# DeLonghi Magnifica faulty after 4.5 years...



## johnmed

Hi all.

First post so be kind. Ive lurked on and off for years, but finally had cause to register.

I bought my bean to cup coffee maker 4.5 years ago. After a rocky start (grinder choking on a bean etc) I have had the current unit all that time without fault.

While l have descaled when necessary I count myself very lucky. I ONLY use Starbucks beans, don't know if that has helped?

Ok, so, last Saturday I got up and tried to make a coffee. First thing I noticed was the grinder was quieter and then when the machine was supposed to brew it stopped and flashed a red light that usually comes on when the coffee waste bin thing needs emptying.

I figured the grinder was at fault, and took the machine apart cleaning etc.

Anyway this seemed to work briefly, as it brewed one cup of what looked like weak coffee.

But from then on it hasn't worked. Starts up, rinses and then fails at the same time every time.

I've never tried to make coffee with ground bought coffee, so I tried this, and it didn't work either. Same results. Not sure if I followed the procedure correctly, cow I couldn't find the manual.

When the grinder has ground the beans it seems the waste bin doesn't have enough grindings and it's not formed into a puck like normal, as the machine doesn't get that far before stopping.

So I am thinking the generator/tamper thing could be at fault, but that doesn't explain why the grinder sounds unusually quiet...

Can anyone shed some light on what could be at fault?

Thanks for reading.

All the best. John


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## johnmed

Ah well. Thanks for reading all.


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## Xpenno

Hi mate,

these things are notoriously hard to troubleshoot and/or fix to add to this there are many different models so it was always going to be an outside chance that someone could help you out. I have seen companies advertise online who look at these type of machines but it can get costly very quickly.

Spence


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## Mouse

Could the grinder be caked up.. therefore slowing down the grinder & not allowing enough grinds through.

How does the pre ground pass through the machine? Does it still enter the machine through the same entry path as the beans? But the burrs open and spin to let the pre ground be thrown through. If the grinder is badly bunged up maybe it's enough to stop even the pre ground getting through??

You mentioned that you'd cleaned it, so I suppose it depends how easy the actual grinder was to strip down/clean and how confident you are that this path is clear

Either way.. The fact that the grinder is so quiet is a cause for concern

All guesswork by the way..


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## Callum

Have you had to replace the infuser in the time you've had it?

May be worth removing infuser and giving it a thorough clean/soak if you haven't already.

That does not explain the grinder noise though.


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## johnmed

Thanks all.

I have removed the grinder and motor and managed to make a coffee using ground coffee. The ground coffee enters separately but I think from memory shares its path to the brew unit.

The grinder was not clogged, neither was the passage ground beans take to the brew unit.

I know I was asking for miracles, but wanted to check in case someone had gone through this themself.

I could pay someone £35 per hour, plus parts but this can and would quickly get expensive.

I have found a site selling spares. The grinder and motor assembly is £66, and this is over 25% of the cost of a new machine, so I'm loathe to spend this in case it somehow it isn't at fault. I have not replaced anything on the machine, having only cleaned and descaled when needed.

Thanks again.

John.


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## Mouse

Strip it and sell some working parts as spares maybe?

I did a quick search earlier and it looks like this machine can throw up numerous faults/issues so you may be able to shift some bits on easily enough.


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## johnmed

That's not a bad idea. I'll keep tinkering, and do that if I cannot rescue it.


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## Callum

Have you thought about calling Delonghi service dept?

They may be able to offer advice or a price for repair. Might be worth sending it in. I think the repairs may even be fixed price.

I'd call them.


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## johnmed

Callum said:


> Have you thought about calling Delonghi service dept?
> 
> They may be able to offer advice or a price for repair. Might be worth sending it in. I think the repairs may even be fixed price.
> 
> I'd call them.


also a good idea. I'll do that too. I had presumed they would be prohibitively expensive. Worth a shot tho.


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## Callum

Let us know how you get on


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## johnmed

Reconnected the grinder to the machine and it now trips our circuit breaker. So maybe I've knackered the grinder.

Will at some point let the brother in law have a butchers, he's evidently much better than me at electronics!!!


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## johnmed

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where can I have my Bean to Cup machine serviced or repaired outside of the guarantee?










We are delighted to be able to offer an outside guarantee repair service for our bean to cup coffee machines for customers within the UK. The price bands are as follows:

*Band 1: £50.00* - Descaling / Cleaning of Milk Frother Devices (including Steam Wands, IFD Milk Jug Lids & IFD coupling change).

