Yes, I can see the ecological logic in requiring manufacturers to make it easier for an owner to fix his broken machines. And I still take the personal view that (nearly) everything is worth one attempt at a repair. But I can also see that the dominant trends of the last 20 years have been (1) a move toward sophisticated microprocessor control and (2) a tendency to use smaller and more efficiently laid-out layouts which have resulted in tidier, better-presented products.
Have you ever tried dismantling the gazillions of tiny bushes, brushes and bearings in an electric jigsaw? Or sorting out the siphon system inside a dishwasher? (Physically simple, but functionally a nightmare balance of complementary suctions which you'd never guess from looking at it.)
I agree that manufacturers have fought back, sometimes unfairly, by using torx screws etc. "If you ain't got a torx socket set you probably don't know enough to be messing inside this thing" seems to be the message. But heck, some of those torxes are there to save lives. I wonder what the household insurance companies will do when dad accidentally turns the washing machine into a live device?
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif)
BJ