How to buy a used-appliance

Are you going to buy a used-appliance?

A used-appliance doesn’t generally have any warranty or guarantee. If an appliance is sold as reconditioned then it may have a limited 3 month warranty.

They say the poor man always pays twice, and that’s exactly what happens if your preloved appliance purchase is a lemon.

The problem is that you never really know what the history of a pre loved appliance is. If it is an old appliance then you have to assume that its suffered wear and tear and that many of the components may be nearing the end of their service life and close to failure.

With the high cost of appliance-parts for old machines and service charges this makes that bargain less than economical.

Another problem is that you have no way of checking whether your used appliance is actually good until you get it home, plugged in and trialed.

Of course relatively new machines that have been subject to repossession are the best value in terms of reliability, trade-in machines are always suspect, and buying privately is inherently risky as you simply can’t confirm why someone is really selling the machine.

The usual reason is upgrading however you don’t know whether the sellers are cutting their losses due to excessive service calls or other hidden reasons. Buyer beware! used-appliance – Washing machines

Washing machines have several moving parts that wear out. The principal one is the main drum bearings and related drive mechanisms, and that includes the rubber drive belt. The second area is the water pump and drain valve.

Always check the water filter, sometimes they never get cleaned and a choked filter will alert you to a lack of maintenance and therefore some damage to water pump impeller and drain valve. Failing seals is also a common problem and you will soon see leaks from door and from underneath after using the machine. Another very common and relatively easy item to repair are door interlock switches, and they do fail or come loose regularly.

Refrigerators and Freezers

If a refrigerator has any age then the compressor will have suffered some wear and tear. If you live in a hot and tropical climate and the machine is also a local one then you will have to assume there are plenty of running hours up on the machine.

Refrigerant gas leaks are hard to determine so always look at the rear compressor area of the unit and look for signs of recent work that may indicate gas recharging and repairs. This may indicate a past problem has been rectified or the machine has been simply recharged and the leak may still exist. Defrost functions may also be faulty and also dear seal heating.

used-appliance – Dryers

In dryers the main wear area are the main drum bearings, rubber drive belt and related drive components such as guide rollers. Also check the lint filters, a blocked filter shows little maintenance or care. The other main wear point is the hand operated timer which tends to suffer mechanical wear and tear.

used-appliance – Cookers

In cookers and ranges the main failure areas are the hotplate sockets and related wire connections. Also the oven thermostat is a popular failure area as are the hotplate controls. Fan ovens that have had a lot of use also may have some fan wear and tear. Heating elements rarely show signs of impending failure however replacement is relatively cheap especially if you do it yourself.

How to buy a used-appliance