Table of Contents
The short answer
Repair when the fault is in a part that was always going to wear out, the rest of the appliance is sound, the part can be had, and the quote is well under half of what an equivalent new appliance would cost you, delivered and fitted. Replace when the fault is in the core of the machine, when the maker no longer supplies the part, when this is the third fault in a short time, or when the repair comes to around half the cost of replacing an appliance that is already late in its life.
That is the whole rule, and the rest of this guide is how to apply it. It takes five facts: what has actually failed, how old the appliance is and whether its maker still supports it, whether the part is available, the two numbers side by side, and the condition of everything that has not failed yet. Running costs and the risk of the next breakdown settle the close calls.
Two things come before any of it. Make sure the appliance is really broken, because a blocked filter or a wrong setting is no reason to buy anything. And find out who owns it: in a rented home the bill may not be yours. IHR Dream Cleaning's home appliance repair service diagnoses the fault and gives you a quote for parts and labour before any repair goes ahead, which is the number this decision needs.
Before you decide anything
Is it really broken?
Many appliances that look finished have nothing wrong inside them. A washing machine standing full of water may have a coin in its pump filter. A warm fridge may have a blocked vent, a dusty condenser or a door that is not sealing. An oven that will not heat may be waiting for its clock to be set after a power cut, or sitting in a timer mode or a child lock.
Work through the checks first. They are set out for the two commonest cases in washing machine won't drain or spin and fridge not cooling: simple checks. For an oven, look at the breaker, the clock, the timer and the child lock, using the manual. If a check fixes it, the question is closed. If none does, you can describe the fault properly, and a good description is where an accurate quote starts.
Is it still under warranty?
If the appliance is inside its maker's warranty, or you bought an extended warranty with it, the maker's own service is the first call. A repair by anyone else may affect that cover, and a fault put right under warranty is not a repair-or-replace question at all. Find the invoice and read the terms before you book anybody.
Whose appliance is it?
In many rented homes the oven, the hob and often the fridge and the washing machine came with the kitchen. They belong to the landlord, and who arranges and pays for a repair or a replacement depends on your tenancy contract. Read the maintenance clause and tell the landlord or the managing agent in writing before you pay for anything. The section on rented homes below goes through it.
The five questions that decide it
Take them in order. The first often settles the matter by itself, and the last is needed only when the others disagree.
| Question | Leans to repair | Leans to replace |
|---|---|---|
| What failed? | A wear part: pump, belt, seal, element, fan | The core: sealed system, drum and tub, rusted body |
| Maker's support | Parts still supplied for the model | Part discontinued |
| Availability | In stock, or a short wait | A long wait you cannot live with |
| The two numbers | Quote well under half of a replacement | Near half or more, on an older appliance |
| Condition and history | Clean, quiet, no rust, first fault | Rust, noise, third fault in a short time |
1. What has actually failed?
Every appliance is a durable body with a set of working parts fixed to it. Some of those parts are expected to wear out and are made to be changed: pumps, belts, door seals, heating elements, thermostats, fans, igniters, hinges. Replacing one of them on a sound appliance is ordinary maintenance. Our service page draws the same line when it explains what moves a quote: a belt or a seal costs less than a control board or a compressor.
Other faults are in the core: a fridge's sealed refrigerant circuit, a washing machine's drum and tub, the cabinet or cavity itself once rust has gone through it. These repairs are large, and they hand back an old appliance with one new organ. A storage water heater shows the difference most plainly. Its thermostat and element are parts, its tank is the core, and a leaking tank cannot be repaired; that case is worked through in water heater not heating or leaking: repair or replace.
The fault has to be confirmed before it can be sorted into either group. 'It is probably the board' is not a diagnosis, and neither is a guess made from the symptom.
2. How old is it, and does the maker still support it?
There is no age at which an appliance should be scrapped, and this guide does not give one. As a loose rule of thumb, a washing machine, a fridge or an oven is often expected to serve for something like ten years, with a wide spread either side depending on how it was built, how hard it works and how it has been looked after. Use that only to place yours in early, middle or late life.
Early in life, repair almost every time, through the warranty if there is one. In the middle, the kind of fault decides. Late in life, repair only when the part is small and the rest of the machine is clean, quiet and free of rust. Support matters more than the birthday. Makers supply parts for a model for a limited period after it stops being made, and once a part is discontinued the decision has been made for you. The rating plate carries the model number a technician needs to check this, and sometimes the date of manufacture.
3. Can the part be had, and how soon?
A part in stock means the repair can usually be done on the first visit. A part on order means days or weeks without a fridge or a washing machine, and that has a cost of its own: laundry sent out, food bought daily, a household working round a gap. Our service page asks for the brand and the model when you book so that parts availability can be checked in advance, and says that when a part must be ordered you are given a timeline for the follow-up visit. If the timeline is long and the appliance is old, weigh that honestly.
