When to Repair or Replace an Appliance

The cost rule of thumb

A common guideline: if the repair costs more than about half the price of a comparable new unit, replacement starts to make sense. Under that, fixing it is usually the better value — especially on a mid-range or high-end appliance that's otherwise sound.

The exception cuts both ways. A cheap part on an expensive built-in is almost always worth fixing; an expensive part on a builder-grade unit near the end of its life often isn't.

Age matters — rough lifespans

• Refrigerators: about 10–15 years. A sealed-system or compressor failure near the top of that range often points to replacement.
• Washers and dryers: about 10–13 years. Drum bearings or a control board on an older unit can tip the math.
• Dishwashers: about 9–12 years. A motor or pump failure late in life is a common replace signal.
• Ranges and ovens: often 13–15 years, and elements, igniters, and gaskets are usually worth replacing well into that.

Faults that usually mean repair

Plenty of dramatic-seeming failures are cheap, isolated parts: a fridge start relay, a dryer thermal fuse or heating element, a washer drain pump, a stove element or igniter, a dishwasher drain pump. On almost any unit under ten years old, these are worth fixing.

Faults that lean toward replacement

Sealed refrigerant-system failures, a cracked washer outer tub, a rusted-through cabinet, or a control board that costs a large fraction of a new machine — on an older appliance, these are where replacement often wins. We'll tell you honestly when that's the case, so you're not paying to diagnose something we'd recommend against fixing.