"RS at work" wrote in message
...


Also I wonder how may folks out there forgo all the fun I have and
either pay for service calls and labor, replace repairable items or
hire out the task of mowing the lawn (Of course for the first 10 years
of home ownership I had a guy that charged me $6 a week to mow front
and back, so I didn't bother buying the lawn mower until he retired.)
or giving the mower a oil change and tune up.

Roger Shoaf

It's all an equation. How much time do you have to spend, and how valuable
is your time? How valuable is the down time of the item, and how soon does
it need returned to service? How long is it until you have the time and/or
the money to fix it yourself? Is the price you are getting just an out and
out ripoff?

Sometimes, it is better to just have it fixed. But, to me, sometimes when
it goes past a point, and I can see they're making 50 or $75 an hour or
more, I'll do it unless it's totally technical, and then I'll look for a
cheaper repairman.

Had a locking mechanism on my few year old oven that malfunctioned. Guy
came out for $70 and said it needed a motherboard and other things, and it
would be $600. I pulled the unit, found the tek papers inside, unplugged
it, and replugged it, which displays error codes. Door interlock
malfunction indicated. Replacement part locally: $23. I changed it, and
notified the company if I didn't get my $70 back that I'd call the local TV
station that likes to do news items on ripoffs. Got the $70 back.

Other things over the years similarly. But when it comes to big ticket
items, a second opinion is often free, and with the Internet, any Rube can
find deals on replacement parts, and sometimes locally with no shipping or
waiting.

How bad do you need it, and how much do you want to spend, and can you
confidently DIY? I'd say it comes down to that.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?
www.cabgbypasssurgery.com