appliance ages, repairing vs replacing

[mistysue]

How long before replacing? As long as the repairs are reasonable.

And I'm sorry, but if you have a husband, it is of my opinion that there is no excuse for any male not to be able to do any repair himself with the internet these days. I would call out the girls too, all it takes is a screwdriver and pulling the bad part and reinstalling the new part. It's not rocket science. With the internet, you could go out in the garage and tear down your car into individual pieces and put it back together.

Maybe I will look it up again. Once we got to options that involved opening the thing up I was a little worried I would just break it worse. If im already debating having to replace it, knowing the new one will not live as long, breaking it may not really hurt anything.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Google the issue you are having with your machine, and there will be tons of videos or discussion board posts about what is possibly wrong with it. My machine does the same thing, and my husband put tape around the thing that initiates the spin when you close the lid (the tab like thing sticking down). I also make sure I thump on that side of the lid after I close it to try and make sure the thing will go through the whole cycle. Cheaper than buying a new one. Ours is 16 yrs old and dh has probably repaired two or three things on it through the years. You may be having the same problem I have. Does it totally not work at all or is it intermittent?

ITA!! I have fixed our 5 year old (Miele) dishwasher twice this way. Works fine after each fix!

There are free sites where service technicians will give advice (in both cases there were already answers available for the same issues I was having so I didn't have to post any questions)!

Now I don't think I'd try this with the refrigerator as it's on its' last legs and we are hoping it holds out another 2 years. It's a 22 year old Sub Zero. In the last 2.5 years we've replaced both compressors, the seals and the drain. It's just too costly to replace right now.

If it were me, I'd first try googling the problem. If you can't find a remedy, then I'd call the manufacturer's customer service center and see if they can offer assistance (Miele was very helpful as was Sub Zero). Then I'd call a service technician and get an estimate of the cost to repair.

Good luck!

 

[danygirl]

We googled the codes from our whirlpool HE and then found a company that replaced the circuit board for $100 way cheaper than a new washer or a service call

 

[Jex]

For the most part I agree with your no excuse statement, but it was pretty harsh. I am assuming you built your own home using DIY books and the internet since that is possible as well. If not, glass houses my friend.

How long before replacing? As long as the repairs are reasonable.

And I'm sorry, but if you have a husband, it is of my opinion that there is no excuse for any male not to be able to do any repair himself with the internet these days. I would call out the girls too, all it takes is a screwdriver and pulling the bad part and reinstalling the new part. It's not rocket science. With the internet, you could go out in the garage and tear down your car into individual pieces and put it back together.

My washing machine showed the same symptoms, wouldn't spin or drain. It had an error code, I don't remember what it was. I took the bottom front panel off (4 screws, again, not rocket science) and the drain is right in front with the pump. I was taking the pump off when I found a pencil in the drain among a lot of other stuff. You'd be surprised at the size of things that can get past the seals (ours is a front loader.) I cleaned out the drain, put it back together (again, nothing more than a few screws and some wire pugs for the pump) and it worked again.

Now the previous washer, the brace inside the drum at the bearing broke. Couldn't just replace the brace or bearing, all that was available was the whole stainless steel drum assembly for $450 (part only.) Yea, at that cost we just bought a whole new one for $500.

You'd be surprised at how much you can save by just doing it yourself with just the tiniest bit of thought. The $300 pump repair mentioned in an earlier post, that was probably a $30 part and $270 in labor. Two minutes with Google and half an hour with a screw driver and that repair would have saved $270.

 

[Eastern]

Google the issue you are having with your machine, and there will be tons of videos or discussion board posts about what is possibly wrong with it.

I google any appliance that breaks. Even blenders. You will often find out how to do a small repair, or find out that the company will ship you a part for free.

 

[Jex]

Oh and to keep it on topic, I would have it replaced. My first house had appliences that were 20+ years, and has far as I know they are still going strong. My sister owns the home now, and since I moved I am on my third washer and dryer in 12 years. So the old ones are closer to 35+ now.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I've looked at new, pretty washers and dryers. They have a LOT of plastic parts and don't seem to be built to last any longer than 7 years.

My old washer is 15 years old, my dryer more like 20. I will keep them running as long as is humanely possible!

I hate this era of disoposable, poorly made things. My mother has been married 60 years and still has the toaster and the blender she got as wedding presents (she's replaced the cords on both a few times and the motor on the blender). We still have the can opener I bought for DH's first apartment 25 years ago.

Buy any of those things today and expect them to give up the ghost within 5 years, tops.

