Repair or replace
Is it worth repairing, or is it time to replace?
Two tables and one rule of thumb. The repair bands are ours, researched on this equipment; the replacement figures are what comparable built-in equipment costs before anybody fits it.
The rule everybody quotes, and where it bends
The rule of thumb says that if the repair costs more than half of replacing the appliance, you replace it. It is a decent rule, and it is almost always quoted without either number, which makes it useless at the moment it is needed.
So here are both numbers. Comparable built-in equipment starts at $4,200 and runs to $14,500 for the appliance alone, which puts the rule's line at about $2,100. Set our own repair bands against that line and the argument mostly stops being an argument.
Two cautions before the table. The percentage is calculated against the cheapest item in the replacement range, so it is the least flattering version of the comparison: a column or a professional range sits well above that floor, and the true share for one is smaller than the row shows. And the rule says nothing about a kitchen — the replacement figure is a box on a pallet, not an appliance in a cabinet. How a visit is charged
The comparison
Parts and labour together, for work completed. The right-hand column is each band at its worst case, as a share of $4,200.
What does the repair come to, against a new one?
| What turns out to be at fault | Typical range | At worst, of a new one |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit, credited against the repair | $80 | 2% |
| Igniter, spark module or surface element | $190–$500 | 12% |
| Oven thermostat or temperature sensor | $170–$550 | 13% |
| Bake or broil element | $200–$540 | 13% |
| Convection fan or motor | $260–$710 | 17% |
| Control board or touch panel | $440–$1,100 | 26% |
| Door hinge, glass or seal | $180–$690 | 16% |
| Refrigeration column sealed system | $920–$2,420 | 58% |
And what does replacing it cost?
A comparable Thermador wall oven, rangetop or column, appliance only — before delivery, installation or cabinetry. National appliance pricing, not Florida labour.
| Replacing it instead | Appliance only |
|---|---|
| Wall oven, the usual repair-or-replace comparison | $4,200 – $9,500 |
| Professional rangetop or range | $5,500 – $14,500 |
A written estimate comes before any part is ordered or fitted. A band is what work of that kind has come to; the figure for your own appliance is written down after the diagnosis.
Three answers, not one
Where each kind of fault actually lands
Repair, and it is not close
igniter, spark module or surface element, oven thermostat or temperature sensor, bake or broil element, convection fan or motor, door hinge, glass or seal. At their worst these sit under 25% of the cheapest comparable replacement, and a working appliance stays where it is. Age does not change that arithmetic. It changes how long the next part will still be available.
A judgement call
control board or touch panel — up to 26% at the top of the band. Here the question is genuinely open, and what settles it is not the quote: it is whether the part is still current, whether a second fault turned up while the appliance was open, and how the rest of the machine looks from the inside.
Where replacing starts to win
refrigeration column sealed system. Measured against the floor of the replacement range this crosses half, which is precisely where the rule says to stop. Two things pull the other way and both are real: equipment of this kind sits above that floor, and a panel-ready cabinet is sized to its opening, so replacing is rarely just the price of the box. We say which way we would go, in writing, and the decision stays yours.
What the replacement price leaves out
The opening
Built-in equipment is fitted to a cut-out and a stile, not stood in a gap. A replacement an inch out in any direction is a joinery job before it is an appliance job, and in a kitchen with a run of matched panels it is rarely one cabinet that moves. Access and clearance
The connection
The gas, the water and the circuit behind the appliance were sized for what was installed. An older room is where that surfaces first. Kitchen circuits in older houses
The lead time
A repair runs to a part. A replacement runs to a delivery date, a fitter, and a kitchen out of use in between. Neither of those is in the price, and both are in the week.
What ends it properly
Not the repair figure, most of the time — a part that has gone out of production. We check that before quoting rather than after. Why the serial decides the part
If you repair
90 days labour, 365 days parts, genuine OEM components. Warranty terms
The questions underneath that one
Is it worth fixing, or is replacing the appliance cheaper?
Replacing the appliance alone is $4,200–$14,500, and that figure stops at the box: built-in equipment is cut into cabinetry and has to match an opening. Most component repairs sit in the hundreds against it. The comparison only becomes genuinely close on a sealed system in an old column.
What is the most expensive thing that can go wrong?
The sealed refrigeration system in a column, at $920–$2,420 for parts and labour together. On the cooking side the ceiling is the control board or touch panel at $440–$1,100. Ignition, elements, sensors, fans, hinges and seals all land below both.
Do you charge by the hour?
No. $80 flat to attend and diagnose, credited against the repair once you approve it, then a written figure for the job rather than a running clock. An hourly rate makes the customer carry the risk of a difficult diagnosis, and it gives you nothing to compare beforehand.
Does the replacement figure include fitting the new one?
No. A comparable Thermador wall oven, rangetop or column, appliance only — before delivery, installation or cabinetry. National appliance pricing, not Florida labour. Delivery, taking the old unit out, the gas or electrical connection and any joinery the new dimensions force all sit on top of it — which is how a like-for-like swap turns into a cabinetry job.
Work out which fault you have
The band depends on the component, and the component depends on the diagnosis.
An independent opinion, not a sales one
Meridian Appliance Works is an independent service company. We name Thermador only to say which appliances we work on: built-in equipment from Thermador and the rest of the BSH Home Appliances line, diagnosed and repaired by our own technicians using genuine OEM parts.
Next step
Book a diagnostic
Tell us the appliance and what it is doing. We will give you a written estimate before anything is ordered.
Mon–Fri 8am–6pm · Sat 9am–4pm
Request a visit- $80 flat diagnostic, credited toward the repair when you approve the work.
- 90 days labour, 365 days parts, genuine OEM components.