Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

kyfdx

@oldfarmer50 Definitely, a new one, if you can't fix it yourself

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

I never thought I’d be bringing the discussion back to appliances but I need opinions on electric stoves. The one we have is old enough that I don’t remember when we bought it. It’s a GE stove which seems to be having a problem with the controls. Once turned on you can’t modulate the heat so it’s basically on or off.

I’m sure it’s a problem with the control circuits.

My question, will a repair be as expensive as just buying a new stove?

I'd check prices at Lowes or your favorite store on an electric stove that you like.

Then you can decide how much effort you want to put into self diagnosing.

For self-diagnosis, I suggest repairclinic.com and look for where your model number is entered
to get a full listing of parts for that stove from their high-priced, plus shipping, but efficient
parts service from Canton, MI.

You may be able to see electric diagrams on their parts listing. I can't recall for sure.
Applianceblog.com also may have parts listed from their two appliance parts sources.
Applicance blog owner Jake has recently passed away, but he and others answered questions
on the blog. They helped me several times. They would help with disassembly tricks and knowledge.

You may be able to find circuit diagrams just by putting in your model number.

I tried searching applianceblog's posts on GE ranges for someone describing the same problem, but
no luck.

Myself, I'd probably visit lowes for their Halloween or Veterans Day appliance sale. You might get lucky.

explorerx4

Speaking of Lowes, they just opened an outlet store near me.
There might be one in oldfarmer50's area.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

I never thought I’d be bringing the discussion back to appliances but I need opinions on electric stoves. The one we have is old enough that I don’t remember when we bought it. It’s a GE stove which seems to be having a problem with the controls. Once turned on you can’t modulate the heat so it’s basically on or off.

I’m sure it’s a problem with the control circuits.

My question, will a repair be as expensive as just buying a new stove?

A gas range has the longest life expectancy of most major kitchen appliances, coming in at about 15 years. Electric ranges are not far behind, with an expected lifespan of 13 years

If you are over that it is probably time to invest in a new one. Repairs can add up and the money can be put to better use buying a new one.

ab348

I know nothing about old electric ranges but the symptoms sounds very similar to what occurs on older cars when the heater fan loses speed selection control and is either full on or off entirely. When that happens it is because the heater blower resistor(s) have failed. I suspect the stove controls have a variable resistor that has also failed. Probably not a huge issue if a compatible part is available but like many things getting to it to do the swap might be the toughest part of the job.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:
Ugh ! Phillies giving me heartburn early!

I’m depressed today.

I don’t understand letting Kimbrel blow it 2 days in a row. He shouldn’t have even been available last night. Ridiculous.

I know! I was flipping out. That missed double play opportunity by Dominguez was a huge miss too.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

I never thought I’d be bringing the discussion back to appliances but I need opinions on electric stoves. The one we have is old enough that I don’t remember when we bought it. It’s a GE stove which seems to be having a problem with the controls. Once turned on you can’t modulate the heat so it’s basically on or off.

I’m sure it’s a problem with the control circuits.

My question, will a repair be as expensive as just buying a new stove?

————————————————
I take it you’re talking about the stove only not the top burners too because there is not one control for all of those features. If that’s the case go to a local mom and pop appliance store with a service dept. and give them the model number of your range. As old as that range is the oven control is probably used by several manufacturers and there is a decent chance they can help you. Once you have that part in your hand you’ll be able to find the one in your range.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I never thought I’d be bringing the discussion back to appliances but I need opinions on electric stoves. The one we have is old enough that I don’t remember when we bought it. It’s a GE stove which seems to be having a problem with the controls. Once turned on you can’t modulate the heat so it’s basically on or off.

I’m sure it’s a problem with the control circuits.

My question, will a repair be as expensive as just buying a new stove?

————————————————
I take it you’re talking about the stove only not the top burners too because there is not one control for all of those features. If that’s the case go to a local mom and pop appliance store with a service dept. and give them the model number of your range. As old as that range is the oven control is probably used by several manufacturers and there is a decent chance they can help you. Once you have that part in your hand you’ll be able to find the one in your range.

jmonroe

Actually I am talking about the burner. The stove works fine.

Having listened to the advice of so many knowledgeable people including the possibility of there being no parts available I think it’s time for a shopping trip.

qbrozen

@tjc78 said:

@qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:
Ugh ! Phillies giving me heartburn early!

