Front loader washing machines seem to be nearly unrepairable when the main bearing goes out.
We were quoted $400 labor plus around $800 for a complete new drum assembly when the bearing went out in our 7 year old machine. When asked if we could replace just the bearing, they said labor would be around $600 and $75 for the bearing, but they wouldn't warranty the work unless we replaced the entire assembly.
In theory, I could have replaced the bearing on my own, but getting help to move it to the garage, spending a day or two disassembling the entire machine to replace the bearing and then hoping I could get it all put back together was a much bigger repair than I was willing to do on my own.
I ended up paying $900 to replace the whole machine with a newer, more energy efficient model.
What's your hourly rate by the way? I am wondering if you actually lost money while inquiring about these repairs. If you make 100$ an hour, it's just 9 hours of your work to buy a new one. Basically one working day + a smidge.
That calculation only makes sense if you can actually find 9 hours of work that will pay you in money. If you are a salaried employee your time is not always exchangeable for money quite so easily.
In my career as an engineer I was never able to work extra time and get paid for it in any other currency than time off in lieu.
It took less than an hour to schedule the service call, less time than it took to choose and order a replacement. (And that took 2 visits because the first one had some damage)
I would have technically have lost money if I spent a weekend doing the repair myself.
But if I did the work myself, I would have considered it as entertainment, not lost time. I spent half a day replacing a pump in my dishwasher, and enjoyed doing the work.
We were quoted $400 labor plus around $800 for a complete new drum assembly when the bearing went out in our 7 year old machine. When asked if we could replace just the bearing, they said labor would be around $600 and $75 for the bearing, but they wouldn't warranty the work unless we replaced the entire assembly.
In theory, I could have replaced the bearing on my own, but getting help to move it to the garage, spending a day or two disassembling the entire machine to replace the bearing and then hoping I could get it all put back together was a much bigger repair than I was willing to do on my own.
I ended up paying $900 to replace the whole machine with a newer, more energy efficient model.