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Share Your Story to Win £1000! [Competition Closed]
July 3, 2017 | Competition | 350 comments
The winner of the #esparesheroes competition and the £1,000 prize is…drumroll, please…Ed White. Once again thank you to everyone who submitted their stories via our blog and social media streams.
Pow! Over the next couple of months, we are putting the spotlight on ordinary people who fix their appliances themselves and become domestic heroes. Some people are pretty average… but you’re not! You, yes you, are an eSpares hero!
Tell us about a time you fixed it yourself and you could win the epic prize of £1000! Enter before 30/08/17 and be the hero of the hour!
Enter using the comments below…
Please note the competition closes on August 30th, 2017. For more information on the competition, please see our T&Cs.
350 Comments
Chris Liley
on July 3, 2017 at 8:52 am -
Breadmaker’s revival
After weeks of disappointing bakes, and on the edge of buying a new machine, I consulted espares
Hoorah!
A new belt might bring hope!
And it did!
My expectations were raised as was the dough – by simply replacing the drive belt, my kneeding was restored and harmony reigned in the kitchen!
And we didn’t need to buy a new machine!
John hannon
on July 3, 2017 at 9:07 am -
I fixed a Dyson DC07, changed the motor after the wife decided our vacuum was capable of sucking up water.
Source the part off espares, a quater of the price from other suppliers. Ok it may not be an orginal motor but it woks 100% and has done for about 2 years now. Dyson are not the easiest vacs to get apart, so do some home work and watch videos on you tube of brave diyers who have gone before.
John Westwood
on July 3, 2017 at 9:12 am -
one day I walk into our utility room to find what seemed like half a swimming pool was on the floor. As fast as I could I cleaned up all the water and started checking where the water had come from and found out the seal had broken on the washing machine. Straight onto espares and ordered the part I needed. As always it arrived really quick from espares.
Normal fitting one of these are really easy but unfortunately for me this one was different to any other I’d changed before.
I had to remove the top,the front and even the very large very heavy lump of concrete that was bolted to the drum. When it was all taken apart my wife walked in to bring me a well earned mug of coffee. I could see a look of terror in her eyes to see our washer in pieces on the floor. She cut me the eyes with a look to say “thats never going back together”.
Half an hour later I came and sat in the front room. My wife said to me “I’ve found this washer on the net that’s the right price”
With a glint in my eye and a smile on my face I replied ” no need for a new washer I’ve fixed that one” and I’ve never felt more like a DIY hero
Anthony
on July 3, 2017 at 9:42 am -
The washing machine was leaking so I checked the espares website and found a really useful video that helped me diagnose the problem (perished door seal).
After ordering the replacement parts from espares, another of these useful videos showed me how to strip and replace the seal.
This saved me the cost of replacing the washing machine or calling out an engineer so thank you very much espares
Mervyn Granshaw
on July 3, 2017 at 10:26 am -
My wife says I need help. I don’t think so but, it is true, I have to repair everything. So let’s list a few:
My Bosch washing machine motor was sounding very unhappy. In for a penny I bought some new brushes from eSpares and a new door rubber. I carefully dismantled the machine until it looked like a complete set of parts. Popped in the replacement brushes and fought with the door rubber spring in order to replace the rubber and hey presto, quiet, leak free washing.
My Creda tumble dryer heater failed. Ordered new heater element from eSpares, took the back off and carefully replaced the heater. Costs: a fifth of a new machine.
American style fridge freezer fan stopped working. Ordered new part from eSpares and the fun began. The unit weighs more than a ship and the fan is at the bottom. It was easy to replace the fan but much harder to carefully tilt the unit on a home built ramp to gain access and remove all the dust that had accumulated and had probably accelerated the fan’s failure.
My A/V receiver stopped producing audio. I took the lid off and soon saw that some components looked seriously over heated. The manufacturer did not sell parts only whole boards at huge cost. I found the parts list and ordered a full set of capacitors and carefully replaced them all. However, a special type of chip known as BGA (ball grid array) had some failed and irreparable connections. So I bought two identical non-working receivers on an auction site and swapped the boards around have ended up with two working units. I sold one and total costs £zero. New one would have been more than £3,000.
My vintage ride on Mountfield mower stopped producing spark. It wasn’t the plug or the coil. So I bought a flywheel puller tool, removed the flywheeel changed the points and now it has another 25 years service ahead of it.
Dawn Blacker
on July 3, 2017 at 10:34 am -
It was easy with espares to guide me, to replace a cooker knob that my husband had broken off by turning it the wrong way, men eh.
G Buckner
on July 3, 2017 at 10:42 am -
Hot stuff!
A cleaning firm cleansed the interior of our NEFF oven and unknowingly to us, damaged one of the elements. It was too late to complain to them and we put up with it until the fan broke. I decided to research what was needed to repair the fan and replace the two elements in the double oven. ‘Espares’ came to the rescue! I looked at their repair videos and decided to have a go myself. The spare parts were ordered from espares and they arrived quickly and were the exact replacement items. Enlisted the help of a neighbour to help lift the unit in and out. Fitted the parts in 30 minutes and WOW what a difference. The oven and grill work as new.
One thing further to say – ‘Thanks Espares!’
Helen Smyth
on July 3, 2017 at 10:43 am -
My son put is work boots in the tumble dryer and not surprisingly the belt snapped – but no problem, I ordered a new belt from eSpares and replaced it myself in no time! Winner !!!
Michael Guess
on July 3, 2017 at 10:47 am -
Well, I’m over 80 and was pretty upset when our John Lewis double oven packed up. Really didn’t fancy the idea of buying a new one – you just don’t know if you’re going to live long enough to get your money’s worth.
On the Espares web site. Was able to identify our oven and determine that we needed a new heating element.
In stock at Espares.
Great! But have we got to heave the oven out and strip it all down? Resort to Espares video. Just take the shelves out and apply screwdriver.
Order – easy. Cost – not much. Delivery – next day Job done that afternoon.
Yeah, I’m a hero !
Roisin Cowan
on July 3, 2017 at 10:49 am -
My washing machine lives quietly in an outhouse which it shares with our dogs. For years they all got on very well together and then we got a new puppy! Earlier this year, one of friend’s sons came running in to say that there was water and suds all over the floor. When we finally got it all mopped up and the machine opened, it turned out that ‘someone’ had left the washing machine door open and the puppy had had a great time chewing the rubber around the washing machine door! Convinced there was still life in the old machine,I turned to my trusty friend espares on my phone and quickly and easily ordered a new one. It arrived promptly and my husband duly fitted it.
Alas when this was fitted, sure enough there was no water but now the machine refused to spin around. At this stage we were almost beat! we had the conversation ‘it has to go!’ ‘surely not?’ ‘well what do you suggest?’ I decided that I had just put a nice new rubber around the door and I was NOT giving up. Applying the same determination that I use to get the best bargains on ebay and amazon, I researched the problem and I was absolutely convinced that new carbon brushes would fix the problem! my husband was rather doubtful but I insisted and went ahead and ordered these from espares. When they arrived we worked as a team to fit them which was pretty straightforward and lo and behold success! This in itself was quite a feat – to get the old washing machine back on its feet for a few pounds! but the bigger miracle was my husband admitting, after 32 years of marriage, that I was right!!!
Gwynneth Flower
on July 3, 2017 at 10:51 am -
My Neff Cooker Hob had one ring that was virtually impossible to light using the in-built lighting system. This was clearly due to the associated thermocouple being at fault so I ordered a replacement from Espares. It then became a question of how to replace the installed thermocouple. I made sure that the gas and electricity supplies were turned off and set to unscrew the top of the hobe after removing all the hob furniture. This rather large plate then lifted off and exposed a multitude of wires and pipes which though at first confusing could soon be sorted out as to which array was relevant to each hob burner and the problem hob thermocouple was removed with pliers and a small spanner (husband is an engineer! ). The other end was a mere plug in connexion so it was a quite simple job to replace the old thermocouple with the new one – after all I was only copying the original installation! Then I only had to replace all the “bits” that I had removed and try out my hob. Heigh presto! I had a working hob with the original built in ignition syatem working once again as it had done when new.
I really felt quite proud of myself!!
Sophie MacPherson
on July 3, 2017 at 10:53 am -
My oven stopped working one day and I had no idea why! It was switched on, the light was on, but no heat was coming from it at all!!
I’m a 25 year old woman and have no idea about ovens apart from how to cook on them….
My first point was to google the problem, to which I managed to find out that the ”element” needed replacing, ”what on earth is an Element!?” I thought to myself!
I then researched my oven make, looked at what Element I needed (and what an element was!) logged onto espares and got one ordered!!
That was the first phase to my new ”Oven Fixer” role i’d taken on! Next…….I had to fit it!!
YouTube was my saviour. I googled how to do it, followed the instructions, replaced my Element and all was up and running again!!
It’s safe to say that my boyfriend and dad were VERY impressed with me using my initiative and actually successfully fixing it!
I’ve never had to do anything even remotely like that before, i’m a part time beauty therapist and a full time sales adviser…..nothing to do with fixing things!
I’ll remain proud for a long time 🙂
Julie Blackburn
on July 3, 2017 at 10:59 am -
The seal round my oven door had perished and the oven wasn’t very efficient. Not knowing the exact model, I turned to eSpares for help and found a universal seal which was an excellent price and came with easy-to-follow instructions. Ta da! Suddenly, cooking times were back to normal and food was cooked properly. I was a hero to my hungry family!!
Ross Grant
on July 3, 2017 at 11:01 am -
My oven died but was revived by getting a new element from espares. I was anticipating a tricky job fitting it but it turned out to be not much more complex than wiring a plug (with added back of oven gunk).
Paul Brierley
on July 3, 2017 at 11:02 am -
We have a Hotpoint Tumble dryer CTD40g which we’ve had for about 10 years and the motor was struggling to turn the drum with more than a couple of wet towels. Luckily our sons mate had the same model which he was chucking as pump had failed.
I therefore tuck it off his hand and stripped both of the dyers down, his was full of dog hair, so I just salvaged some of the parts and was able to rebuilt ours. I’ve kept some parts as spares, but sods law last week the dryer started squeaking and after investigation it turns out that the pulley wheel bearing have gone. Check the spares kit of bits, didn’t save this, so again espares to the rescue.
Thanks espares
Paul
Ian Chilvers
on July 3, 2017 at 11:04 am -
Had a grubby/smelly washing machine door seal – thanks to a combination of a replacement seal and instructional video from espares and the machine and our clothes are like new again.
Simon Rogers
on July 3, 2017 at 11:08 am -
I have always tried to fix things rather than throw them out when it is not necessary. Recently my microwave, which is over ten years old, was making the most awful noise and the turntable was not running smoothly. On inspection the ring with the wheels attached appeared to have wheels that were not round. So problem found now how to fix it. “Buy a new microwave” I was told. “No” says I “I will look and see if I can get the part from eSpares” and I could, ordered it and it arrived in the usual manner fast and efficient but the plastic pin that inserted into the centre of the microwave base was too long. “Oh damn it” says I. Not to be thwarted out came the trusted junior hacksaw, an ideal tool for such tasks and some emery paper. A careful measure of the old pin and a quick use of the junior hacksaw had all four new round wheels were sitting in the well of the microwave base. A final smoothing of the cut item with the emery paper and job done. A hero? Probably not but no need to spend out on a new microwave.
B Attfield
on July 3, 2017 at 11:13 am -
My Becko Dishwasher never behaves, and is a constant source of frustration until we upgrade when we go with our new kitchen.
Finally, enough was enough, after picking up the spinner from the bottom after every use, I finally went onto the espares website.
Extremely easy to identify the part, and easy to pay.
I didnt go with next day postage, but the delivery was still very fast.
All fitted, and working well.,
Thanks Espares,
Brian.
Chris Phillips
on July 3, 2017 at 11:16 am -
I’ve been able to keep my Hotpoint tumble dryer going for the last four years thanks to eSpares.
I’ve taken it apart and reassembled so often I now think I could do it in my sleep! From replacing seals and filters during general servicing to replacing among other things the belt, tensioners and capacitor. I think the only original bits left now are the drum and the outer casing.
eSpares videos are invaluable in letting you know how to take something apart without breaking it, diagnosing and then fixing faults.
I now actually look forward to the dryer breaking down as I can easily fix and reap the rewards of brownie points for being an eSpares hero!
David.Ward
on July 3, 2017 at 11:27 am -
Absolutely Our Cooker Control Knobs kept breaking and was driving my wife mad.The originals were so expensive from another company ,that e-spares universal knobs are fantastic and work a treat. My wife finds them better than the originals. Great ordering and delivery of these spares, delivered with in two days of ordering. Great Service. Would recommend to others.
Jennifer Ellison
on July 3, 2017 at 11:28 am -
Complete Soap Opera
So our inherited dishwasher was looking very sorry for itself. Rusty drawers, blocked filters, collapsing bars. Who do I call…espares of course. Two brand new drawers, four sets of drawer runner wheels (the video showing how to replace the drawer runner wheels was brilliant!) and a through clean later, we have a sparkling clean and fully working dishwasher. Espares saved us a fortune – otherwise we would have probably had to buy a new dishwasher!
Thank you espares – you are my go to website for anything appliance related!
Michael Crowe
on July 3, 2017 at 11:32 am -
Just excellent service all around took my order and while out of stock when I ordered eSpares followed it through and got the item I ordered and sent it immediately. Systems work well and I was notified via email of the status of my order all the way.I can say from experience (mine),
If you need a spare part eSpares will get it for you, all you have to do is ask and give payment details correct item code/s. delivery address and it arrives.
Will definitely use again ang highly recommend to all.
Ron A Sewell
on July 3, 2017 at 11:35 am -
I live in Paphos Cyprus where most of the houses have tiled flloors. Every Sunday morning, to help my wife, I prepare our Vax 6131 wet and dry vacuum cleaner to scrub the floors.
The detergent compartment filled and all connect I press the red button and the motor roars into life. Next the green button for the detergent. The light glows but no detergent.
I check everything possible but still no detergent. After a while I know the pump is not working. I contact Vax but because I no longer live in the UK my guarantee is useless.
Then I remembered buying a spare filter for another machine and checked out espares. To my surprise not only did they supply a new pump they had a video on how to replace the same.
The pump arrived, i checked out the video and in less than an hour my machine was as good as new. Additionally I now wash through the pump with fresh water before putting the vacuum away. This was a tip give by espares.
My floors are clean and my wife is happy. Not bad for a seventy three year old.
Pamela Burt
on July 3, 2017 at 11:44 am -
DIY Superwoman reporting…..Problem: Door handle on my old Bosch fridge wobbly and working loose, then, bam –the final fixing breaks leaving me having to tape it up with Duck Tape. Solution: After a search on the Internet I spot Espares web site….my saviour! Despite the age of my fridge they had the replacement handle in stock, despite Bosch no longer supplying it. Phew! Part ordered from Espares and it swiftly arrived the following day. Yessss! It fitted perfectly. Job Done, all thanks to Espares! Tons of money saved and I get to bask in the glow of achievement when my husband notices the loose handle is a thing of the past…Yaay!
Margaret Good
on July 3, 2017 at 11:47 am -
The front seal went on my Bosch washing machine again, after spending £100 having a new one fitted by an “expert” tradesman not long ago.
Can’t afford to keep doing this, and found an espares video that shows how easy it is.
espares helped me buy the right Bosch make part and delivered it really quickly.
I was able to replace the crumbling old seal with the new one which is clearly better made.
Took less than an hour following the fitting instructions step by step on my phone.
Booyah!!!!
Great confidence booster
Well done espares – love the service.
Maggie Good
Doug Beales
on July 3, 2017 at 7:29 pm -
Ref; Failing washing machine door seals.
My wife bought a 1 year old 2nd hand Zanussi for 100 Pounds over 30 years ago.
Due to her carefully wiping dry the seal after each wash and leaving the door slightly ajar to allow air to circulate
the seal is good as new.
Valerie Bond
on July 3, 2017 at 11:47 am -
One of the plastic wheels on the runners of my dishwasher broke and I didn’t know if I could fix it or if I’d have to get a new dishwasher. I looked on e spares, found what I thought would be the right part and ordered it. At less than £5, I thought it wasn’t much to risk. The part quickly came and I fitted it easily. I felt very proud of myself. No need to get in a ‘little man’ or shell out for a new machine. An old (71) woman can do it with the help of wonderful e spares.
Noel
on July 3, 2017 at 11:52 am -
My Miele dishwasher died, the Miele engineer said that it needed a new motherboard (500 quid) and made a charge of over fifty pounds for the info. I was unconvinced by the engineers conclusion and decided to look at it myself, and I quickly established that the power supply unit was faulty, I replaced that with a suitable wallwart and it worked fine again. Having fixed it, I complained to Miele about their incorrect diagnosis, they were astonished that I had found the fault, and they refunded the call out charge.
Brian Brooks
on July 3, 2017 at 11:55 am -
Oh dear I have to buy a new Neff oven; but NO, espares to the rescue. They had just the part I needed to fix the oven. Absolutely no problem finding the part and, yes a video telling me how to fit the part.
Then again more recently I broke my Flymo Lawnmower I have had it for many years and should have been pensioned off. It is so old I really did not think I could get spares for it. But low and behold there was ,the part I needed staring me in the face. Flymo operational again – I saw my wife using it AS IS THE NORM.
Pat
on July 3, 2017 at 12:00 pm -
One day, whilst cooking a roast, my oven kind of exploded and blew the fuse box. I suspected the element had blown (fortunately, dinner was pretty much done) After waiting a month for my landlord to get someone in to fix my cooker, I e mailed espares for advice and ordered the recommended new element which arrived the next day. After grappling with the corroded screws that held the cover on the back of the oven, I finally fitted the new element and voila, it works, my brownies are cooking evenly at last! I’m a 66 year old lady and I followed your video tutorial which made the whole process simple. Brilliant service and quality part from espares. If I can do it, so can you.
