[userbinator]

But they're 1/10th to 1/5th of your monthly pay, and last 2-10 years, so why bother ?

2-10 years is an extremely short lifespan for white goods; 20-30 years is more like it, and 40-50 years is not uncommon.

In the case of consumer white goods the business case is that expensive mechanical components and security mechanisms are replaced by electronic ones that are cheaper.

It's not just that, but even mechanical components are deliberately made weaker to use less material and thus cost less. Sometimes manufacturers push that boundary a little too far, Samsung's "exploding" washing machines being one of the latest examples of this.

[nommm-nommm]

Even the industry admits that white goods aren't built to last as long as they were the past. 40-50 years is unreasonable now. I'd be happy with 20.