home Fix label Household Appliances label_important Washing Machines category Bosch

Bosch Classixx 1200 - Cannot remove filter for cleaning and now leaking fro?

I tried to remove the filter for cleaning (bottom right, on front of washing machine) this is now leaking. Machine is Bosch Classixx 1200
Maxx Freedon Performance
I cannot remove without force.

Sandra Swaby, January 2007

home Fix label Household Appliances label_important Washing Machines category Boschdone

Thanks for the terrific advice. I saved myself a $140 service call and four days of waiting to use the laundry thanks to all of you. Our two year old Axxis laundry had been going downhill for some time. Finally, every wash came out so wet it took 2 passes through the dryer to dry the clothes and there was always soap residue on the clothes.

I made the wooden "wrench" jig someone suggested, leaned the whole stacked laundry back about 20 degrees, drenched the cover in WD40 and silicone oil, and tapped the cover and kept working it until it finally moved past 90 degrees although just barely. I kept at it another half hour and it suddenly began to loosen. I removed at last $3 in coins, a small dog worth of dog hair, and assorted bits of our yard from the pump casing. Using a vacuum helped get even more coins out of the inlet to the pump housing.

Thanks for your great advice.

T.Day, December 2016

I have a Bosch Classixx (bought in 2010).

Filter cap has been blocked for 3 years.

Followed the steps suggested by Davo and IT Expert - not easy but got the job done.

The screws had a Torx head, had to get Torx wrench for the first time.

Thank you!

Boris, September 2016

I don't do responses on forums - but just wanted to say thanks for the info here as it sorted my issue completely. Mine was the Bosch WFL 2872 but I think the filter issues are common to all models. A bit fiddly and messy as suggested by others but ultimately within the grasp of pretty much most people I would say.

Follow the instructions as below - make sure the machine is securely propped up and also got a towel out for any excess water.

In terms of the electric cables these can be removed from the pump to make it easier to remove the pump so you can get at the filter itself. As others have said my issue were two rusty hairpins which stopped the filter cap being removed!

Now cleaned and replaced cap with a new one having put Vaseline on the thread to make life easier in future. Lifesaver one and all!

Matt G, September 2016

I tilted my machine back and propped the front up with a stool. Just be careful the machine is stable.

Thanks so much!!!! Was so easy:

1. Removed small front panel.

2. Undid screw and removed large front lower panel (thread through black hose).

3. Undid lint filer holder screw.

4. Propped up machine.

5. used pliers to squeeze the metal clips so that the two rubber hoses could be slipped off.

6. Remove debris from inside of tube off side of lint cover section - opened the lint cover and cleaned out.

7. Put everything back together.

As noted earlier, be careful of wires (don't need to detach). Make sure the power is off and drain the black hose before starting to get most of the water out.

Davo, August 2016

Brilliant! Many thanks for all the help on this forum. washing machine stopped working two days before leaving on vacation... The instructions on this site helped us fix it in just 10 minutes!

Martin in Sweden, July 2016

I have a BOSCH Logixx 8, and solved it as follows:

1. I tried a pliers to force the filter open, bad idea, broke a little piece of the handle.
2. I tried tilting the whole machine and banging as other said, no luck.
3. I removed the back panel, lots of screws. Good access and can see the pump, but difficult to reach.

What worked for me:
4. I removed the bottom front panel, very easy, one screw and the rests are clips.
5. I unscrewed the pump (4 screws, careful with the little wires connecting to the pump) and with a large pliers (small won't do) removed the clip holding the big black hose thus freeing it. Sadly lots of water came out, even though I had drained the machine earlier. It seems all this moving and tilting got more water there, should have drained through the little pipe again.
6. Inside the black hose and the pump I found lots of bra paddings and other strange items! Managed to remove them and then was able easily to open the filter!

Done. Now I know, next time it will be a 5 min job, without having to disconnect and remove the machine!

ITexpert77, May 2016

Thanks!! 5 hair pins, a $2 coin and a bra wire later - its running great and saved a call out fee.

jen, February 2016

Brillaint, just fixed the problem as a direct result of your instructions.

The filter was filled with coins & 2 metal shirt collar 'keepers.'

A bit fiddly doing it on your own, I had to prop it up, but well worth persevering with & so happy not to have paid expensive repair fees.

Thanks again.

