Should you repair or replace your broken dishwasher?

Consumer Reports digs into the dishwasher version of the question and finds the math often tilts toward replacement: dishwashers depreciate quickly, and a professional repair averages around $142 — a meaningful fraction of what a new mid-range unit costs. As a category, they lean replace more than most appliances.

But “often” isn’t “always,” and category averages don’t diagnose your machine. A clogged spray arm, a failed door latch, or a $20 drain pump can bring a dishwasher back to life for a fraction of replacement — while a dead control board or pump-and-motor assembly tips it the other way. OwnWise tells you which case you’re in: it pinpoints the likely fault, estimates the specific repair cost, and weighs it against a new unit, so you’re deciding on your dishwasher, not the average one.

CR gives you the category odds; OwnWise gives you the call on the machine in your kitchen.