Should You Repair Old Appliance Or Buy A New One?

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23 Comments

1. 

   Four Pillars
   

   November 30, 2008, 23:37

   
   

   Very interesting post – too bad your washer died after only 3 years. I’m sure you paid good money for it so it would be disappointing to find out it was a piece of crap.

   Probably made in Canada..

   Mike
2. 

   Matt SF
   

   December 1, 2008, 1:05

   
   

   I haven’t had a similar situation but I did upgrade to more ecofriendly appliances once I got my new home. But in regards to your GE product, I have seen repeated failures in every GE appliance I have purchased since the mid 90s.

   I’m talking everything from refrigerator, to cordless phone, to stove/oven… all of them needed major repairs within 2 to 5 years after purchase. I’m just not sold on GE products any longer, and the repair bills were outrageous. Took the guy 9 days to show up, and charged $120 for 20 minutes work. I’ll stick to other brands.
3. 

   Suburban Wife
   

   December 1, 2008, 2:17

   
   

   Great post, Pinyo. It must have been so disappointing when your washer died.

   I still tend to think of my top-load GE washer and dryer set as practically brand new but when I sit down and actually figure it out they’re really 12 years old!

   We did have to pay for a minor repair on the dryer about 6 years ago, shortly after we moved. The ball bearings were worn out and the drum was squeaking loudly. I’d heard that moving can be really hard on washers and dryers so I wasn’t too surprised when it happened. Still, the repair was under $100 and the dryer has worked beautifully ever since, averaging 5 or 6 loads a week.

   I dread the thought of ever having to replace the washer or dryer but it was interesting to read how you went about it. I hope it will be years and years before I can benefit from your experience.
4. 

   Eric N.
   

   December 1, 2008, 3:02

   
   

   Wasn’t it used for 7 years?

   Anyhow, sounds like you made the wise decision. Personally, I would hesitate ordering large appliances online just because I like being able to see the unit in store and have less hassles with returns if necessary. However, since you did good research beforehand, I think it’s a good deal. Good luck with the new washer!
5. 

   Steve
   

   December 1, 2008, 9:57

   
   

   Wow, your research was admirable! Personally, what I take away from this is that I better start saving like mad! Our washer and dryer seem to be running on fumes
6. 

   Tom F
   

   December 1, 2008, 10:57

   
   

   We had a Frigidaire front loader that was about nine years old when it died. In the last year or so before that, it required multiple repairs, all covered under an extended warranty. The warranty service was OK at first, but declined in quality as time went on – they replaced the same components multiple times. Finally, they replaced the motor, only to determine that the replacement motor was defective!

   At that point, the appliance repair service persuaded the warranty provider to pay for a new machine. I know that extended warranties are generally not cost-effective, but in our case the return exceeded the cumulative premiums that we paid. I got the warranty because at the time front-loaders were still relatively new and I was worried about defective designs. Not sure what I’d do today, but you were definitely wise to do plenty of research before buying.
7. 

   vilkri
   

   December 1, 2008, 10:59

   
   

   We just had some repairs done on our Whirlpool Duet. We did the second repair on the recommendation of the service man who told us to get a service contract which made the second repair cheaper – besides giving us another year of free service. Apparently the failures of our washing machine were due to wear and tear, but the machine has not outlived itself yet. We have to do a lot of laundry with five kids.
8. 

   Clever Dude
   

   December 1, 2008, 11:19

   
   

   Interesting as I was working on trying to fix my dryer for 2 hours last night. It’s a GE Profile Performance. Our other electric dryer died a year ago and I blew out the circuitry trying to replace the starter button (duh), but we got this “new” dryer for free from some friends. They needed a new washer and ended up buying a matching dryer as well. They didn’t need a new dryer, but spent the money anyway. Our win!

   But now this “new” dryer (the GE) is squeaking horribly and me and my FIL couldn’t get figure out how to gain entry to the belt, etc, even with diagrams we found online. It’s built like a fortress. So I might just Freecycle both dryer units and go get a new dryer (one that’s Energy Star this time). Or I might look on Craigslist for a used one.
9. 

   DrGail
   

   December 1, 2008, 11:22

   
   

   A great site for research is http://www.consumersearch.com. They provide “metareviews” (i.e., the consensus of various credible reviews) for a variety of products, including washing machines. Consumer Reports is, of course, one of their sources but they also compile information from other sources as well. In the case of washing machines, their article condenses information from 15 different sources.

   This is always my first stop when researching products.
10. 

    Dawn
    

    December 1, 2008, 15:18

    
    

    I love how you did the research and made a conscious decision. That is what I am trying to do more of – weigh all the options and then look for the best price.
11. 

    Pinyo
    

    December 1, 2008, 18:42

    
    

    @Mike — It’s 7 years. I would be troubled and more upset if it’s only 3.

    @Matt — That’s not good since all my other appliance are also GE. Fortunately, the refrigerators, dish washers, dryer, boiler, and stoves are still all working…knock on wood.

    Anyway, I would not buy cordless phone from GE again — our old set was terrible.

    @Suburban Wife — I think top loaders are more reliable. They are also cheaper to buy. However, they use more water and electricity, and they don’t spin dry your clothes as well.

    Yeah, I think moving does hurt them. I recall older models come with brackets that you must install to safely move them.

