This is a new report that's come out about the need for a Right to Repair.
https://uspirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/RepairSavesFamiliesBig/Repair-Saves-Families-Big_USP_Jan2021_FINAL1a.pdf
WOW! WHAT a concept!!!
Umm, actually, I've been doing this for at least 40 years, probably more. Yes, my first fix was a furnace gas control valve with I was about 12.
This particular valve used a heater and a bimetal strip to lift the pilot valve on a pilot-actuated servo valve to turn on the gas burner.
Our HVAC guy (they didn't call them that back then) could only replace the whole gas valve at huge expense. I diagnosed the problem as
flexing of the wires to the heater, and wrapped some wire around a pencil, so the flexing was spread across some length, not right at the
connection. That fix worked for something like 20 years until my dad sold the house. Much better than replacing the valve every year or two.
I'm getting ready to replace the main bearing and seal on our washing machine for the 3rd time. It seems the seal wears out every 4 years and
then the water corrodes the bearings. That's a big job, but much cheaper than replacing the whole washing machine.
As for computers, my main desktop has been running continuously since 2014, and was a used Dell Optiplex from eBay. The Optiplex is their commercial-grade line, I don't know what is different about them, but they are extremely rugged. The one before that was also an Optiplex, used on eBay, and I ran it for 12 years before deciding to upgrade. It is STILL running at my mother-in-law's house.
Jon