Tom Upton
on July 3, 2017 at 12:05 pm -
I have a new baby just starting nursary so money is tight. I get home from work to find the washing machine isn’t spinning. After looking at the cost of new ones I searched online. One of the first videos to come up was to replace the carbon brushes. It seemed easy enough so I took the back off the machine and sure enough the brushes were worn out. Jumped onto espares and had the new brushes within 3 days. A much easier repair than I imagined. It’s saved me a fortune and ment I didn’t need to drag a perfectly good washing machine to the tip for landfill.
C Hargreaves
on July 3, 2017 at 12:16 pm -
My knob broke on the hob so ordered another one and fitted it myself!
Will
on July 3, 2017 at 12:20 pm -
Late Thursday night went to throw a frozen pizza into the oven only to find the oven only warm after 10mins set at 220 Deg C.
After some probing, decided it was probably the element.
Have used espares before for vacuum cleaner parts so thought I’d try searching for our Beko model. Quickly filtered down to the correct part and opted for the extra £3 on delivery to secure arrival next day.
Part arrived next day with good communication on a delivery slot, fitted in 30 mins, tested ok, cooked the promised pizza Saturday night.
Service like this is invaluable to busy families living on a budget.
Very happy customer.
Ron A Sewell
on July 3, 2017 at 12:54 pm -
I live in Cyprus where the floors in most houses are tiled. To help my wife I use a 6131 with scrubber adapter to clean the floors on a Sunday morning.
As usual I prepaired my machine, moved the furniture and pressed the red button to turn it on. When in position I pressed the green button and waited for the detergent to flow. The light was on but the detergent stayed at home. Unperturbed I checked all that you can and reckoned the pump was not working.
My machine was less than a year old but the manufactuer did not want to know. Because I did not live in the UK my guarantee was void.
It was then I remembered buying a filter for another machine from e spares. I looked them up on the internet, found the part but even better a video on how to fit a new pump.
I ordered and waited. It arrived within a week. With my tools as shown on the video and my computer screen in front of me playing the correct method I replaced the pump.
Thanks to the e spares video, within an hour it worked perfectly. As a bonus as suggested by espares I now wash through the motor before storing.
My wife is happy, the floors are clean. Not bad for a seventy three year old.
David Carter
on July 3, 2017 at 1:10 pm -
My washing machine became very noisy so I phoned a repair man who said it would be the recirculating pump. He would phone me in a few days to arrange a visit, no phone call received! I contacted another, more local, firm and explained the problem. I was assured there was no recirculating pump in a washing machine but he would call and have a look. After inspecting the machine he admitted that there was indeed a recirculating pump and that was the problem. He charged £50 and said he would contact me with a quote when he found out how much a new pump would be (he estimated around £50 plus labour). No phone call received!! By this time I was becoming less than happy with the service I was getting so explored the problem myself. I found espares web site, located the part and instructions on how to fix it. The part was delivered very quickly and was easy to fit. Machine now working perfectly.
Mike
on July 3, 2017 at 1:12 pm -
My wife had telephoned me at work to say that the washing machine had stopped working and had an error code on the front panel. After consulting a Bosch technician she had been informed that this particular error code would indicate that a new control panel would be required and, maybe a new motor.
At the time of her call I was up to my eyes in paperwork and my immediate thought was to as just ask her to order a new machine however this decision was put off until I got home.
This delay proved enlightening as I decided to track down the error code on the internet, found an instruction for a reset with a recommendation to change the brushes. A quick visit to espares saw me part with £7.95 for brushes and their excellent “how to” videos made me confident enough to undertake the repair. A few days later I received the new set of brushes and in under an hour the machine was fixed !! I’ve been dining out on this incredible piece of DIY for years – all thanks to espares !!
Mitchell Mclaurin
on July 3, 2017 at 1:26 pm -
my McCulloch chain saw had been misused so I decided to strip it down to see if it was repairable, so I looked the internet and found what I was looking for in “E-spares” so I ordered the parts up plus more parts and gave it a refurbishment and when the parts arrived everything fitted perfectly, now the saw is back to first class condition Thanks to “E-spares” at very good prices
Maria
on July 3, 2017 at 1:54 pm -
Help E-Spares – My washing machine will not wash on high heat, the heating element was not working, E-Spares to the rescue, found genuine element part in stock, delivered promptly, fixed it in 20 mins after the help of E-spares video.
Help E-spares – My condenser tumble dyer heating element not working after watching E-Spares Help Video, the Thermostat had gone. Found genuine part in stock, quick delivery. fixed the same day, only took 10 mins to fix it.
Thank-you E-spares for saving me money on large repair bills, and giving me the confidence to fix it myself.
C.Houghton
on July 3, 2017 at 2:09 pm -
Major rebuild of a dyson DC14 all floors
Our aging DC14 had given excellent service but had become increasingly wobbly and became obvious that the main chassis was breaking up. A full strip down was required to ensure the correct replacement parts were obtained ( it was the main chassis and the all floors valve ) and then a memory test to remember how it all went back together. The all floors valve arrangement was a bit tricky but eventually everything was assembled apart from the on off switch; at this point I had two screws left and since the switch is such a small part I assumed I must have missed one somewhere, repeated checks could not locate a missing screw so the switch was refitted and surprise surprise it needed two screws to secure it! Everything works like new not bad for a 75 year old.
Deborah
on July 3, 2017 at 2:41 pm -
So I am the clumsiest person in the world. Ive glued my hands together, fell in the Thames, cracked dozens of mirrors, dropped things, electrocuted myself, stabbed myself in the eye with a fake flower, dyed my hair orange with toilet bleach thinking hey Ill will look wonderful!
So I was impressed that I ordered a part from eSpares. I excitedly opened the package without any major accidents and managed to fit 2 rubbel oven seals. A feeling of elation dropped on my head.
Wonderful!
andrew gray
on July 3, 2017 at 3:19 pm -
washer drier broke. minimum £350 for a new one. thought i check the belt and buy a new washer if that was this issue – belt was fine. Thta s what i normally do but then i thought i would google about the brushes…..wow the motor out, check on your website, £20 brushes and a communicator stick for £20, fast delivery and fitted no issue the next day.
One hour on google and removing motor, one hour refitting and and thats one working washer again – thanks
Janet
on July 3, 2017 at 3:48 pm -
I have had my Stoves ceramic hob cooker for about 10 years now and for the last 7 years (shortly after the warranty ran out) the large “fast heat” hob at the front has had only two settings; hotter than the surface of the sun and virtually off. Not being very confident at repairing electrical appliances (apart from the easy bits of my dualit toaster and dishwasher) I have put up with the very limited capabilities of the faulty hob for years. Cursing it everytime a pan of bolognese boils over or stops cooking altogether. Finally, after one quite spectacular boil-over, I decided to look online to see if there was a simple explanation. Thanks to the Internet and e-spares DIY videos, there was help to be had. I was delighted to find out that the part I needed was called an “oven energy regulator” and even more delighted to see that it didn’t appear to be too difficult to replace as it sits just behind the temperature knob. Obviously, as is the way with these things, my cooker had an extra panel at the front that had to be removed, which involved removing the sides of the cooker and annoyingly having to ask my husband to come and hold bits of oven while I unscrewed other bits (I had so wanted to do it all myself). Also, I would like to add that this was on the hottest June day EVER and I was very, very hot. But eventually, it all went back together, with only one tiny screw left over (and I know where that should go next time I have to cover off). I have to say that I was, and still am, very pleased with myself.
Mark Hall
on July 3, 2017 at 4:17 pm -
Normally when something electrical goes wrong, like our oven, I would not have the confidence to attempt to fix it but with espares how to vids I thought I’d give it a go. Instead of paying £300-£400 for a new oven I payed £15 for a new element and in 10 minutes it was fixed.
Alana McGurgan
on July 3, 2017 at 4:27 pm -
The First thing I fixed thanks to espares was my Indesit washing door interlock by buying A Replacement part & watching the Video, Then the washing machine Paddle Drum These Jobs would have cost me a Fortune had I called out a repair Service Man, Now if I have a Problem I check with espares first Thank you I am a Sixty Plus Woman 🙂
paul willis
on July 3, 2017 at 5:58 pm -
Most people faced with an electrical breakdown of their equipment have a simple and effective (but expensive!) solution…. REPLACE IT! My better half is certainly of that persuasion.
However sometimes she does ask for a second opinion and Breakdown Man is called upon…..after studying the oven (which was the item in this case) upside down I was introduced to the element..as well as a stiff neck!
This resulted in a call to….E SPARES…by way of the internet…my.. how they flew to the task of providing a replacement without ROB..IN me!
Within less time than it takes to say that station’s name in Wales I was back with my cricked neck plugging in the replacement and hey presto we were back to the Sunday roasts! ELEMENTAL Dr W…
And a big thanks to the real hero..E SPARES! (but don’t tell my wife!)
GW
on July 3, 2017 at 6:29 pm -
My trusted Henry vac overheated and died on me after ten years of heavy use .
Not wanting to fork out for a whole new machine , as the main body and hoses were fine , I did a quick search on the internet for a replacement motor .
E spares came up at the top of the list , so I had a look at their web site .
An absolute Aladdin’s cave of spare parts !. Everything you could possibly need to fix a broken appliance .
All I had to do was enter my vacuum make and model and a replacement motor was found immediately .
What I found incredibly useful and informative was the well scripted and demonstrated video on how to
dis-assemble the motor housing and replace the motor . Once I had watched the instruction video a couple of times I knew I could do the job myself with complete confidence I was fitting the motor in correctly .
It took about 20minutes to replace the motor myself and saved me quite a bit of my hard earned cash
into the bargain .
E spares is now my go-to online shop for appliance spares and advice .
Thanks ES
Dave Butterwick
on July 3, 2017 at 7:29 pm -
When I moved in to this house the previous owner left her kitchen appliances. The cooker
has gas hob and fan oven. In the first year, both the elements on the main and top ovens
failed and I replaced them through E-Spares. I have also replaced the seals on both the
top and main ovens. Cooker still running well. Thanks to E-Spares. (and Me.)
B McStravick
on July 3, 2017 at 8:02 pm -
I have ordered and replaced so many different parts on my Beko Hob and Oven, my Wife says it’s like Triggers brush…
Simon C
on July 3, 2017 at 8:14 pm -
Our oven was supplied with a faulty door seal. It took us a long time to realise it; we knew that we had to generally set the temperature higher than you would normally expect, but we put it down to the old thing of “your cooking appliance may vary”. It was only when the seal rubber actually came away from the door entirely that we realised it was faulty, and by then it was too late to have it done on warranty.
So I took the plunge and bought one for myself and fitted it. Top result — the oven now works much better even than when it was brand new.
James Waugh
on July 3, 2017 at 8:17 pm -
My oven fan simply stopped turning and I was looking at a £300 replacement at the very least.
A quick search on the espares.co.uk website and I found a universal fan motor, it arrived promptly and installed easily. I am now roasting again!!!!! they also sent me a free fridge magnet and pen!
thank you espares!
Michael Sweeney
on July 3, 2017 at 9:21 pm -
OMG the wife went espare !
American Fridge freezer defrosted containing 3 legs of lamb, 2 joints of beef and numerous packs of chicken. Feast or famine? Bank balance not healthy enough to buy replacement appliance, so Google came to the rescue. Symptoms entered and hey presto I only needed to buy and replace the fan. To my surprise it was approximately £30 from espares, express delivery and easy to fit All meat cooked and popped back in the freezer for ready meals. Most people would have disposed of the item but not me, there’s another few years in it yet.
Katerina
on July 3, 2017 at 9:30 pm -
The worst possible thing to happened in our household is tumble dryer braking down….and it did, broke down at the end of winter. Not the best time to find the belt snapped inside the machine. I called the engineers and with the prospect of spending well over £100 and waiting for 6 days I was at a breaking point. My husband on the other hand acted fast, found Espares website. Probably one of the best websites there. Incredibly helpful and saves people loads of money!! He took the tumble drier apart and following educational video managed to exchange the belt which cost us aproximatelly £16….I would definitely use espares again and again. Thank you!!
Pgoodman
on July 3, 2017 at 10:36 pm -
Could not wash glasses in dishwasher. Tray would drop for large glasses. Checked side unit found spring inside the the unit broken due to no lubricant checked your site found unit and ordered . Found most replacements not hard to fit. Striped down old old unit cleaned replaced spring now in spares cupboard. Thanks for your help on phone and workforce in the stores. P goodman basingstoke
bells smyth
on July 3, 2017 at 11:40 pm -
/well for me it was a case of not affording a sparky to fit a new element on my cooker, but then i was showed how to do it myself and it did it 1st time,so much so i have embarked on a new advent and enrolled at collage.(im 40! )
David
on July 3, 2017 at 11:54 pm -
What no tumble dryer! Noooooooo. Had 2 loads of washing to be dried and the tumble dryer was tumbling but not drying. Discovered that the thermostat needed to be replaced, ordered it from espares, came next day, fitted it. And bobs your uncle. All working in 10 minutes
Sidrah Ahmed
on July 3, 2017 at 11:56 pm -
The door broke so i had to fix everything and re fit it in myself
Mohammed Akram
on July 4, 2017 at 1:00 am -
My first ever fix was to my washing machine to replace the bearings. It was so loud, I had nothing to lose.
First off, i watched the espares YouTube video multiple times to understand what I needed to do and to build up confidence. Best video out there 😉
Eventually, all the parts were on the kitchen floor. As I suffer mental health issues, I needed to take my time and so, over a period of 4 weeks, I was ordering parts and checking the video. Ended up changing more parts than I wanted but espares was great with price and service.
2 years later, I’m reaping the benefits and confident the washing machine will last a few more years yet. Saved on cost of a new machine and many launderette visits.
Trouble is, my hero status went to my head and since my first heroic action, I have fixed a second w/m with new bearings (a lot quicker) and sold it on for a small profit; 2 dishwashers and am on the look out for my next heroic calling.
Truely satisfying to see something you’ve fixed, working and knowing how it all goes together.
It’s done me a world of good.
Dale Askew
on July 4, 2017 at 4:55 am -
leaking bathroom taps driving me mad! I managed to change them myself with no plumbing experience and without referring to the internet,
Heather Haigh
on July 4, 2017 at 5:30 am -
The kitchen extractor fan blew and we got a quote for an electrician to fit a new one, the cost of fitting was £90. But when I looked I could see it wasn’t a huge job. You just have to remove the door, unplug it, remove it from the wall then replace the new one, doing the above in reverse. So we ordered the replacement and it did take me about 2-3 hours, mainly because the hanging brackets were different to the old one and it took some figuring out. Aligning the door was quite tricky too as the new one fitted slightly differently to the door. Works great though and was worth it to save the money.
Lisa Evans
on July 4, 2017 at 6:05 am -
I’m always sick of waiting for my husband to do anything so I decided to drill a few holes and put up a bookshelf! I didn’t do a bad job, it’s given me the confidence to do a bit more!
Katharine Balyuzi
on July 4, 2017 at 6:06 am -
One computer, two viruses, 10 hours and about a million cups of tea later and the thing was finally clean and the virus had stopped replicating and hiding itself all over my laptop. Last time I ever let anyone else use it when I’m not around!!
Steven
on July 4, 2017 at 6:14 am -
We had two plumbers to try to fix the flushing mechanism on our upstairs toilet which was overfilling and making a racket everytime you flushed it.
Never of them cured the issue.
I bought a cheap flushing mechanism and fitted it myself after following a youtube video and the problem was fixed!
Nathan Wood
on July 4, 2017 at 6:17 am -
Our dishwasher kept stopping mid cycle and i had no idea why. After some googling i opened it up and found the problem. One of the pipes had filled with gunk and the water pressure had forced it off completely causing a leak. I took the pipe off, cleaned it out and refitted it. Job done!
But none of that required E-Spares i hear you cry!
Whilst taking out the upper and lower baskets, which in hindsight was a completely pointless exercise, i managed to break the main frame clip that keeps the top basket in place. That’s where E-Spares came in.
Some might not see that as a success, but as someone who is much more comfortable at a desk with a calculator than under an appliance with a screwdriver, i still felt pretty heroic!
Mary Heald
on July 4, 2017 at 6:35 am -
When we tried to cook our Sunday lunch we discovered the oven was not heating up.
Thinking it was going to be expensive to get someone out we researched on line and disvobered where to source the part and a really helpful video explaining step by step how to replace the part. We were surprised at how easy it was!
Anna Cheetham
on July 4, 2017 at 6:44 am -
I fixed my electric shower pump all by myself. When it broke I installed a new one. It did take me most of the day tho!
Carole D
on July 4, 2017 at 7:04 am -
When I was in 1st year at university, my hairdryer broke. I couldn’t go out with wet hair, and I had no tools to hand, but I improvised and used a pair of tweezers as a makeshift screwdriver, opened up the plug and changed the fuse which had blown. I still use this story to this day to prove to my kids how resourceful and independent I was at their age, compared to them who can barely fetch themselves a drink! I definitely felt like a hero that time.
Thomas L
on July 4, 2017 at 7:34 am -
We’re a household of attempting to repair things ourselves. From putting a new fan in the back of a fridge freezer to repairing a washing machine and drills etc. Can’t really make claim to it being an appliance but my favourite home repair was on a Samsung Flat Screen, they would of wanted over £200 to take it and fix the TV but I opened it up, looked online for tips and noticed a couple of capacitors on the board looked expanded. Bought some new ones for 99p and replaced them on the board and the TV was fixed.
Toni Arnott
on July 4, 2017 at 7:48 am -
My washing machine broke and flooded. Dad on holiday. Boyfriend away on stag do. Kitchen full of water. I did it using youtube!
george w
on July 4, 2017 at 7:48 am -
replacing the fan element in the cooker should have been easy but after removing it 3 times i gave up,then said to the wife sorry its still not working,she said did you reset the clock timer , i said no, i duly did and it worked fine
David Paterson
on July 4, 2017 at 7:54 am -
Gas barbecue got blown over in gales a couple of years ago, smashed knobs and bent framework; took it apart, beat back into shape, a ton of superglue and right as rain (which kept on coming down so have seldom used it since but hey-ho…)
Lorraine Johnson
on July 4, 2017 at 8:17 am -
The oven on my year old dual fuel cooker stopped working.
