Side quest: I could look for replacement seals for this machine, but apparently, they are pretty model-specific and may not fit if it’s off by even a single mm.

This is actually part of planned obsolescence, where it is difficult and costly to repair things even when parts are available by constant minor cosmetic tweaks dueing production.

Cars reusing parts between models is both cost savings to develop and to meet regulations for making parts available for a set number of years. If appliances were required to follow the same regulations then home repair would be feasible again.