Sigh. I think you're spot on with your cynicism. But maybe the market won't let them get away with it, if there's sufficient competition? Here's my sad story

Sigh. I think you're spot on with your cynicism. But maybe the market won't let them get away with it, if there's sufficient competition? Here's my sad story of what you allude to, regarding a washing machine (or maybe it was a dryer I forget now): An electric motor is fundamentally an incredibly reliable part. I'd venture that there are still some 100-year-old electric motors in daily service. The "contactor" (fancy word for a high power relay) failed. This contactor controlled the electric motor which made the drum turn. Turns out that the field replaceable unit is not the contactor, but is an assembly that combines the motor and contactor. So instead of being able to replace just the relay (which can be prone to failure after some years of use), the entire assembly must be replaced. A perfectly good motor thrown away because the contacts on the relay controlling it went bad. The replaceable unit cost $320 (this was a while ago) instead of perhaps $20 for the relay itself!