[bombcar]

This is the saddest part, a friend has two wash machines, one is an old top loader and one is a newer front loader; the front loader has been replaced three times whereas the top loader keeps running.

It had a control knob burn out and it was $50 or so to get a new one, one of the front loaders had a control board fail and it was $450 for a whole new front panel, which of course means nope.

[nsajko]

To play the Devil's advocate, this might just be survival bias manifesting. The old top loader might have accidentally had top 0.0001 quality (tighter-than-average tolerances, etc).

[bombcar]

Nah, it broke "about" as often as the others (making allowances for complications and design differences), it's just that when it broke, it was fixable for a reasonable amount because there was no computer board in it.

A similar but later top loader that I had died almost the same way, but required an entire control board replacement similar to the front loader; too expensive to bother with.

(Now an enterprising person could likely have repaired the control board itself, but that's beyond my "remove and swap" competencies.)

[Bluecobra]

I spent way too much on my LG front door washer/dryer combo that when it breaks down I am going to replace it with a laundromat style Speed Queen.

[xp84]

These PCBs (and I suppose more specifically whatever parts are on them) seem to be made of literal garbage — and yet they cost a mint. Had a wall oven with an “error code” - diagnosis: replace board, part cost $400, internet says there has been no revision of the board so the new board will likely fail the same way, and only the part would be warranted so the other $500 in labor cost to fix it could be incurred again next month or next year. Ended up throwing away the whole double oven.

Meanwhile I know a PCB and a few boring ICs and resistors actually cost like $30 max so I know that we are being scammed.