From: suzan@teman.com (suzan)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: sub-zero problem
Date: 17 Aug 2004 17:08:16 -0700

"Bulletsnbrains"  wrote in message news:...
> Hi Suzan,
> 
> If it were me, I think that I would replace the evap and continue to use the
> SZ. Try talking to the repair center  about an adjustment to the quote or
> get another quote from a non-SZ center and compare.(OK, I didn't say that
> outloud).  I bet the largest part of  the expense is labor, then evap and
> R-12 Freon.
> 
> Replacing it with another non-built-in looking cabinet is up to you... For a
> $1000 you can buy a decent(maybe not great) over/under or a very small side
> x side.  The 550 is a 36" unit. Standard cabinet depth is 24".   The choice
> is ultimately yours.
> 
> Yes, my opinion is tainted.
> 
> Sign me,
> SZ employed
> 
> 
> "suzan"  wrote in message
> news:95da8d61.0408151057.4a2f73ae@posting.google.com...
> > We have a sub-zero 550 that needs a new fresh food evaporator coil.
> > What does that coil do? What happens if it isn't replaced? The repair
> > would cost $822. The fridge is almost 15 years old. Is it worth fixing
> > as we were told the life expectancy could be 15-20 years? If it isn't
> > worth fixing what is a good fridge to replace it with? We don't want
> > another built in as they don't seem worth the price. We would need
> > something that fits that spot so cabinet depth is an issue as is
> > width.We could always fill the height differance with a cabinet.
> > Thanks.



The cost of the repair breaks down to: $425 for the part, $350
labor,and $46.50 for tax. I already had to pay $63.60 for the service
tech. to come tell me what was wrong with the SZ. I wasn't going to
make that decision on the spot considering the cost and the age of the
SZ. It was a local appliance service that gave me the quote. The fee I
paid was for the service call(it will be credited toward the $821.50
if I do the repair.

What happens if I don't replace the coil? The temp. in the fridge is
cooler than what is marked on a fridge thermometer for the fresh food
area. So it seems it is cooling. I do have ice forming on the lower
left of the back wall which I assume is why the tech diagnosed the
coil problem. Can the SZ continue working without replacement of the
coil?

I don't think I want to put so much money into the SZ considering that
it hasn't even made it to 15 years. I don't know what you do for SZ
but you ought to let them know that a lot of people who have paid a
lot for their product are not happy. The quality is lame considering
the cost of the SZ. If I could have checked the SZ out  on the web
before purchasing 15 years ago and saw what I am finding on the web
now I would not have spent the money. They really need to improve
their quality if they want to charge what they charge. Consumer
Reports says the repair record for SZ is bad. Suzan