I know it sounds a bit mad but i took it as a challenge as long as the costs did not escalate too high.
It was interesting to see how much and at the same how little the technology used in washing machines has changed.
I think in such a high volume production market the maxim 'if it isn't broken don't fix it' or 'if it works why change it' is a good approach given the problems some manufacturers have had with machines causing fires. Click here for the details.