I called espares & talked me through my issue & advised me that it was the element that had gone. They sent a replacement, & told me how to fit it.
I was so grateful for the help & that I managed to fix it myself without an expensive call out charge
Rebecca
on July 4, 2017 at 8:38 am -
Blinds
My housemate yanked part of my blind off the wall but I managed to fix it with some bonding tape and a set of hair straighteners. Not ideal, but it definitely worked!
Gary Wood
on July 4, 2017 at 8:43 am -
After several subtle hints by the other half regarding the state of the washing machine door seal, I had a look at the eSpares web site and saw it was quite an easy job. Seal ordered, arrived quickly then it was fitted within an hour – job was done in the morning and I had to stop for Pop Master!
Bearing in mind I have no mechanical knowledge or skills I am now the “go to” person in the family for such repairs. I have replaced my mothers washer door seal, a water element in a dishwasher and replaced a glass door on an oven that was accidentally smashed.
All credit to the espares videos and very reasonable replacement parts (enough grovelling?) that make these jobs so easy and save money!
Liz Slade
on July 4, 2017 at 8:53 am -
Since I met my husband he has fixed all sorts – the tumble drier (twice, new drive belt and door switch), the oven, the fridge and the extractor hood. E spares is always his first port of call for important bits, he’s saved us a fortune! Thanks espares.
liz denial
on July 4, 2017 at 9:26 am -
I was always having problems with my Dyson vacuum cleaner & it used to cost me a fortune in repairs so when the belt went I decided to have a go myself. I bought the part on espares & watched the video about how to replace the belt here https://blog.espares.co.uk/espares/2015/10/how-to-clean-maintain-your-dyson-vacuum-cleaner.html It was so easy to do with the help of the video & saved me a fortune so thanks Espares
Laura Rose
on July 4, 2017 at 9:33 am -
I rescued a rabbit, had a hutch and pen, both horrendously broke. So fixed them in record time. Lovely little home for a lovely little rabbit!
Ed
on July 4, 2017 at 9:46 am -
Our oven stopped heating up three days before a big family gathering at out house. It was under warranty so I called up the manufacturer and they said they’d send an engineer – in a month! Did a little search and found the culprit – a blown heating element. Ordered online and fixed it myself the next day. Simple job, but felt very proud when we were able to serve hot food!
Will Hatton
on July 4, 2017 at 9:48 am -
I surprised myself by replacing the flushing mechanism in my toilet cistern – I’m really not practical at all, but I started by investigating what to do online and was able to obtain a new mechanism which I carefully replaced following a youtube video. When it was all done and working I was quite chuffed with myself!
David Reeves
on July 4, 2017 at 10:14 am -
Metal fixing came away from built-in oven door. High stress area but bought some, special glue with really good reviews – yeah, right! But, a year on, it is still rock solid and saves ££££s on replacing the oven as the door is no longer supplied. Great job!
Chris O.
on July 4, 2017 at 10:26 am -
I have an integrated fridge, bought nearly 30 years. It’s absolutely mechanically sound, but years of use mean the shelves have seen better days and one of them developed a crack. Unable to get a replacement I turned to espares where I found a shelf that could be cut to size. Job done and my fridge lives to fight another day – I think it might out outlive me!
Patricia McKee-Harris
on July 4, 2017 at 10:38 am -
I don’t have much money so when my tumble dryer drum stopped turning.
I went on line to diagnose the problem, I found out it was a jockey wheel.
I bought one from espares, And fixed it myself, I saved at least £10 buying the wheel from espares and £70 for someone to fix it, Also saving £239 on having to buy a new dryer. I am really proud of myself for being able to fix it and more importantly save a vast amount of money. Thank you espares
Natasha M
on July 4, 2017 at 10:41 am -
Our toilet was making a terrible noise every time we flushed it, googled assured me it was water hammer. I asked the hubby to fix it and 7 months later we were still listening to the terrible noise. One day i had decided enough was enough and went to B&Q bought a new toilet pump thingy ( poor B&Q man helped me to find what i needed) and went home and you tubed how to change it,.
It was SO easy & now no noise. I didn’t tell my husband and waited for him to flush.. 🙂
stephen wilshaw
on July 4, 2017 at 10:54 am -
I fixed a dyson using a replacement motor from espares. I think I got another 5+ years out of it.
Kelly Glen
on July 4, 2017 at 10:55 am -
Our hinges on our lounge door went but I managed to fix them myself which made me very pleased because it was the first proper diy I did on my own.
Robert Feathers
on July 4, 2017 at 10:57 am -
I have done a number of things, I fixed my washing Machine it was leaking all over the floor and after taking it apart it turned out that the water pipe that goes into the soap draw had come off, probably during one of the spins that makes a really uneven spin. I have also replaced a fuse in my oven, the oven would not worked and looked at everything, then googled the problem and fund the answer, ordered the part and put it in, I hate being without a fan oven even though it was a range cooker and we had the standard one to use
Tammy Tudor
on July 4, 2017 at 10:58 am -
My cupboard door literally fell off it’s hinges and I was so proud when I was able to fix it and put it back on, couldn’t have the biscuits staring at me and tempting me
Louise
on July 4, 2017 at 11:36 am -
Just moved into our house ….things start to go wrong!! Catch on 10 year old indesit dishwasher ‘went’ – machine still worked but now the door was open slightly and leaking. Quick search on internet and watched video on how to repair catch, ordered from espares.
Quick delivery. Followed the instructions and brilliant the dishwasher is working again. Hardest part was re attaching door ( integrated appliance), I’m still not sure if it had to come off but it had dropped anyway and was catching on the plinth.
I was very p,eased with myself but a bit miffed when my husband said he had resigned himself to buying ME a new one! Well I’ll just have the difference between a new dishwasher and fitting and an espares part please Mr S and go on a shopping spree!
Faye
on July 4, 2017 at 11:44 am -
My washing machine wouldnt open. I checked on youtube how to change the locking mechanism and hey presto after huffing and puffing I managed to fix it.
Damian
on July 4, 2017 at 11:44 am -
I’ve had many a reason to go to espares. It appears as though my family thinks household equipment is made out of cast iron these days, so bash, kick, drop, throw, knock down the stairs are all in a days work (and that’s just the fridge – imagine what they do to the vacuum cleaner while I’m out at work).
So in the past few years here is my small list:
* Several Lawnmower belts and a starter motor
* Fan oven thermostat
* Fridge temperature sensor
* American style fridge-freezer ice cube dispenser and many water filters
* Dyson clutch belts x 10,000 give or take one or two and a clutch
* Dishwasher door hinge – young lad opened it and stood on it to reach the sink (several times me thinks) – clever boy!!!!
* Diswasher door clasp x another 10,000 or so – it seems the harder you slam the door the better chance it will stay closed. Who’d’ve thought!!!!. learn something new every day eh!!.
* Washing machine filter and motor – This one made me rich – found all of 17 cents in the filter. Just need to figure out the next Espares item I can put that towards
Here’s to Espares saving me another small fortune over the coming years. don’t know where I’d be without them. What will it be next. I think the tumble drier or the lawnmower haven’t gotten any attention recently!!!!!!!
Holly Gibson
on July 4, 2017 at 11:45 am -
I fixed our tumble dryer. To be honest I have no idea how I did it or what I was fiddling with, but it went from not working to working, so I count that as a win!
Emma C
on July 4, 2017 at 11:46 am -
Radiator
I moved into my new house that is actually a rather old unloved house. I was sitting in the living room an noticed a leak coming from the bedroom. I ran upstairs and saw that the radiator was leaking so i immediately turned off the heating.
After looking in some books and online I scooted out and got some plumbing tape, I unscrewed where the leak was and filled it with plumbing tape and the leak stopped. 2 years later still no leaks and my house is looking rather more loved.
Susie M
on July 4, 2017 at 12:16 pm -
Our Bosch double oven stopped working. It was, typically, just out of guarantee but the real problem was that our kitchen is a really awkward shape and everything is fitted to a fraction of a millimetre to make it work. Buying a new one and fitting would have been a nightmare, and would quite likely have ended up with the kitchen needing redecorating from scraping it into place and a new length of worktop. A Google suggested the element and another Google suggested that on this model it was a really easy job to replace. So, ordered it up and about £15 and half an hour later, we were cooking again. A real hero moment – no budget-draining or complete frustration and inconvenience!
Christopher McKendrick
on July 4, 2017 at 12:25 pm -
The power port on my laptop had become detached from the motherboard meaning my laptop couldn’t charge, rendering it useless. After several hours of effort, a frightful amount of force, considerable soldering-iron work and some cursing thrown in for good measure, I was able to detach the defunct power connector and attach a new one I had bought off the internet, and solder it firmly in place on the motherboard. But our saga doesn’t end there, oh no. For it turned out that the cable itself was also broken too. So, cue scissors, another hour or so with some cable strippers, and more persuasive cursing, and I was able to replace the offending jack with one that worked. The once dead laptop survived another 3 years after this emergency surgery, and ultimately was given to my mum (who somehow breaks a computer a year), before her curious ability to kill even the healthiest of technology ultimately caused an unknown failure somewhere within the system. Ah well, I achieved an 3 extra years of laptop function for only a few pounds of spend and a few hours work!
Carla Morris
on July 4, 2017 at 12:32 pm -
I fixed my american fridge freezer on my own after being quoted £466.00 by a local repair company.
I popped onto the Samsung live chat and asked for the part number, then onto Espares…total cost was £8.11and it took me 15 minutes to fix 🙂
Genuinely amazed myself as ive never attempted to fix ANY appliance before. Hubby was impressed too (pat on the back for me)
Graeme
on July 4, 2017 at 12:33 pm -
My shower was spraying water even when the switch was set to off. I had to turn it off using the celing pull cord. I researched online and concluded that it was probably a faulty solenoid valve. I bought a replacement valve online for under £5 and fitted it myself. I was chuffed that I had saved the cost of a new shower or getting a tradesperson in to fix it.
Zoe C
on July 4, 2017 at 1:24 pm -
I am getting quite a dab hand at fixing things and if all else fails I will ask my husband, from fixing the hoover if it is blocked or needing new filters, changing fuses, rewiring a new plug, I will always attempt if I can feel I can do it, hate waste and always try to get things fixed first before replacing
Emma H
on July 4, 2017 at 1:30 pm -
My washing machine was leaking so I decided to look online, an espares video showed me how to change the seal so I ordered a one online and successfully changed it. No more leaks from my washing machine.
Kirsty Grove
on July 4, 2017 at 1:31 pm -
When our lights wouldn’t come on we thought that there might have been a power cut but our other appliances worked fine. We realised that a fuse must have blown, which miraculously had never happened in our 27 years or so of living in our house. We then discovered that our fuse box is the old type where you can’t just flip a switch but must remove the cartridge and broken fuse wire and replace. With only my mother and myself in the house and with extremely limited electrical/DIY knowledge, we felt sure we would have to call out an electrician but using video tutorials and blog articles I was able to complete the task myself.
Mohammed Akram
on July 4, 2017 at 1:41 pm -
My first ever DIY repair was to address an increasingly loud washing machine. Finding out the bearings needed replacing I figured I had nothing to lose by repairing it myself.
A bit of web browsing, I found the espares YouTube video that I must have watched several times. Probably the best out there 😉
With my confidence boosted and the video at hand, I dismantled the w/m and ordered what I needed.
Suffering mental health issues, i took my time – after 4 weeks, the w/m was put back together and is still doing a fantastic job 2 years down the line. Truely satisfying to know how something is put together and how it works. Knowing it’s working because I’ve fixed it does a world of good for my illness.
Trouble is, it got to my head (pun intended) and since then I’ve repaired a second w/m in quick time and sold it on; I’ve repaired 3 dishwashers with espares parts; a tyre inflator and a microwave.
Now my wife is annoyed because like a true hero I feel I can fix anything (on the kitchen floor) and am looking to buy further appliances just to fix them. A good little hobby! And saving money not having to buy new machines. HEROIC
Yaracuy
on July 4, 2017 at 1:50 pm -
A new door came out of its frame in my hand. I was pretty alone, collected the screws grabbed a screwdriver and fixed it myself !
Winner ! Never again has that door moved anywhere else except for opening and closing.
Emma Gibson
on July 4, 2017 at 2:36 pm -
I fixed the dishwasher by watching lots of videos and googling information, it took a while but I did it in the end.
lynne flett
on July 4, 2017 at 4:06 pm -
i used espares website to source parts for my tumble drier and fixed it no problem
Christopher Williamson
on July 4, 2017 at 4:17 pm -
Hi….I live up in u.k’s most northerly outpost…Shetland,and yes..it is remote,but once upon a time had several appliance repair type companies/people.sadly that’s a thing of the past…and being an electrician to trade,found increasing demand for people needing repairs as most who used to do it had packed it in,due to pricey parts…and if ordered wrong,became non profitable.i had actually pretty much given up myself…used to fix the odd Cooker etc…but thanx to e sprees I’ve taken up repairs again as the prices are half what I used to pay…and so far every part has been correct.many happy customers.all thanx to e spares website and prices.without e spares,I swear all those folks woulda just put appliances to the dump and bought a whole new complete appliance.keep up the good work guys.our island’s appliances now live in hope! 🙂
Kayleigh Carrie
on July 4, 2017 at 4:19 pm -
13 years ago my brother in law was having problems with his washing machine. Me and my twin sister where 20 years old at the time and I use to take my daughter Shaiyann up to see her uncle Pasha every few days as Shaiyann’s dad and Pasha’s brother had passed away and he was the only family that Shaiyann had on her dads side of the family anyway Pasha told us his washing machine was broken and he was going to call a repair man, but before he called repairs me and my sister said we would have a look at it. And omg we couldn’t believe what we were seeing, his washing powder compartment was full to the top with powder and was working its way done and around the pipes, so we simply cleaned the compartment and took the pipes off and clean them out too. Not really a massive repair but we did saved Pasha money on the repair man and the washing machine worked perfectly afterwards.
Kayleigh Carrie
on July 4, 2017 at 4:29 pm -
13 years ago my Brother in law “Pasha” was having problems with his washing machine. Me and my twin were 20 years old at the time and we use to take my daughter Shaiyann up every few days as Shaiyann’s dad and Pasha’s brother died and Pasha was Shaiyann’s only family on her dads side, anyway he was going to phone the repairs man but me and my sister said we would have at look at it first and omg, we couldn’t believe what we were seeing, the powder compartment was full of powder and was working its way down and around the pipes so we simply cleaned the compartment out and dismantled the pipes and clean them out too. Not really a massive repair but we did save Pasha money on a repairs man and his washing machine worked perfectly afterwards. We had to then explain to him how much powder to put in before each wash. Still makes me laugh to this day,
israr baig
on July 4, 2017 at 5:09 pm -
My Ps3 joypad started play up (ie wrong button were being processed) looked on youtube and found a fix. This involced opening the joypad and puffing up some connects that rested on a form pad and just needed to add a few more mm so it became firm.
Works fine so far
KELLY MANGAN
on July 4, 2017 at 6:03 pm -
after returning from our summer holiday, we found our washing machine broken (again), so ordered new one asap, next day got delivered, hubby returned to work, i kept looking at the 4 suitcases full of dirty clothes and decided to google “HOW TO PLUMB IN A WASHING MACHINE”, to my total amazement i followed the simple instructions, and only went and done it!, and it worked!, by the time hubby was home, all clothes washed and dried and ironed, big sis was so impressed when she got her new washing machine guess who she called? lol.
Jane Davies
on July 4, 2017 at 6:31 pm -
I fixed our tower fan that had stopped working, pulled the whole thing apart too ! I have zero DIY skills but I’m getting there, re tiling the bathroom at the moment !
Andrew Taylor
on July 4, 2017 at 7:36 pm -
Dvd recorder was making dreadful screeching noises while dubbing to discs, took it apart and found all sorts of gunk on the rubber disc pickup, cleaned with a cotton bud dipped in alcohol, and hey presto it’s good as new.
Ed White
on July 4, 2017 at 7:55 pm -
COMPETITION ENTRY
By the time I arrived back in Andover, twinned with Gotham City, the panic level was already rising. I stayed calm and preserved my secret identity as a pen-pushing mid-level executive with the DIY skills of a tree-frog.
Kapow! As I went into the kitchen my wife hit me straight away, “The dishwasher is broken” she said “and everyone’s coming next weekend and it’ll be chaos.”
Through the window I glimpsed the DIY Alert signal projected by a searchlight above City Hall. I replied in my most soothing tone. “Don’t worry Darling I’ll phone round and get it repaired.”
Bam! She hit me again with more bad news, “I’ve done that already. They want £70 just to come out and have a look and he said it was an old machine and parts were difficult.”
I admit: I was stunned. “What! But it’s only that little black plastic thing at the back. I’m not paying the ransom – I’ll fix it myself.” Unaccountably, my wife ran from the room in tears. I opened the offending machine with great care and after careful examination I was sure I could do the job, if only I had one of the little black plastic things. Holy Cow, what a fix I was in.
Later, in my secret lair, I tapped into the power of the Edputer (TM) and found I was not alone. E spares Man came to my aid. He agreed to rush me a secret weapon so powerful that even the dishwasher would be brought to justice.
The next day while my wife was out I donned my super hero cape and put my pants over my trousers. I went downstairs and took delivery of 2 Beko Dishwasher Rear Rail Caps (£5.99.) Choosing my moment, I pounced on the dishwasher when it was least expecting it, wrestled open the door and inserted the clips. It was over in no time and the Dishwasher had no choice but to come quietly.