I’m depressed today.

I don’t understand letting Kimbrel blow it 2 days in a row. He shouldn’t have even been available last night. Ridiculous.

I know! I was flipping out. That missed double play opportunity by Dominguez was a huge miss too.

I think you mean the one by Sanchez? Where they scored their first run. Guy was on base because of Bohm’s throwing error, too. Just ugly.

We have tix for Monday, but not sure what we’ll do yet. I offered my son $200 to let me sell them. He is thinking about it.

ab348

The Phightin’ Phils out to any early lead! Arizona seems unable to throw the ball.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:

@qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:
Ugh ! Phillies giving me heartburn early!

I’m depressed today.

I don’t understand letting Kimbrel blow it 2 days in a row. He shouldn’t have even been available last night. Ridiculous.

I know! I was flipping out. That missed double play opportunity by Dominguez was a huge miss too.

I think you mean the one by Sanchez? Where they scored their first run. Guy was on base because of Bohm’s throwing error, too. Just ugly.

We have tix for Monday, but not sure what we’ll do yet. I offered my son $200 to let me sell them. He is thinking about it.

Yes Sanchez. Just a bad inning all around

explorerx4

I would do an internet search on the make an model of your stove to see if parts are available.

qbrozen

Son decided he wants to attend Monday’s game. We’ll sell our world series home game 1 tix if they make it.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
Son decided he wants to attend Monday’s game. We’ll sell our world series home game 1 tix if they make it.

Sounds like a great time

kyfdx

In 2012, had tickets to the wild card round of Reds/Giants.. plus, had already bought NLCS tickets. I was starting to sweat thinking about my budget for World Series tickets. Because up 2-0, in best of 5, with three games at home.. what could go wrong?

Turns out.. didn't have to worry about the budget.

venture

I was talking to a guy on Saturday that has an F-150.

He said he had another F-150 before that had a problem with the back window, the sunroof, and the windshield at different times. I don't know if it was leaks, or what.

He went on to say that Ford would not cover any of them under warranty because they were glass.

He traded in the Ford and bought a fairly new Silverado. I remember that one. He said he didn't like it.

He then traded in the Silverado and leased a 1 or 2 year-old F-150 which he has now. I asked him why he decided to lease this time and he said when you lease everything is covered except wear items, like wiper blades and tires. The previously mentioned glass items would have been covered if he had leased.

By now I wasn't able to say anything.

Then he went on to say how he always buys the interior and paint protection package, the tire and wheel insurance, and an extended warranty when he buys (or leases) the truck.

Hard to believe, but it gets better!

He also said he always tells them how much he wants to pay a month and they always get it to work out for him.

kyfdx

Wow..

dino001

You can't fix stupid, it's his money to waste.

28firefighter

People who shop like that are why people like us and certain other bargain hunting websites can get bargains. It's the circle of life...er...car shopping.

explorerx4

Backyard is looking frosty this morning.

jmonroe1

venture said:

I was talking to a guy on Saturday that has an F-150.

He said he had another F-150 before that had a problem with the back window, the sunroof, and the windshield at different times. I don't know if it was leaks, or what.

He went on to say that Ford would not cover any of them under warranty because they were glass.

He traded in the Ford and bought a fairly new Silverado. I remember that one. He said he didn't like it.

He then traded in the Silverado and leased a 1 or 2 year-old F-150 which he has now. I asked him why he decided to lease this time and he said when you lease everything is covered except wear items, like wiper blades and tires. The previously mentioned glass items would have been covered if he had leased.

By now I wasn't able to say anything.

Then he went on to say how he always buys the interior and paint protection package, the tire and wheel insurance, and an extended warranty when he buys (or leases) the truck.

Hard to believe, but it gets better!

He also said he always tells them how much he wants to pay a month and they always get it to work out for him.

————————————————
If you offer a price that’s higher than what they would have asked for, why wouldn’t he be able to make a “deal”.

Like we all know it’s guys like him that allow dealers to knock off a hundred or two (at least) at the end of the day/month when you’re at the negotiating table.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

venture said:

I was talking to a guy on Saturday that has an F-150.

He said he had another F-150 before that had a problem with the back window, the sunroof, and the windshield at different times. I don't know if it was leaks, or what.

He went on to say that Ford would not cover any of them under warranty because they were glass.

