BMG, welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to learn of your difficulties, especially with your level of care for the machine. Deere products are priced and sold at a premium and you deserve better service and longevity. All in all, they make good machines. But it sounds like you got a lemon.
My experience on this forum is that many of *us* are true end users and customers, with the usual and normal biases toward what we purchase, like, have good experiences with, but nothing beyond that. But then there is also another element present-- for the purpose of promoting Deere products. A few posters here champion everything John Deere, where John Deere is always superior, regardless of facts, logic, and direct experiences of others. So, in that light where Deere equals perfection, it was your fault you chose the Deere model you did, and since Deere makes better models for even more money the implication is that you were a fool for the choice you made. Supposedly JD company had nothing to do with your purchase of a JD mower that blew up, except of course they manufactured it and offered it for sale.
In my case, the Deere champions claimed my Husqvarna GT48DXLS mower with Kawasaki engine, K66 transaxle, and locking differential in no way was comparable to a Deere X3XX model, as Deere is .... so much better. Even though the comparable Deere X380 has virtually the same engine, K58 differential, and no locking differential. And once you add a bagger the Deere is pushing about $6,000 compared to about half that for the Husqvarna. But the die hard Deere champions claimed the X3XX frame is stronger, the cruise control button is more user friendly, and of course there is a dealer in North Africa in case you ever move there and your mower breaks down, One of the Deere champions even claimed the Husqvarna plastic headlamps would fog up in fewer years than the Deere plastic headlamps. This was from someone claiming to be a Deere mower end user-- think about it-- how would a typical end user know the comparative fogging rate of plastic headlamps, and is that even real? It makes no sense of course.
So, again, welcome to the forum. There is tremendous knowledge here. My suggestion is to mine that great quality of knowledge here while navigating over and around the Deere marketing hysteria.