What a rip off. Viking upper end appliances have cheap stainless in them.

I always thought and was told by some scrappers that upper end appliances such as the Viking brand had the good stainless that was worth a lot more than the cheap stuff that is basically as worthless as shred steel. I had never had a Viking appliance to scrap out. Today I was given a big big heavy Viking side by side fridge. It has to weigh 300 or 400 pounds or more. Thinking it was full of high end stainless I checked it out further to find it has no better quality stainless than the cheaper ones from China. It is all shred steel framework with lots of plastic. The compressor and inner workings look exactly the same as the cheap appliances. Talk about just buying a name with that huge mark up. The guy that gave it to me said he paid over $7500 for it new and it only lasted 6 years before breaking down and was not worth being repaired. The compressor fried on it. At 2.5 cents a pound it's now worth about 10 bucks. Of course there is some copper and wiring to pull after evacuating it but still what a rip off.

sad but true.

i suspect its the older stuff thats of a better quality
and now these companies are just running on the reputation they built up from those older, better quality appliances etc

businesses always look for ways to cut costs but nowadays its ridiculous the way things are so cheaply made.
as for some items, its clear theyre intentionally made to give up after a year or just about when the warranty expires.

Originally Posted by armygreywolf

Why would you not just repair it? Viking does sell parts with a full catalog and they use a Emerson compressor (in most cases) and run on R134a, none of these things would cause havoc for your HVAC guy to do in an hour or less. Also, refrigerators installed in a cubby generally only last a few years because the heat has to go somewhere and it generally forces the compressor to run at high pressures to compensate, wearing it out. Chances are pretty good it is the install location, not the appliace. That said, why not fix it instead of scrapping it?

I've been advacating this for years, your wasting your breath.

Plenty of stuff on youtube for every make of apliance type of repair, there's no excuse.

I repair applicances with a minimum investment of tools, 5/16", 1/4", 3/8th and a 1/2 inch long reach nut drivers with a small assortment of screw drivers along with an Ohem / Volt meter.

You missed my point. I am not complaining about what was given to me. I am stating a fact that high end appliances use cheap materials equal to cheap Chinese made stuff. One would think high end would mean high end materials. Not the case.

Originally Posted by billygoat

If someone gave it to you then you were not ripped off. If someone sold it to you and misrepresented what was inside, then I can see your point. I can understand being disappointed by what's inside, we've all been there. You win some and you lose some, but if it's free then it's always a win.

I quit questioning people over their decisions to not repair appliances. I guess when you live in a home with an entry way that is all marble and the size of most homes the answer is quite obvious. I saw where the fridge was located. It was completely enclosed. I would be concerned about it burning up and catching the house on fire.

Originally Posted by armygreywolf

Why would you not just repair it? Viking does sell parts with a full catalog and they use a Emerson compressor (in most cases) and run on R134a, none of these things would cause havoc for your HVAC guy to do in an hour or less. Also, refrigerators installed in a cubby generally only last a few years because the heat has to go somewhere and it generally forces the compressor to run at high pressures to compensate, wearing it out. Chances are pretty good it is the install location, not the appliace. That said, why not fix it instead of scrapping it?

It's a used high end appliance with a fried compressor given to me by a man who has a huge home and obviously has lots of expendable cash. I don't even ask. I thought about replacing the compressor which is not hard at all. I was really surprised how small it actually was for the size of the unit. But could I sell that high end used built in appliance to the customer base I have and warranty it. No way. It's all glitz on the outside but nothing but ugly shred steel frame behind the scenes.

Originally Posted by alloy2

I've been advacating this for years, your wasting your breath.

Plenty of stuff on youtube for every make of apliance type of repair, there's no excuse.

I repair applicances with a minimum investment of tools, 5/16", 1/4", 3/8th and a 1/2 inch long reach nut drivers with a small assortment of screw drivers along with an Ohem / Volt meter.

If the skin isn't magnetic, it could be worth a couple bucks ...

It's magnetic.

Originally Posted by RLS0812

If the skin isn't magnetic, it could be worth a couple bucks ...

