Washer Woes

I don't think we were meant to own appliances.  Many of you who know me well know that in the first 5-6 years we have lived in our house, we've replaced our washer and dryer, refrigerator, and dishwasher, all of which we bought brand new when we moved in.

Over the past month or so our two year old, fully-researched-in-Consumer-Reports-before-I-bought-it washer, has been making noises during the spin cycle.  First squeaking.  Then rattling.  Then horribly loud knocking and grinding.  I kept thinking, "It still works and washes.  Maybe I'll just wait until it breaks all the way and then get it repaired."  But the noises this week were so bad, and I realized I'd be uber-bummed if it broke right when I brought the new baby home or right when somebody threw up and I was trying to wash it all away, so I called the repairman.

My only two year old, fully researched, good quality Kenmore washer probably didn't have anything but just a loose part that needed reattaching, right?  OH HOW WRONG.  It had a faulty basket drive, which cost $250 to fix.  The repairman told me that I 'really did' buy a good washer (he bought the exact same one for his own home) and that I was one of the Lucky Ones to get one of the "occasional, unavoidable lemons."  

On the bright(?) side, he looked at the rest of the washer's mechanical guts, said they looked like they were in great shape and that I should have many future years of washing without problems.  Great to hear, just not after charging a whole "Do You Know What Else I Could Buy With Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars?" worth to the Mastercard.