Appliance Repair or Replace

The basic rule

A common guideline: if the repair costs more than roughly half the replacement price, replace it.

Adjust for age. A repair on a machine near the end of its typical life buys less remaining service than the same repair on a young one.

Adjust for what else is likely to fail. A machine that has already needed two repairs will probably need a third.

Typical lifespans

Most major appliances have a broadly understood expected life, and manufacturers publish parts availability periods that indicate it.

Where a machine is beyond that period and parts are becoming scarce, repair becomes progressively less sensible.

Where it is well within, repair usually wins on cost and on resource use.

Diagnosis before decision

Many faults are cheap: a blocked filter, a failed door switch, a worn belt, a blocked pump.

Others are effectively terminal: a failed motor bearing on a sealed drum, a failed compressor, a cracked tub.

Paying a diagnostic fee to know which is money well spent before deciding.

Model-specific repair guides and community forums frequently identify common faults, and the symptoms are usually well documented.

The running cost factor

A very old appliance may use substantially more energy or water than a current equivalent, which offsets part of the replacement cost.

Compare the annual running cost figures rather than assuming. For some appliance types the difference is large; for others it is negligible.

Doing it yourself

Simple mechanical repairs on washing machines, dishwashers and vacuum cleaners are within reach of a careful person with a manual.

Anything involving gas, sealed refrigerant systems or mains wiring inside an appliance should go to a qualified person.

Always disconnect from the supply first, and photograph each stage of disassembly.

Buying a replacement

Check parts availability and repairability information where published, since it predicts the cost of future faults.