*Band 2: £100.00* - Motor, Back Boiler, front PCB, pump, infuser change, Chassis Change/Repair, a few General Alarm Faults.

*Band 3: £150.00* - Grinder, Transmission Kit, PCB, Main Boiler, including possible General Alarm faults, Chassis Change/ Repair.

The above price includes the Collection and re-delivery. Collections are all-day appointments but we can arrange for the machine to be collected from another address if this is more convenient. Your machine will need to be well packaged for the journey.

If you do not wish to go ahead with the repair after you have been given the quotation then there will be a *£15.00* charge to cover postage to release your machine for return.

Just found this on their site. Can't really warrant spending £150 on a 4.5 year old machine. What a shame.


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## marcuswar

Does the grinder actually "grind" when power is applied i.e. is the motor or burrs jammed ? Try removing the centre burr completely so it grinds nothing and see if it runs OK. If its the same as on the ECAM22.110 then its simply held in by the screw in the centre and there are 3 small ball bearings on springs underneath the burr itself. Best guess would be either the motor jamming and some form of torque cutout is operating or there is a short in the motor wiring.


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## johnmed

Haven't got any further with this. All I have checked seems ok, and now doesn't trip out. (I had rewired it incorrectly. D'oh!)

Anyway, if a picture paints a thousand words, a video err...






I'm thinking now the brew unit mech' or pump may be fubar'd?


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## johnmed

DēLonghi is dead, long live DēLonghi!


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## 4085

John, if you have explored all possibilities, then why not give it up. If you have been drinking coffee for 4 1/2 years then the machine has more than paid for itself in that time, and I am sure many of the parts would be sellable. If you set your self the same budget as this nor costs you can get yourself a Gaggia Classic and suitable grinder and stay within budget. The downside is that your 'skills ' will have to improve as there is no more pressing buttons. The upside is that you will find a whole new world of coffee out there, starting with using proper beans not Starbucks and then learning all about the art of making coffee. this last point, with your current set up, you are learning bugger all and very probably making crap coffee, but, if you do not know any better then there is no harm in that! Being honest, not unhelpful by the way


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## hotmetal

Eh? Looks like he has got it working. I'd say well done for fixing it. But yeah if it breaks again, launch it and get a separate machine and grinder setup and join in the fun!


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## johnmed

dfk41 said:


> John, if you have explored all possibilities, then why not give it up. If you have been drinking coffee for 4 1/2 years then the machine has more than paid for itself in that time, and I am sure many of the parts would be sellable. If you set your self the same budget as this nor costs you can get yourself a Gaggia Classic and suitable grinder and stay within budget. The downside is that your 'skills ' will have to improve as there is no more pressing buttons. The upside is that you will find a whole new world of coffee out there, starting with using proper beans not Starbucks and then learning all about the art of making coffee. this last point, with your current set up, you are learning bugger all and very probably making crap coffee, but, if you do not know any better then there is no harm in that! Being honest, not unhelpful by the way


Appreciate the honesty, prior to the magnifica I had a Gaggia Cubika and grinder, and did perfect my technique, but now prefer the convenience of bean to cup. I've tried beans from everywhere, and oily Starbucks beans are my favourite.

pictured above is my new Delonghi.

I am, however open to recommendations of beans...


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## froggystyle

How much did you pay for that?


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## johnmed

froggystyle said:


> how much did you pay for that?


a lot.


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## 4085

John, if you like dark oily, go to

coffee compass.co.uk

check on the extra roast blends....they have some superb stuff roasted to perfection. No burnt or ashy tastes at all

see here

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?19332-CC-beans-for-sale-(Mighty-Mythos)/page3


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## froggystyle

Would you really advise putting those beans in that machine?


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## johnealey

Would probably take the krispy cake cases off first:exit:







(made me laugh, especially the decorations!)

John


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## johnmed

Just to update.

Had the Delonghi prima donna for one month, before I had to return it!

The design, while slimline and all stainless was compromised. The bean hopper and water tank are tiny and the hopper is also too shallow. This meant all the beans I tried (over 3 different varieties) had difficulty dropping into the grinder... The machine would say to fill it with beans, cos none were available to grind, while the grinder whirred away fast without load, like it would blow.

Furthermore the drip tray while made of a chunk of steel was narrow and shallow. This meant the milk drinks struggled to get inside a cup.

And finally, the controls via the LCD display are slow. Very slow. All in all disappointing given the price the model retails for.

So, I took it back last night to John Lewis and came away with this model:

  

It's better in every way, bar the plastic finish.


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