Most washing machines are cheap by historical standards, costing two or three days' wages. To make them cheaply, the factory saves time on the build process. So the drums are sealed through welding rather than bolts, and as a result the machine cannot be disassembled for servicing. As a result of that, the bearings are inaccessible and non-replaceable. In addition to this, printed circuit boards take the place of mechanical controllers. PCBs can burn out, or electrical connections can come loose with repeated shaking.
While most machines are made quickly and cheaply, there are a few made to be rebuildable, the way all machines used to be made. It's time-consuming for the manufacturer, which is why these machines are priced at a fortnight's wages rather than three days'. But consumers can expect them to be economically repairable.
Another point about a quality machine is that it will last longer before it needs servicing because of better design and component spec.
Finally there's the problem of unnecessarily high speed spin. 1200 RPM is plenty. And yet consumers choosing on spec will choose something that does 1600 RPM because more is better. 1600 RPM can create a lot of vibration, and so a cheaply built machine can rattle itself to pieces after not very long.
I looked into this last year and found that the only sub-£600 washing machine built with at least some of these longevity principles in mind was the entry-level machine from Miele. This happens to be well reviewed for energy efficiency, and it runs quietly. That's the one we chose.
We've had cheap machines previously. The last one failed when we heard a grinding noise, which soon became a metallic banging noise. I guess the bearing disintegrated. That was after ten years of light use, i.e. two loads a week. The council collected it for £30.
The one before that failed by never stopping washing. It ran all day without pumping out the water (or rinsing or spinning). That was also ten years old. Luckily it had a mechanical door release, so I was able to retrieve my clothes once I'd pulled the plug. The rag and bone man was delighted with it, once I'd tipped out the water.