Peace returned to the city, we didn’t spend the entire weekend washing up, we didn’t go broke and my wife thought I was a bit of a hero.
I couldn’t have done it without you, e spares Man.
Paul Smith
on July 4, 2017 at 8:00 pm -
Recently managed to fix a problem with the central heating churning out scalding-hot water. The problem was tracked down to a faulty actuator valve so that water from the boiler was constantly going through the hot water tank. A brief search online sourced a replacement valve was OK to fit. Problem solved without needing to call out a gas engineer!
Kirsty Macdonald
on July 4, 2017 at 8:31 pm -
I fixed a broken bed by putting a match in the ripped screw hole and then putting it back together. It is satisfyingly solid now.
Kate
on July 4, 2017 at 8:51 pm -
My dryer had stopped working saying the condenser was full although I had emptied it. I looked online for advice & found the answer on espares. I needed to pull out the dryer, unscrew a panel pull out a small pipe & siphon water from a small reservoir. I had to use a small syringe to empty the reservoir, put it all back together and lo & behold – it worked!
I always try to fix things myself first now & always turn to espares for advice & parts
Marc Chivers
on July 4, 2017 at 8:56 pm -
Managed to replace a broken plug on a lamp to get it working again.
Tony O'Prey
on July 4, 2017 at 9:04 pm -
The first smart watch I ever bought was the wonderful pebble steel kick-starter. The problem with that is they had a screen tearing flaw. Being a fellow who didn’t want to be out of money or getting another which could do the same, i opened it up with some youtube help, found the screen connection and stuffed toilet paper on top of it to keep a connection. I still get people admiring my cool old pebble, unbeknownst to them full of toilet paper.
Brooke Ritchie
on July 4, 2017 at 9:07 pm -
I managed to fix my 42″ flat screen television whilst my partner was away on a course. I pulled it down on its front & unscrewed the back (I let the screws in a little pot instead of placing them randomly around the area) . Tightened everything up inside, stuck tape inside to secure a few bits (insulated I have you know) . Popped the whole thing back together again (I managed to find all the screws as I was so organised) & kaboom. The TV started working again Proud partner on his return home. He always tells me he’ll ‘sort it out’ & that there’s absolutely no reason to remind him every 6 months
Richard W
on July 4, 2017 at 9:31 pm -
Dirty dishes went into the dishwasher. Dirty dishes came back out. Water was filling. The pump was pumping. Most perplexing.
I cleaned filters. I cleaned pipes. I dismantled anything I felt could with my limited ability.
Then, there it was before me, like an evil eye, a hole in the Upper Wash Arm Feed Pipe hiding under the lower wash arm. How curious.
I leapt straight on to espares.co.uk, found the replacement part in a few easy clicks, selected next day delivery and waited. Just 3 short hours later the part was dispatched. 24 hours later the part arrived.
That evening I faced the menace head on and I won!
Spinning wash arms top and bottom are merrily liberating the dirt, grease and grime from all the crockery and cutlery inside the magic machine once more and peace has returned to the W household.
Thank you espares.co.uk – you saved me 😉
Sophia Miller
on July 4, 2017 at 9:50 pm -
I’m in the process of decorating my first house. Today I used an electric sander to smooth down the walls after stripping wallpaper off of them.It’s something I have never done before and, as a small petite woman, seemed challenging at first. I did it and saved myself the hassle and money of bringing in someone else to do it!
Christopher Malpass
on July 5, 2017 at 7:47 am -
My freezer was working overtime, the motor was on and off 24 hours and frosting up very badly in all the drawers and especially at the top where the ice was protruding out at the front stopping the door from closing properly.
I purchased a new door seal from you and to my relief it worked and I’ve had no more trouble since. I’m so happy as I could of just scrapped the freezer for a new one, costing a lot more than a door seal!
Many thanks Espares.
Jonathan Evans
on July 5, 2017 at 12:34 pm -
I know it sounds ridiculous but, i went to extreme lengths to repair a tiny hand held fan of mine that i have had since i was 6 years old.
I haven’t used it for years but planned to take it on holiday, but i couldn’t get the battery casing off as the screws were TINY (like micro screws!!). I tried all of the screws drivers i own but to no avail.
I finally managed to unearth the dead battery by fashioning a makeshift screwdriver head out of a tiny piece of wire and twisting it with my finger tips!
Sarah Birkett
on July 5, 2017 at 2:05 pm -
A few weeks ago, my husband was with a client in Spain. He accidentally locked the keys in the boot, and the car was locked. He ( and the client ) googled it? He had to smash a side window, and eventually opened the boot. Took several hours, ( and a lot of swearing), but he got there in the end. When he opened the car he was then able to get to the Breakdown company details, and the spare key!
Sharon Bunn
on July 5, 2017 at 2:42 pm -
It was just 3 days before Christmas 2016 and the worst thing happened – my oven glass door shattered!!! I had planned to cook Christmas dinner for 6 and a little one. To say I panicked was an understatement, I had visions of going back and forth to my daughter’s house using her oven to cook things. After a long, long search on line I found a company that not only had the door I needed but they could deliver it before Christmas. The order went in and I was kept in the loop as to where and when my new door glass was in the country. It came, as promised the day before Christmas eve and I fitted it straight in the oven, snug as a bug!! To say that I saved our Christmas would not be fair, E Spares really saved our Christmas and I will always be thankful to them. (I did the real work though). Thanks E Spares.
Neil Molyneux
on July 5, 2017 at 3:24 pm -
I fixed the tumble dryer when the belt snapped and the solenoid went, quite easy really and saved myself a bit of cash.
Robert Wing
on July 5, 2017 at 6:24 pm -
Replaced our over heating element.
Was pretty simple, removed the screws holding the heating element the over and carefully pulled free, removing the screws connecting the wires to the filament.
Checked the model of the oven, space requirements and found a replacement online.
Reinstalled the new element once it arrived and worked good as new.
Even better actually as there were more coils in the heating element so now the oven heats up faster!
Kayley Ciballi
on July 5, 2017 at 7:53 pm -
Not a particularly interesting or detailed story, when I was sub-10 years old my dads car radio broke, I messed about with it for ages armed solely with screwdriver and some how (still a mystery) managed to fix it ?!
Margaret Bostock
on July 5, 2017 at 8:29 pm -
I have a fabulous American fridge freezer that the kitchen was designed around. Anyway after many iced drinks it started leaking around the control panel. Took a while but decided to take a risk and replace without an engineer. Was so simple. Hardest part was making sure ordered right one. Savviness paid off and voila no more drips.
Emile Foster
on July 5, 2017 at 9:23 pm -
I managed to repair my PS3 a couple of years ago by resoldering the CPU that had failed. I was very pleased & proud of myself 🙂
Daniel Bailey
on July 5, 2017 at 10:20 pm -
I recently rented a room for a temporary summer job. I’m a lodger renting from a landlady that hasn’t been able to use her tumble dryer for a year. She mentioned that it wasn’t heating up and so was just blowing cold air over the clothes. I had a closer look at it and realised that it had clearly not been shown enough love. The lint filter was so full that I couldn’t get it out. So after pulling it apart and cleaning as much of the air way as possible; I gave it a go and sure enough it was blowing cold air. So I took the back off, and after a little bit of poking around with a multimeter I found that the heater seemed fine, but one of the two thermostats had failed open-circuit. While I had it open I found a manufacture date, it said 1999. This machine had worked for seventeen years until it broke and had been sat idle since. It seemed a shame that such an old machine would be cast aside for such a small problem, so I identified the part and with a quick search I found a replacement on espares. A few days later the new part arrived and I fitted it. Now it is working perfectly. No need to call the repair service, the landlady was very pleased indeed.
Laura Harris
on July 6, 2017 at 6:43 am -
Coming home on a Friday evening to find the washing machine had leaked water into the cupboard under the sink and all over the floor. Machine also still full of water! Thanks to espares YouTube videos and their speedy parts ordering, we found out what the fault was, how to change the part and by Monday evening the washing machine was all fixed and normality had resumed! Thanks espares!
Janice
on July 6, 2017 at 11:36 am -
it was just a small job but I got the satisfaction of being able to do it myself, a leak under the sink.
Alison
on July 6, 2017 at 3:12 pm -
I bought a small screw and a mini screwdriver set online and was able to fix the frame of my spectacles.
Frances Heaton
on July 6, 2017 at 3:46 pm -
When my old trust Kenwood Food Processor started smoking, I thought that unfortunately I would have to replace it. At over £200 for comparative models, it would have been far too much!
My husband decided that it needed a new suppressor, and bought one locally. He dismantled the Kenwood, and carefully replaced the faulty part. It has worked perfectly ever since.
If he can repair something he will attempt to do it, saving lots of money.
Cherry Edwards
on July 6, 2017 at 8:04 pm -
The bread maker in our house is a vital piece of equipment and is used every few days to bake bread. It’s vital because ours is a gluten free household due to Coeliac and therefor the bread has to be made separately from any gluten containing ingredients or equipment. On this particular morning I went to use the bread maker and it had seized up completely, the mixer wouldn’t budge but I had to make the bread.
I had no idea what to do but after a quick think I got some WD40 and sprayed the underside liberally. After a few minutes the stuff started to work and after a bit of joggling the mixer blade moved freely again.
However, I later learnt that although it did the job very well it might not have been the best product to use on a bread maker given that it heats up. But we are still using the bread maker many months on now.
Emily Turner
on July 6, 2017 at 9:56 pm -
At university I fixed our oven when it broke, which saved us what would’ve been a whopping £400 off our deposit! Safe to say I was everyone’s favourite flatmate for a while!
Roger
on July 7, 2017 at 5:49 am -
The family get-together was due in a few days time and my wife decided to bring the best cutlery out of hibernation and add it to the load waiting to be washed in the dishwasher. Later, there were tears (hers, not mine, as soon-to-be DIY heroes don’t cry), when my better half opened the dishwasher door to be met with dirty dishes, the bottom of the machine full of dirty water and the best cutlery dirtier than it had been. No problem, Ma’am, I ordered a new dishwasher fascia panel online from eSpares which was speedily delivered. Photographs were taken of the machine at various stages of the replacement operation so this hero-in-the-making would know which piece went where during reassembly. The family gathering went ahead complete with sparkling cutlery and my happy Lois Lane standing next to this hero who had saved the day, let alone a lot of cash by doing-it-himself – with eSpares’ help, of course.
Jessica Quinn
on July 7, 2017 at 1:52 pm -
Unfortunately, I can’t fix it myself, but my Dad is an absolute DIY hero! There is literally nothing he can’t fix. He’s got a garage full of tools that he calls his “workshop” so whenever we have a broken appliance, or toy, we take it to Grandad’s Workshop and 9 times out of 10 it gets fixed!! He’s amazing!
Solange
on July 8, 2017 at 4:41 am -
This is perhaps not my best DIY project, but it’s definitely one of my favourites and one that stands out every time I sit in my living room. I picked up an old truck box at an estate sale and turned it into an entertainment centre. I like it much better than anything I could have bought and it’s sturdier and looks much cooler. It was actually a pretty simple project; I drilled some holes and added casters to the bottom, then picked up some white pine board and added it to the top and cut some shelves. Making the bottom shelf in the unit line up with the bottom of the opening on the front actually creates a nice channel underneath where you can hide all the wires. There was some angle iron already welded in place for a shelf on the left so I just cut some wood and added an upper shelf. I opted not to stain any of the wood since I like the natural colour and would like it to get more worn over time. Years down the road I may stain it once it’s got the character I want (I fully plan on keeping it forever). Perfectly fits all my electronics and looks great doing it
Kerry Taylor
on July 8, 2017 at 7:53 am -
Just out of warranty, of course, our tumble dryer broke. We have a toddler, and it was winter, so I couldn’t live without and I couldn’t wait the 3 weeks or so for the repairman.
Ordered a replacement part, and aside from snapping off a bit that doesn’t seem to have affected it, all fixed for £20.
Mel McIntyre
on July 8, 2017 at 8:57 am -
When things break or stop working, it can be very frustrating. Especially when it’s just a small part of something bigger. It always seems like such a shame to throw it away. You can’t bring it to a charity shop or recycling centre, because it doesn’t work. So you’ve only got a couple of options: either do a quick-fix temporary job on it yourself, or find a way to replace the broken bit and keep the rest of the appliance.
That’s what happened with my food processor. I use it all the time to make pizza dough, bread, and a bunch of other stuff. I like it for its speed and for the fact that it does the kneading for you. But when a piece of the lid of the food processor bowl snapped off, I couldn’t get them to lock together. And that meant the two parts would no longer click into place, so that the motor wouldn’t turn on.
I tried putting a screw into the lid at an angle so it would press down the catch and force the machine to work. At first it seemed to do the job, but then I found I was unable to get the two parts of the lid apart after using them. So it was back to the drawing board.
I’d used espares before to purchase a tray for a fridge door, so I thought I’d give them a try. Sure enough, they had the exact lid for my food processor bowl. That meant I only had to spend about £15 getting a brand new part, and I only had to throw away a small part of the unit. The machine now works perfectly again, just like it did when it was new. Problem solved.
Philippa Turner
on July 8, 2017 at 9:00 am -
My washing machine door hinge broke. Nothing wrong with the machine so ordered a new door and fitted it myself! I love saving money and this was a win win – no new pricey machine and now labour charges 🙂
Peter Ryan
on July 8, 2017 at 1:26 pm -
For the second time thanks to espares I’ve been able to save a whole heap of cash by taking a big breath and deciding to do it myself.first time I bought a hose for our washing machine.this time we had a dead ring on our stoves oven.now the wife always has confidence in me for some reason.I wasn’t so sure.anyway I found what I thought was the right part and ordered one.a couple of days later it arrived.i fitted the ring and turned the ring on.to my shock it actually worked.who knew I’m a genius!
kate hester
on July 8, 2017 at 8:50 pm -
Our central heating broke down 2 days before Christmas and it wasnt likely that we could get someone out in time to fix it. I took off the front cover and used my desk vaccum to clear the dust – pressed the reset button and boom! Pilot light on and heating over Christmas!
Rachel Tomlinson
on July 8, 2017 at 10:06 pm -
I fixed my iron when the the power cord broke! I just removed the cover panel then removed the wire nuts connecting the power cord to the wiring in the iron and then put the new one in and then I screwed it back into place crossed my fingers and plugged in, hey presto still here and the Iron works great!
sue hodges
on July 9, 2017 at 3:25 pm -
I changed the heating element in my mums built-in oven – I was her hero
Becky
on July 9, 2017 at 5:27 pm -
I was really proud of myself for fixing my oven when the element failed. I ordered a replacement element and followed a youtube clip to see how to fit it. Saved a fortune!
Shahed Choudhury
on July 9, 2017 at 9:52 pm -
Changed a washer on a leaking tap a few weeks ago – what more do you want?
Mark Johnson
on July 10, 2017 at 8:42 am -
Door seal went on the washing machine, got a new one and fitted will get a few more years out of it
Veronica
on July 10, 2017 at 8:58 pm -
Our washing machine refused to drain and after a bit of trial and error we worked out that the drain pump had failed. Ordered replacement part and managed to fix it ourselves (with the help of web guide), saving a fortune in callout and repair costs.
Tabitha
on July 11, 2017 at 12:00 am -
One christmas eve arrived back home after windy journey to find my old floor standing temperamental boiler had blown out, id watched my engineer jiggle the copper thermocouple and thought it couldnt hurt, igot it working againand it lasted another few months. Good job, would have been a chilly holidays!
Vic
on July 11, 2017 at 6:48 pm -
Hi a long time ago l brought a very good 20 cubic foot freezer from a family in Crowbrough . They had gone on holiday to Spain for a month a few days after they left the power went off and did not come back on. You can imagine the mess in the bottom of the freezer and the smell was even worse .
Anyway they cleaned it out and washed it several times with bi carb but to no avail the lady tried pine disinfectant Which only exasperated the smell.
l brought the freezer very cheap . Now l may not have carried out any repairs but here`s a golden tip if you have any bad smells in your freezer or fridge then buy yourself a pint of fresh cream milk and just wash the fridge or freezer out with it .
leave for 15 minutes and wash the milk out with fresh warm water smell will have disappeared . Guaranteed . the bacteria in the milk destroys what ever is causing the smell.
KARIM KHIMJI
on July 11, 2017 at 8:38 pm -
my mum didnt know how to fix a lightbulb and i did it at 10 years old!
Mike
on July 11, 2017 at 10:08 pm -
Glue! Glue! Glue! Take it with you it solves everything! Broke one of my mounts for my GoPro Windsurfing last week! Didnt have any glue so melted some wax from a candle into the crack and let it set. Bossed it!
Mr L Kel
on July 12, 2017 at 7:47 pm -
A couple of years ago I fixed my mothers electric stair lift after it stopped working. She had a couple of repair men out and after 2 weeks it was still not fixed. I then decided to take matters into my own hands and decided to fix it myself. I undid the panel, tinkered with the wiring a bit – put it back together and it still works to this day!
GUILLERMO YARLEQUE-CAVERO
on July 14, 2017 at 1:35 am -
you are very good suplier of componentes and spares for many appliances , you help me to fix my fridge, tumble dryer, and dyson vacum cleaner, keep up the good work.
DEBBIE WINSTANLEY
on July 14, 2017 at 4:45 pm -
I fixed the boiler after numerous plumbers had told us that we needed a new power board. I noticed something stuck in the extractor pipe outside and pulled it out. That was 5 years ago. I fixed the washing machine when it stopped draining too. I was sent off to uni with fuses (from my Dad!) so I never ever assume something is dead until I’ve exhausted all the possibilities. I unblock all the drains too (I know that’s not strictly fixing something).
Chrissy Schneider
on July 16, 2017 at 8:03 am -
My vax belt snapped when my boyfriend vacuumed for the first time… I ordered a replacement and fixed it easy peasy.
