Repair or replace, decided by the numbers
Should you fix it or replace it?
Every guide starts from a fact record: what the symptom variants are, which causes are likely, what each fix costs in parts and time, and the age-and-quote rule that settles the decision.
Symptom guides
Start from the symptom 51 guides, filterable by appliance type
All 51 boiler 1 central air conditioner 1 commercial dishwasher 1 commercial oven 1 commercial washer 1 cooktop 2 dishwasher 6 dryer 5 freezer 3 furnace 1 garbage disposal 2 gas stove 1 home appliance 1 microwave 2 oven 3 range hood 1 refrigerator 6 toilet 1 walk-in cooler 1 walk-in freezer 1 washing machine 8 water heater 1 wine cooler 1
Guide Repair New home appliance noise $320–$380 boiler not heating $190–$2,375 $6,000–$12,000 Bosch dishwasher not draining $130–$360 $600–$1,000 central air conditioner not cooling $279–$849 $3,444–$5,359 commercial dishwasher rinse too cold $364–$849 commercial oven not heating $463–$1,361 commercial washer leaking $317–$500 cooktop cracked glass $255–$530 $700–$2,000 cooktop element won't heat $321–$440 $700–$2,000 dishwasher leaking $275–$419 dishwasher not cleaning $300–$480 $600–$1,000 dishwasher not drying $294–$514 dishwasher won't fill $330 $600–$1,000 dishwasher won't start $280–$500 $600–$1,000 dryer drum not turning $322–$338 $550–$1,400 dryer not drying $350–$368 $550–$1,400 dryer not heating $311–$437 $550–$1,400 dryer vent cleaning $199–$405 dryer won't start $343 $550–$1,400 freezer fan failure $342–$470 freezer frost buildup $295–$504 freezer not freezing $302–$500 $700–$1,100 furnace not heating $180–$490 garbage disposal humming not spinning $319–$580 $150–$450 garbage disposal leaking $209–$1,003 $399–$599 gas stove burner won't light $295–$455 $600–$3,000 refrigerator no ice $297–$489 $700–$3,200 microwave not heating $265–$527 $130–$1,000 microwave smells bad $265–$527 $130–$1,000 oven door glass $352–$501 oven not heating $302–$478 $700–$1,500 oven temperature off $319–$469 $700–$1,500 range hood not pulling $99–$850 $300–$850 refrigerator compressor failure $372–$956 refrigerator dispenser not working $379 $900–$2,000 refrigerator door seal failure $332–$629 refrigerator leaking water $320–$493 $900–$2,000 refrigerator not cooling $150–$650 $700–$3,200 toilet keeps running $264–$565 $375–$625 walk-in cooler not cooling $283–$3,536 walk-in freezer icing up $486–$1,880 washing machine door won't unlock $350–$440 $700–$1,100 washing machine leaking $362–$406 $700–$1,100 washing machine not agitating $307–$427 $700–$1,100 washing machine not draining $320–$442 $700–$1,100 washing machine not spinning $296–$427 $700–$1,100 washing machine out of balance $367–$372 $700–$1,100 washing machine smells musty $310–$445 $700–$1,100 washing machine won't start $376 $700–$1,100 water heater no hot water $253–$1,791 $599–$1,120 wine cooler not cooling $281–$577
Data pages
Built from published datasets 10 pages on this site are built from published datasets rather than from a single fault, and they are the ones worth reading if you want the numbers behind the guides. Each one names its source, its sample size and the market it comes from.
Tool Repair or replace calculator your own quote and the age of the machine, run through the half-of-new-price rule. Data page How long appliances last expected life against repair and replacement cost, for every appliance covered here. Data page What repairs cost diagnostic fees, completed-repair bands, and the published national bands set beside them. Data page What breaks most average and median across 47,080 completed jobs, appliance by appliance. Data page What fails by brand which component actually breaks on which brand, from 18,670 brand-matched repairs, as a share of that brand’s own jobs. Data page Brand reliability data a 12,000-response owner survey and one retailer’s first-year service rate per unit sold, side by side. Data page Do people repair or replace? what 51,435 completed service visits show: 63.1% approved the repair, and the price did not predict the answer. Data page What hard water costs a dishwasher component medians from 2,684 completed repairs, and the monthly descale that prevents most of them. Data page Dryer fires and the vent 13,820 home structure fires a year, 32% caused by a failure to clean, against the 5.1% of dryer service calls that are about the vent. Data page What still gets repaired repair rates and product ages from 441,068 items logged at community repair events, with no price anywhere in the data.