Whether to repair or replace an appliance comes down to three numbers: how old the machine is, what the repair costs, and what a comparable new unit costs once delivery, haul-away and HST are added. The rule most technicians use is the 50 percent rule. If the repair costs less than half of a like-for-like replacement, and the appliance is not yet two-thirds of the way through its expected life, repair wins.
This guide gives you the rule of thumb, a lifespan table by appliance, what repairs typically run in Southwestern Ontario, the replacement costs people forget to add up, and the situations where buying new is the better call.
Table of Contents
How to decide whether to repair or replace an appliance: the 50 percent rule
Price the repair, price a comparable new machine, and compare. Under half the replacement cost, fix it. Over half, replacing starts to make sense. Between about 40 and 60 percent, age breaks the tie.
Comparable means the same size and configuration you have now, not the upgrade you have been eyeing, and the repair figure has to include parts, labour and the diagnostic.
Then layer on age. A machine less than halfway through its service life earns the benefit of the doubt. One past two-thirds of its life does not, because every other part on it is the same age and has the same run hours. If this would be the second repair inside a year, treat that as a vote for replacing. Those two numbers settle most repair or replace questions before a technician even arrives.
Appliance lifespan: how old is too old
These are the service lives we actually see in Southwestern Ontario homes under normal family use. A well-kept machine in a two-person household often beats the top of the range; a hard-working one in a house of five with hard water rarely does. Age is the second input in any repair or replace decision.
| Appliance | Typical service life | Think twice about a big repair after |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator (top or bottom freezer) | 12–15 years | 12 years |
| Refrigerator (French door, ice and water in door) | 10–13 years | 10 years |
| Chest or upright freezer | 12–16 years | 13 years |
| Electric range or cooktop | 13–16 years | 13 years |
| Electric wall oven | 12–16 years | 13 years |
| Dishwasher | 9–12 years | 9 years |
| Top-load washer | 10–13 years | 10 years |
| Front-load washer | 10–12 years | 10 years |
| Electric dryer | 11–14 years | 12 years |
| Over-the-range microwave | 8–10 years | 8 years |
| Garburator | 8–12 years | 9 years |
What an appliance repair actually costs here
Numbers make this easier, so here are honest ranges for our region. A diagnostic runs $90 to $140 and we apply it to the repair if you go ahead, which makes the service call free with the repair.
- Washer: $180 to $380 — drain pump, door lock, shocks, belt, control.
- Electric dryer: $160 to $340 — element, thermostats, thermal fuse, rollers, blower.
- Dishwasher: $180 to $360 — drain pump, wash motor, door latch, heater, control.
- Oven or stove: $170 to $360 — bake or broil element, surface element, switch, sensor.
- Refrigerator: $220 to $500 and up, with sealed-system and compressor work at the top end.
Most repairs land nearer the bottom of those ranges, because the parts that fail most often are inexpensive. Our washer repair service and refrigerator repair service pages list what we see fail most on each type. Ask for the diagnosis in writing before you decide. Knowing the likely range makes the repair or replace math far less scary.
Ask for the quote in writing, with parts and labour listed separately, and ask the technician what else on the machine looks worn. A good tech will tell you if the failed part is a symptom of a bigger problem, such as a compressor that has been running hot for a year, or if it is an isolated wear item on an otherwise sound machine. That one conversation is worth more than any rule of thumb because it tells you what the next twelve months are likely to cost.
What replacing actually costs, beyond the sticker price
The number on the tag is not the number you pay. Before you compare it against a repair quote, add the items below, because every one of them shows up on real invoices.
- HST on the appliance and on delivery.
- Delivery, plus a separate charge at many retailers to take the old machine away.
- Installation extras: new inlet hoses, a dryer cord, a rigid vent transition, a water line and shut-off valve for an ice maker.
- Fitting problems. Older cabinet openings often will not take a modern fridge depth.
There is one more cost that appears nowhere: a new machine restarts the clock on reliability. Modern appliances carry more electronics than the ones they replace, and first-year board failures are not rare. That reliability reset is the part of repair or replace that the sticker price never shows.
From the van: the question homeowners actually ask us is what would you do if it were yours. Our answer hinges on two things – the date on the model plate inside the door, and whether the failed part bolts on or lives inside the sealed refrigeration system. A bolt-on part on a nine-year-old machine is a repair. A sealed-system failure on a fourteen-year-old fridge usually is not.
