Today I got an estimate for fixing my cheap Amazon-special 9000 BTU mini split that the proper prior resident installed.
Heating guy said that repairing the old one would cost $2-4K if he could find a new compressor for it, but nobody sells parts. A new high-quality 12000 BTU Mitsubishi unit with warranty and parts support would cost $7500 installed.
Meanwhile Home Depot is selling 12000 BTU mini splits for $500-$1000 (not including installation but I don’t think installation can cost more than about $1000)
What am I missing here? I would much rather have a quality unit with parts support and proper trained professionals installing it, but at this price differential that just seems untenable. Are air conditioners really unreliable cheap throwaway items now?
I’m not sure if this apply everywhere, from my experience, once the compressor went kaput replacing it will cost more or only slightly less than the cost of getting a new one. I have no idea why is it the case. Maybe the higher in cost they already factor in the repair cost down the road, and the lower in cost mean it will break often so you will buy often. Capitalism do be like that.
Is it possible for you to find Daikin brand? I have good experience with it, and it last quite a while too. I’ve used 3 years, cool pretty fast for my living room.
I’ll second the Daikin recommendation; after poor experiences with LG in the past, I’ve had Daikins in various properties and they’ve all been great. At home in Europe I have a Daikin 3-way hybrid split thingy (three interior units connected to one compressor) which works great, and my place in Thailand - which works hard in that climate - is a simple Daikin minisplit that’s not let me down yet.
The OP’s prices are nuts though. I’ve just bought three Daikin minis for a property under construction in Philippines (one 9000btu, two 13500btu) for a total of 2000 USD; similar prices in Europe. (That doesn’t include installation tbf.)