Product review (4 stars): Fabulous Washing Machine - BUT...
This is a wonderful machine, no doubt about it! Efficient, cleans clothes well, quiet. HOWEVER... be prepared. I had read about the issue of "shipping residue" on several websites. They mention it in the owners manual and suggest you just wipe it out. Unfortunately, it is not that easy. There was BLACK residue in the washtub (not immediately visible to the eye, but if you wipe the tub, you will see it instantly) and it required full strength Simple Green, about 2 dozen towels for scrubbing and probably about 12 loads of laundry with HOT, HOT water and old towels to finally get rid of the stuff. This could definitely ruin your clothes if you do not get it out. So, be prepared. If you get a machine that has this issue (apparently not all of them do), plan on several hours and some elbow grease to solve the problem. Once I eliminated the residue, it did not come back and I've had no further problems. Sad state of affairs though, that I should have had to go through that process.

I would recommend this washer, but with reservations because of the residue issue and what it took to resolve it.