How do I find a spare part for an appliance?

Appliance spares are one of the areas where a small amount of method saves a lot of money. Manufacturers make many production versions of one commercial model, sell components under several numbering systems, and supersede part numbers over time. A search on the machine's name gets you nowhere; a search on the exact part number gets you a choice of suppliers. The bridge between the two is the exploded diagram, which almost every specialist spares retailer publishes free.

What you'll need

• The full model number, including any suffix after a slash
• The serial number and product number, where the plate shows them (optional)
• A photograph of the failed part in place, before removal

Step by step

1. Get the exact model number from the rating plate.Including anything after a slash or space, which is the version code. Different versions of the same commercial model take different pumps, boards, seals and drums, so an approximate model number produces an approximate part.
2. Photograph the part in place before you remove it.Orientation, which way the hoses go, where the wiring plugs in, and the printing on the component itself. It is the reference you will want at reassembly and it often carries the part number.
3. Read the number printed on the part itself.Pumps, motors, boards, elements, thermostats and valves almost always carry a number. Sometimes it is the manufacturer's number and sometimes the sub-supplier's — search both. This is frequently the fastest route to a much cheaper equivalent.
4. Find your machine on a spares site with an exploded diagram.The major UK appliance spares retailers let you enter a model number and then show a diagram of the machine with every component numbered. Locate the part by its position in the drawing rather than by trying to guess its name — descriptions vary between suppliers and positions do not.
5. Search the part number on its own once you have it.Take the number out of the parts site and search it independently. The same component regularly appears from several suppliers, sometimes at a fraction of the first price you saw, and often under a superseded or alternative number listed as compatible.
6. Check for superseded and equivalent numbers.Manufacturers replace part numbers over time and the new part usually supersedes the old. A listing that says replaces, supersedes or equivalent to your number is normally correct, but check the listed model compatibility includes your exact version.
7. Decide between genuine and pattern parts on what the part does.For seals, hoses, filters, belts, carbon brushes, shelves and knobs, a well-specified pattern part is usually fine and much cheaper. For control boards, motors, sensors and anything safety-related such as a thermal cut-out or a door interlock, buy genuine — a mis-specified safety component is not a saving.
8. Check the manufacturer's own spares service too.Many now sell parts direct with exploded diagrams, and for recent models they are sometimes the cheapest as well as the most certain. Under current ecodesign rules manufacturers must make defined spares available for a period after a model stops being sold.
9. Consider a used or breaker part for a discontinued component.For an obsolete control board, a fascia panel or a moulding that is no longer made, appliance breakers and marketplace sellers are sometimes the only route. Buy on the exact part number, ask for a photograph of the number, and expect no warranty.
10. Check the total cost against the repair decision before ordering.Part plus delivery plus your time, or part plus a fitting charge. It is worth pausing at that point, because a cheap part with expensive labour on an old machine can still be the wrong decision.
11. Isolate the appliance properly before fitting anything.Unplugged, or the circuit off at the consumer unit for a hard-wired appliance, and the water off for anything plumbed. Anything involving fixed wiring, a gas connection or a sealed refrigerant circuit is not a DIY repair regardless of how available the part is.

Tips

• The number printed on the component itself is often a faster and cheaper route than the number in the manufacturer's catalogue, because it finds the sub-supplier's own part.
• Take a photograph of the wiring before unplugging anything. Reassembly is where most self-repairs go wrong, not disassembly.
• Videos for a specific model number are often available and are genuinely useful for seeing how a machine comes apart before you start.
• If a part is unavailable everywhere for a recent machine, check whether the model was subject to a recall or a modification — sometimes the part was superseded for a reason.

Common mistakes

• Searching by the appliance's commercial name — One name covers many production versions with different components. The model number with its suffix is the only thing that identifies which parts fit.
• Buying the first listing that matches the description — Descriptions are written by suppliers and vary. Match on the part number and the diagram position, and check the compatibility list includes your exact model version.
• Buying a pattern safety component to save a few pounds — Thermal cut-outs, door interlocks and thermostats are what stop an appliance failing dangerously. Buy genuine for anything in that category.

Questions people ask