The short answer for the F models
On the AEG F dishwasher models, dishes that come out dirty, filmed or wet leads somewhere the brand-generic article does not put first — detergent choice, dose and age. The brand-generic ordering opens instead with this: a blocked filter or sump screen. It moves down behind the lead here, because this family is a short run on a common stem, so its behaviour is consistent in a way the brand as a whole is not.
What you observe on these models
- The bottom rack is clean and the top is not — That split is close to a diagnosis on its own, and it points at the feed rather than the detergent.
- Detergent left undissolved in the dispenser cup — Either the cup did not open or the water never reached it, and both narrow the list fast.
- Dishes come out wet as well as dirty — A machine that never reached temperature will not clean and will not dry.
- NEAR MISS — the cycle stops part-way through — A cycle that never finishes has not failed to clean; it has failed to run, and that is a different page.
Causes, most likely first on the F family
- Detergent choice, dose and age — Old tablets, too little detergent, or no rinse aid in a machine that expects it all produce filming and poor drying rather than obvious dirt. Ranked first on the F models.
- A blocked filter or sump screen — Everything the machine washes off has to be caught somewhere. Second.
- Salt, rinse aid and the water-softening setting — A machine built around a tight water budget depends on its consumables being right. Third.
- The diverter or the wash pump — When the upper arm never gets water and the jets and the filter are clean, the fault is in what routes the water, and that is behind the sump. Last, and that is the point of the order.
- Body: The spine for the F family records 4 model codes built on a common stem — a short run rather than a long one, which is why a single ordering covers all of them. Where this departs from the brand-generic ordering: the cause that moves up on these models is this one — detergent choice, dose and age — and the brand-generic lead moves down behind it.
Check in this order on the F models, and why
- Check the salt and rinse-aid reservoirs before anything else — First: On a machine that expects both, an empty reservoir explains the result completely, and it takes a minute to look.
- Run the tap at the sink until it is hot, then start the machine — Second: It tells you what the machine is being fed with, and it is the cheapest way to test the heat half of the list.
- Reload the machine deliberately and run the same programme — Third: Same soil, same detergent, better spacing.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the machine or switch off its breaker before removing any panel, and turn the water off at the valve before disturbing a hose — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and this is a box that combines mains voltage with standing water. Never wedge the door catch open to watch a cycle run.
Models covered by the F family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| F8242FI | aeg:dishwasher:f |
| F8242FI-18 | aeg:dishwasher:f |
| F8642FI | aeg:dishwasher:f |
| F8642SS | aeg:dishwasher:f |
When to call a technician
Call when the filter is clean, the arms turn freely and spray, the water arrives hot and a deliberately loaded cycle still comes out dirty — at that point the water is not being routed or not being heated, and both sit behind the sump. Call sooner if the machine trips the breaker, if you can smell burning plastic during a cycle, or if the inside of the door is hot enough to be uncomfortable. On the F models the line sits where the check stops being one you can make from outside the cabinet. When you book, say that the machine is built in if it is.
Other symptoms covered for the F family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