Originally Posted by Repurposer

It's a used high end appliance with a fried compressor given to me by a man who has a huge home and obviously has lots of expendable cash. I don't even ask. I thought about replacing the compressor which is not hard at all. I was really surprised how small it actually was for the size of the unit. But could I sell that high end used built in appliance to the customer base I have and warranty it. No way. It's all glitz on the outside but nothing but ugly shred steel frame behind the scenes.

Your absoloutly sure the compressor was at fault and not the start relay.

I think you hit it about right with Viking. They've got a reputation for having problems.

The 6 Best Luxury Appliance Brands (Reviews/Ratings)

The thing with the high end customers is that they're quite willing to pay a premium price for quality but they have certain expectations. If a product doesn't live up to their standard they'll kick it to the curb and bring in something else that will work flawlessly for a very long time. They have very little tolerance for fix & repair.

It's a different story for a working class guy or gal. We like quality and durability but the cost of a thing is the most important consideration. We're looking for the lowest price.

Just different strokes for different folks.

the guy that got ripped off was the owner who believed it wasn't worth fixing...$200 in parts and that baby'd be on CL for sale in a weekend...compressors are not hard to swap out yourself and pay someone to solder up and recharge...

If it breaks, throw it out. It's the American Way.. The marketing of products in the US and elsewhere has been so much studied and researched, consumers are sort of "brainwashed" to buy a new one, not fix the old one.

I piggyback on these big companies marketing and advertising. I've learned to not even suggest to "try to fix it"? I'll haul it away and fix it myself and sell for 10x scrap price.

I did not diagnose it. I just hauled it away. The man I got it from said the compressor was bad. Given his clean finger nails he did not work on it. Makes no difference to me anyway. Even if it was a start relay and I fixed it who is going to buy a used high end appliance. if they can afford 7 grand for a fridge they won't buy used.

Originally Posted by alloy2

Your absoloutly sure the compressor was at fault and not the start relay.

The thing is that most "consumer grade " goods coming out of China aren't intended to last for any length of time. It costs more to pay a service professional to repair them than it does to buy new.

The "high end goods" are an entirely different breed of cat. That's where the high end customer got ripped off. The Viking name always stood for quality. You pay the money and it's a no-brainer ... you've got something good that will last a long time. That's the deal.

Unfortunately ... the company got into financial trouble when the recession hit. They had to reduce the quality to consumer grade and sell as a high end quality product. That kept them alive for awhile but it really hurt their reputation when their appliances started breaking down because they broke their promise.

Your high end customer has no use for people and products that break the trust.

I did not ever say I sell the high end ones for scrap. I don't want to sink money in something there is no local market for. I live in Mesa Az which is full of illegal aliens and lots of unemployment. Check cashing and title loan places flourish. They are the customer base when selling a used appliance here. I can sell a used good running 10 year old Kenmore drier minutes after listing it on Craigslist. Obviously the Viking I have is a built in unit and not free standing. I cannot see any of my customer base buying it for home use. A buyer in my area might be someone wanting to invest in it and take the risk of not being able to sell it. Shipping to where you are would not be cheap. I won't sell it for scrap value. I know what I have and don't just give them away for pennies. My point in all this is the cheap materials Viking used to built it. Such a smoke screen for the high end consumer. The conversation on here veered off in another direction off topic suggesting I junk out high end stuff and sell it for nothing. Quite the contrary. I have been at this a long time. I don't come out on the lossing end except when I sell shred steel for pennies.

Originally Posted by armygreywolf

If it's a viking and by all appearances it looks good, I will buy it site unseen for more the scrap price AND pay to have it pallet shipped to me.

Part of it is planned obsolescence. If manufacturers actually made an appliance that lasted 20/50 years without breaking down, they would go out of business.

But because some people just have to have the latest and greatest, manufacturers are only too happy to oblige with new models coming out all the time.

I get stupid simple fixes all the time. Most recently I got a Honda Accord for cheap, because it “wouldn’t go into gear”.

Got it home. Any guesses? A clamp on transmission line came loose and lost the fluid. Fixed that, topped it off and it ran through the gears just fine.

Another was a washer. Guy called. I said have it outside. I arrived. It was half full of water. Glad I didn’t have to drag it out of the house.“Yeah, it stopped agitating”.

Got it home. After a few minutes I figured out the lid switch had come undone. Repaired it and it worked fine.

So long as people can’t be bothered to use the brain God gave them, we’ll have opportunities to make money.