Karen., January 2016

This is the most invaluable site. Thank you all. You saved me the cost of a call out fee for a job I could do myself. Only incurred an injured pinkie thanks to the sur-clip!! :-)

Jo, November 2015

Many many thanks, as a single mum to 5 I just pulled mine apart and fixed it, working a treat!

Susan, November 2015

Thank you all for your great tips. I have managed to undo my pump filter which I tried to bash to pieces before I had read your posts. It's all clear now, just need to put it back together.

Daniela, October 2015

On my last posting, last paragraph, i meant 'The grey pipe coming out of the back of the pump does not need to be disturbed'

Also, the solution relates to a problem on the the Logixx 8 model

Rui, August 2015

Bosch Logixx 8

You will be able to do the work easily from the front.
(1) remove the lower panel, one screw only under the door lid of the filter, the rest is clicked in, just prize it out carefully.
(2) remove the screw under the pump - it will become free
(3) unclip the black rubber tube on the left side of the pump, using pliers - this is where all the coins, cups etc accumulate, at the entrance of the pump. I found there 7euro and 40 cents !
(4) the filter cap should now turn
(4) refit the whole thing in the reverse order, grease it with vaseline to easy the cleaning next time

Take care not to pull the pump out too much (electrical wires) and the pump coming out from the tube does not need to be disturbed.

Rui, August 2015

As a woman who has no interest in mechanics, I've just surprised myself by fixing my washing machine.
It stopped working as the pump was not emptying. I emptied the excess water via the small black hose next to the trap door. The trap door was jammed shut. Don't force it or the plastic will break off.
I turned the machine on its side to access underneath. Remove the black hose at the top of the pump by squeezing the clips together using pliers (think clothespeg). A telescopic magnetic screwdriver got the four pennies out, which allowed the trap to open. Ta dah!

Elly, August 2015

Thanks Mikesmifff & Gusman for your answers. Had the same problem as everyone else. Followed Gusman's instructions and cleared 4 years of gunk - disgusting! The filter now unscrews and comes out the way it should for much easier cleaning. Note to self... clean filter regularly!! Thanks again everyone. I hate getting tradesmen out who charge per 15 minutes!

Leah T (Australia), January 2015

I have just read what the others had written about not being able to remove filter cover as I couldn't remove ours after the F-18 came up on screen. Thanks for your great answers as I (along with husband) just removed front panel, took black pipe off and removed a lot of hair,a $5 note(bits & pieces of one) which is plastic, hairclip and plastic pieces which come from a new shirt around collar. and it works. I must remember to be more thorough checking pockets etc in future.

Lois J, December 2014

It works! Removed lower front panal, turned upside down for easier access. Unclipped tube, cleared out gunk. Jammed-shut filter was then freed and able to be cleaned.
Thank you!!!!

Mary, November 2014

We've got the Bosch Logixx 8. Pump cap jammed solid. Only way I could access the pump was by taking the back panel off - 12 screws. Disconnect the machine! Then lay on the floor and get both arms through the machine to the pump at the front. Two hoses on the pump. One had a meaty metal spring clip holding it on. Got that off with a mole wrench. Couldn't remove the other hose so took the pump out still attached to the hose. (Only one screw holds the pump to the front panel at the bottom, accessed from outside). NB Be careful to also pull the little electrical connector from the top of the pump between the hoses. Then removing the hose was easy. Opening the pump: I got the pump cap loosely between the jaws of a workmate and then rotated the whole pump body to get it open - really tough. No paper clips bra wires or anything inside, just solid grey scale which I slowly hacked out with a screwdriver. Simples! Then I reversed the whole process back to square one. You should also take care to empty the hose inside the machine with your fingers before re-attaching - muck gets in there too. Nothing to it.
PS Grease the pump cap thread with vasseline to make it easier for next time.

John, September 2014

My Bosch regularly gets stuck like this and I have had to get the engineer to unblock it, usually when he's here for something else. It's a built in machine so I couldn't do the tip it on the side routine. Access was very fiddly from the front (but I knew he'd managed it). My tip is to replace the spring clip - difficult to remove and absolutely impossible to get back on - with a screw clip - also called a jubilee clip. I did this - after removing the 2 hairclips and a 20p - and it will be so much easier to do next time... Thanks for the original thread and answers - encouraged me to do it myself.