He traded in the Ford and bought a fairly new Silverado. I remember that one. He said he didn't like it.

He then traded in the Silverado and leased a 1 or 2 year-old F-150 which he has now. I asked him why he decided to lease this time and he said when you lease everything is covered except wear items, like wiper blades and tires. The previously mentioned glass items would have been covered if he had leased.

By now I wasn't able to say anything.

Then he went on to say how he always buys the interior and paint protection package, the tire and wheel insurance, and an extended warranty when he buys (or leases) the truck.

Hard to believe, but it gets better!

He also said he always tells them how much he wants to pay a month and they always get it to work out for him.

Now you know why dealers do what they do.

Just curious, why would you need an extended warranty on a lease?

venture

My guess is because they offered it to him so he bought it. Makes no sense at all. I don't even know how they would write it up.

jmonroe1

venture said:

My guess is because they offered it to him so he bought it. Makes no sense at all. I don't even know how they would write it up.

————————————————
I do, extended warranty for a sucker.

jmonroe

stickguy

they love to push all the protection plans, playing the fear of getting hit with all kinds of end of lease damage charges. Which if you think about it, should be a reason to not even lease.

snakeweasel

explorerx4 said:

Speaking of Lowes, they just opened an outlet store near me.
There might be one in oldfarmer50's area.

I'm not sure how the Lowes near me stays in business. Every time I have gone there the place is practically empty while the Home Depot a quarter mile away is always packed.

snakeweasel

venture said:

My guess is because they offered it to him so he bought it. Makes no sense at all. I don't even know how they would write it up.

How much do you want to bet they just took the money and never sent in the paperwork to the warranty company.

jmonroe1

snakeweasel said:

explorerx4 said:

Speaking of Lowes, they just opened an outlet store near me.
There might be one in oldfarmer50's area.

I'm not sure how the Lowes near me stays in business. Every time I have gone there the place is practically empty while the Home Depot a quarter mile away is always packed.

————————————————
Being my Son and I are in the flip biz my Son prefers Home Depot because he likes how their Pro Desk handles accounts for the pros a lot better than the way Lowes does it and when Home Depot says an on-line order will be ready on a given day they almost always hit that date.

Just last week my Son wanted some 6x6 stand-off bracelets for a load bearing wall he was replacing. For some reason no one had them in stock not even any of the larger indy lumber yards around here. Lowe’s had a delivery date that was a few days quicker than Home Depot so reluctanty he decided he’d like to move that wall sooner than later so he went with Lowe’s. You guessed it they missed their date by 2 days so if he went with Home Depot he’d have only lost one more day in moving that wall.

If you want to get a reaction out of my Son just mention Lowe’s but be prepared to duck.

Lowe’s is closer to me than Home Depot so if I need something for my house I’ll usually go to Lowe’s first because of that. I even bought my Maytag dishwasher there in July. Although I didn’t really care about a day or 2 if they missed their delivery date they were right on time with that delivery.

jmonroe

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

venture said:

I was talking to a guy on Saturday that has an F-150.

He said he had another F-150 before that had a problem with the back window, the sunroof, and the windshield at different times. I don't know if it was leaks, or what.

He went on to say that Ford would not cover any of them under warranty because they were glass.

He traded in the Ford and bought a fairly new Silverado. I remember that one. He said he didn't like it.

He then traded in the Silverado and leased a 1 or 2 year-old F-150 which he has now. I asked him why he decided to lease this time and he said when you lease everything is covered except wear items, like wiper blades and tires. The previously mentioned glass items would have been covered if he had leased.

By now I wasn't able to say anything.

Then he went on to say how he always buys the interior and paint protection package, the tire and wheel insurance, and an extended warranty when he buys (or leases) the truck.

Hard to believe, but it gets better!

He also said he always tells them how much he wants to pay a month and they always get it to work out for him.

Now you know why dealers do what they do.

Just curious, why would you need an extended warranty on a lease?

Maybe he plans on buying it back at the end of the lease. Doesn't make sense but that might be his thinking.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

explorerx4 said:

Speaking of Lowes, they just opened an outlet store near me.
There might be one in oldfarmer50's area.

I'm not sure how the Lowes near me stays in business. Every time I have gone there the place is practically empty while the Home Depot a quarter mile away is always packed.