    @Eric — Yes, 7 years. Yes, that’s a drawback of ordering online and sometimes it’s nice to be able to walk into a store before and after your purchase.

    @Steve — Thank you. Yes, start saving now, they are expensive.

    @Tom — I didn’t buy an extended warranty on the new unit. I hope I won’t be regretting that decision. I think it turned out well for you.

    @Vilkri — I was looking at the Duet too. I am surprised you already have two repairs. How long have you had it?

    @Clever Dude — Good deal on the free dryer. Mine almost died a few months ago. Fortunately, cleaning out the lints and helping the drum spin by hand helped; and it has been working okay since.

    I can understand your dilemma. When I tried to look inside mine, it was virtually impossible.

    @DrGail — I haven’t tried that site before, but will give it a look. Looks like Frigidaire made the list, but not the LG…hmmm.

    @Dawn — Thank you.
12. 

    vilkri
    

    December 1, 2008, 20:30

    
    

    Our Duet is about 4 years old.
13. 

    eSpares
    

    December 2, 2008, 4:10

    
    

    You really did your research – that’s quite impressive!

    As an idea could you try putting the old washer on freecycle – but make sure to advertise that it’s broken and might need a repair? Your research would indicate that the repair could be quite expensive but if in the right hands it might be a lot easier and cheaper than you think and it would save the washer from going the way of the landfill.

    We get customer testimonials all the time regarding getting broken appliances on freecycle then spending a few quid for the spare parts or trip to the landfill and bingo – new appliance for someone who really needs it.
14. 

    Kyle
    

    December 2, 2008, 13:50

    
    

    Another reason to tip the scales towards buying new: new appliances are often much much more energy-efficient than appliances even a few years old. Over time, you’ll probably save more buying new so long as you don’t go overboard.
15. 

    plonkee
    

    December 4, 2008, 7:16

    
    

    I haven’t had a problem so far with my washing machine, which is about 3 or 4 years old. The only research I did was to find the cheapest white A-rated one, yours is so much more impressive.
16. 

    Pinyo
    

    December 4, 2008, 12:00

    
    

    @Vilkri — That’s not good. I am sorry.

    @eSpares — Thanks. I think Freecycle is a good idea, but I am not sure if my local one wants broken items to be listed. I am asking a few people to see if they are interested in getting it repaired.

    @Kyle — Yes, energy and water efficiencies were also part of the consideration. In fact, I was wondering the other day about using “Quick Wash” for most of our laundry since I don’t think we soil our clothes enough to justify “Full Cycle”. I also tried to have my family cut down on the detergent, using only half instead of the full recommended amount. I think clothes are actually cleaner when you use less detergent.

    @Plonkee — Our machines support 6 adults and a baby so it’s seeing a little bit more abuse.
17. 

    Make Friends, Earn Money
    

    December 7, 2008, 13:14

    
    

    I think it depnds upon the exact context but i’ve always been of the opinion that the world’s resources are precious and that we should repair rather than replace in the first instance. To some extent this has become even more important as the financial crisis as hit as some people are trying to make do rather than splash out on new products.
18. 

    Pinyo
    

    December 10, 2008, 0:11

    
    

    @Make Friends – Unfortunately, the U.S. is a disposable society and it often costs more to repair something than simply go out and buy new. Very unfortunate.
19. 

    vilkri
    

    December 11, 2008, 15:51

    
    

    @Pinyo I have made this experience many times. Spare parts are hard to get and if you can actually get them, they are expensive. When we had some construction done in the house, a knob for the drier was broken accidentally. It cost us over $30 to have it replaced. We could get the part only on the internet. Ridiculous, isn’t it?
20. 

    Mark
    

    May 31, 2009, 20:23

    
    

    Hello

    So the spider assembly is made of aluminum and the tub stainless steel? That’s very unfortunate but I suspect that most of the FL washers do this. I know the Kenmore FL washers and Duet FL washers use an aluminum spider. I wonder if LG does? Electrolux? Bosch?

    Another interesting note is they warranty the stainless steel tub but not the spider assembly, yet they don’t sell the spider assembly separately! YOU HAVE to buy the ENTIRE tub and SPIDER? How could they not warrant something that they sell as a whole? If the spider were sold individually I could understand but it’s not.
21. 

    Pinyo
    

    June 1, 2009, 9:51

    
    

    @Mark, that’s exactly my point about the spider assembly. I think it’s a designed to fail type deal — and they know it!
22. 

    mike
    

    August 18, 2009, 14:15

    
    

    My Duet is 5 years old and broke the same arm or spider assembly. I am waiting for a repair guy to give me a list of parts required . I had bought 4 new shocks for it last night and then found the spider assembly issue and determined yes we have that problem. It is disappointing since the washer really has not had much of a workout. I am gathering numbers and might just buy a new one. Mine are currently stacked a smaller Frigidare has been suggested which will mean putting the dryer on a shelf in the cabinet. I think the Frigidare is about 600, another front loader. It seems ridiculous to fix this one but I will see what Whirlpool does for me on parts. The repair guy quoted 2 men, 200 bucks.
23. 

    Paul
    

    October 2, 2009, 15:54

    
    

    In the UK we have a magazine called “which”. When people are looking to buy a new washing machine, dishwasher, T.V, DVD etc, this is the magazine they all look at first.