Our clothes never smell properly washed and...

The manufacturer did replace a circuit board under warranty some time ago but our problem persists, especially when we ask and compare with our friends how well they think their machines wash. We think the problem is that the machine doesn't use enough water during its cycle...its an absolute trickle and sometimes you can see that the clothes haven't even got wet. The machine is supposed to weigh the load and then determine how much water to use. Our friends (who all have machines no older that 4yrs) all report that they can see a decent amount of water sloshing about. The rinse hold function helps a bit and we've tried all sorts of different detergents and conditioners. We keep the detergent drawer and drum clean. We've done what the manufacturer recommended which is to clean the machine through on a hot cycle with no clothes periodically but to no avail.