My Bosch had the same problem and has just expired tonight! However, there may be a simpler answer - if you ever wash underwired bras, the semicircle of spring metal comes out of the bra and passes right through the drum perforations and then scrapes, without doing much harm. Use a torch to see if you can see through the drum and spot it, then try and remove with tweezers.
Stephen Carter, November 2005