David L, September 2014

I have the Bosch Logixx 8, which indicated an "F-18" fault (pump / filter block issue) and was not draining. The filter cover was jammed shut, locked into place by whatever was blocking the filter.
As described previously in this thread, I took the advice and popped open the entire bottom front panel (after just removing the one star screw located near the filter cover). That way I could access the drain hose from the drum, remove if from the pump, and took out a whole bundle of hair, hair pins, coins and pieces of plastic .... Once I'd done that I found that I could turn and open the filter cover.

Hint - don't force open the filter cover as it'll easily break - it's cheap plastic - just try to gently move it back and forth (in an opening and closing action ) until it works itself loose - it will, so be patient !

I then put it all back together (making sure the clip on the draining hose was secure) and it works a treat,

If saved me a € 250 callout fee and saved having to wait 2 weeks for the engineer .... Sorted !

Thanks to everyone for their previous input on this ...

Peter Aitch, August 2014

Thanks - I could only turn the blue filter cap 90 degrees and despite getting some real leverage with wrenches etc I was only bending the plastic. I took the front bottom plastic front off while the machine was upside down and got at the clip on the big black pipe. You need a pair of pliers to work it off but there was a ton of junk inside and after clearing it all out the machines works again. definitely saved a call out and the wife is now happy again

Dee House, UK, July 2014

I have a Bosch Avantixx and I had to turn it onto its side and then remove the back plate to reach inside and find the black tube and clip to remove. It was also easier to push out the bottom front panel from the back and then get to the tube that way to put it back.

Jay Daley, July 2014

Dear All, I do not have a problem with the filter, but now the machine shut-down on me after 5 minutes of washing. Need to wait a couple of mins b4 can start machine again. same symptom after start wash. Service man coming by and said it the control PCB and quoted a repair charges of $380.00. What u think, shld i repair or change new machine. Any suggesion for DIY. TQ

MQ Foo, July 2014

Thanks to this forum we saved a expensive call out fee, the above posts helped my understand the filter issue and why I couldn't unscrew the cap. However if you have the Bosch Logixx 8, these no need to turn it on the side, simply remove one star screw and pop the remaining front base cover off to expose the main hose and clip.
From there I managed to remove our missing house key. Ahhh

Kent, June 2014

The front filter on our WFL2260 was stuck so turned machine on side & removed the inlet pipe - offending items removed - bobbi pin & garden wire & hey presto the filter finally unscrewed!! Thanks for all the advice below!

CD, June 2014

I had exactly the same problem, couldn't turn the filter plug but I didn't want to break it off. In the end I had to disconnect the inlet and outlet hoses, remove the motor housing and clean out the gunk and coins/sticks/hair etc by hand. Once cleaned out and put back together it works just fine. I've had this washing machine for over 5 years and it's still going strong despite the slight design flaw, so very happy to have it sorted at no cost.

Will, May 2014

not sure how to post a question so i have come in through the reply section ,sorry !
does anyone know where you can buy a new drain plug for a bosch classix 1200 express ?cleaned my filter many times but part you grip is broken and even when tightened as best i can,it leaks everywhere.thanks- Deeman

deeman, May 2014

Couldn't undo the drainage plug, thus as suggested turned washing machine on left side and removed the drainage pump inlet hose. Hose is held in place with a clip, need multi-grips or large pliers to remove. We found approx 15 hair pins, a shoe lace, a hair clip and a lollipop stick. Once items were removed was able to remove drainage plug. We forget to remove the water from the drum before we turned the machine on its side thus had a bit of a flood. Good news is machine is now working and saved a call out fee. :)

Mike, April 2014

The drum was turning, but it wouldn't do the final drain & spin. I manually emptied the machine with the hose and couldn't get the drain cap off (it just kept on turning & turning) so we put the machine on its left side (as you look at it) and the cap untwisted with no problems. It was totally clogged! Will wait until tomrw to put on a wash, so fingers crossed!

Orla, March 2014

the washing machine would not spin and I couldn't remove the head of the filter as it had been opened so many times by a washing machine guy in the past and was broken. So only thing was to tilt the machine and access the pump. This was an issue to get my hand in there so decided to take the back off by removing the rivets and taking the back off. I then removed the hoses from the pump that is held by a screw on the front and removed hair pins and some coins. matter resolved and just some mopping up to do

KALEEM ULLAH, March 2014

I had to remove the back and remove the pump and hoses. Steel shirt bones and a rag stuck! Put it back together and all working great now.

