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A client's old dryer had me picking between a new motor or a full unit swap
It was a 12 year old Whirlpool with a burnt out drive motor. The part alone was $180, plus my labor. The other choice was telling them to just buy a new machine, which would run about $700. I went with the repair because the drum bearings were still solid and the cabinet had no rust. Took about 45 minutes to swap the motor. The customer saved a good chunk of cash and the dryer should last a few more years. When do you guys usually draw the line and recommend replacement over a big repair?
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davis.iris2mo ago
Totally agree on the "simple part swap on a solid unit" rule, did the same thing last week with a belt.
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sage2122mo ago
Honestly, that was the right call. My line is usually around the 10 year mark, but it depends on the machine. If it's a simple part swap on a solid unit, I'll fix it. But if it's the control board on a fancy model, or the drum is shot, that's when I tell them to start shopping. The repair cost needs to be less than half the price of a decent new one for it to make sense.
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sage212 has a point but sometimes it feels like we're too quick to write stuff off. A ten year old machine might have another five years left if the fix is cheap enough, you know? I'd at least get a quote before telling someone to junk it. New appliances aren't built to last like the old ones were anyway.
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