Is it worth repairing a 13 year old Miele

Hello David. In theory, and according to Miele's claims, one of their washing machines should last at least 20 years. I think it's fair to say that if you go back a decade or so this was a pretty solid premise to believe in. Unfortunately things have changed and the repair costs of many Miele washing machines can be extremely high. Miele have not been immune from the same problem that has affected all manufacturers of appliances. That is, they can do many things to keep manufacturing costs down, but there is nothing they can do to keep repair costs down - which are very labour-intensive. Of course they presumably can try to sell their spare parts at more reasonable prices.

I would imagine it would cost a good few hundred pounds for a Miele engineer to replace the bearings. It is very rare to find any independent engineer who will call out to Miele washing machines. Your 13 year old Miele washing machine is extremely well made, there is nothing on the market that is as well made. Even a brand-new Miele is probably not quite as well made although they are still far better quality than anything else I know. So in theory it could last several more years, but there is absolutely no guarantee of it, which is why it is such a difficult decision to make.