Paying extra for the warranty seems to be the only safe bet these days but it also contributes to them being able to continue to make crap. I'd prefer to vote with my wallet on fixing the old stuff (like I always did with my 80s gm cars), unfortunately the old appliances also have a negative effect on resale value of the house so I'm lucky we still have the 27 year old washer, dryer and refrigerator in the basement. She will probably want to replace them with new right before we sell it (luckily then we don't have to worry about replacing them in 5 years). Hopefully we can take the old 27 year old appliances to the new house in the country.
5 year old microwave died
- Thread starter Dave Sherman
- Start date
I had a 3-4yr/old Samsung range hood microwave stop working like someone pulled the power plug. No nothing. Followed all the youtube videos on which fuses and overloads to check. Everything tested out OK that I could test. Replaced it with a Whirlpool unit. Going on 9yrs.
If I don't get any more than 2 years out of my current unit, my next strategy will be to go over $200. Given inflation, its probably not no more than the $150 list price for my panasonic that lasted 15 years (i bought it for 90 on clearance). I noticed that Whirlpool wasn't making any in the below $200 range or else I would have gone with them (at least when I've been looking, they have been priced more). In the back of my mind, I'm thinking that perhaps if I pay more for my microwaves, I can get some to go 7-10 years instead of 2.
Given my warranty, and the faithfulness of the retail outlets to honor them, I will pass on fixing them. That sounds horrible, I know, but as Dirty Harry put it:
Given my warranty, and the faithfulness of the retail outlets to honor them, I will pass on fixing them. That sounds horrible, I know, but as Dirty Harry put it:
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They have always lasted more than 5 years for us the last one we had from the time I was 2 to the time I was 11 then the one we replaced it with is still going strong almost 8 years later. But they also rarely get used since we are never home enough to use it lol.
I still have my vintage 1989 Made in USA Tappan microwave oven, complete with wood grain finish. I use it every day too.
Just don't stand in front of it while it's microwaving and all is good!
I had forgotten about MCM Electronics (now part of the Newark Borg apparently), but I bought several magnetrons from them years ago to keep microwaves running. My current Samsung had the magnetron fail about six months out of warranty but I got a new magnetron from Samsung and it's been working great for about eight years now. In fact we are about to replace it, not for the reliability but because we're going to remodel the kitchen and it's the wrong color.
I've got a loooong story to tell. Grab your theater-sized popcorn, your mega-coke and sit back.....Or, move on.
My (much) older brother graduated from high school in 1969 and then became an electrician. So my story starts sometime after 1971 after he traduated form tech school. ANYWAY, his first job out of tech school was at an electrician shop that sold appliances on the side. Right at about that time, or shortly after, the microwave ovens started to hit the market. Since they were so new and revolutionary, appliance shops would invite all the local ladies and then put on cooking demonstrations with this new appliance. My mom was invited to the shop where my brother worked to see this new invention. My brother's shop sold the brand of Amana and the Amana Radarange was their version of the microwave oven. That same year, my brother gave my mom an Amana Radarange for a Christmas gift. And trust me, it was a tank. It was big, heavy and was the envy of any housewife. This particular oven had a dial for the timer, an "ON" button, a "DEFROST" button and an "OFF" button. That was it. The "DEFROST" button was nothing more than having the oven give full power for a few seconds and then give the food no power for a few seconds. You could hear the noisy thing kick off and on. My mom used it for at least 15 years, working like a champ, and then it was replaced by a newer model with more features.
Fast forward to about 2005 and I was working as a tech in a shop that had about 10 guys. We had a small, cheap, underpowered microwave oven that we heated our food with, and with only 20 minutes time to devour our meal, it meant waiting in line 15 minutes to access the microwave oven. So I brought this old tank of a microwave in, and instantly, it was a big hit. The old Radarange could heat your foot in one-third of the time and everybody was happy. Everyone but me, that is. I soon found myself waiting in line to use my own microwave oven.
Nobody wanted to use the cheapie microwave oven any more. Anyway, that thing was still working and working great thirty-some years after it was manufactured.And yes, when it was working, I walked away from the thing because I had no idea if it leaked microwave radiation or not.
I took it with me when I quit that job. Not sure where it ended up, but it was still working at that time.
Edit: I assume this Amana Radarange was probably made in the same factory as the Kenmore.
6 year old Panasonic started smoking an acrid smoke so after pulling the cabinet off decided not to repair it. Did pull the magnets out to experiment with them. Right now they are repelling/balancing in a glass jar. Using a 25 year old spare Kenmore with 600 watts that is soooo slow.
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