Is it Cheaper to buy a new dishwasher or get the old one repaired?

Question

My dishwasher gets stuck between the wash and rinse cycle. I don't know much about such things but I do know sometimes it is less expensive and troublesome to just replace old appliances. This particular dish washer is about 5 years old.

Answer 1

depending on whats wrong with it and how old it is you may be better off buying a new one

Answer 2

It is probably just a switch or timer. If that is the case the part will be very cheap but labor is what will get you. Most repair guys charge 50-60 bucks just to show up and then labor on top of a trip charge. If they have the part with them you are looking at around $100-150. If they have to order the part or don't have it with them you are looking at another trip charge pushing it to 150-200. You have to weigh the cost versus getting a new one. If you are happy with the way it cleans then I would get it repaired.

If you do decide to buy a new one, one piece of advice: You generally get what you pay for when buying any appliance that cleans (dishwashers, clothes washers and vacuum cleaners). You can buy the cheapest dryer or refrigerator and they will serve you well but you should spend the money to get a good dishwasher. You generally can't get a good one for less than 399.

Answer 3

Are there any repair people in your area? Will they give you a free estimate?
Given the time and grief it is often better to replace the old appliance. But 5 years does not seem old for a major appliance.
For a facinating tour of a dishwasher see the link below.

Answer 4

call a service company and ask for a quote to replace the timer. parts and labor, and how long to get one. then check out how much for a new dishwasher. depending on how often you use it, daily vs. once or twice a week, make your decision. they only last about ten years depending on use. longer the less you do. if you have a large family or do a lot of entertaining and use it all of the time, replace it. if you are on a tight budget, you could try to fix it yourself with a repair manual and hope you diagnose correctly. the repairman might be your best option as he would have to diagnose the problem and fix it. if he guessed wrong, that is his problem, not your expense. for my money, it almost time to replace it. hope this helps you with it, good luck.

Answer 5

It depends on what kind of dishwasher and what kind of warranty it has. My dishwasher is 3 years old and doesn't work properly but the serviceman who came out said it was the bottom of the line one the builder put in and I was better of to replace it than to pay for the parts and labor to fix it. I suggest you bite the bullet and buy a reliable brand new one with a decent warranty.

Answer 6

Buy New Dishwasher

Answer 7

Unless it's something you can fix yourself, it might be better to buy a new one. You could be looking at $75.00 just to have someone tell you whats wrong with it and another $100.00 or so to repair it. It's only 5 years old but they make some real nice quiet ones now. Try Kitchen Aid "whisper Quiet. Nice machine !!

Answer 8

Getting a new one: Get the good warranty and most importantly, a high number for energy efficiency!

I have used a repair of appliance site and I think it had the word Sears into the name. You could search also for your brand name and the word repair.

Answer 9

Always cheaper to repair the existing one if you know how to fix it. Search on the internet for a while to see if you can do it yourself. If not get a quote from whoever you want to fix it and then weigh the cost (price and time) and then decide.

Answer 10

Probably cheaper in the long run to get a newer model and take advantage of any energy efficiency improvements made in the last five years.

Answer 11

From my experience of electrical goods it's cheaper, in the long run, to buy a new one because the repaired item doesn't last long before developing another fault.