Sarah Morris
on July 16, 2017 at 8:59 pm -
The radiator in the front room fell off the wall (okay it was slightly pulled by my son over a period of time of leaning away from it and holding it) … being a single mum I thought how the bobbins do I fix this.. so I consulted that wise thing that really helps… the internet, and lo and behold I managed to put it back on the wall myself using the right technique to make sure I didn’t flood the house at the same time.. job done.
Ken Laidlaw
on July 17, 2017 at 6:17 pm -
Well I have on many occasions carefully nursed our tumble drier and washing machine back to life using eSpares (my secret weapon) and your helpful videos … saving many helpless 10 and 5 pound notes that would have been taken by !!The Repair Man!! often with a swizzle of a screwdriver and the wave of an oily rag !!The Repair Man!! can then take a super intake of breath and WHOOSH!! the £ notes vanish never to be seen again …. BUT!! with eSpares as my guide and mentor and with my trusty shield made of only eSpares fridge magnets I have thwarted this menace on many an occasion and stood proud with my shield and screwdriver and my dressing gown flapping in the late evening breeze with just the light of the setting sun …. until my niece who’s house I live in tells me to come in and stop scaring the elderly neighbors … but still I know in my heart that I am !!The Everyday Hero!! …………..
Samantha Lea
on July 18, 2017 at 6:38 pm -
I’m always having a go at fixing things, so far this year I have replaced the motor on the washing machine, fixed the toilet flush and yesterday I replaced the rocker cover gasket on my car.. I figure that I can’t make things worse 😀
Ellie Fletcher
on July 18, 2017 at 7:06 pm -
My son had an iphone 5 that he could only use on speakerphone as he couldn’t hear any callers. After months of putting up with it he was just about to buy a new one on contract when I found a video on Youtube. Reluctantly he handed me the phone, I took a cocktail stick and removed a ball of fluff from the tiny speaker hole at the bottom of the phone and voila! I rang him and he could hear me! I never received any praise or gratitude as he was annoyed that his mum had fixed it where he couldn’t!
Christian Milburn
on July 19, 2017 at 1:15 pm -
In the last 2 years I’ve had to fix my Hoover Washing machine twice and my Samsung Tumble Dryer.
Thanks to espares, I’ve done these jobs myself using you fantastic Youtube videos for advice. The Washing machine, though annoying is an easy job – the Tumble Dryer was a bit more interesting, but both were done and resulted in fixed appliances – much to my wife and children’s amazement and saving us hundreds in call out fees.
You’ve made me look and feel like the rugged everyday hero of the household – I even wore a tank-top to do the repairs, just like Tony Stark!
steve ashmore
on July 19, 2017 at 4:37 pm -
My aging dehumidifier was making a real racket – I unscrewed the housing and low and behold – the whole thing was full of dust. A quick vacuum and good as new (well almost…)
Nigel Soulsby
on July 19, 2017 at 4:49 pm -
Terry, my neighbour asked it I fancied a look at his little Henry vacuum cleaner,it was his brothers who’d died a couple of months earlier.Terry went on to state that it had been working fine the just stopped.I told him to drop it over and I’d have a look .After checking the fuse, wiring and switch I noticed all wasn’t well with the switch upon taking the machine to bits I located the problem as being snapped contacts inside the winding mechanism .A little look on the internet and sure enough this was a common problem.New contacts bought and about three attempts at assembling the machine(forgot the order to reassemble )but got there in the end.Terry now has a fully working machine.Despite Terry saying it didn’t matter if it couldn’t be repaired ,I think it mattered a little more than he let on,
Joe Squire
on July 19, 2017 at 7:53 pm -
I would put food in the oven to cook and come back to find it hadn’t made any progress. Turns out the element in the oven had stopped working, so had to take it out and replace it with a new one
Bee Hunt
on July 19, 2017 at 9:04 pm -
Tumble dryer belt broke..so I bought a new one from #eSpares and hubby replaced it 🙂 (Hubby’s the Hero!) #It’seasywitheSpares
Henry Dixon
on July 19, 2017 at 9:33 pm -
After one IT Specialist and one IT DIY enthusiast pronounced my Dell PC defunct I managed to revive it running Windows XP unsupported
howard sleight
on July 20, 2017 at 6:38 am -
I ‘fixed’ an electric fan heater. When I finished it only blew out cold air; the heater never worked! My Mum was very kind and said it was just what she wanted for the hot summers.
JULIE MILLS
on July 20, 2017 at 1:32 pm -
The carpet was soaked, the water kept coming
The kids laughed and whooped and I came a running
The rad had a hole and it just wouldn’t stop
so I took full control and the kids got the mop!
I turned off the water, I turned off the rad
I fixed it with fixing stuff and I didn’t do bad
The kids were amazed, all 5 mouths agape
“I’m Supermum” I said, “now get me a cape”
Tracy Jane
on July 20, 2017 at 1:34 pm -
I’d recently become a ‘single mother’ of four children and had the worst luck ever following it. My washing machine broke down, my tumble dryer broke again, my fridge freezer suddenly gave up the ghost… I had the washer/dryer insured so short of waiting almost 8 weeks without either they were replaced and I wasn’t out pocket.. the fridge freezer needed replacing and it cost me a pretty penny.
I had a few weeks break with no broken down appliances and things were going good.
Until my microwave stopped working and wasn’t heating up the food, that’s it I thought I checked the fuse, wasn’t that, took off the cover and checked the lamp that was one of the options to the source of the problem so I ordered one online and waited for it to be delivered.
Sure enough I took it all apart again replaced the bulb and rebuilt the pieces I’d dismantled. Plugged it in and closed my eyes and crossed my fingers tightly.
Yay!! It worked and I was so proud id managed to fix it all by myself and since then I’ve fixed a wall bracket and tv to a wall and fixed up some floating shelves. No longer will I moan I cannot do any DIY and I certainly didn’t need a man to do it.
mia yates
on July 20, 2017 at 1:41 pm -
i once replaced the rubber belt on my old upright vacuum cleaner, and it worked like a dream, i couldn’t have been prouder 🙂
Jill Cameron
on July 20, 2017 at 2:24 pm -
the bulb on my extractor fan had been out since we bought the house a couple of years previously. I had been asking my husband to fix it for just as long. I finally took matters into my own hands and decided to open up the cover that I thought might enclose the bulb. Result! The old bulb was there. I took it out and went to espares for help. Found the bulb I was looking for and ordered it online. It arrived super fast and I replaced the bulb. I was so chuffed with myself!!!!
Katherine McDonald
on July 20, 2017 at 3:57 pm -
I fixed my bedside fan by following an instruction video on how to take it apart, clean and oil it. It was working as good as new in no time! Was definitely a life-saver in the recent heat wave – I am heavily pregnant and about to lose my mind not being able to sleep because I was so hot, so when the fan stopped working there was definitely tears!
fiona waterworth
on July 20, 2017 at 11:31 pm -
I am getting quite handy, having recently installed the washing machine and a dishwasher and all the associated plumbing, amazing what you can do thanks to you tube
Kathryn Moyse
on July 21, 2017 at 12:52 pm -
After buying a new integrated dishwasher I struggled to work out how to fix the wooden door back on. Luckily, I found the parts and good advice on espares. It made the job easy, took no time at all and saved me lots of money in handyman fees!
Michele Clark
on July 21, 2017 at 3:13 pm -
When I moved house, the ‘power’ shower was more of a ‘whimper’ shower. I gave the shower unit a thorough clean and replaced the hose and shower head with new, sparkly, chrome replacements. Pow! – the power was back in the shower!
Elaine Garrett
on July 21, 2017 at 6:26 pm -
After months of the shower cutting out I simply turned the pressure down and it was fixed! #easyfix
Charlotte Reeve
on July 21, 2017 at 7:54 pm -
My oven decided to stop working one day and I narrowed it down to the element. I ordered a new one from espares, researched online and managed to replace it myself (with a little help from my lodger to provide the manual labour!)
Lydia Frew
on July 21, 2017 at 9:34 pm -
My wonderful Dyson DC03 has been a workhorse for many years but, after while, it started to really suck, or rather it didn’t suck! “The motor just doesn’t work very well any more. You’ll never fix it” says my husband. “Maybe, maybe not” says I.
I decided I didn’t have much to lose by taking it apart so I did. I took it apart, piece by piece until it was all over the kitchen table. There were some pieces I wasn’t sure were supposed to come apart but persuaded to anyway. Until finally, “Ahaa! What’s all this brick dust and debris doing in it, blocking is up?”
“Oh” says my husband. “I think that might have been me.”
I cleaned everything and then meticulously put it all back together in the same order. Some bits needed a little persuasion of the hammer variety but 2 or 3 hours later my lovely vacuum cleaner could once again suck in the right way! No spares needed on this occasion but I was so proud of myself!
Amy Bee
on July 22, 2017 at 10:20 am -
My pet rabbit chewed the wire of my mum’s GHD straighteners when she was on holiday (and I wasn’t supposed to have them out!) so I looked online at how to rewire a new plug and I DID IT!
I was a little afraid that they would blow up when I switched them on but they didnt!
Laura Gibson
on July 22, 2017 at 10:48 am -
My washing machine broke. It’s was my first experience in my own flat. It was a disaster! I tried to drain the water but the drain was too close to the floor so I had to do it with a frying pan. The floor was covered in water so I had to use every towel I owned. At the time I was also fixing a blocked sink I had removed the u bend but forgotten…guess where the washing machine water ended up…..in my cupboard below the sink! Everything was covered in water but guess what….I removed all the fluff blocking the washing machine and it worked like new….good job as I had a lot of towels to wash!
ann goody
on July 22, 2017 at 10:54 am -
The glass oven door half came away from frame.
Had to work out how to take the pull down door off….took 3hours(!)
Then purchased special heat proof glue over internet.
Three days later, worked out how to insert glue around the open edges,then turned it upside down to dry to weight it down.
Next day ,took 1 hour to put door back on. Extremely pleased with myself
Angella Willis
on July 22, 2017 at 11:47 am -
A number of years ago when my children were at the toddler stage they had a habit of switching the dishwasher on and off by the rocker switch at the front of the machine. Surprisingly enough it soon broke and my husband who worked all hours said we’d have to wash up by hand until he got the time to look at it. Also surprisingly enough that wasn’t an option for me because I was also short of time working part time, looking after 2 small children and running a home. I therefore decided to look on the espares website and found an almost identical type rocker switch which I consequently ordered. When it arrived I very nervously took off the top of the dishwasher and disconnected the contacts from the wires leading to the rocker switch and replaced with the espares switch carefully making sure I connected the same wires to the contacts at the sides in the same order. I replaced the top and eagerly tried the dishwasher and voila it worked! Hubby was astonished! Consequently any repair jobs are now mine (with the help of espares of course
stephen goody
on July 22, 2017 at 12:34 pm -
We had a Bosch dishwasher for over 13 years. Over the years I found water in the bottom twice, (kinked outlet hose) which I cured by putting a wire string to hold it at a better angle.
My greatest achievement was, however, to repair the electrical loom that runs through the door.
The wire gets weakened as the door continuously is used and literally breaks it into two. Twice this happened and twice I repaired it by going to a local shop, junk shop scrap to get an old loom of wires from another machine.
I just took off the wooden fascia door and the inside door panel and with my wife’s help we threaded it into place, soldered it and reassembled.
A third time it happened but unfortunately we dismantled the door too much and all the internal switching mechanism sprang out, never to be replaced. Shame, but we had our money’s worth out of that one!
Seaneen mcloughlin
on July 22, 2017 at 1:00 pm -
Just before Christmas my tumble dryer stopped working properly.
It just blew cold air and wouldn’t dry clothes which I needed because the weather was terrible. I rang a repair man and he quoted £75 just to come out, which I couldn’t really afford. I googled what was wrong and found the espares website which told what the problem was. The thermostat needed replaced and there was even a short film showing how to replace it yourself. I ordered the part online and it arrived two days later and after following the instructions in the espares video I replaced the part and had the tumble dryer working again in 20 minutes. The new part cost just over £30 and saved me much needed cash.
Kev C
on July 22, 2017 at 6:26 pm -
I had a leak on my roof, and living in a bungalow decided to get up and take a look. Removed several tiles, laid some new felt, and 8 years later still no more leaks!!
Bob Clark
on July 22, 2017 at 6:27 pm -
Our Dyson vacuum cleaner wasn’t performing well – after lots of looking at youtube etc we managed to get it part disassembled and remove all the trapped hair – worked perfectly – cheaper than a call out
Mari Sutherland
on July 22, 2017 at 6:45 pm -
Massive puddles on floor! washing machine to blame! New hose connecting to water supply and all is dry!
Fiona King
on July 22, 2017 at 6:49 pm -
I fixed my broken shower by watching Youtube videos over an over again. It took me ages and have no idea how I did it, I would not be able to do it again
M Dean
on July 22, 2017 at 7:10 pm -
I fixed my laptop, which had a problem with the dc jack socket, by watching a few videos on YouTube to see how to best take the laptop apart and buying a replacement socket. So it only cost me £2 to fix rather than at least £50 to get someone to look at it.
Julie Smith
on July 22, 2017 at 7:11 pm -
I had a bad habit of kicking my oven door shut & one day the roller latch inside broke.
I did a bit of research about the model and how easy it was to change. Found out what the part was, ordered it online and as soon as it arrived got down & dirty changing it.
I’m ashamed to say I found a chip whilst changing it, oh the shame !!
The bf had wanted to ring someone to come to sort it but no need when I’m about. As for him that’s a different story last thing he tried to mend caught fire, thankfully outside. It was a simple job as well, well should have been for any other person xx
Margaret Dunlop
on July 22, 2017 at 7:11 pm -
Had to fix it myself – the washer went on the kitchen tap. I googled and managed to replace the washer myself 🙂
PH936
on July 22, 2017 at 7:15 pm -
I was fed up of lining the pockets of greedy repair men and their costly call out charges. Often they would come, stay for five minutes and relieve me of my hard earned cash. I was determined to do something about it and when my dish washer refused to work, I seized my opportunity. I quickly Googled the symptoms which could stop the washing process early in the cycle and was given a short list of possible fixes. I then proceeded to you tube and typed in my model and “how to fix”. I keenly watched a short film and then got my tools. Eagerly, I opened the machine up. It looked so different to what I was used to but I confidently continued. I quickly found the fault, a plug like component that had come open when knocked by a stray plate. This caused water to trip the sensor and shut the system down. I refitted it tightly and screwed the panels back on. I then tested my handy work and was so pleased to discover that my efforts were successful and only took me a matter of minutes. No doubt some repair would have happily charged me a small fortune for this simple fix !
James Forster
on July 22, 2017 at 7:34 pm -
A long time ago, when the world was young and all, and we could not afford to have our washing machine repaired, I remember the fun and games of obtaining the correct graphite brushes and then fitting them onto the electric motor from underneath the machine (it did work afterwards!).
Sandra Stitchell
on July 22, 2017 at 7:48 pm -
We have a very old tumble dryer that up till recently had never let us down, then suddenly we had a problem, thought scrapyard job. But no thanks to e spares it’s now working like new.
sarah tulley
on July 22, 2017 at 7:51 pm -
i once fixed my washing machine, the belt had slipped off and i put it back on saved me buying a new one!
E nixon
on July 22, 2017 at 8:04 pm -
Mended a vacuum cleaner with an annoying rattle.
With the help of google and a few spares from online, some help from a colleague..i managed to fix it.
Still really not sure what the problem was…
Peter Hall
on July 22, 2017 at 8:18 pm -
Changed the door seal on our washing machine – not so much that I wanted to – but to prevent my wife from ordering a new machine as she was fed up with the constant leaks. Went up a few notches in her estimation for saving so much money
Alison Joyce
on July 22, 2017 at 8:41 pm -
I fixed my dolce gusto by following you tube videos to unblock the water valve. My husband was ready to throw it away but I was not to be defeated.
Sally Lloyd-Jones
on July 22, 2017 at 9:23 pm -
Fixed my washing machine door when it half came off its hinges. Surprisingly it is still going strong!
Chris Jones
on July 22, 2017 at 9:31 pm -
I’m usually far more successful at breaking things than fixing them. However, my most satisfying fix was probably my PC. I tested the power supply and found it to be faulty and then replaced it with a well regarded and high quality model. It was extemely satisfying to press the power button and hear and see it come to life.
Sean
on July 22, 2017 at 9:56 pm -
I replaced the motor on an old DC02 Dyson with one designed for a DC05 because the 02 motors aren’t available anymore. It meant cutting a little bit of plastic housing, but it worked fine in the end and for a fraction of the cost of a new vacuum!
jennifer
on July 22, 2017 at 10:05 pm -
my hdtv stopped working. common fault with the make i had bought. you tube videos showed “how easy” it was to change the motherboard. so my husband and his friend ordered the part. took the tv apart. various ohhhs and ahhhas . turn on tv, check, turn off tv, check, put new bit in, turn on tv —- BANG —- they blew it up. bye bye tv.
Helen Padden
on July 22, 2017 at 10:43 pm -
My glass oven door had a broken hinge on the bottom, I managed to take the door off and managed to fix the hinge with my sons tools. Amazing, never done anything like this before, I also somehow managed to put the door back on on my own. I was over the moon that I had managed to fix this myself 🙂
Mr C
on July 22, 2017 at 11:58 pm -
The seal on my fridge door wasn’t retaining a suction last summer, meaning that I wasn’t able to keep perishable foods or store them for long.
Buying a new seal for the brand and model of my fridge was easy using espares website. Fitting the seal was easy, too.
Janie-Fleur Matcham
on July 23, 2017 at 1:43 am -
my husband was so handy he fixed everything but when he passed away i either had to get in handy me or wait for a kind family Meyerbeer and wait and wait. When lock went on my washer and i couldn’t open the door i waited and waited for someone to get around to helping me. I then googled it and saw that i just needed a small part i ordered it and then spent about 12 hours working out how to fit it but I did it and its been fine ever since. Since then I have changed the seal on my cooker and solved a number of problems in my home.
lara collard
on July 23, 2017 at 1:53 am -
I was hovering, the hoover switched itself off, I switched it back on, it switched off again.
