Because no-one wants to pay for that. Washing machines which last exist, but they're expensive. They use sturdier, more easily replaceable parts, higher quality motors and control systems, etc. And sometimes _iron_ counterweights (even more CO2 there).
You can get a washing machine that might last perhaps 5-10 years for about 200-300 euro... or a Miele one that'll probably last over 20 years for 1000 euro. It's a hard sell for most people.
My problem is that I'm willing to spend the money but I'm worried about getting burnt. It can be difficult to ascertain what product is worth spending money on and how much extra to spend exactly.
There is zero guarantee of spending more to get higher quality and longer life. It takes a lot of research.
You need to be really, really determined to follow the "Buy It For Life" way.
A bit less than ten years ago, I had my home built and purchased nothing but high-end industrial appliances. I admit, this was costly and I made similar viewpoint purchases for the rest of the house.
So far, I've not had to have anything repaired - at all. I haven't even had to change an appliance lightbulb. I just keep the consumables replaced on schedule.
Initially, it was quite expensive. I do think it may be cheaper on the long run.
Do cheap appliances really have longevity problems though?
My place is going on 22 years old with the same gas oven/stove top, built in microwave, and standing washer dryer combo. No repairs needed that I know of and even if they did, they are all standard, whirlpool type appliance with an abundance of cheap parts online. Even the fridge was going strong until we had an internal water leak a few years ago which was easily fixed for $100. We did recently get rid of it for a more efficient model though.
Now that I think about it, the dishwasher was replaced a few years ago. Mostly because we didn't think the old one was cleaning well enough. But the new one was barely $200 all in.
Commerical, high end versions of these appliances would need to last more than my remaining lifespan to pay for themselves.
I don't think much financial argument can be made for spending large amounts of money on regular kitchen appliances for their longevity.
It's always a gamble, but I feel like your appliances probably fall in the threshold of manufacturers giving a damn about longevity.
Our 32-year-old home, with original washer/dryer, dishwasher, fridge, and oven were only recently renovated mostly because of aesthetics - not operation. Of those appliances, the dishwasher was the only real dud the last year.
I haven't crunched the numbers but I'd say the lack of hassle also has value. I'm not sure where to even get that data. If you know where it is, I'll do some math.
Of course, they're unlikely to know how well an all new model will last, but most manufacturers don't have all new components in a new model.
I bought my current machine secondhand for AU$200. When it fails beyond repair I plan on buying another on from a repairer, so I'll have the opportunity to ask them what parts commonly fail that make machines unrepairable.
> You can get a washing machine that might last perhaps 5-10 years for about 200-300 euro... or a Miele one that'll probably last over 20 years for 1000 euro. It's a hard sell for most people.
The other side of the coin is that the Miele will possibly do a better job than the cheaper model.
I used to buy $100 vacuum cleaners and just replace them when they break, which they usually did after a year or two. The last time one died on me I decided that I had had enough and bought a Miele. Not only will it last longer (the 10 year warranty guarantees that it will), it also does a much better job.
I like my Miele vacuum. But I bought it because it did a noticeably better job and was more quite than a cheapo. But I doubt the Miele dishwasher would do a better job since mine does fine. Clean is clean for a plate.
But also improving the reliability of washing machines isn't hard or expensive. Remember, you're talking about a machine that the most common source of problem with it is a broken/faulty lid switch. cheap and easy to fix.
Surely, with that level of engineered failure(or maybe extreme cost engineering), there's similar stuff hidden there.
Also a common fault is the bearings supporting the drum. These actually take a lot of beating. In the olden days, you could replace them for $15 and two hours of straight-forward work. When my ~ 5 year old Bosch failed last year, I spent an hour on the teardown just to discover they now plastic weld the drum shut, so you instead have to buy a new $150 drum assembly. Youtube had teardowns of the same model built a few years earlier, which was still repairable; there were even still bolt holes right next to the plastic weld on mine. At which point I said screw you Bosch, I'm buying a new Miele. Here's hoping it lasts 20 years.
I've never been convinced about the idea of serious engineered failure for this type of device. I think there are two problems, both consumer-related; price sensitivity (adjusted for inflation, these machines are far cheaper than they used to be) and demand for features (more modes, smartphone integration, bigger drum, higher spin speed), and something has to give.
If you compare a low-end washing machine, say a Whirlpool or Inndesit or something, to a mid-range one (Bosch etc), to a high-end one (Miele), it's immediately obvious what's going on. On the low-end one, costs are cut to the bone; everything feels flimsy. The door, the drum, even the buttons feel cheap and flimsy. The mid-range one, things feel better (and repairs become easier; easily replaceable drums etc). The top-end one feels like an industrial machine (and durability improves; high-quality motors, the afore-mentioned iron counterweight and so on).
To a large extent, with washing machines, you get what you pay for (as long as you avoid smartphone integration and other nonsense). There's consumer demand for really, really cheap ones, so manufacturers make them, and they break quickly. You can still buy a top-end one which will last, but it'll cost you.
I paid usd$350 for our new Kenmore washer in 1995. I have had it apart three times in that period, all for repairs that cost less than $50 in parts and at most two hours time.
Contrast this with our 2012 $950 Bosch dishwasher, which broke three times in its second year of service (1-year warranty), and cost collectively $850 to fix because nothing was user serviceable. We threw it out when it broke the fourth time.
My experience with home appliances has been mostly that the cheaper ones last _longer_ than the expensive ones.
I'd be convinced that companies are seriously interested in offering good value combined with reliability or just repairability, when they'll start seriously marketing their products as such[1].
So far, only miele does that marketing, but sadly without the price.
[1]Gigabyte did/does that with motherboards, their ultra-durable line, when they tell you all kind of technical stuff(like "we use tantalum capacitors" which attack a common and cheap MB failure point) to convince you it's reliable.
There are also two schools of thought on spending more now vs spending twice. $1k now or $200 4-5 times obey the same course of time misses the opportunity cost -- pay $200 now then put the $800 into index funds. This also assumes that the $200 machine works as well as the $1k machine, which is very likely false. If it's rougher on your clothes and you must replace them more often, there's another hidden cost. If it's loud and keeps you up at night, it's harder to assign a dollar value to that. If you just hate using junky crap, again that's hard to assign a number to.
You also have to transport a machine if you move with furniture. Washing machines to me still appear to be one of the longest lasting appliances, I'd guess most replace the machine not because it's faulty.
How about we just make machines that last instead of having to be replaced all the time.