Appliances & repairing, Have I been lucky?

[gwill1010]

Have I been lucky or not? We've been in our house 23 years. I thought I was really lucky, but this is a long list. I've only called an appliance repairman one time. All appliances about 20 years old except the dishwasher, about 15 years old.

Kitchenaid Stove (20 years old)
- Replaced main control board/display 3 times. I felt stupid after watching/paying the repairman do it.
- Replaced keypad assembly (2026)
LG refrigerator, I worked for LG and got it free for for providing feedback as it was a brand new model. (I was IT, I not trained in appliance repair) (20 years old)
- Replaced ice-maker twice
- Replaced water inlet valve. I was standing in the kitchen when in broke and started spewing. What luck!
Garage refrigerator (about 30 years old)
- Replaced something, can't remember what. Co-worker helped me ID the issue.
LG dishwasher. Purchased with LG discount, their most expensive model, total junk. Would not clean dishes. Replaced after 5 years.
- Replaced door spring
- Replaced soap dispenser latch
Whirlpool dishwasher (15 years old)
- Replaced lower board (power)
- Replaced upper display board
LG microwave (20 years old)
- repaired ribbon cable, broken at connector(2026)
Garbage disposal
- Replaced once
Maytag dryer(20 years old)
- replaced rollers (2026)
Maytag washer(20 years old)
- In the process of replacing water valve assembly. Elated, I sure thought it was the rear seal
Water heater - Replaced at about 25 years old
Samsung 65" TV (about 5 years old)
- Replaced power board
Another TV
- Replaced power board
Shower valve - Youtube Taught me how to sweat copper.

 

[rk911]

All new kitchen appliances back in 2011...Fridge, cooktop, microwave, dishwasher, trash compactor, range hood. One service call on the dishwasher and one on the fridge. Our garage fridge is 40+ years old. Zero service calls.

 

[SnowballCamper]

I dunno. All my appliances were new about ten years ago when we moved in. Since then:
Repaired Kitchen Aid gas cooktop wiring twice, then on the third time got a new one (Fisher and Paykel)
Replaced fridge twice. Kitchen Aid was tripping the GFCI. Replaced with a Samsung that lasted 3-4 years and stopped keeping the freezer frozen. On to the third one, also Fisher and Paykel.
The first cheapo GE countertop microwave lasted a few years. The second one is still going.
The Miele dryer got a service call, and some part of the wiring & sensors replaced. Otherwise it and the matching washer are doing well.
The oven and dishwasher are doing fine as well (Kitchen Aid).
The Coyote outdoor grill is hanging in there though!

 

[rk911]

Oh...forgot to add that our Speed Queen washer is somewhere 12+ years old...zero service calls. Our Kenmore dryer is close to 40-years old...one service call about a decade ago.

 

[1242Vintage]

We remodeled kitchen with mostly new appliances when we retired back in 2020. Pretty lucky with repairs knock on wood.

Replaced dishwasher.

I also replaced a few of the interior LED lights in the refrigerator too. Interior lights are wired in series so when one burns out they all go dark. Makes it time consuming to figure out which light burned out. That’s a very poor design!

Best appliance in the kitchen is the small bar fridge. Had done an awesome job keeping the craft beer at the perfect temperature!

 

[Koolau]

All new kitchen appliances back in 2011...Fridge, cooktop, microwave, dishwasher, trash compactor, range hood. One service call on the dishwasher and one on the fridge. Our garage fridge is 40+ years old. Zero service calls.

Yep those old ones ran forever. DW's mom passed at 83 and her fridge at the time was the one DW remembered from her childhood (you had to defrost it every couple of weeks (or months ). No service calls all those years. No one did "service" calls except for washing machines. Everything just "lasted" as it was expected to do.

Different times now. Our appliances are all a lot more efficient but much more delicate.

 

[COcheesehead]

We’ve traded up on houses about every 6 years so always new stuff. I don’t think I’ve ever had an appliance repair person in our house.

 

[marko]

Funny that this should come up today!

When we moved to our newly built house six years ago, we bought a LG front loader washing machine for about $1000

Started leaking after 2 years, $350 to fix it. A year later, same thing and another $400. Still leaking today!
Plus a huge, huge hassle dealing with mold around the gaskets etc.

We threw in the towel and just bought and old fashioned, top load Speed Queen for $1800...gets delivered next week.

(We learned that Speed Queen had discontinued this model but brought it back due to the outcry from customers)

 

[rk911]

Funny that this should come up today!

When we moved to our newly built house six years ago, we bought a LG front loader washing machine for about $1000

Started leaking after 2 years, $350 to fix it. A year later, same thing and another $400. Still leaking today!
Plus a huge, huge hassle dealing with mold around the gaskets etc.

We threw in the towel and just bought and old fashioned, top load Speed Queen for $1800...gets delivered next week.

(We learned that Speed Queen had discontinued this model but brought it back due to the outcry from customers)

We also have a Speed Queen top loader. Simplicity. Very few moving parts and no micro-processor. Totally mechanical. Love it!

 

[ncbill]

Last fall I had to replace the original ice maker in my Kenmore (Whirlpool) side-by-side fridge.

Bought the fridge 30 years ago...

 

[engineernerd]

I think we might be luckier than OP, we've had very few appliance failures in the 40 years we've owned our homes (5 successive primary residences).

Our current home was built in 1981 and I'm pretty sure all the appliances were still original when we bought it in 2012. The furniture and carpeting seemed to be as well (the realtor said, "Welcome to the seventies!" when she opened the door for us). The washer and dryer were functional but barely, so we bought a new set. The Jenn-Air kitchen range is still going strong, though. I'm pretty sure it's 45 years old! The fridge was functioning but we replaced it for free in 2013 or so as part of an energy-saving program the electric company was running.

Recently we've had two disappointments in our AZ home, a brand-new POS washing machine and a no-longer-self-cleaning kitchen range.

The washing machine with "sensing" technology that we bought new recently only works right if we select fill to the top and the "Casual" setting. So we avoid all the other settings. I was warned: the online reviews were pretty bad but the price was tempting so I took the gamble (and lost).

The range works fine but the little motor assembly that's supposed to lock the oven door for the self-clean cycle no longer does its thing. It costs almost $300 for a new one. I feel perfectly capable of manually pushing the lever to lock the oven door that used to be the normal thing, this change to motors seems to benefit the appliance companies' bottom lines much more than it benefits their customers.

 

[shortstop14]

We moved in to our house in 1984, and bought a Maytag washer and dryer set. Just retired them last year. I replaced the dryer heater core element twice, and some drum rollers in the washer a few years back. They were solid workhorses.

Now we have a Speed Queen set, no electronic controls. Should outlast us, or at least as long as we live here.

The refrigerator has been replaced twice over those 40 years, and the dishwasher and oven once. Not many repairs, though.

 

[Aerides]

For 20 year old appliances, no you are not lucky, that is normal.
If these were 10 years old or less with no issues, yes, you are very lucky!

 

[rk911]

We moved in to our house in 1984, and bought a Maytag washer and dryer set. Just retired them last year. I replaced the dryer heater core element twice, and some drum rollers in the washer a few years back. They were solid workhorses.

Now we have a Speed Queen set, no electronic controls. Should outlast us, or at least as long as we live here.

The refrigerator has been replaced twice over those 40 years, and the dishwasher and oven once. Not many repairs, though.

Another Speed Queen fan here. 100% mechanical, no silly wifi. Cam't beat it!

 

[sdtech]

I had to replace the little water pump at the bottom of a Bosc dishwasher last year. You needed the hands if a little girl to get it back on…. Lucky for me I have an 8 year old granddaughter!