Blog · Arrington Appliance Repair Pro
Repair or Replace? An Honest Framework From the Repair Bench
We make money both ways (repairs today, installations tomorrow), so we can afford to be honest about this: some appliances should be fixed, some should be replaced, and the differe...
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The Short Answer
We make money both ways (repairs today, installations tomorrow), so we can afford to be honest about this: some appliances should be fixed, some should be replaced, and the difference is mostly arithmetic plus one exception. Here is the framework we use at Arrington kitchen counters.
The 50-percent rule, and its limits
The common yardstick: if a repair costs more than half the price of a comparable new appliance, replacement enters the conversation. Add the age test: past two-thirds of expected life, the rule bites harder; in the first third, repair almost always wins. Expected lives, roughly: fridges 12 to 15 years, washers 10 to 12, dryers 12+, dishwashers 9 to 12, ranges 15, disposals 8 to 12.
The failure matters more than the birthday
Cheap failures forgive old age: a 12-year-old dryer needing an element is still a good repair, because the rest of the machine is simple and sound. Expensive failures condemn young machines less often, but a compressor failure on a 6-year-old fridge still deserves scrutiny of warranty coverage before any decision. Always ask what failed, what it costs, and what is likely to fail next, in that order. Our cost guide supplies the ranges to run the numbers.
The built-in exception
Built-in and premium appliances break the framework, deliberately. A Sub-Zero column or a panel-ready dishwasher carries replacement costs beyond the appliance: cabinet modification, panel matching, weeks of lead time. In Kings Chapel and Hardeman Springs kitchens, repairs that look expensive against a big-box fridge are cheap against the true installed alternative. Judge built-ins against their real replacement cost, never against a freestanding price.
The costs nobody puts in the spreadsheet
Downtime, delivery chaos, learning a new machine’s quirks, and the disposal of the old unit all ride along with replacement. So does a reset warranty clock and, often, better efficiency; ENERGY STAR publishes the operating-cost comparisons. When the arithmetic is close, those soft factors should decide it, and we will talk them through without pushing either way.
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The Question Behind the Question
Households rarely ask only about money. They ask whether they can trust the machine again: the fridge before a holiday grocery run, the washer with a newborn in the house, the oven three weeks before Thanksgiving. Reliability has value the spreadsheet misses, and a repair that leaves a flaky appliance flaky is expensive at any price.
That is why our version of this conversation always includes a prognosis: after this repair, what is this appliance’s realistic outlook? A confident two-plus years argues for fixing; a shrug argues for replacing while the choosing is yours. Any technician unwilling to offer a prognosis is selling a part, not advice.
Questions & Answers
Only if the survivor is also ailing. Matched appearance is a weak reason to discard years of working life; repair the dead one unless its quote fails the framework on its own merits.
Your written quote states the warranty terms for that repair. A repair warranty covers the work performed; it does not reset the clock on the rest of an aging appliance, which is part of the honest math.
Remodels change everything: access is open, cabinets are moving, and appliance dimensions are being chosen anyway. Replacement usually wins inside a remodel unless the appliance is young or premium.
Yes. We quote the repair in writing, and for replacements we install, we quote that too. Seeing both numbers side by side is the whole point of the framework.