4. What do the two numbers say?
Put the repair quote beside the cost of an equivalent replacement. This comparison has its own section below, because it is where most people go wrong: they compare a firm quote with the cheapest price they have seen advertised, or a guess with a guess.
5. What state is the rest of it in?
A repair fixes one part. Everything else is as old as it was yesterday. Look at the appliance as a buyer would. Rust at the base of a washing machine or along the bottom edge of a fridge door, a perished door seal, a drum that rumbles, drawers held together with tape, a hob with worn-off markings and loose knobs: each one says another bill is coming.
History counts in the same way. One fault in several years is bad luck. Two unrelated wear parts in a year on an old machine is a pattern, and the same fault returning soon after a repair means the cause was never found. Ask the technician what else looks worn while the machine is open. It is the most useful thing you will hear on the visit.
Comparing the quote with the price of a new one
The comparison only works if both numbers are real. The repair number is a quote for parts and labour given after the fault has been confirmed, not an estimate over the phone. With IHR the fault is diagnosed first and the quote is confirmed before the repair proceeds. Inspection is free in every area we serve, with no obligation to go ahead, and every price includes VAT.
The replacement number is the cost of an equivalent appliance, in your kitchen, working. That means the same type and capacity and, for a built-in appliance, one that fits the same housing. Add delivery, installation, taking the old one away, and any alteration the new one needs: a cabinet trimmed, a water connection moved, a circuit changed for a more powerful oven or hob. Use the price of the model you would truly buy. The cheapest machine in the shop is not the alternative unless you would be content to own it.
The half rule, and how to bend it
The well-known rule of thumb is this: when a repair costs around half of the replacement and the appliance is past the middle of its life, the repair rarely pays. The reasoning is simple. After the repair you own an old appliance with one new part, and its next fault is nearer than it would be on a new machine under warranty.
It is a rule of thumb and not arithmetic, and it bends with age. On a young appliance a repair costing well over half can still make sense, because there are many years of use left to spread it over. On an appliance late in its life, even a third is a lot to spend unless that part is the only thing wrong. Bend it for build as well. A solid appliance that has run for years without trouble is a better candidate for a large repair than a light one that has already needed attention.
Two illustrations
These are made-up illustrations of the method, not cases from our records. Take a washing machine in the middle of its life that has stopped draining. The pump has failed, the part is in stock, the drum turns quietly and there is no rust. The quote is a small fraction of the price of an equivalent machine. Every question points the same way: repair.
Now take an older machine with a roar on the spin. The bearings have gone, on that model they come only as a complete tub assembly, the part has to be ordered, and there is rust along the base. The quote is close to half of a replacement. Every question points the other way, and the money spent would buy the machine's last year a second time.
The hard cases sit between those two: a control board on a mid-life fridge, a motor on a good washing machine. There, age and support, availability and condition decide, and running costs break a tie.
The common faults, appliance by appliance
The direction in the last column of each table assumes that the rest of the appliance is sound and the part can be supplied. It is a starting point for the conversation with the technician, not a verdict.
Washing machines
Most washing machine faults are in wear parts and are worth repairing. Our service page gives a worn belt and a blocked filter as examples of faults usually put right in a single visit. The expensive exception is the drum bearings. On many newer machines the outer tub is sealed at the factory, so worn bearings mean a complete tub assembly: a large part and a long job.
Abu Dhabi's hard water scales heating elements, and an element that fails on an otherwise healthy machine is a repair. A machine kept on a balcony deserves a look at its base and back for rust before you spend anything on it, because heat, humidity and salt in the air near the coast are hard on painted steel.
| Fault | Kind of repair | Usual direction |
|---|---|---|
| Pump, belt, hoses | Wear part | Repair |
| Door seal, door lock, inlet valve | Wear part | Repair |
| Heating element | Wear part | Repair |
| Suspension | Wear part | Repair, if the rest is sound |
| Motor | Major part | Compare the two numbers |
| Control board | Major part | Check availability, then compare |
| Drum bearings | Often the whole tub assembly | Lean to replace on an older machine |
| Cracked tub, rusted base or cabinet | Structure | Replace |
Fridges and fridge-freezers
A fridge is two machines in one cabinet. The first is a set of ordinary parts: seals, fans, sensors, the defrost heater and its timer, the relay that starts the compressor. All are replaceable, and on a sound fridge all are worth replacing. The second is the sealed system: compressor, coils and refrigerant. Work on it is the most involved repair a fridge can have, and a leak in pipework buried in the insulated walls usually cannot be reached at all.
