I'm not figuring how anything related to the door glass would cause the bellows to abrade. The newest Duet I've seen is my aunt's which dates to Oct 2012. The clearance between the bellows and rim of the drum is tighter than I'd observed on an older unit ... so IMO contact between the drum and bellows is more likely to occur than any issue related to the glass but there may be something happening of which I haven't heard. Maybe the shape of the glass has been changed to help push clothing away from contact with the bellows.

Thanks! I was thinking it must be something like that. My guess is that the shape of the glass causes a piece of clothing to sometimes work its way down into the gap around the drum, where it catches and tears. Maybe while it's caught, the drum is tugged out of alignment and a hidden piece of rubber comes into contact with whatever sharp piece the clothing is caught on, and that causes the abrasion. I can't see anything wrong that's visible. By the end of the wash cycle, the ripped piece of clothing has always been tumbled back into the load and not near the gap, so my scenario is just a guess.

When the Duet was first released in Germany - some ten years ago - the same problem became apparent. Ever since, the door glass had been changed and is much deeper than the US version. I guess, Whirlpool never introduced the deeper glass because it would take away like .1 cu.ft. capacity...

If you enter your model number on searspartsdirect.com, it'll actually say that the door glass is being substituted by an updated version. Replacing it is pretty simple.

Here's an older European Duet.

Alex

That's good info, thanks! Since Whirlpool said they'd supply the part (only $43 at SearsPartsDirect anyway), maybe I can do the replacement myself, since A&E won't. But that still leaves whatever rubber part has been pulverized into powder. Though I can't see the damage, it's not minor and no doubt a critical part of the water seal... : (
Maybe if I replace the glass then I can get A&E out on a service call. I'm just worried I'll call them out for $130 minimum charge, just to find out that my $649 washer needs $549 in repairs.

You can replace the door seal also. There are videos on you tube that show how it is done.

Thought I'd post the conclusion to this story.
I was able to schedule the A&E repair people directly.
The A&E guy recognized the problem and for $250 he replaced the seal for me and agreed that we should replace the glass ourselves, since we could get it affordably and it's an easy fix. My husband could have replaced the seal, but it took the repair guy quite awhile; he had to take off several cover plates and use his specialized tools, so I was happier to have him do it (in a manner of speaking).
We ordered the new glass from Sears Parts Direct and installed it easily. We also had to clean the pulverized rubber from the filter and vacuum it out from the drum (where it collected down the holes).
The washer works acceptably again; the seal also appears to have been reengineered so there is much less of a space for socks etc. to collect. (I noticed that it's even tighter on the newest models.)
So I guess my $649 washer was actually a $900 washer...oh well!
No help in the end from Whirlpool. Each day when I called they reminded me that they had '36-48 business hours' to respond. (Took me awhile to get what '48 business hours' really meant...yes...48 hours their business is open, whatever that is. Up to about 6 business days, I guess.) A couple of days after we repaired the washer, they finally said they were ready to make a repair appointment for me. They would cover the parts and I would be responsible for labor, with a minimum charge of $200. Had I been more patient, perhaps I could have saved myself $50 ... to repair what was their design flaw!?! It's odd to me that they would have so little interest in protecting their company's good reputation, but I suppose they've done market research to support this approach. Too bad!

What was the part number for the straight glass? I can't find it to order, the sears direct one the guy tells me is the slanted glass.

Hi, It took some digging here and elsewhere, but the solution to this problem is to replace: 1. The bellows for your particular washer (mine was part #w10290499 - look yours up with your model #) and 2. the re-designed inner door glass - part number #W10388315 or #8540428 which are identical and the same for all washers - which prevents clothes from sliding into the gap between bellow and tub. I bought both on Amazon for about $150 and you can even buy the glass used. There are excellent videos on-line (google it) and installation of both glass and bellows is pretty easy if you can use a screwdriver.

Did your washer always do this? Since new?

I bought mine in Oct 2012. It did well for about 3 years then slowly past would be completely ripped off, torn, somewhat burnt looking, shredded. 3 years ago I started buying and using xxx large garment laundry bags. They'll tear them before my clothes. But what a PIA! Everything must go in a bag or you will take the gamble of ruining your brand new sheets, your awesome beer tshirt you got in a faraway country, or your uniform for work. Now it's been 8 years. Sucks! I'm going back to top loader. I was told at Albert Lee, that lifespan is 8 to 12 years. So frustrating.