I just need a recommendation—but not an unbased opinion--about a problem that I’m experiencing.
A little background: We own an old 1986 RV that has a Dometic fridge in it. The fridge has always worked great, but a couple of weeks ago, it gave up the ghost and I started to smell ammonia, which, of course, means that the cooling unit leaks.
After researching it online, I realized that it’s not too difficult to replace the cooling unit, if I were to get one. So I pulled the fridge from the RV, removed the cooling unit, and am now thinking about whether or not to order a rebuilt one online.
New fridges are about $1,500, which is a big chunk of change, compared to the $450 that I would have to spend on a rebuilt cooling unit which comes with a two-year warranty.
I have been told by two RV supply stores that it’s not a good idea to spend money on an old fridge, because it will just become a money sinkhole, kinda like the proverbial idea of ‘putting new wine into old skins.’ However, bear in mind that both of these comments came from those who would love to sell me a $1,500 new fridge; not exactly unbiased sources of recommendations.
So my question: Based on your experience (not your opinion), should I go ahead and order the cooling unit, thereby saving myself about $1,000 or just bite a bullet and order a brand-new fridge? Are those dealers right in saying that it’s not a good policy to repair the old one? Obviously, old fridges can become begin to become troublesome, but I would like to know—once again, from experience, not opinion—whether or not putting a rebuilt cooling unit has worked for those who have tried it.
Thank you for reading this rather lengthy post!
A little background: We own an old 1986 RV that has a Dometic fridge in it. The fridge has always worked great, but a couple of weeks ago, it gave up the ghost and I started to smell ammonia, which, of course, means that the cooling unit leaks.
After researching it online, I realized that it’s not too difficult to replace the cooling unit, if I were to get one. So I pulled the fridge from the RV, removed the cooling unit, and am now thinking about whether or not to order a rebuilt one online.
New fridges are about $1,500, which is a big chunk of change, compared to the $450 that I would have to spend on a rebuilt cooling unit which comes with a two-year warranty.
I have been told by two RV supply stores that it’s not a good idea to spend money on an old fridge, because it will just become a money sinkhole, kinda like the proverbial idea of ‘putting new wine into old skins.’ However, bear in mind that both of these comments came from those who would love to sell me a $1,500 new fridge; not exactly unbiased sources of recommendations.
So my question: Based on your experience (not your opinion), should I go ahead and order the cooling unit, thereby saving myself about $1,000 or just bite a bullet and order a brand-new fridge? Are those dealers right in saying that it’s not a good policy to repair the old one? Obviously, old fridges can become begin to become troublesome, but I would like to know—once again, from experience, not opinion—whether or not putting a rebuilt cooling unit has worked for those who have tried it.
Thank you for reading this rather lengthy post!