It even extends to clothes. I dare you to find a cashmere sweater like the vintage 1970's pullover I got at the thrift the other way. It's thick and plush and beautifully made. I expect to get a lot of good use out of it. Meanwhile, the cashmere sweater I bought at Brooks Brothers 3 years ago is already only fit to be worn when I'm knocking about in the woods or such!

Okay rant over.

OP, I agree with all the PP's. Go on the internet if you want to try to fix it. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find a video that will show you how.

 

[mrodgers]

For the most part I agree with your no excuse statement, but it was pretty harsh. I am assuming you built your own home using DIY books and the internet since that is possible as well. If not, glass houses my friend.

No, I didn't build my own house because I didn't have the cash laying around to purchase the property and start building the house. I did however rip out the load bearing wall between the living room and kitchen shortly after we moved in and built a beam system for support. By the way, I cut the beams from logs myself (helps to have a sawmill at your in-laws' place.)

Also gutted the bathroom the 2nd day we moved in, replastered the walls (previous owner ruined the plaster walls), installed a new toilet and bathtub, refinished the vanity with a new sink and counter and laid a new floor.

Like I said, with the internet it isn't rocket science. This is the board where everyone makes fun of everyone else for having a car payment, then complains when it costs them $1000 to have a $30 part in their car repaired.

 

[barkley]

I think you have to balance short term vs. long term costs/savings on appliances.

I got a HUGE lesson on this years ago when I rented in a place where the fridge was from decades earlier (when appliances were 'built to last'). it worked great until one day when it went out. landlords knew from experience it was cheaper to replace than repair (so old no parts available). brand new fridge came in and my electric bill dropped by over 30% per month (and it wasn't even an energy star appliance).

our washer went out last spring (about 17 years old). we had our dryer repaired about a year ago (about 13 years old) and it was around $175 between service trip to diagnose, parts and labor for return trip to fix. when washer went out I thought about getting it repaired but then I looked to it's age, how much potential repairs could cost and just decided 17 years had been a good life span for it and to look at new ones.

ended up replacing both the washer and dryer b/c we found a great deal on a new LG front loading set. I can't say how much water we save (well water so no bill to judge from), but our power bill has dropped immensely. additionally, our utility company gave us a rebate so that has increased our savings. in the long run, should repair issues come up it will cost us less to repair b/c instead of paying someone to come out and diagnose, then order the parts and return the set we have is set up for remote diagnosis (call authorized repair, put the phone up to the unit and tones from the phone cause the unit to tone back information about which component is malfunctioning/broken).

I agree that things were built to last longer 'back in the day', but I also look to how differently we use some appliances vs. how they were used then and I think they get more use which contributes to their wear and tear. mom's washer/dryer lasted over 25 years but she ran a few loads a week b/c kids just didn't have the number of clothes they do today-you got a few pairs of pants/couple of new dresses/blouses for back to school and hung them up to put on your 'play clothes' when you got home. with the exception of underware or highly soiled items you were expected to get a couple of uses before laundering. mom did a few loads a couple of times a week (and if the weather was good she line dried). I don't know anyone (except my retiree friends with no kids in the home) who doesn't run at least 1 or 2 loads every other day.

 

[timmac]

Another side of the coin that OP doesn't really consider is the relative level of water and energy efficiency of a more modern appliance as compared to the 20 year old model. Although it's definitely true that things aren't made like they used to be, my personal feeling is that 20 years is pretty old for an appliance that has done its job well to this point.

Given that the cost of a service call, even before buying any new parts or performing any repairs, is maybe 15% of the cost of a new washer, I'd be inclined to consider how the overall cost savings of a more efficient machine might more than make up for the initial purchase cost.

 

[HM]

Go online and google what is wrong with your machine. You might need to clean out the internal filter. It could be a simple as that.

We're lucky if our appliance reach 10 years without a fix. We had to replace 7 year old washer and dishwasher last year. Both had dead mother boards. The cost to replace those parts was pretty high, so we decided new versions on sale would be a better use of our money.

 

[mistysue]

I took apart the washer last night. It was actually really fun to do. I can say for sure that it is not clogged. (if you take your washer apart, have towels!) I should have a new coupler tomorrow for $12 so I will find out then whether it works. I then scheduled the repair man now for Thursday and its through Sears so they will give me a coupon for the cost of the service call toward a new one if it can't be fixed.

I've been thinking about the energy cost but our bills are fairly low so I feel skeptical it will seem like enough change to cover itself.