When a phone battery starts dying by 2 p.m., or the washing machine develops a new noise, you face a familiar fork in the road: pay to fix it, or pay more to replace it. Repair shops lean one way, retailers lean the other. Here's a neutral framework for deciding.
The 50% rule
The classic rule of thumb: if a repair costs more than half the price of a comparable new device, replacement usually wins. It's not perfect, but it's a useful first filter. A $150 screen repair on a phone worth $600 new? Reasonable. A $400 board repair on a $500 appliance? Think hard.
Factor in remaining lifespan, not original price
The real question isn't what the device cost — it's how much useful life the repair buys. A new battery in a three-year-old phone can realistically add two more good years. The same battery in a six-year-old phone that's about to lose software support buys much less. Ask: after this repair, how long before the next problem?
Software support is the hidden deadline
For phones, tablets, and smart devices, the end of security updates is effectively the end of the device's safe life — regardless of how healthy the hardware is. Before paying for any repair, check how much longer the manufacturer will support the model. Repairing hardware on unsupported software is money down the drain.
Appliances: age matters more than symptoms
Major appliances have fairly predictable lifespans — roughly 10 years for washers and dishwashers, 13 or more for refrigerators and dryers. A repair in the first half of that lifespan usually makes sense. A repair in the final third rarely does, because other components are approaching the same finish line.
Don't ignore the simple stuff first
A surprising share of "failing" devices are suffering from full storage, clogged filters, dusty vents, or a bad cable. Before paying anyone for a diagnosis, spend ten minutes on the free basics: restart it, clean it, update it, and swap the cheapest connected part.
The bottom line
Repair when the fix is cheap relative to remaining life; replace when software support is ending or the device is in its final third. And always do the free checks first — the best repair bill is the one you never receive.