ENGLAND - Is it worth taking Samsung to small claims court over consumer rights?

Hi team, very much not a lawyer here and never done anything like this before so please be gentle - really appreciate any advice.

In July 2020, we paid ~£800 for a Samsung washer / dryer (WD6800 QuickDrive Washer Dryer) direct from Samsung with the logic that spending a bit more on a well known brand would mean it would be good quality and last for a while. We had a small issue with it in August 2020, which Samsung repaired for free under warranty, but ever since then it’s been fine.

About a month ago, we started getting an error code. In the previous repair, it had taken weeks for Samsung to get someone out to us, so I called a local repair mechanic to diagnose the issue. They said there was a problem with the PCR board, and whilst the machine will still wash fine, this means it won’t now dry until we replace it. We were quoted around £400, with the board itself being the majority of this cost. The diagnosis itself was also £50.

There is a big sticker on the machine saying the motor is under a ten year warranty, so I decided to chance it and call Samsung to see if they could help. They gave a very ‘computer says no’ answer and said the machine is under warranty for 2 years, but now they will only send out their own repair team, which will be chargeable, and probably cost more then we were quoted. I was frustrated that, after a pretty short amount of time, during which the machine has been used ~ 2x a week for a 2 person household with what I would say is normal wear and tear (I’m not washing big duvets or anything in there) the machine is now not fit for purpose, so I did some research and found out that consumer rights, which are valid for 5 years, state that a product should last for a ‘reasonable amount of time’.

I contacted citizens advice, and they backed up what I’d found, and said that it seemed like a had a leg to stand on. They suggested I get a final response from Samsung, which I did (they offered 20% off a new machine, which is not what I’m after) and then if I wasn’t happy with the resolution, I could send a letter before action, basically threatening them with small claims court. I sent the letter and they replied immediately, doubling down that they wouldn’t pay for the repair or do the repair themselves for free, and again offering 20% off a new machine. I don’t want to spend more money then I have to, and it doesn’t seem like it makes any sense to throw away a machine which could still work perfectly with one repair, so I don’t think that’s a reasonable offer.

I’ve had a look online and it seems fairly easy to launch a small claims case - and I note that mediation is now mandatory ahead of any court case, so I hopefully wouldn’t waste too much of anyone’s time, because at this point I’d be more then happy to accept just a contribution towards the repair at mediation.

My questions then are;

1) am I being super tight about this? This is the first time I’ve owned a washer / dryer, maybe 4 years is right? (Google says usually 7-10 years, which seems right to me, but I could be off)

2) is there any point in suing a massive corporation, who have already proved themselves to be somewhat asshole-ish, or will they just send a bunch of high paid lawyers to argue the sky is green?

3) on that point, what can happen if I lose? Could this bankrupt me? I don’t really know what this process looks like!

4) can anyone think of any other bright ideas? This all seems so extreme over a damn washing machine.

Thanks so much for reading! Lmk if I’ve left anything out :)