Dishwasher Repair

[sunnyday]

My dishwasher has been leaking so I got the name of a general contractor from a friend. They said the trip fee would be $75 and it would $50 for each 20 minutes they were here. $150 / hour seems extremely high. Any recommendations on finding a good repair person that won't break the bank?

[DaleMaley]

How old is the dishwasher........is it time to get a new one?

My cousin was a general contractor. He used to fix dishwashers.......then quit doing so.

I had a 10+ year old dishwasher that leaked. It was leaking through the door seal. I got another seal and spent a whole day trying to get that new seal in correctly. Once I got done, it still leaked.

Further inspection found many pinhole leaks in the plastic pump. I got a new one. I also understand why my cousin quit working on them!! I also refuse to fix relative's dishwashers now. I install new ones (did two in the last 6 months).....but won't fix them anymore.

[swong]

The prices are more than fair and reasonable. If you were in the same line of business would you consider working for less? You mentioned he was a handyman (versus a service tech from a factory authorized repair facility) in which case you can negotiate prices but keep in mind you get what you pay for. Alternative is if you are handy you can google repair procedures for your make and model appliance, troubleshoot then order parts yourself. Like yourself it's about cost but when repairs are beyond your ability (major plumbing and electrical work which requires specialized tools) it's almost always best to contract out based upon a cost analysis.....if for example you make $120/hr doing what you do for a living and it takes multiple hours to open up your dishwasher, diagnose then order parts via the web (wait times for parts delivery) then rescheduling a return visit to install parts you can see why your quoted price is more than reasonable

I just snaked out a main sewer line over 3 consecutive days and finally cleared the tree root clog. RotoRooter typically wants over $200 just to "walk in the door" followed by $65 for the first hour of work. It's some of the nastiest type of work out there wallowing in other people's poo not to mention needing electric drain machines weighing in excess of 50 pounds or more. Me?....I'm recently retired, have more than plenty of idle time, and have done work like this more than I care to mention. Saved over $500 over 3 days finally finding/resolving said blockage however this 63 year old body still aches days later not to mention the risk of illness wallowing in sewer waste....nuff said!

[swong]

I forgot to mention the fact labor is never cheap and typically is at minimum 1/2 the cost of any service call. I assume you are a home owner? If so repairpart.com will be your best friend...excellent web site offering help not to mention inexpensive repair parts. If you have any friends owning homes you might also consider bartering. 80% of homeowners are pretty handy

[CountryBoy]

About a year ago our dishwasher sprang a big leak. The guy that came and fixed it was great. He explained how all the washers are made of cheap materials regardless of brand and that the parts to repair are equally poor and mostly plastic.

We wash our own dishes and have no problem with it.

I know that sounds very Luddite but the machines of today are really built for a very short life cycle.

cb.

[likegarden]

Once a dishwasher is over 5 years old, I would not pay big money for repairs, but buy a new one. Dishwashers of today are made to last only 5-6 years. Mine is 6 years old, so I will be buying a new one soon, and I will be buying a basic one, no frills which also can fail.

[Skiffy]

Best money ever spent was replacing low-end, construction grade dishwasher with a mid to high range--no more rinsing dishes, sensors to tell how dirty the dishes are, quieter, etc.

[sunnyday]

Thanks for the replies. The dishwasher is almost 7 years old and lower end. I talked to my wife and we decided to buy a new one (will probably get a Bosch) instead of paying a bunch to try to get it repaired.

[FNK]

After consulting Consumer Reports, I went with LG this year. Tall steel tub, steam, quiet, clean.

[jeffyscott]

The prices are more than fair and reasonable.

Wow, really!? Not in my market. I believe appliance repair labor is under $100 and hour and trip charge might be something like $25. I have had our appliance repair guy here a number of times, the most recent was a year ago and trip charge was $25, labor $79 per hour.

[LynnC]

Thanks for the replies. The dishwasher is almost 7 years old and lower end. I talked to my wife and we decided to buy a new one (will probably get a Bosch) instead of paying a bunch to try to get it repaired.

Hi Sunny,

Yep, time to get a new one. You will love your Bosch. So quiet and energy efficient.

LynnC

[swong]

jeffreyscott....location, location location! Cities like Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, etc are abnormally high cost when it comes to labor. I reside in NYC and while I am not thrilled with the added expense living here it does have advantages. Salaries for example are very attractive in order to make it worth staying which is why I have lived here all my life even after living in Europe in my early 20's. Just got to know how to spend and invest wisely which for reasons is too lengthy to discuss here as I don't want to hijack someone elses thread. FYI, every service repair person is almost always paid a minimum 30 or more dollars per hour as they too live and have families residing in the city. Just to park a car in a open lot in NYC presently costs in excess of $30 also and we are talking in a open lot. I am sure in Wisconsin it is a whole lot cheaper.

[Random Musings]

Thanks for the replies. The dishwasher is almost 7 years old and lower end. I talked to my wife and we decided to buy a new one (will probably get a Bosch) instead of paying a bunch to try to get it repaired.

Hi Sunny,

Yep, time to get a new one. You will love your Bosch. So quiet and energy efficient.

LynnC

Perhaps there are some savings in energy efficiency, perhaps offset by the shorter lifespans of many applicances these days. In essense, a breakeven proposition the first time? Plus, the new ones are a little more difficult to fix since less mechanical and more electronic in nature. Much of the mechanical "hardware" seems to be less durable.

Environmentally, wonder if the energy savings offsets the increased amount of materials consumed (for not all is recycled), plus energy used on portions recycled? Landfill volume must increase as well.

RM

[FNK]

Environmentally, wonder if the energy savings offsets the increased amount of materials consumed (for not all is recycled), plus energy used on portions recycled? Landfill volume must increase as well.

Looking at the economic incentives, that's a negative externality. Supply-chain profits is what's being maximized.

[mickeyd]

Once a dishwasher is over 5 years old, I would not pay big money for repairs, but buy a new one. Dishwashers of today are made to last only 5-6 years. Mine is 6 years old, so I will be buying a new one soon, and I will be buying a basic one, no frills which also can fail.

Thanks for the insight. My 10 YO Maytag is beginning to act funny so I won''t go to extreme measures to fix it.

[jeffyscott]

I don't believe that the average dishwasher lasts only 5-6 years, but if it did that would seem to be an argument for spending more on repairs. If a new dishwasher would cost $700 and is only expected to last 5-6 years, then it would make sense to pay $200 for a repair that would get another 2 years out of the old one. OTOH, if the design life is more like 9-10 years, then it would not make sense to spend the $200 to get the 2 additional years.