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Bought a cheap universal fridge door gasket kit and it cost me a whole Saturday
Back in the day, I'd just order the exact OEM part and be done with it. But last month, trying to save a few bucks on a side by side repair, I grabbed a 'universal' gasket kit online for like 40 bucks. Figured it would be close enough. Spent 3 hours wrestling that thing on, only to find it wouldn't seal right at the corners. The plastic was way too stiff. Had to take it all off, throw it in the trash, and order the proper Whirlpool part for 90 dollars. Lost the whole job fee and half a day. Now I just eat the cost for the right part every time. Anyone else been burned by a 'one size fits all' fix that just doesn't?
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craig.john7d ago
Heard a guy on a podcast say those universal parts are cheap for a reason, right? They never seem to fit like the real deal.
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milacraig7d ago
Was it one of those auto repair podcasts? I had the same thing happen with a universal radiator hose clamp. It looked right but the pressure rating was junk, sprung a leak on the first hot day. Ended up biting the bullet and getting the OEM part from the dealer. Cost way more but it clicked right into place, no fuss. Sometimes the cheap fix just costs you more time and money down the road.
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