The gentleman who listened to our ailing washing machine said, "I'd have to charge you $300, but I think you can order the part and fix it yourself." Then he left so he wouldn't have to charge us the $50 fee for looking at it.
Kansas Dad went to work taking the washing machine apart to find the part. He examined it and determined it was not broken. So he continued to look, alternating his dismantling with visits to the computer to search for information and watch videos of people fixing washing machines on YouTube. He continued until the entire machine was spread out in pieces in the kitchen and even the front porch. He found nothing wrong. Eight hours later, he was frustrated, angry, and dirty with a washing machine in pieces that should work but doesn't.
So he put it back together, praying some connection was loose and it would miraculously work again. It did not. He didn't make it worse, but he didn't fix it either.
We weighed our options and have sadly decided the washing machine must be replaced. So we're off to the store first thing in the morning. Kansas Dad did his research and narrowed it down to two choices, both with the lowest prices at the same store. We have a coupon for $25 off our purchase and will get free delivery and haul-away, so it's not as expensive as we had feared for a new, high efficiency, low water usage washing machine. It's not a good time to be without one, not when we have the money in the bank to buy one. I guess that is a blessing, at least.