Mr YT, March 2014

I dumped this washing machine after this happened twice and I forced the filter. The first time I bought a new filter. The second time It split the entire housing. I bought a Samsung instead where the designers had the foresight to make the filter screw cap spin independently of the filter body, so it spins and unscrews if the body inside is jammed. I won't be buying Bosch again, it's now garbage.

Holmsey, February 2014

omg i havnt been able to remove the filter cap for over three years. and today i stumbled upon this site:) this is the best piece of information ive heard in three years:) the amount of times I have tried to remove this thing in that time is countless. I removed the hose and unplugged it, turned it on side and the cap came off easy as. And wolla! I was expecting it to be badly clogged up but all was in there was a measly 10c!. But thankyou very much for your useful information, it saved me a call out fee and the cost and embarrasement to get it fixed or replaced, and to think i was going to attack it with a drill and screw driver :) thanyou very much

rachel, January 2014

Thank you all so much!! Great and clear instructions.
We had the same filter cap only turning 90 degrees issue - drained what we could from the small hose on the front then put the machine on it's side, undid the main drainage hose clips and pulled a lot of twiggy/wicker (laundry basket) from the filter (and fluff gunk) then unscrewed filter as it should.
VERY grateful for this site/thread. Thanks!

I Ashford, January 2014

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Problem solved by turning machine on it's side and removing hose from filter. After gunk and matchsticks were removed, the cap unscrewed easily.

Lisa, January 2014

The baseplate on my Logixx 1400 Express was held on with rivets. 1 cold chisel and 1 mash hammer later i had the offeding kirby grips in my hand (thakyou daughter). Baseplate reattached with duct tape - everyone happy.

Andy, September 2013

Genius! Not only saved me the callout fee, but total embarrassment of watching the mechanic pulling out the 14 brass collar stiffeners I found in the filter and tube......D'oh

Mike Tailorshirts, September 2013

My plumbing must be blocked as my sink does take a little while to empty so i put the actual outlet pipe in sink and hey presto the machine emptied. Could not have done it without this site :)

Ric1, September 2013

Oh bugger didn't find this site until after i broke it now leaking and need new bit. This must be a design fault to not be able to open a cap to clean when it gets blocked will be onto Bosch tomorrow

Mark, August 2013

Great webpage, I've got a logixx 8 and could not open the filter cap and getting the f18 error code. Turned the machine on its side and followed the instructions on this page and after pulling out 3 hair clips, 2 pins, 1 coin and alot of mess I got the cap open. Put everything back and now works like a dream!

space saver, July 2013

i have a logixx8 and the filter was jammed tight. Turned machine in its side, even upside down to no avail but whilst it was on its back we had good access to remove the front panel and get to the pipe which we were able to remove. Hey presto, there were the 2 super large hair clips holding back a torrent of 'gunk' - easy to pull out with some pliers and now working like a dream.

Julie, April 2013

Did the same as the Goldmans July 2012. Stuck filter from 2 years ago now released after pulling out hair grips and cocktail sticks. Thanks for the advice. Saved a call out and at replacement filter.

Bean, March 2013

Hi I too have same problem. Did slightly break filter as wouldn't come out :-( Then found this page! have ordered new filter to be delivered tomorrow (£20). I have turned on its side can feel stuff in the pipe feeding into filter but cant get good enough angle and view to undo clip etc. Do I need to take off any panels? Its an old Bosch WFK2801. Thanks in advance

Claree70, February 2013

Thank you ! We couldn't loosen the filter cover but tipped washer onto its left side gave it a few slaps & we were able to then twist it open to find a hair grip & drill bit !
Washer now working overtime to catch up ;)

Julie, January 2013

On Bosch Logixx 8:
When standing in front of the machine. Lay the machine over to the left. Then tilt it further over to the left until its almost standing upside down. Give it some bumps. This will allow the objects to return from the filter back into the hose, away from the filter. Now remove the filter before turning it the right way again.

Kristian, November 2012

I couldn't undo the drain plug at all. I had to lean the washing machine on its side, undo the black rubber hose underneath and remove all the debris before I could unscrew the drain plug. Thanks for putting me on the right track..

vetie, September 2012

Mine was a logixx 8. Had to take the back off - reach in to unclip the plastic clips holding the bottom "kick" panel. Once this was off, I had access to remove the black hose from the pump/filter and could fish out the hairclips and other coins etc.
All back together now and running a rinse though the machine - fingers crossed

Sandy, September 2012

Did the same for our Classixx 1400 which was working but had a stuck filter screw and a sludge build-up. Tilting didn't loosen the filter screw cap, but we turned it on its side to access the underneath. There was no base cover to remove. We used pliers to release the spring clip on the hose to the pump and fished out a bra wire and two lollipop sticks that had jammed the filter. Then unscrewed the larger clip and found another bra wire that was collecting gunge. All sorted now.

