Fix it or toss it?(LAB TESTS)(Table)

You're hosting Thanksgiving but it's your range that's taking a holiday. Do you call for repair or scramble for a replacement? To help you out, we asked 13,477 subscribers to share their experiences with 20,613 broken products.

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Our recommendations are based on costs for replacement and repairs and on advantages of new models. Typical repair costs and problems are from our survey; replacement costs are from market data for mainstream models.

A few highlights: If your appliance is eight or more years old, usually it makes sense to buy a new one. If you have a favorite high-end, older appliance, you may want to repair it. Consider replacing a newer model if it has been repair-prone. But skip any repair that costs more than half the price of a new product.

Although most readers' appliances weren't under warranty when they broke, if yours still is, you'll probably need to call a factory-authorized repair shop. Ninety-three percent of those respondents said their warranty or service contract was at least partially honored; 9 in 10 were offered a free repair.

If your large appliance is out of warranty, call an independent contractor. Most respondents found that they provided better service.

 
Product                        Replacement  Repair cost   Age of broken 
                                   cost                    product and 
                                                         when to replace 
 
                                                         1 yr.   2 yr. 
 
Clothes dryer: electric          $350-$950     $80-$170  Repair  Repair 
Clothes dryer: gas               420-1,050       90-200  Repair  Repair 
Cooktop: electric and gas          400-800      100-200  Repair  Repair 
Dishwasher                         300-800       75-200  Repair  Repair 
Electric range                   400-1,000      100-275  Repair  Repair 
Gas range                        500-1,300      100-235  Repair  Repair 
Over-the-range microwave oven      200-500       75-175  Repair  Repair 
Refrigerator: side-by-side       800-1,800      100-240  Repair  Repair 
Refrigerator: top-freezer          450-900      100-200  Repair  Repair 
Refrigerator: bottom-freezer     700-1,800      100-200  Repair  Repair 
Vacuum: full-size canister         200-600       35-100  Repair  Repair 
Vacuum: full-size upright           70-400        30-80  Repair  Repair 
Wall oven: electric              800-1,000      150-300  Repair  Repair 
Washing machine: front-loader    700-1,400      100-300  Repair  Repair 
Washing machine: top-loader        400-600       90-200  Repair  Repair 
 
Product 
 
                                    3 yr.            4 yr. 
 
Clothes dryer: electric            Repair           Repair 
Clothes dryer: gas                 Repair           Repair 
Cooktop: electric and gas          Repair       Consider repair 
Dishwasher                         Repair       Consider repair 
Electric range                     Repair       Consider repair 
Gas range                          Repair           Repair 
Over-the-range microwave oven  Consider repair  Consider repair 
Refrigerator: side-by-side         Repair           Repair 
Refrigerator: top-freezer          Repair       Consider repair 
Refrigerator: bottom-freezer       Repair           Repair 
Vacuum: full-size canister         Repair           Repair 
Vacuum: full-size upright          ...