Does anyone repair anything much anymore, or do you just replace things?

Contributor: meitman meitman
I don't have enough money to constantly replace or pay someone to repair things that break. I try to fix them myself. It makes me feel good too, when I can fix something.
09/24/2012
Contributor: Missmarc Missmarc
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
We have a remote control ceiling fan. The remote just died. It costs $90 to get a new remote or we can buy a whole new fan (the old one is TEN YEARS OLD) for $129. No brainer. We are replaceing.

Our three year old tile steamer broke. Minor ... more
If it goes bad, it gets tossed. REPLACE.
09/24/2012
Contributor: Missmarc Missmarc
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
We have a remote control ceiling fan. The remote just died. It costs $90 to get a new remote or we can buy a whole new fan (the old one is TEN YEARS OLD) for $129. No brainer. We are replaceing.

Our three year old tile steamer broke. Minor ... more
Well, I just let my boyfriend deal with it
09/24/2012
Contributor: michael scofield michael scofield
try to myself or just replace it my computer broke like 2 years ago and i payed 350 for it and i found out just to bring it to a place to look and see what problem was was like 100 bucks so i just bought a new one instead.
09/24/2012
Contributor: MidnightStorm MidnightStorm
If I can do the repair myself without burning the house down or losing a limb, I'll try it... I like having friends that can repair things for me, though! It's nice when someone knows their stuff and you can call them for help. Sometimes I'll just replace it though, if it was old or cheap or just not worth it.
09/24/2012
Contributor: Sammi Sammi
It really depends on what it is. TVs, cars, and some of our stereo equipment we have professionally repaired. Computers and other odd things, we fix ourselves. If it's hopeless, has no sentimental value, and it's much cheaper to get a new one, we go that route.
09/24/2012
Contributor: richsam richsam
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
We have a remote control ceiling fan. The remote just died. It costs $90 to get a new remote or we can buy a whole new fan (the old one is TEN YEARS OLD) for $129. No brainer. We are replaceing.

Our three year old tile steamer broke. Minor ... more
it gets tosseddddddddd
09/24/2012
Contributor: GONE! GONE!
I'm broke, so I always try to fix things myself first.
09/25/2012
Contributor: Gunsmoke Gunsmoke
I'm the family repair guy - most things I can handle. I just replaced the fender, bumper and headlights on my daughter's Mustang - spent $600 - saver her at least $1500.
09/25/2012
Contributor: XxFallenAngelxX XxFallenAngelxX
I do try some fixes, but sometimes nothing works and out it goes..
09/25/2012
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
It depends on what it is. If we can fix it, we will.
09/25/2012
Contributor: epiphanyjayne epiphanyjayne
if it's a simple fix example our large floor fan needs to be lubed up every month or so now (it's hard to find a good one it's now 10 years old), after the first 5 or so years it started spinning slower and slower and my hubby opened it up and put some WD40 on it and it works for a while. it was a $60 fan and all it needs is a few sprays of lube now and again.

But most things are disposable now. it's usually not worth fixing, especially when there is always new features or technology coming out.
09/25/2012
Contributor: indiglo indiglo
I try to fix things if I can. Otherwise, if the repair costs more than the item (or almost as much) it really does make more sense to replace it.

I have this decade-old car stereo that I LOVE - I've opened it up and fixed it a few times already, and now it's having problems again. I'm going to open it up again and see what's wrong. I figure if it's already sorta broken, I can't really make it worse by tinkering, and I just might fix it, so why not give it a go!
09/25/2012
Contributor: Gone (LD29) Gone (LD29)
I picked other because it depends what the item is whether we'll fix it or not. Clothing items ripped on a seam, I try to repair. If it rips across the middle of the fabric, I'll replace it. We'll take the car to the mechanic to have it professionally repaired. My husband fixed the clothes drier when it broke down, but we replaced the TV with a new one when it crapped out. Same thing with my laptop.
09/25/2012
Contributor: Allstars316 Allstars316
I guess it depends on what is broken. But overall It is time to buy a new one!
09/25/2012
Contributor: married with children married with children
I try to fix everything I can by myself. I have had to fix two motors on two different saws in my shop. One I did not even talk to the repair service, I just took it apart and fixed it. The second one I talked to costumer service to order parts, which they did not carry or sell any longer, and they wanted $100 just to look at it. So I took it apart and purchased bits and pieces to repair the motor. They both run like brand new now, saving me about $2500 to purchase 2 new ones. I cant stand just tossing something that you spent your hard earned money on just a few years earlier.
09/26/2012
Contributor: RomanticGoth RomanticGoth
It depends, but mostly I will try to fix it or have one of my handy friends help out.
09/26/2012
Contributor: Sweet-n-Playful Sweet-n-Playful
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
We have a remote control ceiling fan. The remote just died. It costs $90 to get a new remote or we can buy a whole new fan (the old one is TEN YEARS OLD) for $129. No brainer. We are replaceing.

Our three year old tile steamer broke. Minor ... more
Try to fix myself then replace it
11/23/2012
Contributor: neil i. neil i.
I may just be excusing my own laziness/ineptitude here, but it seems more common nowadays (versus 25-30 years ago) for lots of things to have proprietary builds that resist repair from the layperson.
11/23/2012
Contributor: KyotoAngel KyotoAngel
I usually try to fix it myself if it's not too damaged, I'm always sewing the holes in my pants that the random pointy bed springs poking out cause.

But if something is too far gone for me to fix, and would still make financial sense to repair, I try to get it done professionally or have my uncle take a look at it since he's rather skilled in that area.
11/24/2012
Contributor: Kat and Aaron(aaron) Kat and Aaron(aaron)
I to fix just about everything myself. Online parts can be found a substantial discount and online tutorials are a great help when I run into a repair I am not familiar with.
11/24/2012
Contributor: Mr. John Mr. John
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
We have a remote control ceiling fan. The remote just died. It costs $90 to get a new remote or we can buy a whole new fan (the old one is TEN YEARS OLD) for $129. No brainer. We are replaceing.

Our three year old tile steamer broke. Minor ... more
I'm retired, and I enjoy fixing things.

Recently, our Pioneer plasma television stopped working in the bedroom. I think we originally paid about $3,000.00 for it. Most service companies suggested that we buy a new replacement. However, I put a big LCD television in it's place, and the picture was no where near as good. I then decided to download the manufacture’s service manuals for our Pioneer. After reviewing the manuals, I took the television apart and proceeded to test various components. I pinpointed a particular power supply board, as the likely culprit, and purchased a replacement for $62.00. After replacing the part, the television works like new again.
05/29/2013
Contributor: GingerSpice GingerSpice
we try to fix it, but if not, then we will replace it
05/29/2013