Goldmans, July 2012

Fantastic advice - thank you so much!! Saved me a fortune!! I found no less than THREE bra wires, a Blackberry stylus a £1 coin and a 20p!!

archietekt, June 2012

Brilliant, drained it using the little drain pipe, then did what everyone said and removed £1; a 5p piece; two collar stiffeners and lots of fluff. Reassembled it and it works a treat. Couldn't get the base off but took all 11 screws out of the back and sorted it from there. Thanks to everyone on the forum for their help and advice.

JanetN, May 2012

Thank you so so much. Just tipped my machine on it's side after trying everything else and I'm a pound richer :) and the machine is no longer leaking. You're all stars :) x

Kezza, March 2012

Bosch Exxcel, sorted. The pump cap would only move a half turn. Baffled I found this site. Tilted the machine on its side and hey presto -the cap unscrewed. The offending 3inch screw then fell out of the pipe when I lent the machine on its opposite side. Simple. Thank you.

John, March 2012

it didn't tell me how to remove the filter?

isobelle, January 2012

Wonderful! Thank you. Machine all fixed - now empties properly and therefore spins properly. I managed to extract a sock which was causing all the problems! Made my New Year :) Mission accomplished in about an hour. Thank you! thank you!

Pauline Andersen, January 2012

Bosch Classixx 1200.
Thanks for the info, also could not open the drain cover. Had to put machine on its side and remove the pump, not too difficult to do.

Managed to remove 2 x 1p & 1 x 5p & 1 x 2p a salon full of hair clips and then I was able to remove the cover and empty out all of the fluff and hair. (Joys of teenage girls !) Put back together and all working fine now.

Thanks again.

Andy_M, November 2011

Thank you thank you Gusman (2008). Same problem with my Bosch Exxcell. Him indoors was trying to force the filter housing. I found this excellent website and read out the instructions and hey presto one nail (his) and one hairgrip (mine).

Her indoors, November 2011

Washing machine was a Bosch WFL 2872 but the same procedure worked a treat.

Cheers for the advice.

8 screws , 1 pair of pliers , 2 bra wires , 4 bobbi pins and a pile of fluff later .. 1x operational washing machine.

Job time was about 1 hour.

Ricky, October 2011

thank you so much to everyone who has posted on here - you have saved my life!! At first, reading posts, I thought I was going to have to replace the brushes, which I wasn't relishing (being a bit girlie about these things). Turns out, after reading the instructions on here, I had a blocked filter (3 small coins, 2 hair grips and 1/2 a pipe cleaner!!) - no wonder the machine had stopped working. The only cost to fix it was buying a T20 torque screwdriver (less than £5). Have never been so thrilled to load up my washing machine!!

helen1710, September 2011

oh I wish I had read this before attempting to resolve leaky machine my self, purchased a new hose (black rubber thing ECO sump hose £26 ), as this had water on it and couldnt see water anywhere else.
needless to say this did not work.
having read this and looked more closely and found a lovely 2 pence coin, (incidentally the same diameter as the tube it was lodged in?? myabe a design flaw)
was able to remove the filter when leak started so thought that was not the problem, found the coin by removing the inlet hose to the filter.
not tried machine, but Im confident this will have sorted it

Jason, August 2011

Fantastic advice. We have a Classixx 1400, which has a bottom cover plate held on by 8X Torx20 screws. Other than removing that, follow the same advice. Our blockage was caused by a Nintendo DS stylus which also prevented the filter cover being opened. One other thing, the filter cover unscrews, it doesn't just come off with a half turn.

Greenak, July 2011

brilliant. Worked with me too

david Smith, May 2011

In stead of removing the pipe, I just turned the machine bckwards and hit the side of the machine (with my hand) to dislodge the offending items. The filter cap then rotated easily.

One dead ten dollar note (plastic kind), two hair clips (rusty) and some unidentified plastic pieces!