I looked on the espares website, very common fault, ordered a new switch, took 5 minutes to fix and hey presto hoover fully working again.
Sanam
on July 23, 2017 at 2:57 am -
I fixed a broken washing machine by looking at videos online
Sharon worsley
on July 23, 2017 at 4:38 am -
A few years back during a drive back from Scotland my mums fan belt went….I remembered seeing something about being able to temporary fix it with a pair of tights. I got my mum to whip her tights of and then fitted them around the fan belt…I even surprised myself as it worked and got us home.
Peter Saville
on July 23, 2017 at 6:03 am -
I fixed my washing machine.
After taking it to bits, eventually found 7 coins in the filter.
It now worked, and I was over five quid up!
Jade Saban
on July 23, 2017 at 7:52 am -
I always have to because I would be waiting forever for my husband to fix something!
Rachael Simmons
on July 23, 2017 at 7:58 am -
When I thought my original PlayStation had given up the ghost (possibly collapsed from exhaustion) I decided it couldn’t take the heat, so I popped it in the fridge for a few mints and suddenly I was all Victor Frankenstein “It’s Alive! It’s Alive!!”
I’ve also given successful CPR to a student, that counts as fixing something right?
Bob McMahon
on July 23, 2017 at 8:11 am -
The thermostat went on my built in over. I bought a thermostat for my cooker from eSpares and replaced the faulty one. This solved the problem and saved us a fortune!
Bob McMahon
on July 23, 2017 at 8:12 am -
Built in oven sorry, not over!
Caroline Cox
on July 23, 2017 at 9:15 am -
Thought my 25 year old lawnmower had given up the ghost when it was groaning and struggling to cut, but sourced a new blade from e-spares and fitted it myself (well I made my husband do it, surely the same thing 🙂 and whoop whoop all sorted. May even get another 25 years out of it yet.
Rena Plumridge
on July 23, 2017 at 9:19 am -
My washing machine broke so I ordered the correct part on line to fix it it was only £15.00, sorted the problem, no call out charge, no workman charge sorted, blooming marvelous!
Jacqui Graham
on July 23, 2017 at 10:04 am -
When my washing machine would not work, the door would close but would not lock therefore did not start the wash cycle. Oh No ! Big repair and call out costs were heading my way. So YouTube here I come. I checked out the problem and how to solve and repair it. I took time to remove the door, open the door up and move a spring which had come loose. I was washing again (a couple of hours later). Plus I saved myself a pretty penny in repair costs. I am quite proud of myself.
Kristy Brown
on July 23, 2017 at 11:06 am -
Nice shiny condenser dryer just out of warranty in miserable rainy Wales stopped turning – local repair were going to charge more or less the price of a new drier to just come out and have a look but good old youtube told what the problem likely was – which part I needed (£6) and how to fix it. Part duly arrived. Hubby and kids said I was nuts and an hour later (and lots of fiddly bits) hey presto – fully working. .2 years on shes still going strong
Laura Pritchard
on July 23, 2017 at 11:29 am -
Our dishwasher was showing an error message a few minutes after it started and just would not work. I googled the error code along with the model details and came across a forum of people giving advice. Several people had said that tipping the dishwasher slightly on it’s side both ways fixed the issue for them, so I got my husband to do the grunt work whilst I “project managed” and it solved the problem instantly!
Chris Harris
on July 23, 2017 at 12:10 pm -
espares was the only place that could source me a plastic door tray for a Zannussi fridge
Stephanie Coals
on July 23, 2017 at 12:12 pm -
The dishwasher that we’ve had for about 5 years started leaking and I immediately thought that it was completely broken and that we’d need to buy a new one. After a search on the internet and reading up on what it could be, I found out that it was only the hose that was leaking and not the actual dishwasher. Ended up changing the hose by myself and fixing the leak, I felt very proud of myself after that and the dishwasher is still going…!
jeff lowe
on July 23, 2017 at 12:22 pm -
The Wife’s electric oven stopped heating, She was ready to buy a new one but a quick google and I found out the heating element could be easily replaced, a day later and the oven was back working again….hasn’t improved her cooking though!
Maggie Coates
on July 23, 2017 at 12:23 pm -
I’m not really very good at fixing things. My limit is changing the odd washer, or door seal here and there.
craig norman
on July 23, 2017 at 12:42 pm -
I took an old xbox 360 pad apart which had a problem with the left analogue stick always making you walk left a bit. glued it into a straight position, built a cabinet for it and wired it to a joystick.
angela b
on July 23, 2017 at 12:55 pm -
The turbo fan went in my oven, so I looked on e-spares for a replacement then watched a how-to video, so I ordered the new fan followed the instructions and video and it worked I was so pleased with myself, it saved me a lot of money, and it makes me more confident in trying other things.
Mohammed butt
on July 23, 2017 at 1:59 pm -
I had to replace two of the glass screens on my double electric Neff oven. I phoned Neff to see how much it would cost to get an engineer and they said £99. Checked on google and it was simply two clips that pop in! I ordered the bits and fit it within 5 minutes. Would have been really really annoyed if the engineer had just clipped then in and walked out within 2 minutes! Anyways all sorted!!
Emily
on July 23, 2017 at 3:26 pm -
I remember in primary school a classmate broke her sister’s necklace that she had ‘borrowed’ for show and tell. The pendant had obviously been bent too far and had separated from the chain, it needed to be reset to be rejoined together. I offered to fix it, hoping to earn myself some friends, the lonely cretin I am, despite it being my first DIY endeavour at a mere seven years old. Within an hour, hey presto, with just safety scissors and a fork, the broken article was fixed. I was hailed a hero! And so many years later, this moment is still remembered! I obviously haven’t acomplised much to not forget this!
Alan Chung
on July 23, 2017 at 3:50 pm -
I managed to break the exhaust fume in an oven door by putting to much pressure while cleaning it. I managed to find the spare part and looked at Youtube videos on how to take the oven door off. I managed to replace the part myself and gave the inside of the door a proper clean as well
Heather Hibbert
on July 23, 2017 at 5:29 pm -
When I borrowed next door’s lawnmower and mowed over the cord! Thankfully it was near to the end and I was able to just put a new plug on – my neighbour was none the wiser haha
wendy moore
on July 23, 2017 at 6:01 pm -
The built in dishwasher became a bit obstinate, randomly choosing when to or not to drain. So my husband decided to take it apart and have a look. He explained that if someone put it together why couldn’t he take it apart (and hopefully put back together with a minimal number of left over parts). As per the internet instructions he read – apparently for a very similar but different model! – he managed to get it out and apart, all over the kitchen floor. After checking for any blockages he narrowed it down to a faulty pump. Having used espares before he went there first and of course they had the part he said. Although putting it back together was more difficult than taking it apart, I had to leave the room as I have seen my share of these battles. In the end he did win, put it back together and it’s worked great since. And this time there weren’t any spare parts lying around, destined for putting a jar in case they may be useful for something else.
Rachel H
on July 23, 2017 at 7:47 pm -
My Grandma’s old video recorder wasn’t working properly (yes she still uses a VCR but she is 90!) so I took it apart, sorted out where the spools were sticking and put it back together again and she was ever so happy – she didn’t want to have to use one of those – quote: ‘new-fangled digital things!
Jo Jones
on July 23, 2017 at 8:00 pm -
When the seal failed on my washing machine it was an easy fix ( and cheaper) to replace it myself
Sam Nowog
on July 23, 2017 at 8:17 pm -
I fixed my desk
Emily Clark
on July 23, 2017 at 10:31 pm -
How about the time I fixed my boyfriends bike, just by realising that he had the quick release undone on his wheel? He was pretty embarrassed at the time, as he was training to be a bike mechanic!
shane weir
on July 23, 2017 at 10:51 pm -
I just changed my car brakes using the power of youtube!
Charlotte Aldridge
on July 24, 2017 at 1:24 pm -
I am your average 25 year old woman – hates dirt, oil, grease well anything slightly filthy. I was hoovering my flat when I stupidly ran over the cord to the hoover! Yes there was a very loud noise and some sparks and a little smoke, I have way too much pride (or possibly couldn’t deal with the embarrassment) to tell my partner what I had done, I very quickly went online found out where to get the part I needed and came home ready to be a ‘Female Fixer’ – all I can say is ‘Google’ is my saviour and to every person that teaches ‘How to’s’ on the internet….THANK YOU! I felt a great sense of accomplishment and to this day my partner still does not know about my shameful moment even though I would love for him to know that I am more than capable to fix things on my own!!!
Trudy Simpson
on July 25, 2017 at 12:43 pm -
The thermocouple kept breaking on my boiler the same guy kept returning to replace it was costing me a fortune, he kept sucking in over his teeth saying I needed a new boiler but I had the feeling that he was replacing the same thermo all the time, so I put a mark on the thermocouple and just as I thought when he came to fix it again he’d put back the old one, so I watched what he was doing and the next time it broke I went and bought one and replaced it myself, the boiler lasted for years after that. I also had a guy come in to fix my tumble dryer as the TOC kept breaking, after about the fourth time I called him out I watched what he was doing and couldn’t believe how easy it was to replace the TOC he was charging me a fortune and the part at the time was a couple of pounds. I’ve never been afraid to try and fix things myself in fact I enjoy the challenge.
Over the years I must have saved thousands of pounds doing my own painting and decorating, up cycling old furniture, fixing the kids bikes, you name it I’ll have a go at fixing it, I’m a dab hand with a saw and a drill, I’ve tiled the bathroom and kitchen floors and walls, hand painted my kitchen units which look fab, and I must be the only one who loves flat pack. and I love all kinds of craft, my family think its funny when I ask for paint, wood, screws etc for Christmas and birthdays. I’m in heaven walking around a DIY store.
From Trudy aged 57.
Harry Stewart
on July 26, 2017 at 11:32 am -
Our Bosch Washing Machine had been leaking for a while and after a bit of investigation I found a tear at the top of the Door Seal. I therefore ordered a new Door Seal from eSpares and fitted it myself.
However, a couple of weeks later, the Washing Machine started emitting smoke and tripped the RCD in the fuse box. Upon removing the front panel it became clear that it had caught fire and destroyed the Heater Element, the Temperature Sensor and a Cable to the Control Panel. I concluded that water had escaped through the damaged Door Seal and had been dripping onto the terminals of the Heater Element!
In some ways my wife was quite happy as she thought that the Washing Machine was a “write-off” and could now convince me to buy a new one to match the other kitchen appliances.
Consequently, I ordered all the parts that I needed from eSpares and cleaned off all the blackened smoke damage from inside the Washing Machine.
I felt quite satisfied when I got the Washing Machine working again. My wife wasn’t quite so satisfied as it’s now been working fine for a couple of years!
Frances Drewett
on July 26, 2017 at 11:44 am -
I managed to knock a large fist sized hole in the wall while moving furniture, so instead of panicking I found some cardboard cut it to size and inserted it in the hole. I then used poly filler to cover it, once it dried I sanded it and painted over it.
ASHLEIGH RYAN
on July 26, 2017 at 2:30 pm -
I break so many things that I have to try and fix before my husband finds out (or at least hide the evidence!) The most recent was pulling the lever off my binding machine with a rare burst of hulk-like strength. Luckily, with some trial and error I managed to reattach it.
Heather Harris
on July 28, 2017 at 6:46 am -
I fixed a hairdryer a few years ago and rewired it
Kirstie Foweraker
on July 28, 2017 at 8:03 am -
I mended a tumble dryer by replacing the belt. I figured it would save me some money. However I did not anticipate how hard it would be to replace the belt on that particular dryer!! I had to take the whole thing apart and getting the belt to fit was a nightmare! Lots of swearing and sore fingers.
Needless to say, when the belt went again I just bought a new one!
Beverley Marshall
on July 28, 2017 at 8:47 pm -
A mirror my mother gifted me fell off my living-room wall – luckily not smashing into smithereens – and took a white double socket along with it. This meant I couldn’t plug in my favourite lamp just where I like it. After watching a few Youtube videos and switching off the mains electricity, I set to work removing the remaining pieces of socket. With a new double socket in hand, I manipulated the wires into the back of the plug and screwed the new socket face onto the wall.
This may have been a small job but I couldn’t afford to pay for an electrician and was over-the-moon when I flicked the mains switch and my lovely lamp blinked back on!
With a little help, you can achieve new things!
Debbie Howe
on July 28, 2017 at 8:49 pm -
Our sink was blocked and we faced a large plumbing bill – however, i thought i would have a go myself. Took the pipes apart – cleaned them and used a pipe cleaner to ensure all the blockage was removed – job done. x
Emily Gallichan
on July 29, 2017 at 12:44 am -
I’ve been on a bit of a fixing blitz recently. I’m a single mum and have been avoiding those dreaded “odd jobs” for ages. I’ve made some mistakes along the way (and almost lulled myself in the process) but I’ve learnt from them and feel a little more self sufficient now. It’s amazing what you can achieve with Google and a toolbox!
The last job was a nice surprisingly simple one – fixing the drainage in our fridge – our poor veggies had been repeatedly drowned in pooled water for months. No longer a problem 🙂
KARIM KHIMJI
on July 29, 2017 at 12:13 pm -
Once my car’s tyre went flat and it was my first ride out since passing, had no clue so had to google and went on youtube to go through a step by step instructions guide! It took me 2 hours!
Laura Chapman
on July 29, 2017 at 12:13 pm -
My friend’s iPhone screen was smashed and between the two of us, a YouTube video, a specialist tool set and a new screen, we managed to replace it and save her over £100 from doing it ourselves!
Massimo De Lucia
on July 29, 2017 at 3:20 pm -
I fixed our specialist hoover which is vital as it’s a hypoallergenic type for my wife’s allergies she was so grateful!
I also fixed our Bosch tumble dryer as I worked out that the sensor had gone so I replaced that & it’s still going 5 yrs on!
I do all my own car & van repairs too such as, cambelt, brakes, service as my dad owned a garage so I know quite a bit just lack some specialist tools & a lift!
Just recently my van broke so I bought another & stripped my old van of everything to spruce up the older van in need of serious tlc plus got lots of spares in case of breakdowns etc.
I always fix everything until it really is desperate to be replaced by more environmentally friendly tech and I fix up everything for my mum in law & bro in law! They love me!
Wayne Roberts
on July 29, 2017 at 4:28 pm -
When my TV decided to take hours to start and it was likely due to the cheap capacitors that were installed it was time to get some new ones and put them in with the help of a soldering iron.
Kevin Pike
on July 29, 2017 at 5:19 pm -
I’m often fixing things here and there but the biggest thing to date was my old laptop. I thought it was gone beyond repair but after taking it apart I saw that many parts could just be replaced. I looked on youtube and found videos on how to replace the bits then happy days, a working laptop!
Jay Hill
on July 29, 2017 at 8:19 pm -
My only DIY experience so far has been to replace the door seal on my washing machine. A purchase from eSpares and a few tutorial videos later, job done. It was easier than I thought and I did feel a great sense of achievement however – I’m not gonna lie – if I hadn’t just bought a new oven, I would have bought a new machine for an easy life! It’s definitely made me want to try repairing first rather than rushing out to replace.
Diane S
on July 29, 2017 at 8:20 pm -
The paddle from my breadmaker was stuck in the loaf of bread and got accidentally thrown away when the loaf end went stale. I thought that was it for my breadmaker but luckily eSpares had a replacement. I bought one and put it in. Dunno if that counts as fixing something but it is about as handy and technical as I get!
J Mather
on July 29, 2017 at 9:08 pm -
I managed to shear the top off the rubber gear on my blender when over working it too blend dates. Thought that was it and I would be having to buy a new one. Delighted after a quick google search to discover you can easily replace the gears and cheaply too compared to the code of replacing the blender. Easy to fit too. Happy days!
Farhana
on July 29, 2017 at 9:57 pm -
I fixed my washing machine all by myself after carefully taking about bits and finding underwires from bras getting clogged up.
Jasmin Bir
on July 30, 2017 at 12:58 pm -
A chair for my grandma. One of the bolts wouldn’t go in as the hole was at an angle; it was very complicated! Can’t quite describe it, but I spent a good hour trying to adjust it. Eventually I did it. Not one to give up! I become incredibly stubborn, I couldn’t have left it unfixed.
Alison
on July 30, 2017 at 4:11 pm -
The washing machine stopped working but I managed to work out it was the pump and cleaned it out myself
Sam Swain
on August 2, 2017 at 11:26 am -
I walked in the house to discover a puddle of water all over the kitchen floor. It was coming from our downstairs loo and there was water gushing out from the back of the cistern. I managed to repair the problem then when it had dried out I fitted new flooring and redecorated, all for around £50 – I was very pleased.
Alexia E
on August 2, 2017 at 2:17 pm -
We inherited a rather old Belling dual built-in oven in our present house (we moved in 6 years ago). With very little money to spare, we were gutted when the main oven element broke shortly after we moved in. After doing lots of research, and checking out the espares video guides relating to changing elements, I felt confident enough to simply buy a replacement part (for approx £40) and fitted it (with a tiny bit of help from the hubby!) and was stunned and so pleased to find the oven was working again. Guess what happened when the grill element failed about 2 months ago? Yep, I bought the replacement part for under £30 and saved a bundle as it was fitted by me and hubby again. I also feel so proud that I have kept the oven out of landfill and still in use! Go me!!!
Emma Bradbury
on August 3, 2017 at 4:48 pm -
How timely – just last night my partner paid a middle of the night visit to the loo. The water kept running after he flushed, very loud and very annoying.
