Appliance repair tools

Start with the appliance average as a baseline: refrigerator $400, washer $300, dishwasher $200, oven $200, dryer $150. If a quote is far above that, the answer is usually a big part rather than padding — but you should hear which one.

Then apply the labor rate. Refrigerators $100–$250 per hour, washers $50–$150, ovens $50–$200, dryers and dishwashers $50–$100. Most refrigerator repairs are two hours or less, which puts a ceiling on the labor portion.

Then look up the part band. Cheap: gaskets and coils $50–$150. Middle: elements, pumps and igniters $150–$400. Expensive: control boards, compressors and sealed systems $500–$1,200. Knowing which band you're in is more useful than any calculator.

Finally, the 50% rule. Half of a $700–$1,970 installed dishwasher replacement is roughly $350–$985 — so a $400 dishwasher motor is a marginal call and a $600 one is not. Half of a $600–$1,500 dryer is $300–$750, which makes almost every dryer repair worth doing. Do that arithmetic before you're standing in your kitchen with a technician waiting.

How to choose

Estimate before you call, not after

Diagnostic fee plus labor rate plus part band gets you within range on almost any repair.

Know your part band

Gaskets and coils, elements and pumps, or boards and compressors. Three tiers, very different decisions.

Run the 50% rule with installed replacement cost

Include delivery and installation — $100–$300 on a dishwasher — or you'll overweight repair.

Cross-check the part price yourself

With a part number you can look up retail pricing and see what markup you're being charged.

Treat online calculators as ranges, not quotes

They can't see your appliance. They're a sanity check on a technician's number, nothing more.