Repair or Replace?

toby04

It's a Sunday afternoon on a Holiday weekend and my dryer died!
It is a 10 year old Roper. Yesterday it would not heat on the auto sense cycle. I used the timed cycle, seemed slower and not as hot but ok, don't use that cycle much. Was doing ok, I put a new load in and started, it ran 30 seconds, shuddered and quit. Now no cycle runs.
Here is my problem. I live in a rural area 50 miles from town, very difficult to get service people to come out, even paying a 75 to 100 dollar trip charge. Plus with all the bad weather, my road is impassable except 4 wheel drive.
I have the day off tomorrow and was going to town, hubby is out of state till end of next week. Ok get to the point! Being a Roper and 10 years old I am tempted to just buy a new one. Is that crazy?

End Grain

No, it's not crazy to toss the old dryer and buy a new one toby04. As Kenny Rogers sang, "Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, when the dealin's done." Repairing any 10 year old appliance is a long shot bet at best in 2008. The technological advances in the past decade are light years ahead of what was considered modern in 1998. Quieter. More energy efficient. More selective drying times and temperatures for delicates, unmentionables and such. Plus, you get a viable warranty on the entire dryer going forward. Have fun shopping for a new dryer!

toby04

Thanks, now which one to buy? Off to shop, be back for your opinions!

toby04

looks like Home Depot has best deals. GE, Hotpoint or Admiral? I don't need large capacity or fancy settings. Thanks

End Grain

You may want to look at Consumer's reviews of each before you buy. I believe they very recently did a test and comparison of the popular brands and models. Kenmore consistently gets favorable reviews and is ranked among the best out there. But I'd take my time to compare the features and prices of each before committing to buy. Happy hunting toby04!!!

sestivers

The gist of the Consumer Reports' findings is that a dryer is a dryer. Some use a little less energy, some have a few more features, but there is little discernible difference in performance between brands or amongst price ranges.

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Steve

girltech

In my opinion the older ones are the better ones.

Yes the new ones have more electronic and are more expensive to repair.

Yes they come with a warranty but it is for one year.

When you say the dryer shuttered what do you mean?

It may be a simple as a wire has burnt off.

This can happen if the connection gets loose.

Can you supply your model number?

toby04

Thanks techgirl, I bought one at HD for 220 bucks, had a sale going plus I had a 15% off coupon.
It had not been heating as hot, I had pulled it out and cleaned all the lint per instructions. The buzzer had been making a sick kind of buzz. The shuddering was like the drum was off centered and banging around. It would have cost 75-100 just to have someone come out if I could have found someone. It served me well,time to donate it to a place that can use it for parts.

End Grain

Toby04, best of luck with your new clothes dryer!