Not sure which side of the line your appliance falls on? Appliance Experts diagnoses and repairs electric appliances across London and Southwestern Ontario, 6 AM–9 PM, seven days a week — usually same day. The service call is free with the repair, and every job carries a 90-day parts and labour warranty.
When replacing wins, and when repair wins
Replace when
- The sealed refrigeration system has failed on a fridge past about 12 years. A dead compressor or a refrigerant leak is the most expensive repair in the house.
- The washer has a cracked outer tub, a rusted-through cabinet, or a bearing pressed into the tub assembly.
- This would be the third repair in a year, or parts are discontinued.
- There is scorched wiring or a cracked glass cooktop — anything that makes the machine unsafe to keep using.
Repair when
- The machine is under eight years old and one identifiable part has failed.
- It is built-in, panel-ready or counter-depth, where replacing means cabinetry work on top of the appliance price, or it is half of a matched laundry set.
- The fault is a wear item: pump, belt, roller, element, thermostat, hinge, latch or valve. Those are designed to be replaced.
One caution on warranties: check whether you still have manufacturer coverage before you pay anyone, especially on refrigerator compressors, which often carry a long parts-only warranty. Parts-only means the part is free and the labour is not. A warranty claim can flip a repair or replace call completely.
The energy and environmental side of the decision
If the appliance is a spare fridge or freezer from the 1980s or 1990s running in the garage, retiring it is usually right regardless of the repair cost. Refrigeration efficiency improved dramatically over that period, and an old second fridge quietly runs up a hydro bill all year. Natural Resources Canada publishes the efficiency guidance and rebate programs worth checking before you buy.
One practical way to check is to look for the yellow EnerGuide label or the model number on the back and search the annual consumption figure. A 1990s chest freezer in a garage can use twice the electricity of a current model of the same size, and in an unheated Ontario garage it works even harder through the summer. If you do retire an old unit, most municipalities in the region offer a free or low-cost pickup for refrigerant appliances, so ask before you pay to have it hauled away.
For anything newer than about ten years the energy argument is much weaker, and it will not repay a purchase price inside the new machine’s lifetime. Building an appliance also consumes far more energy and material than a repair does, so keeping a sound machine running is usually the lower-impact choice. For most households the repair or replace decision should be driven by age and repair cost, not energy savings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 50 percent rule for appliances?
It says that if a repair costs more than half the price of a comparable new appliance, you should lean toward replacing it. Use the full repair cost including parts, labour and the diagnostic, and compare against a like-for-like machine rather than an upgrade. When the result lands close to half, the age of the appliance breaks the tie. It is the fastest repair or replace test there is, and it is right most of the time.
Is it worth repairing an appliance that is 10 years old?
Often yes, if the failed part is a wear item and the machine has otherwise been reliable. A pump, element, thermostat or valve on a ten-year-old washer, dryer or oven is usually worth fixing. A compressor or sealed-system failure at ten years is a different story, because that is the most expensive repair on the appliance.
How much does an appliance repair cost in London Ontario?
The service call runs 90 to 140 dollars and we apply it to the repair if you proceed. Completed repairs typically run 160 to 340 dollars on a dryer, 180 to 380 on a washer, 180 to 360 on a dishwasher, 170 to 360 on an oven or stove, and 220 to 500 or more on a refrigerator.
Should I repair a refrigerator with a failed compressor?
Usually only if the fridge is under about eight years old, if it is a premium or built-in unit, or if the compressor is still covered by a manufacturer parts warranty. On a twelve-year-old standard fridge, compressor replacement often costs more than half of a new one and the rest of the sealed system is the same age.
Do I pay for the diagnostic if I decide not to repair?
You pay the service call fee for the technician’s time and the written diagnosis, which is what tells you whether repairing makes sense. If you go ahead with the repair, that fee comes off the invoice, so you know exactly what is wrong before spending money on a new machine. A written diagnosis is what turns repair or replace from a guess into a decision.
The bottom line
Repair or replace an appliance stops being a guess once you have three facts: the age on the model plate, a written repair quote, and the true all-in cost of a comparable new machine. Under half the replacement cost on a machine with life left in it, fix it. Sealed-system failures on old refrigerators, cracked tubs and third repairs in a year are the ones to let go. For a straight answer rather than a sales pitch, call Appliance Experts at (519) 900-3010 or book online, and take $35 off any completed repair if the verdict is repair.