Neither of us are particularly ‘handy’ but google was our friend. With the help of YouTube videos we managed to work out the issue. A short term solution to allow us to go back to sleep was to jam my cleanser bottle under the wife to keep the float lifted and stop the water running. This morning I went out as soon as the local hardware store was open and managed to buy the replacement siphon and flush we needed, fitting them on my return with more google/YouTube help. Really simple thing probably but felt like superwoman
Adele
on August 3, 2017 at 7:59 pm -
My partner has used your site and bought numerous items, e.g for mending our old hoover, the belt went so he bought and replaced that. He also mended our last washing machine with a replacement part for the door.
Lastly he also repaired our hob.
Vicky Smith
on August 6, 2017 at 9:31 am -
I fixed my vacuum cleaner by taking it apart piece by piece and removing the hair that had wound itself round the components. It actually wasn’t that difficult either!
Gerardine Sykes
on August 8, 2017 at 6:28 am -
My son was complaining that his Dyson was broken and needed replacing. Mum to the rescue! All it needed was a new belt (thanks espares!). Sometimes Mums do know best!
Zoe Weir
on August 8, 2017 at 5:26 pm -
I fixed my hair dryer! Put it on one morning and the noise and burning smell that came from it was awful! Didnt have time to go buy another (and i def wasnt gonna go to the shops with wet hair!) so google to the rescue! Took it all apart and it was all gunked up with oose and dust and hair, so gave it a good clean and hey presto we were ready to rock and roll! Felt really chuffed with my self too!
Rebecca Evans
on August 8, 2017 at 9:52 pm -
My vacuum cleaner came to a sudden halt mid cleaning…me not happy! My husband tutted over it and announced we will need to buy a new one…with a tight budget…me not happy. I decided I would try to fix it…it was broken already so I couldn’t make it worse right?! I searched the internet…finally I asked the right question…up popped a YouTube video with step by step guidance that matched my dilemma. Sleeves rolled up..tools at the ready…I followed the instructions, not once, not twice but three times! Third attempt I cracked it…not my vacuum cleaner! – my dilemma…I fixed it! Did I feel like a hero…maybe just a little bit…but immensely satisfied! My vacuum cleaner still works too and this was about 9 months back! Yay me!!!
Susan Hoggett
on August 9, 2017 at 10:48 am -
I managed to change a wheel on my car myself once, I really didn’t think I could do it but I was amazed at myself.
Martin Rothwell
on August 10, 2017 at 1:21 pm -
Bought a Vacuum Cleaner back in year 2000. We have dogs (Hairy), cats, chinchillas and rabbits. I also have a wife who thinks anything can be picked up by a vacuum cleaner!
The general story is this when something has gone wrong with the vacuum, my wife generally asks me vacuum the front room. I bet there are a few partner out there that this happens to as well.
The vacuum is an upright one made for dog hairs, has a sensor for brush heads and also to cuts the motor if it overheats when blocked. Anyone guess what make it is yet?
So what happend over the years.
1 Rabbit chewed up the wire. Managed to get a new handle and cable.
2 Brush head worn down. Changed 3 time.
3 Blockages, when the wife wants me to clean the front room. Finding ,twigs, bottle tops, socks, allsorts yes licorice allsorts. I use two methods Metal coat hanger straightened out and or broom handle.
Servicing the vacuum is still in production today and all the parts are easily available by mail order.
I strip it down each year to clean out all accumulated dirt and change the filters. The collection bags are changed when full. Once or twice i had to empty a bag to reuse it because we run out.
Anyone guess what make it is yet?
Last Clue the maker has 4 letters in its name.
Ps the Vacuum Cleaner is still going as good as a new one (was expensive when we bought it but well worth it)
Kath Amis
on August 10, 2017 at 3:27 pm -
My washing machine was moving around a lot when spinning and driving me crazy! I live in rented accommodation and knew I’d wait for ever till the landlord did anything. So I decided to fix it myself I had to take off the coving around the floor which was held in place by little panel pins, and unscrew a plinth to get to the feet of the washing machine. Then I did manage to screw the foot the right way and raise it up.
Screwed back the plinth and pushed the coving in. But I din’t have a hammer so used the heel of my shoe. It still moves but only a little. Job done!
I have been married for 46 years and relied totally on my husband (I know its stupid). He died in February and this is the first time I’ve ever tried to fix anything. You don’t know how proud of myself I am!
Rose P
on August 12, 2017 at 1:46 am -
When my hubby was serving in the forces in Malta we had a very old twin tub which was so rusty the motor kept falling out so I had to use locking wire each time I used it to keep motor in place
Jen App
on August 12, 2017 at 7:29 pm -
As my wonderful mother is an avid cook/baker and caring friend, she wakes up at the crack of dawn to feed what appears to look like a meal for 10 but only herself, me and my sister end up eating weekly. As the man of the house (my brother) has packed of and has a family of his own, I knew as the youngest (and smartest) I had to step up and take on the role of handywoman 🙂
One morning she’s prepping as usual for her meals, but this morning the oven clickers not igniting and she’s baking for a friend who’s husband unfortunately passed away.
She’s fretting and gawping at her raw dough in disbelief, glancing at the clock every five seconds worried about her friend arriving in 4 hours.
So I thought to myself, I have 2 hours to get this oven running and mum has another hour for her baked goods to be fresh and prepped in time for her friend.
I head onto youtube and soon enough I find a tutorial on how to repair clicky oven. So three things are apparently required to fix the oven; a toothbrush, screwdriver and a needle. I get to work, scrubbing tweaking, my fingers clawing away at the clicker and soon enough at midday I think I’ve fixed it.
I give it a try and suddenly six wonderful blue flames ingite from the oven. Two hours later mum’s friend pops round, mum makes a cuppa and they dig in.
She takes a bite, chews for a couple of seconds, looks up and gulps heavily and says:
“You know, I haven’t been able to eat anything for a week and a half. I’ve had people at my door daily giving me flowers, grapes and casseroles and I couldn’t stomach it. But this is the best thing I’ve had” – she says with the biggest smile. My heart lifted up with gratitude, as did my mum. She ended up taking a huge container of the baked goods. My mum always says food is a way to anyone’s heart.
Hussain Idris
on August 12, 2017 at 7:32 pm -
I have a hot point washing machine which broke down on me! The problem was that when I was turning it on, you could hear the motor spinning but the drum was not moving. As I have never opened one up before I thought a little look would not hurt considering the guarantee was long gone. I opened the top, removed the concrete and saw the motor was right at the bottom. So I shut it off again and turne the machine upside down to re-open it. It was at this point I noticed the belt to drive the drum had come off. I thought “how hard can it be” famous words before spending near enough 3 hours trying to get it back on as it was so tight. I was very committed to get this working so I used pliers, spoons and a bit of grease (the way you would change the tyre on a bicycle. My persistence paid off and I got it back on and voila! Job done! I felt really proud of myself that I never gave up!
Gemma Short
on August 13, 2017 at 9:37 pm -
I fixed a video player. The tape from a video had become unspun inside the machine.
Robert Parkinson
on August 14, 2017 at 4:53 pm -
It was a bosche double oven that i had for about 2 years.. one of the main buttons wouldnt turn around. I didnt want to have to pay for an engineer or a new oven so i googled the issue and found the part on espares a £1.50 coupler.. I was so chuffed with myself when i fixed it.. i think the delivery might have been more expensive than the part, but thanks to espares the oven worked for years to come
John Tingay
on August 14, 2017 at 9:01 pm -
The central heating would only work for hot water – it would not do central heating or CH/HW together. I found some helpful forums online, and after eliminating the main thermostat as the fault, decided to check the 3-position valve. I removed the electrical actuator, the valve would move easily with pliers but the actuator was dead. I bought a new actuator, connected it electrically and watched it work perfectly, so I mounted it on the valve and the system worked normally. Whilst doing all this I discovered that switching the system off with the setting on CH or CH+HW leaves the valve permanently energised – wasting electricity and maybe shortening its life, whereas when it is set to HW the valve is de-energised. The programmer is now set to ensure the last couple of minutes of normal operation is now HW only.
Daniel Austin
on August 14, 2017 at 9:55 pm -
My girlfriend mowed through the cable for the lawnmower so I trimmed back the wires and fitted a new plug – even that qualifies you as a superhero these days!
Jan Hopkins
on August 16, 2017 at 11:20 am -
I couldn’t believe that the washing machine repair man (who “might squeeze it in sometime next week…”) wanted to charge £120 for such a simple job.
“How much?” I asked, “Seriously, that’s what you charge to take a bit out and put a new one in the same place?”
When he responded,with a grumpy, “You could always try doing it yourself luv, if it’s that easy!” that was it, I was on a mission! How hard could it be?
A quick google search, and I found the part I needed, an element, on espares. £38, including delivery!
Ok, I’ll be honest; when it arrived, I did panic slightly. Was there a teeny, tiny possibility that this was going to be trickier than I thought?
Nope! Absolutely not. I just set up my iPad in the kitchen, with the eSpares ‘How to…’ video, and I was good to go. Half an hour (and admittedly, the odd angry grunt) later, I had a working washing machine again!
Since my first ‘Fix it Myself’ superhero moment, I’ve repaired our tumble drier and the water dispenser on the fridge. Everyone can be a hero with eSpares; if I can do it, without even breaking a nail, anyone can!
Mark Hopkins
on August 16, 2017 at 11:33 am -
I needed a new filter for the oven hood which i bought from espares. With a little help from a video tutorial, i was able to do this without too much effort. HERO!!
Mike Cambridge
on August 16, 2017 at 12:17 pm -
My washing machine stopped working midway through its cycle, full of water and a family load of clothes. After ringing a repair shop I was quoted £60.00 call out plus time/parts to fix, I thought I’d have a go myself.
Checked out forums and Youtube and found a couple of people with my machine who had the same problem. Two hours later it was fully drained after using a DIY draining kit, and my cash was still in my wallet!
Simon Sackett
on August 16, 2017 at 3:09 pm -
I fix everything myself if I can! Over the years I’ve replaced broken parts on our Dysons, belts on tumble dryers, a waste pump, drum seal, and various door switches on washing machines, and an oven thermocouple in a Belling cooker. I’ve even welded a breadmaker’s motor wingnutoojamaflip back on! I don’t see why I should throw away a perfectly good appliance if I can get spare parts from espares. One word of advice though: be very wary of large capacitors. I’ve not been bitten by one yet and I don’t plan to be either.
Dave C
on August 16, 2017 at 6:06 pm -
When my of dock was making weird sounds during playback I was starting to get irritated, I just wanted to chill to my tunes! Anyway, I snapped so I took the thing apart. There didn’t seem to be anything visibly wrong with it but there was some build up of rust or some sort of corrosive filth on some of the boards. At this point I thought I have nothing to lose so I spent ages carefully scratching off the muck. I put it back together and voila! Was working perfectly again!
Beverley Cousins
on August 17, 2017 at 7:37 am -
Just moved into our new home and couldn’t wait to put our new kitchen units/sinks & work tops together..(bare in mind we’ve never done anything like this before) Measurements done before hand, so raring to go!..
The cabinets were going great, even lining the doors up correctly “Brilliant” then we started on the sink, it fitted into the worktop & unit perfectly, then came the biggest problem of all, fixing the pipes to the other pipes & tap!
My partner spent all day on the mixer taps which came with flexible hoses with what appeared to be female 1/2 inch BSP ends.
So I got some 15mm compression to male 1/2 inch fittings, (read it some where) he then tightened the lot up and there was water spraying everywhere, from where the pipe emerges from the hole in the nut.
He couldn’t tighten them enough so that where the pipe emerges from the nut there was no play! He had to turn the water off and go to work, but i couldn’t leave it like that..
I googled, watched youtube videos & set off to the pipe center, because i could see he had twisted the flexi pipe which was making it leak etc.,..Armed with a new one and tools from my dads, i set about replacing the whole lot, it did take me nearly 2 hours but i done it with the help of watching youtube by my side! lol
I didn’t have the heart to tell him what i done and that it doesn’t always take a man to do a job,lol 😉 i just said i tightened a couple of bolts etc., lol…..It must have been all those years spending time with my dad in the shed where he was always making things and diy around the home…Knew it would come in handy one day! lol
Doreen wright
on August 18, 2017 at 10:38 am -
Being an 81 year old widow, who can just about press A switch, my only story is that I ring my son in law. Who says, “what have you done now”, but invariably knows how and what to do to fix things. Problem solved.
Allison Mary
on August 18, 2017 at 9:18 pm -
I managed to fix a huge cabinet in the bathroom a couple of weeks ago and saved myself quite a bit of £££ in the process!
Harry Truss
on August 19, 2017 at 1:18 pm -
Right I’ve been a bit of a novice when it comes to DIY and getting stuck in! Since moving in with my girlfriend in January this year however I have taught myself to put up shelves, mirrors, curtain poles and actually own a toolbag! Which is in our new 5 x 3 foot shed which I put up last week! My biggest triumph was fixing something I actually damaged myself. I hit a car at work and left a big scrape on their car (I left a note but received no call, probably because they had a bigger scrape on the boot which they hadn’t fixed) but my car looked worse. Long black indented scrape next to the tyre arch which I used T-cut first to remove the scrape, then boiling water and a lot of plunging to fix the dent. Good as new and I’m proud of that one!
Tara Clover
on August 19, 2017 at 3:36 pm -
My silver fridge and freezer, both handles broke. Manufacturer told me I could only buy spares in white, so I spray painted them silver to match.
Helen W
on August 19, 2017 at 9:50 pm -
I took apart our old fitted wardrobe, sanded it, primed it, painted it and put it back in. Took me a while though!
helen pope
on August 20, 2017 at 7:24 pm -
Do dolls count? I restore old dolls with plenty of superglue, paint, and saran hair. It’s fiddly but I enjoy it
Clare B
on August 20, 2017 at 10:42 pm -
I accidentally put pet bedding covered in hay in the washing machine and turned it on! The machine got completely clogged up but we took it apart and manually removed the hay and got it working again.
martin rowley
on August 21, 2017 at 3:57 pm -
I’ll always have a go at fixing something rather than replacing it, the appliance that I fixed myself and felt like a hero was my washing machine. It was making a terrible noise one night when spinning and i knew straight away that a bearing had gone on it and I ordered one that night. When it came the next day I took the washing machine apart and replaced the bearing myself.
sharon mckenna
on August 21, 2017 at 4:27 pm -
I am not gifted in the mending department; however, when a broken oven door came between hungry teenagers and pizzas I tried every DIY tool we have before finding exactly the right sized one & hey presto dinner served.
Andrew Plumb
on August 21, 2017 at 4:38 pm -
I have repaired our old hotpoint washing machine by removing the motor, removing the armature, refacing it on my lathe and rebuilding it with New brushes
Hannah P
on August 21, 2017 at 11:02 pm -
A few years ago at university, my flatmates and I had some friends over. One of the guys managed to break our kitchen door handle. I had no idea what to do, so I got my nail glue and stuck it back on… It worked fine until we left that flat (2 years later) so I was pretty impressed!! Haha
Sue Walker
on August 22, 2017 at 8:18 pm -
The brushes needed replacing on my washing machine so I ordered the relevant parts from eSpares. They replacement brushes arrived at couple of days later. I fitted them in the machine, replaced the back and switched it on….hey presto, a fully functional washing machine and it’s still working today. A job well done eh??
char1234
on August 22, 2017 at 8:33 pm -
Fixed a leaking radiator last week!
Johnny James
on August 23, 2017 at 10:50 am -
For almost a year the tap wouldn’t stop dripping, just drip… drip… drip. I seriously had had enough, so, I take the day off work and spend the day researching the problem. Throughout my research, I end up dismantling and reattaching the sink at least ten times but to no avail.
The next day is a Saturday, the wife’s out with the kids so I go at it again eventually finding out that it’s the pipes that need to be replaced. Now, normally I’d get a plumber in to do this because, well, I mean, it’s hardly just a DIY job. But this sink had gotten to me and I could just be having someone else messing around with it. I reckon it was similar to how John McCain felt in them Die Hard films; he could call for backup, easy, but that wouldn’t be satisfying enough.
Luckily for me, it’s a bank holiday on the Monday as well, so I’ve got this three-day weekend to work my socks off and get this done. I’ll admit this now, with no shame, it’s a real hard job. It took literal blood, sweat, and a little bit of tears for me to replace those things. I even had a stint when the pipes just wouldn’t fit so I had to go at them with a saw. But I’ll tell you now, Monday night when I was tightening the last bolt, I’ve never felt so proud. Even my wife was impressed, and if you knew her you’d know that’s a rarity.
Hard work does truly pay off. That tap hasn’t leaked since!
dave johnston
on August 23, 2017 at 1:29 pm -
Once fixed my nans hoover !!!! dismantled then put back together and hey presto
Donna welsby
on August 24, 2017 at 9:32 pm -
Have broken more stuff than I’ve repaired but my finest hour was changing the belt on my vacuum after I accidentally hoovered up my dressing gown belt I was too lazy to move. Still recall the horrible burning smell!!
Cheryl Potts
on August 25, 2017 at 12:28 am -
I fixed my Triton electric shower which wouldn’t produce hot water by removing the front cover and strategically placing a small piece of cardboard and a blob of Blu Tack inside . I Googled the problem and found this utterly bonkers piece of advice . I thought it was probably a joke and would never work but as I couldn’t afford a new shower at the time, I followed the instructions and was completely gobsmacked to find it did indeed fix the problem, I had a shower with hot water for the following two years which made me feel both clean and epic! The shower eventually died and has been replaced by a lovely shiny new one .But I do still cherish the satisfying memory of that time I resusitated the shower and squeezed an extra two years use from it !
Bob Scott
on August 25, 2017 at 10:48 am -
With the help of youtube tutorial videos, I replaced the burned out elements in my oven with new ones and now enjoy tasty roasts and bakes all the time.
