Should you repair or replace your range?
Updated August 2026
← Every repair-or-replace call
Repair a freestanding range under 10 years old, because the parts that actually fail, bake elements and igniters, cost $100–250 installed. A range lasts 13–15 years, and for most of that stretch you are swapping simple components: an element, a burner switch, a spark module. Replacement runs $600–2,000, depending on whether you want a basic 30-inch model or a slide-in with convection. The line falls at the control board. A $250–500 board on a 12-year-old stove is where the 50% rule finally bites, and that is the repair most owners should decline.
The short version
A range is the friendliest big appliance to repair, since the common failures are bolt-in parts with two wires. A bake element clips out in 15 minutes with a screwdriver and the part is $30–90 over the counter. Gas surface igniters and oven igniters are nearly as simple at $40–120 for the part. Because those repairs stay so cheap, keep fixing a range through year 10 with no real math involved. From about year 12 the calculation earns its keep: measure any quote against half of the $600–2,000 a new stove costs, and treat a failed control board or a cracked cooktop surface as the signal to move on rather than sink $500 into a unit near the end.
Your situation, decided
| Situation | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bake or broil element burned out, range under 12 years | Repair | A $100–250 job, and often a $30–90 DIY part swap |
| Oven igniter weak, gas oven slow to reach temperature | Repair | A $150–300 igniter is the most common gas oven fix there is |
| Surface burner switch or infinite switch failed | Repair | A $100–200 part, and the rest of the range is untouched |
| Control board dead, range past 12 years | Replace | A $250–500 board plus labor on a $600–2,000 stove |
| Oven and cooktop both failing on a 14-year-old range | Replace | Two repairs at end of service life is the 50% rule twice over |
| Door hinge sagging or gasket leaking heat | Repair | A $120–300 fix that restores even baking, not a replacement |
What each path costs
Repairs typically run $100–350; a replacement is $600–2,000 installed. Freestanding ranges last 13–15 years. Elements and igniters stay worth fixing the whole time; a $250–500 control board past year 12 is where replacement wins. Price your own number on the home maintenance cost calculator before you commit either way.
The repair-or-replace call is easy when you know the unit's age and service history. OnOtto keeps both, plus the maintenance that delays this decision for years.
Start your home's service log, freeFrequently asked questions
Can I replace an oven bake element myself?
On an electric range, yes, and it is one of the easiest appliance repairs there is. Cut power at the breaker, remove the two screws holding the element to the back wall, pull it forward, and move the two terminal wires to the new element without letting them slip behind the panel. The part is $30–90. A visibly blistered or broken element is the whole diagnosis. If the element looks fine but never heats, the fault is upstream in the relay or board, and that belongs to a technician.
My gas burner clicks but will not light. Is that expensive?
Usually not, and often it is free. Clicking with no flame most often means the igniter electrode is wet or the burner cap sits crooked over ports clogged with spilled food. Dry the area, seat the cap squarely, and clear the ports with a straightened paperclip. If every burner clicks at once, the spark module is failing, a $150–300 replacement. Keeping the burners and caps clean heads off most of these calls, at about 10 minutes a month.
Is a control board worth replacing on an older range?
Past year 12, generally no. Boards run $250–500 installed, close to half a basic new range and a third of a good one, and on a 13-year-old stove the switches, hinges, and seals are aging at the same rate. Under 8 years the same board is worth it, especially on a $1,600 slide-in. Get the diagnosis confirmed first, because a dead display sometimes traces to a $40 membrane touchpad or a loose ribbon connector rather than the board.
How do I get a range to last the full 15 years?
Keep spills off the electronics and heat off the seals. Wipe boilovers before they bake onto the burner ports, skip the foil liner on the oven floor (it traps heat against the bottom element), and check the door gasket once a year so the oven is not running long cycles to hold temperature. The range and oven checklist lays out the routine, and our lifespan guide shows where gas and electric models diverge.