Aussie Mitch, April 2011

thanks for excellent advice!! all sorted but we too had to order new filter due to over zealous plier useage!

pippa, March 2011

Searched Google for answer to same problem. Directed to this site. Followed your instructions and found 2 new penny's and a sewing needle in the rubber pipe. It's also been rather noisy since last repair man's visit. Would hammer when spinning. Eased the main belt across small pulley wheel while revolving it as it's edge was against the motor body. Now spins almost silently and best of all, NO LEAKS. Thanks ... John

John Huntley, February 2011

Worked for me too, EIGHT rusty hair clips removed, daughter is in trouble! Now need new filter cap as broke this one with pliers trying to force it off before I came across this forum :-(

Chris, February 2011

Ditto for the other responses. Our 'blocker' was rusty nail! However, machine still leaked on the next run. Any further thoughts?

Barry, January 2011

Just to echo the above comments,10 min job,remove hose from pump,remove bra wire from pump housing,replace hose,reprimand wife

jez mac, January 2011

Can only reiterate the previous comments. Superb advice! Turned machine on its side (pump uppermost) and took large inlet hose off. Could see there was something stuck in there preventing the cover from moving, but couldn't shift it. One screw to remove the lower fascia (and push it to the right to unlock it) and another screw to remove the whole pump. Disconnect outlet hose and unplug wiring and the whole thing comes away. Turned out there was a gigantic rusty hair grip blocking the pump cover removal. Also found several years of limescale chunks. Before refitting, I checked the concertinas in the large inlet pipe and found more limescale chunks and three coins (5p's).

Washed out the pump thoroughly and it is drying out in the airing cupboard prior to refitting. Lets hope it still works :)

Martyn, November 2010

It worked for me too, great advice, many thanks

Rick in Nantwich, July 2010

Thanks for this thread. Mine was a 3" nail.

Blast it !! I had assured my wife it would be a bra wire or hair clip.

I originally tried to remove the filter because the machine was leaking, off and on. I've tested it since clearing the filter, and it hasn't leaked yet. What is the betting that was the cause of the leak, or do I need to keep looking for other causes ???

Geoff C, June 2010

removed black hose, but still unable to screw filter off. do i need to remove anything else under the machine.

jude22, May 2010

i can confirm that this works on the bosch maxx WF02457DN
though you cant remove the electrical connector (pin in X2)
just make sure u give the wire some slack and only remove the oncoming clip, not outgoin,

Thx for the info guys

Alexander Mello, May 2010

I am so pleased to have stumbled upon this page! - just followed the advice to disconnect the hose, and then fish out the foreign object from the inside. Was thus able to unscrew cap as usual.
Unfortunately, when originally trying to unscrew cap, it cracked and a few pieces broke off. Anyone know how much these things cost to replace??

sue, March 2010

Thanks for the answer. What a stupid design the coins jam the drain plug from unscrewing. Take the main hose off the bottom of the pump feel up the hose and pull out all the rubbish put your finger in the pump body pull out all the rubbish and the drain plug should unscrew. Clean it out properly put it back together and all woks. We got £1.18 in change a Euro a pair of tweezers and a cotton bud stem. So I'm in profit.

Graham, March 2010

No one seem to mention taking the bottom plate off, (8 screws). but all in all easy and as described. Mine was an Allen key !

kyle - Leics, March 2010

Yep - perfect. Thanks very much.

GlenP, January 2010

Thanks so much to you all. Same problem, hours trying to figure out how to get the cover open. THREE MINUTES with your technique. On side, spring clip off, one lonely sock removed, and cover then belatedly removed without difficuly. Shame Bosch don't bother to tell you anywhere on their site.

Chris B, January 2010

Really helpful advice. Dead simple with these instructions. £80 saved and 46p found- along with bra wires and various bits of rubbish.

js. norwich, January 2010

Just been quoted £80 plus parts to sort this prob.Decided to look on here for solution, followed your advice, put machine on side, take off clip leading to large hose and yes I found 3 bra wires, put clip back where it came from = sorted 15/20 mins in total

Big thank you to all who contributed.

