monkeys 
11/11/2011  18 comments
One simple and inexpensive PCV valve -- if it's defective -- can destroy your engine.
<<  <  Page 2/2




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