Gauteng · Local appliance technicians
How much does it cost to fix a fridge?
Most of the price comes down to which part has failed. A thermostat, fan, start relay or door seal is a parts-and-labour repair. A leak in the gas circuit or a failed compressor is a bigger job, and the technician should tell you which before quoting.
Why there is no rand figure here
Each technician we work with prices their own jobs, and the one who takes yours quotes before any work starts. We are not going to copy a figure off another website or an industry average instead. You would plan around it, and it would not be the price of your repair.
What we can tell you is what moves the price and what to ask, so the quote makes sense and two quotes can be compared.
The longer answer
Check the free things before anyone comes out: the plug point, the thermostat dial and the coils at the back. A fridge pushed hard against the wall, or thick with dust, cannot get rid of its heat, and that costs nothing to fix.
Small parts first. A fan, a defrost part, a thermostat, a start relay or a door seal are normal parts that wear out, and on most fridges they are well worth replacing.
Gas and the compressor are the big ones. A fridge does not use up refrigerant, so needing gas means there is a leak, and a regas without finding it only lasts until the gas escapes again. Work on the sealed system is for a registered gas practitioner. A compressor on an older fridge is where to ask whether a new fridge is the better spend.
What decides the price
| Call-out and diagnosis | Usually charged whether or not you go ahead, because somebody drove out and opened the machine. Ask up front whether it comes off the bill if you do go ahead. |
|---|---|
| The part | Most of the cost on most repairs. Whether it is still made matters as much as what it is: an obsolete part on an older machine is the usual reason a repair stops being worth it. |
| Fridges, freezers and air conditioners | Anything that opens the sealed refrigerant system is a different class of job and should be done by a registered gas practitioner. A regas quoted suspiciously cheap is worth a second question. |
| Repair or replace | A rule of thumb worth applying: if the repair is approaching half what the machine is worth today, and the machine is past halfway through its life, it is usually the wrong spend. Ask the technician what they would do. |
| Old fridge or new fridge | An old fridge uses more electricity than a new one. On a fridge past the middle of its life, the running cost belongs in the sum alongside the repair. |
Ask before they start
- Which part has failed, and can you show me?
- If it needs gas, where is the leak, and will you fix it before regassing?
- Are you a registered gas practitioner for the sealed-system part of the job?
- Is the call-out taken off the bill if I go ahead with the repair?
- Is the part new or reconditioned?
- Under the Consumer Protection Act, parts and labour carry three months. Are you giving longer, and in writing?
- Is it worth fixing, honestly, or should I put the money towards a new one?
- Is that including VAT?
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to regas a fridge?
It depends on finding and fixing the leak first, because a fridge only needs gas when it has lost some. Ask the technician to price the leak repair and the regas together, and ask whether they are a registered gas practitioner. A regas quoted without finding the leak is worth a second question.
Is it worth fixing a fridge compressor?
On a newer fridge, often yes. On an older one, the compressor and the gas work together can come close to the price of a new fridge. Ask what the repair costs in total and what the technician would do in your place.
The job, and other price questions
Tell us what is wrong
Takes under a minute. An appliance technician near your area phones you back and quotes before any work starts. There is nothing to pay to be put in touch.