bob c., December 2009

Amazing! My washing machine was making a horrendous noise every time it drained, then on one wash stopped draining altogether and the light was flashing. I tried to undo the screw-plug thing for the filter but it wouldn't undo. Luckily I read this forum before I undid it as my machine had water in it which I managed to get out with the mini hose next to the filter plug. Turned the machine on its side, used my late Grandad's pliers to undo the clips, and hey presto! There was my very rusty bra wire in the concertina part of the rubber grey filter pipe! The other half of it was stuck inside the screw-cap thing of the filter which I was then able to remove. Feeling very proud of myself as my husband-to-be held my engagement ring whilst I did my best Ted Glen impression! To be fair, I couldn't have put the washing machine on it's side alone! :)

Very proud of myself- fixed in under 40 mins!, November 2009

Had same problem, turned machine on back and removed the large drum drain hose which exposed the pump drain inlet - it's held on with a spring clip. Use some pliers to press clip together it then slides off. The I removed coins, wires from bras etc!. With the filter blocked my machine would not drain.

Jonny H, October 2009

The reason the cover can not be removed is because there are things stuck in the filter. We had 2 lolly pop sticks that were in the filter, causing the filter cover and the pump to become jammed. We removed the hose and then removed the sticks, after this the filter unscrewed no worries.

Greg Spaanderman, October 2009

Great advise from all below. Dont even waste your time trying to remove filter from the front if it is not releasing easily on 1st attempt. Tip the machine on its side and undo the pipe/filter and remove objects w/needle nose pliers or something thin. Then try again and should come out easy. Ours had coins, toothpicks, paperclip and lollipop sticks!

Mike & Jodi, September 2009

Just tried mine ( Bosch WFL 2872)exactly the same couldnt undo front drain cover tipped it on its side , removed pipe and found bra wire and hair grip , put it back together and drain cap opened straight away !
Great advise all !!!

M Youngman, August 2009

Do not waste your time trying to remove the filter from the front as you will only break it. Simply turn the machine over remove the hose and clear the obstruction (two bra wires !!) and reassemble. Dead easy!!!!!!!

Micky D, May 2009

Don't try forcing it with pliers I've just snapped the edge off doing this. Finally managed it by tipping onto its side, dislodged what turned out to be a screwdriver bit and opened with no force whatsoever.

Carol H, October 2008

Wire from a Bra - same as others - inverted the machine pinched the clip retainer removed the wire and reassembled - machine now drains again

Simon, September 2008

Thanks for the other answers here... I have a Bosch Classixx 1000 and had the same problem, which I managed to fix with the helpful hints on this page.

I also put machine on side, so I could access it from 'underneath'... un-sprung the bit on the drain-hose (the main big one, not the small pipe) and found an odd sock! All fine now, and the pump cap works fine again.

Baz - Herts, September 2008

Same for me, a bra wire stuck in the motor and was jamming up the cover so it only moved 90 degrees. I tilted the machine back so i could see the underside, removed the drain hose from the pump easily using a pair of pliers to hold open the clip. Pulled off the drain hose and there was the offending article which was jamming the drain motor as well as the cover. Replace in reverse order, done in 10 mins.

Dave - Eastry, August 2008

Can confirm my objects - a short pencil! and a hairgrip - were successfully removed using the "tilt it back and remove the drain hose" technique. You'll need a pair of pliers to undo the spring clip then a pair of long-nosed pliers to fish out the offending objects then hey-presto the filter cover unscrewed with ease.

Baz of Lincs, July 2008

hi, i had the same problem, the filter cover would only turn about 90 degrees...... and not go any further...... the answer was to remove the pump which was quite easy, switch off the power, tilt the machine back so that you can see the pump, remove the plastic panel at the bottom of the machine held in by 1 torque screw ( requires a t20 torque screwdriver) then undo the torque screw holding the pump you can then remove the electrical connector, then you can remove the two spring clips with your pliers and you will be able to tip the hairgrips coins or whatever else is trapped in the pump.......THEN you will be able to remove the filter.....HURRAH!! then refitting is the reverse.... check for leaks.... job done.... best of luck

Gusman, June 2008

If you put the machine on its side or back you can remove the large drum drain hose to expose the pump drain inlet - it's held on with a spring clip. Then the object can be removed with a couple of fingers - in my case a hair grip. Annoying!

mikesmifff, June 2008

I have the same problem! I've tried pliers and manages to snap the handle... the filter cover turns but won't come out.

Toby Purser, February 2007

hi sounds like you may have something stuck in the pump just try pliers and twist it back and forwards until it comes undone,another idea is to lean the machine back when you do this

phil grimshaw, January 2007

link Click here to see other fixes for Bosch Classixx 1200.