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Appliance lifespan and care

Are extended appliance warranties worth buying?

Short answer

Usually not, and we say that knowing it costs us nothing either way. They are priced to be profitable for the seller, which means on average they cost more than the repairs they cover. Read what is actually excluded before deciding.

The structural problem with them

An extended warranty is an insurance product sold at the point of sale by someone who earns commission on it. Like any insurance product priced to make money, the expected payout is lower than the premium. That is not a scandal, it is arithmetic — but it means the average buyer loses.

That reverses if you are unusually unlucky or if the appliance is genuinely repair-prone. It is a bet, and it is worth understanding it as one.

Read the exclusions before the coverage

Cosmetic damage, consumables, "misuse", and anything deemed a maintenance failure are commonly excluded. So is damage from hard water in some policies — which, in this part of Iowa and Illinois, is not a hypothetical exclusion.

Also check who performs the work. Some policies restrict you to their own network, which may or may not include anyone local, and may mean waiting significantly longer than calling a local shop directly.

What we would suggest instead

Keep the manufacturer warranty paperwork, keep the model number somewhere you can find it, and set aside what the extended warranty would have cost. If nothing goes wrong you keep the money. If something does, you have it and you can call whoever you want.

Still not sure how this applies to your machine? Call and ask — we would rather answer a question over the phone than have you guess. We cover Rock Island, the Quad Cities and every community within 50 miles.

(309) 430-9594

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Related questions

Short answers. Each one has a page of its own if you want the reasoning behind it.

How long should an appliance last?

Broadly: refrigerators and ranges the longest, washers and dryers in the middle, dishwashers the shortest. What matters more than the averages is where your machine sits in its own life, because that is what decides whether a repair is worth making.

Does well water damage appliances?

It does not damage them so much as wear them faster. Mineral content leaves scale on heating elements, water valves and ice makers, and over years that scale is what turns into a repair. It is one of the most common things we find outside the towns.

What does appliance repair cost?

A repair breaks into two parts: a diagnostic charge for coming out and finding the actual fault, and then the repair itself, which is quoted before any work starts. You hear the diagnostic figure on the phone before you book, and nothing begins until you say yes.

Should I repair my appliance or replace it?

Rough guide: if the repair costs more than about half what a comparable new machine costs, and the appliance is past two-thirds of its expected life, replacing is usually the better call. Below that, repairing almost always wins on cost and on waste.

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Greg was recommended to me and they said if Greg can’t fix it you’ll probably have to buy new. He was prompt, honest about what was wrong, and completely professional. In my 57 years he is the most honest and personable repair man I have ever met.

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