Stewart Biddle
on August 25, 2017 at 12:54 pm -
My vaccum cleaner broke my wife didnt have much belief in my capablititys to fix it
How wrong she was i turned to espares got the new part i needed it arrived a couple of days later and i fixed it….. ok it might not be 100% but it works #superhero
ElizM
on August 25, 2017 at 6:24 pm -
I’m not a DIY fixer but there are times when needs must and I was so pleased with myself recently when I sorted the fridge out by ordering a spare door shelf thingy to put the milk in and replaced the broken one. Wish I could do the same with my wretched washer dryer but there’s a limit to my capabilities
evelyn kempgee
on August 25, 2017 at 7:46 pm -
The bottom joint that holds the fridge door to the fridge rusted away, hubby replaced the piece ( that the door swings on) and the door worked perfectly till we had a new kitchen 3 years later.
Richard Speight
on August 25, 2017 at 9:20 pm -
TEST
Michael Clarke
on August 26, 2017 at 7:45 am -
The fan in my dehumidifier burned out I managed to source a new fan and installed it myself. as good as new now
Nelli
on August 26, 2017 at 10:29 am -
Water started pooling at the bottom of the fridge and after some research found the bit at the back had become blocked. Cleaning it not fun but fixed it! Also back in the day used to fix VCR when picture was bad with bit of toilet tissue wiping the side of he spinning round thing. Not much but felt like a hero each time!
Alison
on August 26, 2017 at 11:20 am -
I had a knock at the door one night. It was the young mum from next door asking for help as she was cooking dinner for her and her 2yr old son and she heard a bang and the power went off.
Her husband was working away and she was due her second baby. On investigation we found out it was the element in the cooker that had failed.
Now I’m no DIY goddess but after watching a few youtube videos I popped online and ordered the part she needed and managed to get her cooker running again!
She was elated! And I must say it goes down as one of my proudest moments and saved a young mum a fortune.
Lucy Stephens
on August 26, 2017 at 2:11 pm -
In uni I lent my vacuum cleaner to some people down the corridor after they had a huge party. When they brought it back it wouldn’t pick anything up at all I tried all the obvious things like emptying the bag checking the hose etc, but then I banged the hose really hard as it seemed something was lodged up there , after 5 minutes of banging the hose a dead mouse fell out, as you can imagine I am scarred for life and now hire a cleaner twice a week.
christine WESTLAKE
on August 26, 2017 at 3:30 pm -
I ordered a new seal for the church hall oven , the old one had been broken, if it was not fixed there would not be a Tuesday lunch for our elderly residents.
Despite being registered disabled with m.s. and hands the do not always do as they should i fixed the new seal myself!
Georgia McAllister
on August 26, 2017 at 6:58 pm -
My fridge freezer was really noisy, sounded like something was getting caught on ice that had built up. I replaced the thermostat and evaporator unit. It’s been a year now and still working perfectly.
Kayley HILL
on August 26, 2017 at 10:58 pm -
I built my own 3 door wardrobe because my ex wouldn’t do it and would rather play on his PlayStation. I then built my own bed and desk and hung some pictures and mirrors on the wall. Safe to say we weren’t together much after ( thankgod) x
Terry Baggaley
on August 26, 2017 at 10:58 pm -
I’m not very good at woodwork but I put my misses dressing table together and surprised her when she got home. She loved it
Denise Hill
on August 26, 2017 at 10:59 pm -
I just redecorate am old run down house that hasn’t been looked after at all. And made it very nice and safe all by myself. I’m now very proud of my home xx
Anthony
on August 27, 2017 at 11:12 am -
This story is from someone (yours truly!) who has never been particularly “handy” in the home. I guess I’m more of a penpusher type (my inner “Clark Kent”).
So imagine my dismay when, a few years ago, the washing machine stopped spinning… aarrgh! We couldn’t afford a new machine or even a plumber to fix it. A few trips to the laundrette later, along with a few attempts at handwashing, it was clear that we couldn’t sustain the situation. Something had to be done. I had to rise to the challenge (my inner transformation to “Super Techie”).
The first thing I did was consult the fount of all knowledge… the internet! Via an online forum, I found a detailed manual and troubleshooter for the machine model/type. After successfully removing the back cover of the machine, a simple diagnostic quickly revealed that the belt for the drum was no longer functioning. A replacement belt was soon located and, once received, I carefully followed the manual instructions and “hey, presto!”, just like new.
The sense of pride and accomplishment from being able to save the day still brings a smile to my face. You just don’t know how much we all take our appliances for granted until something goes wrong.
I’m now that bit more confident to tackle any future “emergency”, and I know where to go for resources *big wave to eSpares*
Emily Hutchinson
on August 27, 2017 at 12:11 pm -
I fixed the toilet when the diaphragm had a hole in so it wouldn’t flush. I used a bit of old plastic, cost £0 and it’s still working fine years later.
Sarah Ruse
on August 27, 2017 at 1:55 pm -
I fixed our tumble dryer by removing the top, get rid if the lint build up and applying some WD40 to allow the drum to move smoothly.
Pam Lawrence
on August 27, 2017 at 3:04 pm -
Funny you should ask….Coincidentally my fridge freezer stopped working yesterday morning. Well, the freezer was working just fine, and the lights were on as normal, but the fridge wasn’t working. It has been making odd noises of late, ever since we moved here a few months ago really, but worse lately. Well, it is bank holiday weekend, my husband is away on a course, I don’t drive, and my in-laws had no room in their fridge or freezer. I phoned around all the numbers locally that I could find, but precisely because it is bank holiday nobody is working arghhhhh! In despair I got out the booklet which came with the fridge freezer, and did a bit of troubleshooting. Turns out it was making the noises as it iced up (it is a no defrost one, with a plastic panel at the back of the freezer, inside, which ices up until the ice stops the fan from going round and the fridge stops. So I took out the freezer shelves, got my hairdryer out, and started playing it over the panel to melt the ice. It cut out very soon,though, so I had to improvise by boiling a kettle and putting it into the freezer and shutting the door for a while. Eventually all the ice was melted and the water mopped up, and i packed the freezer back up, crossed my fingers, and turned it back on…..and it worked again, and i felt really wonderful, not least for saving money!
Mandy Seymour
on August 27, 2017 at 3:07 pm -
All of our electrical seem to pack in a maximum of a week after the guarantee has ran out 🙁
We know the items are not old and several times now we have ordered parts from espares to renew the life of our “broken” items.
Ken Bryant
on August 27, 2017 at 9:18 pm -
When the rubber gasket on my washing machine was leaking because of a small hole, I used a bicycle repair patch to repair it while I was waiting for the Espares part to come through the post to do a more permanent job. I was able to put my washing through a few cycles because I love to cycle.
Alison Latham
on August 27, 2017 at 10:20 pm -
Every year we have a Bonfire Night party and every year espares come to our rescue when the element in our oven fails the week before. Sometimes I think the oven knows what is about to be asked of it!
Cathy C
on August 28, 2017 at 1:59 am -
Rotting food and expensive fridge replacement averted by this superhero simply replacing a door seal 🙂
Darren Mckenzie
on August 28, 2017 at 6:24 am -
My Indesit fridge door seal had split and not for the first time but this time the guarantee had expired.
I called a local tradesman and explained the problem and asked for a quote which came in a whopping £95. When I picked my self up off the floor and pulled my thought together I hit the internet for a cheaper solution and guess where I found it. Yes! espares and to my delight it was only going to cost me £40 for a replacement.
How chuffed was I, half the price of the quote and all the satisfaction of having done it myself. I don’t mind telling a small celebration dace around the kitchen was required.
Shannon Williams
on August 28, 2017 at 7:35 am -
I’m always having a go at fixing things, so far this year I have replaced the motor on the washing machine, fixed the toilet flush and yesterday I replaced the rocker cover gasket on my car.. I figure that I can’t make things worse
Fiona Scott
on August 28, 2017 at 9:55 am -
My fiance love e-spares, and we’ve ordered various bits and pieces over the last year to patch up our appliances. Just last month we managed to get a replacement dial for the oven which had fallen off. Super quick service and easy to fix ourselves, now no need to use pliers to turn the oven on and no longer guessing the temperature!
Diane Searle
on August 28, 2017 at 10:00 am -
My Hoover washing machine stopped working and kept coming up with a error on the display every time I tried to put a load on. My husband said that he would fix it but in the meantime I was doing constant trips to the laundrette. After a few weeks of nagging my husband he still hadn’t fixed it, so I decided to research the error message and have a look myself. I am the least mechanical person ever but it turned out to be a snapped cable which through watching YouTube videos I managed to replace all by myself and the washing machine has been ok ever since. Girl Power!!
elaine kerr
on August 28, 2017 at 10:37 am -
my tumble drier stopped revolving so I took the back off and discovered that the drive belt had split in half so I ordered a new one and fitted it myself(not bad for a complete diy novice like myself) I just looked at where the grips were for the previous one and after footering – (good old Scottish word meaning messed around)with it for about half an hour I managed to put it onto the grips with the right tension and position – result! It lasted for years after that and was still going strong when I gave it away.
Calum Skelton
on August 28, 2017 at 1:21 pm -
I went to a job interview with my MP and spent an hour bigging up the fact that I’d been in the Army for the past 2 years, being deployed all over the world, that I’ve got a degree and that I’ve got multiple years of experience, charity work and DofE etc. After all that, one of the interviewers looked at me and just said, “could you put up a blind?” I replied, “probably.” So he immediately replied “great, you’re hired…” so far I’ve put the screws in, but I’ll keep you updated when it goes up. Domestic god!
Ruth Wollerton
on August 28, 2017 at 2:52 pm -
I had water all over the floor from my washing machine and was beginning to panic. I noticed it was flashing an error code, but I had lost the instruction manual ages ago. I couldn’t afford to call out a repair guy, so decided to use the internet to try and fix it. It said it was a blockage and first I needed to drain the machine. I followed all the instructions and eventually found a solo sock blocking a pipe. I was so proud of myself xxc
BRIAN COWINGS
on August 28, 2017 at 3:37 pm -
Bought an indesit dryer part from espares and fixed it myself 🙂
Charlie Lovatt
on August 28, 2017 at 4:33 pm -
I’ve fixed loads of things at home, from turning it off and on to changing parts. The one I was most impressed with was probably when the washing, aching totally stopped draining. There was some taking apart and eventually I pulled a lolly stick from an internal water motor
Jun MO
on August 28, 2017 at 4:52 pm -
I’ve replaced a fuse for my toaster!
Mike W
on August 28, 2017 at 5:30 pm -
I’ve fixed both my washing machine and tumble dryer using parts from espares.
Chris B
on August 28, 2017 at 6:22 pm -
I have a really old Moffat oven. The glass door got cracked and I thought I’d have to replace the whole oven. espares had a replacement in stock though and I was able to reattach to the hinges. Replaced the oven light too while I was at it. Similar with mouldy washing machine door – though that was a bit trickier to fit!
DEBBIE DAVIES
on August 28, 2017 at 6:55 pm -
Not an appliance as such but my mobile phone had been dropped and it had somehow knocked out the front camera and ear piece.
After having a little google, i bought the phone part off ebay for £2, watched a video in how to do it step and step and *da-da*, my phone was as good as new.
I was dead chuffed with myself and am now contemplating a second career in mobile phone repairs…………………..LOL! xx
Chris Street
on August 28, 2017 at 7:41 pm -
The tale of the leaking dishwasher
So opened the dishwasher and realised I was standing in a puddle of warm water so I did what any self respecting man would do and ignored it, it was only a little puddle and stuff was still coming out clean. Then my wife noticed it….and it had to be fixed.
I’m not great on the tools – I can change a battery in my sons toys and occasionally do a few other bits and pieces but on this occasion I decided to man the f up and crack on.
Did some googling and decided it was coming out of the vent at the top of the dishwasher – unscrewed the front, located the clear plastic pipe, cleaned it out, reassembled and man points ahoy it worked – still divining out on that one 🙂
Andy Craig
on August 28, 2017 at 8:32 pm -
Our dishwasher was playing up. Armed with rubber gloves, a screwdriver and Google, I managed to sort it out, and as an added bonus, managed it without maiming anyone in the process. Result.
Eliza Wilder
on August 28, 2017 at 9:05 pm -
My dishwasher wasn’t working for about 6 years and the light in my oven wasn’t working for about 3 years but I am hopeless with this kind of thing. My Dad was a plumber and handyman and before he died he did all the jobs around my house so I got used to not doing anything myself. A kindly taxi driver pointed me towards espares where I was able to get all the friendly advice I needed and answers to my daft questions. I was able to quickly fix these things myself and was amazed by how simple it was – there were just a couple of small problems… It’s amazing what you can get used to if you have to – but so great that they were fixed!
Tom McGroder
on August 28, 2017 at 9:29 pm -
T’was a Monday night in February when from the kitchen came a blast,
A quick post-mortem confirmed the cause, my grill element had done it’s last,
So I went online to Espares and searched for Ariston,
But my worst fears were confirmed, as the manufacturer had gone.
But whats this, those kindly folk can recommend an equivalent part,
This element looks just the same so I added to my cart,
The postman brought it super quick, it was a breeze to fit,
If youre looking for appliance parts, you can bet Espares has it!
Claire Lacey
on August 28, 2017 at 10:03 pm -
The valve is forever blowing in my shower. The hubby says it’s because I have my showers too cold! He always manages to replace the valve and repair the shower. 14 years later, it’s still going strong and no, I haven’t started to have hotter showers!
Kat Lucas
on August 28, 2017 at 10:15 pm -
My Kitchenaid Mixer had a short and would go super fast and then shut off with no warning. I went to Youtube and watched videos on how to repair and then to Ebay to buy a kit and for less then £20.00 I managed to save my precious Kitchenaid mixer and am still using it almost daily and it’s been over 5 years since I repaired it myself.
Kevin Johnson
on August 29, 2017 at 1:02 am -
I’ve fixed the washer when the door wasn’t closing properly and it was leaking. It needed a new clasp for the door which I replaced.
David Blair
on August 29, 2017 at 7:35 am -
A one pence coin picked off the ground and left in my trouser pocket jammed my washing machine drainage pump but a new pump was soon on its way and fitted by my son.
SO LOOKING AFTER THE PENNIES SOMETIMES CAN SAVE YOU POUNDS.
Amy Dacre
on August 29, 2017 at 8:15 am -
Being a proper girly girl I usually leave the fixing to my fiancé (or his dad who’s an aircraft engineer).. however my beloved hairdryer blew up, I was ready to bin it and buy a new one but they sat me down, made me open it up, fix it and re-wire it myself. Small things for some people but I was so proud of myself!!
stephen cook
on August 29, 2017 at 8:18 am -
Last autumn I took the big step in DIY to repair and replace the flat roof over the bathroom, toilet & third bedroom. Having done the research and with the help of a brother & brother-in-law, we got scaffolding in, along with all the parts. This included a single piece rubber roof instead of the usual felt.
From Saturday morning through to Sunday evening, we stripped the roof, adjusted the drop to the front and laid the best 18mm plywood. The rubber was glued on and then affixed to the new suffix. Lastly new guttering was fitted.
Monday it rained and the roof performed just right and has been 100% dry since. This should last us 40 years and by doing it ourselves saved us £1,000’s on using a roofing firm. I look at that flat roof every day with a warm sense of well-being. Now just have a long list of other DIY jobs on the house and garden to do!
Richard Lawrence
on August 29, 2017 at 8:56 am -
Me, Big Man, fixed our dishwasher with a new heating element and I feel on top of the world.
The family are just happy to get the dishwasher back :o/
Deirdre M
on August 29, 2017 at 10:09 am -
In our previous rental property we ran into issues when the freezer drawers cracked & the door clasp wasn’t closing properly. A quick look around e-spares found us the pieces that we needed & they arrived promptly. A minimal amount of cost/work on our side & we were able to avoid any loss of deposit when we moved out!
Linda Guest
on August 29, 2017 at 10:10 am -
when we got married, 40 years ago, we were bought a pressure cooker and it’s been brilliant but sadly the gasket wore and it no longer reached pressure. I have bought a new gasket from you and fitted it myself (very easy) and now it cooks like new!
Ali Thorpe
on August 29, 2017 at 10:14 am -
I’ve fixed my toaster when a spring went and the lever wouldn’t stay down, the upright Dyson when the brush stopped turning, the other vacuum when the pipe got blocked and needed to be removed and replaced. I’m not exactly Dr Emmet Brown although I can figure out how bigger things are put together and what to do to get them working again.
lucinda duxbury
on August 29, 2017 at 11:17 am -
I fix everything myself, the vacuum kept tripping off when I was using it, I worked out that it happened when the wire near the plug was pulled, so I cut some of the wire down, attached a new plug…. works like a charm now
Lynn Hughes
on August 29, 2017 at 12:13 pm -
When my bath blocks because my hair builds up in in the out flow pipe I take it to bits and unblock it.
Jordan Bentley
on August 29, 2017 at 12:24 pm -
I discovered my washing machine pouring out titanic quantities of water, so I checked the espares website and diagnosed the problem from a really useful video – turns out it was a busted door seal.
I watched another video which showed me how to replace the seal – I’m not very confident at doing this but it worked a charm and saved me a fortune on a call out!
Chris Fletcher
on August 29, 2017 at 12:36 pm -
When the latch on our freezer compartment snapped and everything started melting, disaster was assumed to be on its way and we’d have no ice cubes for drinks that summer! After finishing off my seventh icecream, the notion hit me that I could repair this myself…. contacted espares, got the bit required and fixed it in a jiffy! Just in time for the bbq we had planned! Was I worshipped like a demi-god for rescuing this situation? Not quite but I got to enjoy ice cold beverages in the summer heat! #superhero
pete
on August 29, 2017 at 1:08 pm -
i fixed my stepsons laptop the day before he was flying out to cyprus to work as a singer! he had downloaded loads of backing tracks and songwords which he needed to start work the next day singing in a bar, a job he had always dreamed of doing. the day before the laptop decided to pack up! i took it apart and for hours was trying to figure out which wires went where etc……. six hours later it was fixed to my great surprise as i have no clue about electronic fixing! he was able to fly out the next day with laptop in hand and start his new job. proud of him and myself!