Is your trusty old dishwasher on the fritz? Are you not ready to give up on it and are on the lookout for its parts? Regardless of which kitchen appliance needs fixing, we’re here to tell you two things.
Firstly, it is now easy to search for parts online. Secondly, if you answer these few questions before you go hunting or call up the repairman, your machine will be good as new. So, here’s the list of questions you should be asking before shopping for parts online:
Is the appliance worth fixing?
The first thing that you should do is to ‘apply the 50 percent rule.’ Courtesy of HouseLogic; the rule says that if the cost of repairs exceeds the actual value of an appliance that has crossed more than half of its expected life span, then you may be throwing your money by getting it fixed.
The very pertinent question is that how can you tell if that is the case with your old freezer or toaster? House Logic has the answer to that as well. They estimate the average life span of your kitchen appliances. It goes something like this:
- Dishwashers should easily last for nine years
- Disposal units can keep working for 12 years
- While an electric range will go on working for 13 years, a gas range lasts for 15.
- Your kitchen exhaust fan will be fine for a decade.
- The freezer lasts just a tad longer, i.e., 11 years and the refrigerator even more so, i.e., 13 years.
- Microwaves work for 9 years.
But before buying the parts, you should consider one more thing. How much use an appliance sees over the average life span also matters. So, if you’ve been cooking on the stove for a good-sized family, it may wear out sooner.
Did you check and rule out the most obvious solutions?
Before you go online to buy parts for your appliances, make sure that you have ruled out the basic problems. For instance, did you check the power settings? Is the appliance getting power? Is it on? Have you put it on an even surface? Did you try cleaning the clogged filters since they might stop working after overheating?
In short, make these small checks before you rush to get your appliance repaired.
Did you match the price with how much you can spend?
So, after you carry out those checks, the kitchen appliance in question still doesn’t work? It means that you will have to get new parts. Now, when you look for dealers online, keep your budget in mind.
If you know how much you’re willing to spend – and how long that repair will last for – you can decide if you’re getting a good deal or not.
Moreover, determining the spending amount will keep you from wasting time on stores or dealers that are out of your price range. Eventually, you’ll have a list of places within that range. Should you just purchase the part from one of them? No! You go to this next step.
Did you track to compare and get the best deal?
If you don’t compare the prices on more than one online store, you might miss out on the best deals. Some dealers give a discount to outmatch competition, and it may be the best bargain you can get. So, don’t shy from a little research. You can use a barcode-scanning app like Redlaser to compare prices among your options. When you find one that is suitably low, that’s the way to go.
But, say, even after that, you discover that most options on the price list are out of your range. What do you do then?
Will you wait for holiday discounts?
Just as the appliances go on sale on holidays like Labor Day and Black Friday, so do their spare parts. So, if you can wait until the holiday season, you can get a good bargain.
Most stores will list the older models of most kitchen appliances on highly discounted prices in September and October because that’s when manufacturers will release the newer models.
However, if you’re looking for parts for your old refrigerator, you should do it early in spring. That’s because the new inventory shows up in June.
Are you compromising on quality?
Finally, you should factor in the quality of the parts along with the cost. If you purchase from reputable sellers, quality won’t be an issue. After all, you’d want the repaired kitchen appliance to last for a while. Going to reliable brands like SEARS Appliances Parts will make sure that you do not have to worry about quality. So, pick a store or dealer that you know won’t compromise on quality.
How quickly do you want it?
Anything you buy online take a day or two to get delivered. It is workable for leisure items. However, kitchen appliances are usually an integral part of our daily lives, and any glitch in one of them can impede our day to day work. So, we want them fixed ASAP.
Lucky for you that there are dealers who provide same-day shipping. So, you can order the parts from there.
Final words
Are you ready to go on the internet to shop for kitchen appliances? We sure hope you are and that you’ll try the tips we shared!
