Almost dead fridgefreezer - repair or replace?

sourpuss2021

I have a 314ltr Miele fridge freezer.   I actually got it for free 6 years ago when a neighbour put it out onto the street!   So maybe it's 10+ years old.

I woke up in the middle of Fri/Sat night because it had started making a loud continuous noise.   A death rattle!   I unplugged it, dusted round the back, then plugged it back in.

Since then the fridge section is actually very hot!     The freezer section was at -2 celsius yesterday which was okay since the food wouldn't go off.

But then was 0 degrees by midnight.   And now it's up to 4 degrees!

Anyway what I'm wondering is, should I try to get it repaired?  I think a common fault is the... compressor at the back fails?     Looks like £249 for a fixed price Miele appliance repair. 

Or since it's old would it be a better idea to buy a new one?   But I couldn't spend above £400 and would like another 300 litre capacity.

Thanks for any advice!   In the meantime I think I will have to eat a lot of meat today or put it out for the foxes!

sourpuss2021

Here are some photos:

sourpuss2021

The temperature inside the freezer has at least fallen back down to 1 degrees celsius.  Which I think means the food will slowly defrost if I don't eat it first.....

NSG666

It's 15-17 yrs old
What happens is you spend £250 for a repair and they can't fix it? Some manufacturers keep the fee and give you a voucher towards the cost of a new one of their fridges but not to the value of £250
Have a look on AO at new ones

sourpuss2021

Thanks, NSG666, that's useful to hear how old this appliance is likely to be!

Interesting to see that Amazon also sell large appliances and will also take away the old ones and set up the new ones (which normally isn't worth paying for, but might be with a fridgefreezer where it could well be a two-man job).    And their prices are undercutting AO or at least were on the product I looked at:

https://ao.com/product/h7nt911twh1-hotpoint-fridge-freezer-white-77589-28.aspx

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08W8G6T26/

Amazon the giant monster that will swallow the universe!

However I've ordered many times from AO before and know their delivery drivers to be good.   Amazon always seems a bit more random as I guess they have a much more freelance/gig economy employment model.   So might pay the extra with AO.

sourpuss2021

I should probably unplug the Miele!   Although the freezer section is keeping my meat and fish just about okay at 1 degrees under a couple of ice packs, look what the fridge is doing!:

GDB2222

Personally, and many will disagree with me, I'd probably get it fixed for £250. That is the case provided they will replace the compressor and repressurise it. And, provided I am pretty convinced that is what's wrong. 

The reason is that these are pretty simple devices. There are effectively two insulated cupboards that are probably as good as  the day this was built. And the only two items that are liable to wear out are the compressor and the thermostat. The thermostat is an easy repair if it does break. So, for the £250 repair you will get a quality fridge freezer that is probably good for another 15 years. 

Before ordering the repair, you can check with Miele that they have the parts needed for the compressor replacement, and, indeed, whether that is a repair they will carry out in the field. You can also check what they will do if they discover there's a hole in the pipework. 

GDB2222

By the way, when they offered to fix my tumble dryer, they offered the whole of the repair cost as a discount against a new dryer, if they couldn't fix it.