Fix that Broken Appliance, Don't Replace It

Major household appliances are a big investment. A new washer can cost anywhere from hundreds of dollars to over $1,000; the cost of a new refrigerator tops out at over $2,000. And they're not items you can do without, so when an appliance breaks, you need to either fix it or replace it as quickly as possible.

"If a major appliance is less than 10 years old, it's a good bet you can repair it and get more use out of it," says Roman Kagan, president of Appliance Parts Pros. His company's Web site provides homeowners a resource for finding original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts for all major appliances and appliance manufacturers so they can get their broken appliances back up and running quickly and less expensively by doing the repairs themselves.

The Web site has photos of over 40,000 of the 700,000 parts the company stocks, to help you identify what you're looking for. The site also includes helpful repair diagrams and even official repair manuals from major manufacturers. Whether you need to repair your dishwasher, refrigerator, oven, range, washer, dryer, trash compactor or garbage disposal, chances are you'll find the part you need.

These tools can help you diagnose the problem as well as figure out what parts you'll need to fix it. And if you need a little extra help, you can use the e-mail question and answer service that the company provides, where you can benefit from the extensive knowledge of the experienced staff at Appliance Parts Pros.

"We are really here to help people," says Kagan. "We deliver our parts quickly, we warranty them for one year, and we hire people who know their way around appliance repair."

In addition to carrying OEM parts for every major appliance and from most appliance manufacturers, Appliance Parts Pros also carries discontinued parts. "If we don't have the part in stock, we can have it shipped directly from the manufacturer," says Kagan.

In many cases, the repair may be something relatively simple, like a broken belt that is easily fixed. That was the case for Bill S. from Huntington Beach, Calif. "I recently bought a belt that drives my Maytag dishwasher pump from the motor. I was surprised that the belt got here the next day after placing my order. I appreciate the prompt service, but even more importantly, the excellent and valuable service the company provides in the 'advice' area," he says.

So the next time one of your appliances malfunctions, don't be intimated. Know that you have the parts and the know-how to fix it yourself thanks to Appliance Parts Pros.

Copyright © 2006, ARA Content