Maybe it's like Yogi Berra said:
No one goes there nowadays, it's too crowded.

roadburner

Several months ago my 4K Streaming Stick began making random loud popping or cracking noises when fast-forwarding or rewinding recorded shows on DirecTV Stream. I deleted and reinstalled DirecTV but the problem persisted. Today I finally broke down and bought a Roku Ultra which appears to have corrected the problem. At least now I have HDR in addition to Dolby Vision- as well as Dolby Atmos (if I want to add the speakers). The Ultra also has a faster quad core processor and better Wi-Fi range. So far so good.

roadburner

Oh yeah, I picked the Roku up at Walmart on my way home from work, so I figured in couldn't hurt to look in the miniature cars aisle- so I brought these home with me as well...

stickguy

Looks like Q doesn't have to worry about selling his WS tickets now. Probably good you went to Monday's game so at least you got to go.

Don't think many people expected AZ to take 2 games in CBP, but they rose to the occasion.

qbrozen

I’m depressed today.

And aggravated I couldn’t convince my kid to sell our NLCS tix. Would have at least walked away with something.

Phils bats lost those games.

Kimbrel lost the others.

ab348

I'm not an avid Phils fan but losing those last two at home to an otherwise mediocre Arizona team that seemed to be playing out of their heads temporarily is very disappointing. The atmosphere at CBP would make for an entertaining WS. I imagine TV execs at Fox must be even more disappointed this morning.

Michaell

Just like ABC/ESPN when the Nuggets beat the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals last summer.

snakeweasel

Have I ever mention that I hate squirrels?

jmonroe1

snakeweasel said:

Have I ever mention that I hate squirrels?

————————————————
Yep, every year at about this time.

Just yesterday I had to bang on the kitchen window when I saw two of them on my deck. They were close enough that I saw the look of no good in their eyes.

jmonroe

qbrozen

@snakeweasel said:
Have I ever mention that I hate squirrels?

You should probably stop feeding them

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
I’m depressed today.

And aggravated I couldn’t convince my kid to sell our NLCS tix. Would have at least walked away with something.

Phils bats lost those games.

Kimbrel lost the others.

Spot on assessment of the series. I’m still shocked

snakeweasel

@qbrozen said:

@snakeweasel said:
Have I ever mention that I hate squirrels?

You should probably stop feeding them

In reality it's my wife that insists on feeding them.

oldfarmer50

Great day in the country this week. Trip to Vermont to deliver cars and over to the Burlington airport where our facility is directly across the runway from the Air National Guard hangers. Great show as they took off with an ear shattering roar.



Combined with a cruise on the lake as we went over to Plattsburgh to pick up cars and it was like a paid vacation day.

explorerx4

Didn't happen to see Champ when crossing the lake did you?

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

@qbrozen said:

@snakeweasel said:

Have I ever mention that I hate squirrels?

You should probably stop feeding them

In reality it's my wife that insists on feeding them.

Squirrels are pests but not as bad as the deer. I was getting ready to set up fencing and barricades to keep them off my shrubs but I notice they already hammered them. No flowers again next spring. 🤬

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

@qbrozen said:

@snakeweasel said:

Have I ever mention that I hate squirrels?

You should probably stop feeding them

In reality it's my wife that insists on feeding them.

Squirrels are pests but not as bad as the deer. I was getting ready to set up fencing and barricades to keep them off my shrubs but I notice they already hammered them. No flowers again next spring. 🤬
————————————————
I’d say for about the last decade more and more people have come to really dislike dear. Too many flowers picked away before they get old. You know it’s bad when Mrs. j says, “why do they limit deer hunting to just a few weeks a year? They seem to multiply like rabbits”.

jmonroe

driver100

Things are a little slow so here is my friend's dilemma;

After having the bushings replaced in the Avalon, we had a much quieter ride for at least 2 months. Now, the knocking is back. We took the car in and he wrote us up what it will need, links replaced at the ends of the two sway bars, replacing a sway bar, and an alternator belt, to the tune of $340. When we had it checked out at another garage, they told us that replacing the steel sway bar is nonsense, especially in Toyotas…….they never break! That will be the last time we will use the First Garage again. But, by the time Second Garage got through with his analysis the bill doubled to $ 650…..Ouch! We really don’t want to spend a lot of money on a 20-year-old car…..although…..it looks good, burns no oil, leaks no oil, rides smoothly, except the knocking when travelling over poor pavement…..bit of a dilemma! My wife would just be happy to sell the old crate, probably for peanuts, believing that we really don’t need the second car that often. But we do get get use out of it at times.

