Getting appliance parts remade

Large appliances often fail for want of a small plastic part: a dishwasher rack wheel, a fridge door shelf support, a washing machine door catch or detergent-drawer flap, an oven knob. In the EU, ecodesign rules since 1 March 2021 oblige manufacturers to keep a range of spare parts for fridges for 7 years, and for washing machines and dishwashers for 10 years, delivered within 15 working days, though some parts go only to professional repairers (European Consumer Centre Belgium).

So start with the manufacturer. When the part is outside those lists, restricted to professionals, past its period or simply too expensive, a maker can often remake it. Whirlpool's first part to pass its own internal verification for 3D printing was a push button printed in PA12 nylon (cited in a UK government study, September 2020).

Parts makers commonly remake

• Dishwasher rack wheels, rack clips, cutlery-basket handles and tine clips
• Washing machine door catches and handles, detergent-drawer parts
• Fridge door shelf supports, crisper-drawer runners and handles
• Oven, hob and microwave knobs (the knob, not the switch behind it)
• Vacuum cleaner clips, latches and accessory adapters
• Feet, levelling caps and trim covers
• Tumble-dryer filter frames and door catches

Don't have these remade

• Gas hob and oven parts: valves, burners, thermocouples
• Anything at mains voltage: switches, connectors, heater and element mounts
• Parts inside an oven cavity or next to a heating element
• Door seals and gaskets that keep water in or cold air in
• Pressure parts on pressure cookers and steam appliances
• Food-contact parts, unless the maker can document a food-contact material

Buy certified originals for these and have them fitted by a qualified person. The safety page explains why.

Try these first

1. Find the model and serial number on the rating plate (inside the door, on the back or under the base).
2. Ask the manufacturer's parts service; in the EU, quote the ecodesign availability rules if they say the part is unavailable.
3. Try independent appliance-parts suppliers and compatible parts, then used parts from a donor machine.

If nobody sells the part at a sensible price, a maker is the next step.

Good to know

From 31 July 2026, EU countries had to apply the right-to-repair directive (only a handful met that deadline), which obliges manufacturers of washing machines, dishwashers, fridges, tumble dryers and vacuum cleaners, among others, to offer repair at a reasonable price. See the repair law page.

Some countries pay part of a repair at a registered business, for example France's bonus réparation and Austria's Reparaturbonus. These normally don't cover a part you have made yourself.

What to put in your post

• Brand, model and serial number from the rating plate.
• Whether the part sees hot water, detergent, cold or food.
• The mating part: the rail a wheel runs on, the hook a catch closes onto.
• Photos from every side with a ruler in shot, and the measurements that matter. The measuring guide shows how.

Step by step: find the model number, measure the part and photograph it for a quote.

Not sure it is a good job for a maker? Run the checker. Ready to write it up? The brief builder drafts the description for you.

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