Where the fridge has lived matters. One that has spent its summers on a hot balcony or in an uncooled store room has worked its compressor far harder than one in a cooled kitchen, and that belongs in the reckoning when a large repair is quoted.
| Fault | Kind of repair | Usual direction |
|---|---|---|
| Door seal | Wear part | Repair |
| Thermostat or temperature sensor | Part | Repair |
| Fan, defrost heater or timer | Part | Repair |
| Start relay | Part | Repair |
| Control board | Major part | Check availability, then compare |
| Compressor | Sealed system | Lean to replace on an older fridge |
| Refrigerant leak in reachable pipework | Sealed system | Compare the two numbers |
| Leak inside the insulated walls | Sealed system | Usually replace |
| Rusted cabinet, broken lining | Structure | Replace |
Ovens and hobs
Electric ovens are simple machines with few moving parts, and they are often worth repairing late into life. An element, a thermostat, a fan motor or a door seal is a routine part. What ends an oven is usually structural, a cavity or body rusted through, or a control board or door glass that is no longer supplied.
With a built-in oven or hob, remember that a replacement has to fit the existing cut-out and housing. That narrows the choice and can add carpentry to the replacement number, which tilts a close call towards repair.
| Fault | Kind of repair | Usual direction |
|---|---|---|
| Heating element, electric oven | Part | Repair |
| Thermostat or temperature sensor | Part | Repair |
| Fan motor, lamp, door seal, hinges | Part | Repair |
| Igniter or flame-safety device, gas | Part, fitted by a gas technician | Repair |
| Timer or control board | Major part | Check availability, then compare |
| Cracked hob glass | Major part | Compare the two numbers |
| Inner door glass | Part, if still supplied | Repair if it can be had |
| Cavity or body rusted through | Structure | Replace |
Gas ovens and hobs: a different rule for the work itself
For a gas oven or hob the repair-or-replace reasoning is the same, but the work is not. Anything on the gas side, meaning the hose, the regulator, the valves, the jets and the connection to a cylinder or to the building's supply, is for a qualified gas technician and nobody else. That includes disconnecting an old cooker and connecting a new one. It is never a do-it-yourself job, and it is not a job for a general handyman.
What the owner may do is what the manual gives to the owner: lift off and wash the burner caps and rings, clear food from the ports with a soft brush or a wooden toothpick, dry everything, seat the caps back properly, and change the battery if the ignition runs on one. A burner that lights unevenly after a boil-over is often just dirty or badly seated. Degreasing the hob itself is covered in how to degrease a kitchen.
If you smell gas, do not look for the leak. Turn off the cylinder or the isolation valve if you can reach it safely, open the doors and windows, touch no switches and light nothing, leave the home and call your gas supplier or the emergency services from outside. When you book a repair for a gas appliance, say that it is gas, so that the scope can be confirmed before anyone is sent.
Running costs and the cost of the next failure
A newer appliance usually uses less electricity, and a newer washing machine less water, than the one it replaces. How much that matters depends on how many hours the appliance works. A fridge runs all day, every day, so efficiency counts most there. A washing machine's share depends on how many loads you run a week. An oven is used for the fewest hours and gains the least.
Compare the energy rating shown on the new appliance with what you know of the old one, but be honest about the size of the saving. It seldom pays for a new appliance by itself, and it should not talk you out of an inexpensive repair. Use it to break a tie. Check, too, that the old appliance is not wasting power for a reason that costs little to put right. A fridge with a leaking door seal or a blanket of dust on its coils runs longer than it should, and so does a washing machine with a scaled element.
The other hidden cost is the next failure. A washing machine that fails by leaking can damage flooring, cabinets and the ceiling of the flat below. A fridge that fails while you are travelling costs its contents and a day of cleaning. If an appliance is showing its age and a failure would be expensive where it stands, that is a fair reason to replace a little early, at a time you choose.
If the home is rented
Start with the tenancy contract. It should say who is responsible for maintaining and repairing what was supplied with the home, and contracts differ. Do not rely on what a previous landlord did or on what a neighbour was told.
- If the appliance belongs to the landlord, report the fault to the landlord or the managing agent in writing, with a photo, before you book or pay for anything.
- Do not replace a landlord's appliance yourself, and do not throw the old one away. It is not yours to dispose of.
- If you are asked to arrange the repair, get that in writing too, with who is paying and up to what amount.
- Keep the quote, the tax invoice and any replaced part. A tax invoice is available on request for any IHR booking.
- If the appliance is your own, the decision is yours. Note it at move-out, so that it is not confused with what belongs to the home.
