Thoughts on planned obsolescence vs. how we actually use things?

I think you've been pretty lucky, but I also agree that usage plays a huge role. I’ve noticed that people treat thier modern high-efficiency washers like the old top-loaders from the 80s. My neighbor stuffs her Samsung front-loader with heavy king-sized comforters every single weekend and then wonders why the spider arm bracket snaps. Those components are often made of thinner cast aluminum now instead of somethig more durable, and they just can't handle that kind of torque indefinitely. That said, the engineering has definitely shifted. My parents had a Maytag that lasted 25 years with just one belt change. When my Bosch dishwasher's heating element went out last year, the technician told me it was acutally cheaper to buy a new unit than to pay for the labor and the proprietary control board. Everything is clipped togehter now instead of bolted, making DIY repairs much more of a headache. It’s a mix of both. If you baby them—using the exact right HE detergent amounts and never overloading the drum—you can prolly squeeze a decade out of a mid-range unit. But the days of buy-it-for-life are mostly over unless you're spending serious money on a Speed Queen or a Miele.

I have to disagree that it’s just about how we use them. I’ve been a "read the manual" person my whole life, never overloading my LG washer and always cleaning the condenser coils on my fridge every six months. Despite that, I’ve had two control boards fail on a Bosch dishwasher in under four years. The technician pointed out that the solder joints are thinner and the boards are positioned right next to heat sources, wich is a design flaw, not a usage issue. It’s the transition from mechanical timers to sensors and chips that’s the real killer. My parents' 1992 Maytag had a physical dial that lasted 25 years. Now, if a $5 moisture sensor gets a bit of corrosion on a GE profile, the whole unit bricks itself becasue the software won't let it run. We aren't working them harder; the manufacturers are just using cheaper components that can’t handle the heat and humidity they are literally designed to live in. It feels like we're paying more for features that act as single points of failure.

Exactly, the shift to thinner materials is a huge factor. To add to that, people rarely consider thier water hardness when it comes to dishwashers and laundry. Modern sensors are way more sensitive to scale buildup than the old mechanical timers were. If you aren't using a water softener or running a descaling cycle, those tiny internal sensors get coated and start throwing error codes for no reason. It’s another layer of maintenace that the old bulletproof machines just didn’t need.

Spot on about the sensors, but nobody talks about power quality. These modern boards are basicly laptops glued to a motor. If you’re running a high-end Wolf range or even a standard GE Profile without a dedicated surge protector, one brownout will cook the main PCB.

I’ve seen dozens of those LG Linear Compressors (looking at you, FLB075LNA) die in under three years regardless of how often the owner vacuums the coils. It’s an engineering oversight, not a maintenace issue. If you want that 20-year lifespan, you’ve got to avoid the 'smart' tech and stick to brands that still use overbuilt components like Sub-Zero or the higher-end Miele units.

I’m not totally sold on the 'everythign is junk' narrative just yet. Have you ruled out poor installation or ventilation as a primary factor? I see people cramming these modern fridges into tight cabinet enclosures designed for 1990s units, then wondering why the compressor burns out. These high-efficiency components need way more airflow than the old stuff did to stay cool. Also, is it posible we’re just seeing survivor bias? We remember the one Maytag that lasted thirty years but forget the dozens that hit the scrap heap early. I wonder if the actual failure percentages have shifted as much as we think they have.