Water collected under the crisper drawers and froze into a sheet. He cleared a blocked drain line, warmed the tube through and fitted the clip that keeps it clear. Nothing has pooled since and no parts were sold to us.
Repair or replace
Is it worth repairing, or is it time to replace?
Both halves of that sum are already published on this site: what a repair lands at, and what the machine costs new. This page puts them side by side and does the division.
Two parts, one decision. The band for the repair against what the machine costs new is arithmetic, and it is done before anything is ordered.
The Rule
What the fifty percent rule is, and what it is not
The rule most people have heard is simple enough: if the repair costs more than half of what the machine costs new, stop. It is a reasonable starting point and it is not a law. It says nothing about whether the part is still made, nothing about the cabinetry a built-in is trimmed into, and nothing about what else on the appliance is close to going.
So we run it at its least generous. The comparison below takes the top of each repair band — the bad end of the quote, not the middle — and divides it by the cheapest machine in that family, appliance only, before delivery, installation or joinery. A repair that still looks sensible on those terms looks sensible on any.
Both tables that follow are the same price book the rest of this site quotes. Nothing on this page is a figure written for the occasion.
Price Bands
What is on each side of the sum?
Parts and labour together, in the bands these jobs land in. The $80 diagnostic comes off the bill when you approve the work, and the firm figure is written down after the fault is proved.
| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit | $80 |
| Igniter or burner assembly | $200–$570 |
| Oven thermostat or heating element | $190–$550 |
| Control board or touch panel | $390–$930 |
| Refrigeration fan or defrost system | $240–$640 |
| Dishwasher pump or control | $230–$720 |
| Compressor or sealed-system repair | $980–$2,470 |
| Appliance | Appliance only |
|---|---|
| Professional range, the usual repair-or-replace comparison | $6,500–$14,500 |
| Built-in refrigerator or column | $9,500–$17,500 |
| Built-in dishwasher | $1,600–$3,200 |
The Arithmetic
Every repair we quote, against a new machine
Worst case on both sides: the top of the band, the cheapest replacement. The share column is that division, and the verdict is the fifty percent rule reading it.
| Machine | The work | Band | New from | Share | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| professional range | Igniter or burner assembly | $200–$570 | $6,500 | 9% | Repair it |
| professional range | Oven thermostat or heating element | $190–$550 | $6,500 | 8% | Repair it |
| professional range | Control board or touch panel | $390–$930 | $6,500 | 14% | Repair it |
| built-in refrigerator | Control board or touch panel | $390–$930 | $9,500 | 10% | Repair it |
| built-in refrigerator | Refrigeration fan or defrost system | $240–$640 | $9,500 | 7% | Repair it |
| built-in refrigerator | Compressor or sealed-system repair | $980–$2,470 | $9,500 | 26% | Still a repair |
| built-in dishwasher | Control board or touch panel | $390–$930 | $1,600 | 58% | Judgement call |
| built-in dishwasher | Dishwasher pump or control | $230–$720 | $1,600 | 45% | Still a repair |
Reading It
Where the numbers land
When the repair is not a decision
5 of the 8 lines above do not reach a quarter of a new machine even at the top of the band. That covers most of what actually brings us out: ignition, oven heat, fans and defrost. On a built-in, where replacement means a cabinetry job as well as an appliance purchase, those repairs are not really being weighed against anything.
When it is a judgement call
One line crosses the half mark: control board or touch panel on a built-in dishwasher at 58%. That is the conversation worth having properly, and the percentage does not settle it on its own. A board on a machine whose pump, seal and hinges are all tired is a different proposition to a board on a sound one.
When the sum is not the point
Three things override the percentage, and the first ends more appliances than money does.
- Parts supply. A part that is no longer made ends the argument whatever the band says. Mechanical parts for this equipment stay available a long time; electronic control boards are what go obsolete first, which is why the board is tested before anything else is quoted.
- What else is tired. One repair on a sound machine is worth doing. The same repair on a machine with three more failures queued behind it is the first instalment of a larger bill, and you should hear that at the estimate rather than at the third visit.
- What replacement actually costs. The right-hand column is the appliance only. A built-in that is trimmed in, ducted, plumbed or panelled to match the run carries work on top of it, and a like-for-like fit is not always available in the same opening.
We sell no appliances. Nobody upstream of this shop gains when the answer is to replace it, which is why we are free to give that answer.
How You Get The Number
What the diagnostic buys before you decide
A band is not a quote. $80 flat diagnostic, credited toward the repair. Written estimate before any work starts. That estimate is what turns a row above into a figure you can hold against a showroom price, and it is written down whether you go ahead or not.
If the answer is that the machine is not worth repairing, you get that in writing too, with the reason. You owe the diagnostic and nothing else. On work we do: 90 days on labor. 365 days on parts. Genuine OEM parts.
Questions
Asked before the van is booked
What is the 50 percent rule for appliance repair?
It says repair when the quote is under half of replacement and think hard above that. We apply it the hard way: the top of the band against the cheapest new machine. On that test 5 of the 8 repairs quoted here do not reach a quarter of a new appliance.
What is the most expensive part to replace on a built-in refrigerator?
The sealed system. Compressor and sealed-system work runs $980–$2,470, parts and labour together, several times any other refrigeration repair. Everything cheaper is ruled out first — condenser, fans, dampers, defrost, door seals — because each of them imitates it on a work order.
Is a compressor replacement worth doing on a built-in?
Usually, and the sum is not close. Sealed-system work at $980–$2,470 against a replacement column from $9,500 is around a quarter, before the cabinetry a built-in is trimmed into. On a freestanding garage unit the same repair would not make sense.
Is it worth repairing a twenty year old range?
Age is not the test; parts supply is. Burners, valves, igniters and hinges are still made for this equipment, and ignition work at $200–$570 against $6,500 for the cheapest new professional range is not a decision. An obsolete board ends a range long before worn steel does.
Is a built-in dishwasher ever worth repairing?
This is the one where the answer can be no. Pump and control work is $230–$720 and a board is $390–$930, against a replacement from $1,600 before the panel and the plumbing. A board on a tired machine crosses the half line, and we say so in writing.
Do you sell Viking appliances if the answer is to replace it?
No. There is no sales floor here and no commission, so nobody upstream of this shop gains when the answer is to replace the machine. That is the only reason "do not repair this one" is an answer we are free to give, in writing, with the reason.
Customer Comments
What customers said afterwards
4.8 out of 5, across 90 customer reviews. Every one is a single visit, in the words of the person whose kitchen it happened in.
The evaporator fan screeched every time the door shut. He showed us the worn bearing before he replaced it, then checked airflow through both compartments once the cabinet had run for a while.
A door alarm sounded at odd hours with everything shut. He found the salt air had eaten into the reed switch contact near the hinge, sealed the entry and fitted a new switch. Silent since, and he explained the corrosion.
Next Step
Book a diagnostic
Give us the model number and what it is doing. We quote in writing before anything comes apart.
- $80 diagnostic, credited
- 90-day labor
- 365-day parts
- Mon-Fri 8am-6pm. Sat 9am-4pm. Closed Sunday.