The time to record condition is move-in
When you take over a home, run every supplied appliance once and photograph its model plate and its condition, so that a fault that was already there is not discussed as yours a year later. The full list of what to test is in our new home maintenance checklist.
If the answer is replace
A replacement that does not fit, or cannot be connected, turns a decision into a second problem. Settle these before you order.
- Measure the space: height, width and depth, the door swing, and for a built-in appliance the housing and the cut-out, not the front of the old appliance.
- Check the connections. A washing machine needs a tap, a waste pipe and a socket within reach of its hoses and cable. A fridge with a water dispenser needs a water line.
- Check the electrical supply for an oven or hob. A more powerful model may need a different circuit or breaker, which is work for an electrician and should be known before delivery day.
- For anything gas, arrange a qualified gas technician for the disconnection and the connection.
- Ask the seller what delivery includes: carrying up, unpacking, connecting, and taking the old appliance away.
- In a tower, ask the building about delivery hours and the service lift.
- Keep the invoice and the manual, and register the warranty.
On the first day
A new washing machine travels with transit bolts locking its drum, and they must come out before the first wash. The manual shows where they are. A new fridge should stand upright for the time its manual gives before it is switched on, and then be left to get cold before food goes in. Level both, and run the washing machine empty once while you watch the hoses for drips.
Getting the repair number: what to send and what happens
The quote is only as good as the description behind it. When you book, send the appliance type, the brand and the model number as a photo of the rating plate, what the appliance does or fails to do, any error code, a video if the fault is a noise, the approximate age, and whether the home is rented. Where each plate is found, and which photos help, is in how to get an accurate repair quote.
On the visit the technician checks the appliance directly and confirms the fault before anything is priced. You are then given a quote for parts and labour, and nothing is repaired until you accept it. That pause is the moment for this guide. Ask what failed, whether the part is in stock and what else looks worn, and take the figure away to compare if you want to. If you go ahead and the part is to hand, the repair is done on the same visit and the appliance is run through a test cycle before the technician leaves. If the part has to be ordered, you are given a timeline for the second visit.
Appliance repair has no published price list, since the same appliance can fail in small and large ways. Payment is online by card, from My bookings on this website once the price is confirmed, and quoted jobs of AED 1,000 or more take a 30% advance by that link, with the balance after the work.
Common questions about repairing or replacing
Is a ten-year-old appliance ever worth repairing?
Yes, when the fault is a small part, the part is available and the rest is sound. An old electric oven with a failed element, or an old fridge with a perished door seal, has a great deal of use left in it. Age alone does not condemn an appliance. Age together with a core fault, rust or a discontinued part does.
The control board has failed. Repair or replace?
First ask how that was established. The board is the part most often blamed on suspicion, because faults in sensors, wiring, door locks and motors can all look like a machine that does nothing. If testing has confirmed it, the board is usually among the dearer parts of an appliance, and its availability varies widely by model. On a young or mid-life appliance with the board in stock, repair. On an old one with the board on long order, the two numbers and the wait usually point to replacing.
It was repaired recently and something else has failed. Is that the sign to stop?
It depends on whether the faults are related. A pump one year and a door seal the next are two wear parts reaching the end of their separate lives, which is normal on an older machine and tells you which stage of life it is in. The same fault returning within weeks is different: tell the company that did the repair, because the cause may not have been found. A third unrelated fault in a short time is usually the point to stop.
Should I replace an appliance before it fails?
Sometimes. If it is late in life, showing rust, noise or repeated faults, and a failure would be costly where it stands, replacing at a time of your choosing beats replacing in a hurry: you can measure, compare and wait for delivery. If it is working well, leave it alone. Age by itself is not a fault.
Can I get the repair number without a visit?
A description, the model number and photos tell the technician what the fault probably is and which parts to bring, and they are worth sending. The fault itself is confirmed by inspection, and the quote follows it. Inspection is free in every area we serve, so finding out the number costs you the time of the visit and nothing more.
Does the same rule apply to dishwashers and microwaves?
To dishwashers, yes. Pumps, spray arms, door seals and heating elements are wear parts, and a rusted tub or a discontinued board is the end. A microwave is different in one respect. Its high-voltage parts can hold a dangerous charge even when it is unplugged, so the owner's checks stop at the plug, the door and the turntable, and it must never be opened at home. Our service page says the same.
Making the decision
Get the fault confirmed, get the quote, find the price of the appliance you would buy in its place, and look hard at the condition of what you have. If the five questions mostly point one way, follow them.
Our home appliance repair page lists the appliances we diagnose and repair, and the areas we serve page shows where. Book a visit on the website or in the IHR Dream app with the model number and a description of the fault. We work every day from 8 AM – 8 PM, and a booking can be moved or cancelled free of charge up to 6 hours before the start time.
