FreeMDU: Open-source Miele appliance diagnostic tools

what we miss is a universal control computer to control those washing machines. It is very often that part that breaks and that is "so expensive that you'd better replace the whole machine".

With a little work, it's sometimes surprising how easy things are to repair. My TV died a few years ago and just refused to power on. I don't really know much about electronics, but I assumed since there were no lights of any kind that it was probably a bad power supply. I opened it up and it turns out the power supply is a separate board with an easily detachable cable. I ordered a new one for less than $40 on eBay by looking at the part number and it only took a few minutes to replace and saved me several hundred dollars.

I'd imagine someone more familiar with electronics possibly could have figured out what specific component was wrong and replaced only that for an even smaller fraction of the cost.

As long as the small PCB is $40 it's fine. I had a central vacuum fail like that a couple of years ago, and the small PCB would have cost $350.

The PCB had already been replaced twice during the warranty period. Googled the major components and they were $3 - $5 a piece, just a couple of half bridge rectifiers, resistors and diodes.

Didn't want to risk a fire from a DIY job, which would have definitely voided my insurance, so I spent $400 on a new central vacuum unit (from a different brand).

Not a lawyer but I don't think home repairs void most home insurances in common law countries unless you are working with parts that are particularly dangerous, part of a safety system to protect others, and/or absolutely require a skilled professional.

I'm pretty sure that if a fire starts in my central vacuum unit, and my insurance company does an investigation that finds a DIY swap of power electronics components in that unit, I would at the very least be in a lengthy legal battle to get any money back.