The rule
Half the price of new
If putting it right costs more than half of replacing it, replace it. That is the whole rule, and it is a rule of thumb the trade uses, not a law.
The 50% rule, with the numbers in it
Repair it, or replace it?
Two tables settle this argument. What the repair bands at, and what the same appliance costs new. Everything else is somebody's opinion.
Where the rule comes from
What is the 50% rule, and does it hold here?
Why it rarely bites
Top band $2,360
The rule was written for appliances that cost a few hundred dollars. Built-in Viking equipment starts at $1,600 for the cheapest box on the list, so the half-line sits above almost every repair we quote.
Where it does bite
A tired cabinet
When the expensive repair lands in a box that has already lost its hinges, its seal and its finish, the rule is right and we say so at the diagnostic.
The arithmetic
Where does the half-line actually fall?
One row per appliance family. The replacement figures are the box on its own, before delivery, fitting or cabinetry. The half-line is exactly half of those, and the last column is the most expensive repair that can honestly be quoted against that appliance — not the most expensive repair on the whole table.
| Appliance | New, appliance only | The half-line | Worst repair that applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional range, the usual repair-or-replace comparison | $6,500–$14,500 | $3,250–$7,250 | Control board or touch panel to $970 |
| Built-in refrigerator or column | $9,500–$17,500 | $4,750–$8,750 | Compressor or sealed-system repair to $2,360 |
| Built-in dishwasher | $1,600–$3,200 | $800–$1,600 | Control board or touch panel to $970 |
Read the last two columns against each other, and the answer is not the same on every line. On the professional range and built-in refrigerator or column rows, even the worst repair that can apply sits below the bottom of the half-line: the rule never gets a vote, and the only question left is the state of the cabinet. The built-in dishwasher row is the one that can cross it — control board or touch panel work reaching $970 is above $800, which is half of the cheapest box on that line. That is where we do the sum out loud with you instead of quoting the part.
The three answers
Clear yes, judgement call, or clear no?
Professional range, the usual repair-or-replace comparison
From $200
Burners, ovens, igniter modules and the control behind them.
Against $6,500–$14,500 to replace, work in this family has to reach $3,250 before the rule even starts to argue.
Built-in refrigerator or column
From $240
Defrost and fan work at one end, the sealed system at the other.
Against $9,500–$17,500 to replace, work in this family has to reach $4,750 before the rule even starts to argue.
Built-in dishwasher
From $230
Pump, drain and control. The narrowest margin we take.
Against $1,600–$3,200 to replace, work in this family has to reach $800 before the rule even starts to argue.
- Clear yes. One named part has failed and the cabinet is sound — an igniter module, a fan, a thermostat, a pump. Work of that kind starts at $200 and stays under the half-line on every row in the table above, and the appliance goes back to doing what it was bought to do.
- Judgement call. The heaviest work on the table, $1,010–$2,360, in a box that is already tired: rust at the liner, hinges that have dropped, a door that no longer pulls itself shut. The repair is still under the half-line and the rest of the appliance is what decides it. We walk you through what we saw.
- Clear no. The opening will not take the appliance back, the cabinet is corroded through, or a second expensive failure is already visible while we are inside it. We charge the $80 diagnostic and tell you to spend the money once.
- Not our call to make quietly. Whichever of the three it is, you get it in writing before a part is ordered. You get a written estimate before any part is ordered or any tool comes out.
Both halves of the sum
What does the repair band at, and what does the box cost?
The visit and the whole diagnostic sequence are $80 flat, and that comes off the bill the moment you approve the work. The work below has run $200–$2,360 in parts and labor after that, and the figure on your estimate is written down before a part is ordered.
| Work | Parts and labor |
|---|---|
| $80 diagnostic | Flat, credited toward the repair |
| Igniter or burner assembly | $200–$530 |
| Oven thermostat or heating element | $200–$570 |
| Control board or touch panel | $410–$970 |
| Refrigeration fan or defrost system | $240–$650 |
| Dishwasher pump or control | $230–$660 |
| Compressor or sealed-system repair | $1,010–$2,360 |
Replace instead, and what that costs
| Appliance | Appliance only |
|---|---|
| Professional range, the usual repair-or-replace comparison | $6,500–$14,500 |
| Built-in refrigerator or column | $9,500–$17,500 |
| Built-in dishwasher | $1,600–$3,200 |
A band is where the work has landed, not a quote. You get a written estimate before any part is ordered or any tool comes out. 90 days on labor, 365 days on parts. The whole table is on the pricing page.
Before you decide
What do owners ask before they spend it?
- What is the 50% rule for appliance repair?
- It is a rule of thumb the trade uses: if the repair costs more than half of replacing the appliance, replace it instead. On built-in Viking equipment that line sits high. Half of a $4,800–$17,500 replacement is $2,400 to $8,750, and the heaviest band on our table tops out at $2,360.
- What does replacing a compressor cost?
- $1,010–$2,360, parts and labor together, and that is the top of this shop's whole table. Set it against $9,500–$17,500 for a comparable built-in column, appliance only, before delivery or cabinetry: on a cabinet that is otherwise sound the repair still lands well under half the replacement.
- Is it ever worth repairing a dishwasher?
- Usually, though the margin is the narrowest of anything we take in. A pump or control repair bands $230–$660; a built-in Viking dishwasher is $1,600–$3,200 appliance only, before fitting. Where the tub or the door frame has corroded we say so at the diagnostic rather than quote you a pump.
- Is it worth repairing a 20-year-old appliance?
- Age on its own is not the test. What failed is. A control board, an igniter or a fan on a sound twenty-year-old cabinet is worth doing. A sealed-system failure in a box that has already lost its hinges, its door seal and its finish is where we tell you to put the money toward the replacement instead.
What a table cannot tell you
The part that needs the appliance open
A band is where work of that kind has landed. It is not your quote, because your quote depends on which part actually failed and on what the cabinet looks like behind the grille. That is what the $80 visit is for, and it comes off the repair if you go ahead. EPA Section 608 certified technicians for sealed-system refrigerant work.
The lines this shop takes are set out under repairs, the full terms of work are on the pricing page, and what is covered afterwards is on the warranty page.
The two figures
- Repairs band
- $200–$2,360
- Replace
- $4,800–$17,500
- Diagnostic
- $80 flat
- Cover
- 90 days on labor, 365 days on parts
What customers said
When the sum came out in favour of the repair
4.3 out of 5, across 77 published customer reviews. Read every one of them.
The drain hose had been looped wrong by whoever installed it, so dirty water was working its way back in. He rerouted it high behind the cabinet and the smell we had lived with simply went away.
Clarissa B.
Only one of the three speeds worked and the switch panel got warm. He found a scorched terminal behind the control and replaced the whole switch bank rather than patch it, which I would rather he did.
Rufus V.
The wine cabinet drifted several degrees warm and the display kept flickering. He found the door switch reading closed intermittently, so the fan logic never settled. New switch and the readout is steady.
Rowan H.
Book the visit
Tell us the model. We bring the part.
Viking only. Duval County, citywide. Flat $80 diagnostic. It is credited toward the repair if you approve the work.
- Diagnostic
- $80 flat
- Labor
- 90 days on labor
- Parts
- 365 days on parts
- Weekdays
- Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm
- Saturday
- Sat, 9am–4pm