What would you do....it's a 2004 Avalon, not sure of the mileage? It looks like a new car and he keeps it spotless and does his own repairs. My novice answer was to try and find a garage that someone finds reliable and honest, and get a 3rd opinion. Basically, there are cars that can go 1 million miles if they are well maintained, and if he wants to keep it going he should be able to find a way to do it.

**by the way, a lot of kids were taught the word dilemma was spelled dilemna for some reason, and it is wrong.
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/dilemma-or-dilemna/

Michaell

driver100 said:

Things are a little slow so here is my friend's dilemma;

After having the bushings replaced in the Avalon, we had a much quieter ride for at least 2 months. Now, the knocking is back. We took the car in and he wrote us up what it will need, links replaced at the ends of the two sway bars, replacing a sway bar, and an alternator belt, to the tune of $340. When we had it checked out at another garage, they told us that replacing the steel sway bar is nonsense, especially in Toyotas…….they never break! That will be the last time we will use the First Garage again. But, by the time Second Garage got through with his analysis the bill doubled to $ 650…..Ouch! We really don’t want to spend a lot of money on a 20-year-old car…..although…..it looks good, burns no oil, leaks no oil, rides smoothly, except the knocking when travelling over poor pavement…..bit of a dilemma! My wife would just be happy to sell the old crate, probably for peanuts, believing that we really don’t need the second car that often. But we do get get use out of it at times.

What would you do....it's a 2004 Avalon, not sure of the mileage? It looks like a new car and he keeps it spotless and does his own repairs. My novice answer was to try and find a garage that someone finds reliable and honest, and get a 3rd opinion. Basically, there are cars that can go 1 million miles if they are well maintained, and if he wants to keep it going he should be able to find a way to do it.

**by the way, a lot of kids were taught the word dilemma was spelled dilemna for some reason, and it is wrong.
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/dilemma-or-dilemna/

I'd agree - keep it running as long as possible. Compare the maintenance and repair costs to that of a new (or used) car. If they spend $650 every few months, that's about $2000-2500 a year. Way less than the payments.

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

Things are a little slow so here is my friend's dilemma;

After having the bushings replaced in the Avalon, we had a much quieter ride for at least 2 months. Now, the knocking is back. We took the car in and he wrote us up what it will need, links replaced at the ends of the two sway bars, replacing a sway bar, and an alternator belt, to the tune of $340. When we had it checked out at another garage, they told us that replacing the steel sway bar is nonsense, especially in Toyotas…….they never break! That will be the last time we will use the First Garage again. But, by the time Second Garage got through with his analysis the bill doubled to $ 650…..Ouch! We really don’t want to spend a lot of money on a 20-year-old car…..although…..it looks good, burns no oil, leaks no oil, rides smoothly, except the knocking when travelling over poor pavement…..bit of a dilemma! My wife would just be happy to sell the old crate, probably for peanuts, believing that we really don’t need the second car that often. But we do get get use out of it at times.

What would you do....it's a 2004 Avalon, not sure of the mileage? It looks like a new car and he keeps it spotless and does his own repairs. My novice answer was to try and find a garage that someone finds reliable and honest, and get a 3rd opinion. Basically, there are cars that can go 1 million miles if they are well maintained, and if he wants to keep it going he should be able to find a way to do it.

**by the way, a lot of kids were taught the word dilemma was spelled dilemna for some reason, and it is wrong.
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/dilemma-or-dilemna/

————————————————
There is nothing better than recommendations from folks that have been satisfied dealing with a garage for years.

You said your friend does his own repair work and there is nothing wrong with that. However, working on a cars suspension system takes quite a bit of yanking on large wrenches. I don’t know how old you friend is but having done that a few times when I was a lot younger, I wouldn’t want to try that today. Just my 2 cents worth on that.

jmonroe

stickguy

I’d say get a 3rd opinion. Sway bars are just what the name says. A bar. The end links though can go bad (where the bushings are). Entirely possible at that age it does need a serpentine belt too.

Front end knocking can be all kinds of things so you need to trust the mechanic to find the right one

stickguy

Also if you take it to a garage to inspect they will tell you everything that could be done and on a 20 YO car will obviously be a lot. The key is asking what is immediate needs vs fine as is but would make it like new!