Repair or Replace? The 50% Rule and What It Misses
By the FixPro Appliances technicians · Updated September 8, 2026
Every appliance repair company will tell you repair is usually worth it, and every appliance retailer will tell you the opposite. Here is the math we use in your kitchen, including the cases where we tell you to replace.
The 50% rule
If the repair costs less than half the price of a comparable new appliance, and the appliance is under half of its expected lifespan, repair. If both are over, replace. If one is over and one is under, it comes down to the specifics below. It is a rough rule, but it is the right starting point.
Expected lifespans
These are averages for mainstream brands with normal use. Florida heat and hard water shorten the refrigeration ones a little.
- Refrigerator: 12–15 years (compressor and sealed system are the limit)
- Freezer: 12–18 years
- Washer: 10–13 years (front-loaders on the lower end)
- Dryer: 12–15 years — the longest-lived appliance in the house
- Dishwasher: 9–12 years
- Range / oven: 13–18 years (gas ranges longest)
- Microwave, over-the-range: 8–10 years
- Garbage disposal: 8–12 years
What the 50% rule misses
Replacement cost is not the sticker price. Add delivery, installation, haul-away and — for built-ins and cooktops — cabinet or countertop work. A $900 dishwasher is a $1,100 dishwasher installed. It also misses the value of what you have: a 2012 KitchenAid dishwasher with a stainless tub is a better machine than most of what $700 buys today, and a new appliance today is more likely to have a control board fail at year five than the old one was.
It also misses time. A repair is this week; a replacement is choosing, ordering, waiting for delivery, and the first unit arriving damaged.
Repairs that are almost always worth it
Anything in the list below is a modest part plus one visit, on a machine that has plenty of life left. We do not hesitate on these.
- Refrigerator: defrost system, fan motors, thermistor, inlet valve, ice maker, door gasket
- Washer: drain pump, lid lock, door lock, inlet valve, belt, suspension
- Dryer: element, fuse, thermostat, igniter, rollers, belt
- Dishwasher: drain pump, door seal, latch, inlet valve, racks
- Oven / range: element, igniter, sensor, hinges, switches
Repairs we price against replacement
These are the expensive parts or labor-heavy jobs. The technician quotes them, tells you the age-based verdict, and you decide.
- Refrigerator compressor or sealed-system leak on a unit over 8 years
- Washer tub bearing on a front-loader over 7 years
- Control boards on any appliance over 12 years
- Cracked glass cooktop
- Dishwasher circulation motor on a budget model over 8 years
- Any repair on a countertop microwave or a thermoelectric wine cooler
The other question: will it be reliable after?
A repair fixes the part that failed; it does not renew the rest. On a 14-year-old washer, replacing the pump may buy two years before the bearing goes. We say that out loud when it is true, because a customer who feels misled does not call back — and we would rather do your next repair than sell you this one.