Appliance Spares
Quick answer: Calling a repairer to a dead dryer usually runs $180–380 once you add the $100–165 call-out, the one-hour minimum, parts and labour. Yet the three faults that panic people into buying a new machine — no heat, the drum won’t turn, and forever-long drying — are nearly always a part between $8 and $70. Match your model number, fit it over an afternoon, and you keep the lion’s share. Verdict: unless the cabinet is rusted through, a dryer is almost always worth repairing.
Last updated August 2026
The quick maths: a part and an afternoon vs a repairer
Here’s the bit nobody tells you. A repairer’s call-out or diagnostic fee is $100–165 before a single part or minute of labour, and most set a one-hour minimum — so even a ten-minute belt swap gets billed as a full hour on top of the call-out. Add the part and you’re commonly looking at $180–380 to get a dryer going again. All of that to fix something that, more often than not, is a plug-in belt, a lint filter, or a heating element you can match to your model in a couple of minutes.
The part bands below are category-level ballparks — call-out fees and labour vary by brand, job and where you live, so treat these as framing, not a fixed quote. The live price of each part shows on its own card when you tap through.
| Symptom | Likely part | Call a repairer | DIY part band | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tumbles but blows cold (vented/condenser) | Vented dryer heating element | $180–380 | $40–70 | Medium (mains — isolate power) |
 Runs but never gets warm (heat-pump) | Heat-pump heater assembly | $180–380 | Bigger-ticket part | Harder (deeper strip-down) |
 Heats, then cuts out to cold mid-cycle | Thermostat / overload cut-out | $180–380 | $18–30 | Medium (mains — isolate power) |
 Drum won’t turn (motor hums or dead) | Drum / fan belt | $180–380 | $8–35 | Easy |
 Motor hums but won’t spin up | Run capacitor | $180–380 | $18–30 | Medium (discharge first) |
 Takes two or three cycles to dry | Lint filter / airflow path | $180–380 | $13–30 | Easy |
Look down that DIY column. Even at the top of each band you’re keeping roughly 70–90% of what a call-out would cost — and on a belt or a filter, closer to 95%. That’s the whole case in one table. Not sure which part your machine takes? Send us your model number and we’ll check it against the sticker.
“Not heating” — the fault that sends people shopping for a new dryer
A dryer that tumbles happily but blows cold air is the single most common “it’s cactus, time for a new one” panic — and it’s almost never scrap. On a vented or condenser dryer it’s usually the heating element; on a heat-pump machine it’s the heater assembly; and on any type it can be the thermostat or overload cut-out that’s tripped.
The cut-out is worth understanding, because it’s often the real root cause and the cheapest fix. It’s a safety device that kills the heat when the dryer runs too hot — and the number-one reason it trips is a blocked lint path starving the machine of airflow. Clear the lint (that part’s free), and if the cut-out has failed open, a replacement thermostat/overload part sits in the $18–30 band.
If it’s genuinely the element, match it to your model type first. Our guides walk it through by machine: vented dryers not heating, condenser dryers not heating, and heat-pump dryers not heating. If you just want to know which element suits your machine, the which element fits guide sorts Solt, InAlto, Omega, Euromaid and Stirling. Condenser owners: the condenser dryer heater is a like-for-like swap once you’re in.
Safety, plainly: elements, heater assemblies, thermostats and capacitors are mains-voltage jobs. Always isolate the power at the wall and pull the plug before you open anything, discharge a capacitor before you touch its terminals, and be honest with yourself about your comfort level — in some cases mains work legally needs a licensed person. If you’d rather not go near live wiring, that’s exactly the moment a call-out earns its fee. The confident-DIY wins here are the mechanical, non-mains swaps: belts and filters.
“Drum won’t turn” — almost always the belt
If the motor hums or runs but the drum sits still — or the drum spins by hand far too freely — the belt has usually snapped or stretched off its pulley. It’s the easiest and cheapest repair on this whole list: a dryer fan belt sits in the $8–35 band, and it’s a mechanical job with no live wiring once the machine’s unplugged.
It’s a genuine kitchen-table repair. Our Simpson drum-won’t-turn walkthrough covers the common vented models, and the drum belt replacement how-to covers vented, condenser and heat-pump routing. Paying a repairer $180–380 to loop a belt back over two pulleys is the definition of a job worth doing yourself.
“Taking two or three cycles to dry” — the lint path first
Long dry times cost you twice: the machine runs for hours and your power bill climbs with it. Before you condemn anything, the fix is usually free or nearly so — a clogged lint filter or a blocked vent hose chokes the airflow the dryer needs to carry moisture away. Clean the filter every load, check the outlet duct isn’t kinked or packed, and you’ll often get your dryer back on the spot. A cracked or collapsed filter sits in the $13–30 band.
If airflow is clear and it’s still crawling, a partly failed element that heats weakly can be the culprit — same parts as the “not heating” section above. Worth knowing what the machine costs to run either way: our winter running-cost guide compares vented, condenser and heat-pump so you can weigh a repair against the ongoing bill.
Vented, condenser or heat-pump — does the type change the answer?
Mostly, no — belts, filters, thermostats and capacitors are cheap, easy swaps across all three types. Where it shifts is the heating job. On a vented or condenser dryer the element is a modest part and a medium job. On a heat-pump dryer the heating is a sealed refrigeration-style system, and the heater assembly is a bigger-ticket part behind a deeper strip-down. It’s still a fraction of a new heat-pump dryer, but be realistic about the difficulty — this is the one heating repair where getting a quote first is sensible.
When it’s genuinely not worth repairing
Honesty is the point of this piece, so here’s the short walk-away list. If the cabinet or drum is rusted through, if a heat-pump dryer’s sealed compressor system has failed (a big, specialised job), or if you’re stacking an expensive repair onto a very old, basic machine that’s already limping — then replacement can be the smarter spend. The rule of thumb: if the fix comes in well under about half the cost of a comparable new dryer, and the rest of the machine is sound, repair it. On the faults in the table above, the maths almost always lands on “fix it”.
How to be sure before you spend a cent
Confirm the fault for free first. Unplug the machine, then: spin the drum by hand (spins loose = belt); run a short cycle and feel for heat after a couple of minutes (cold = element, thermostat/overload or, on a hum, the capacitor); and clean the lint filter and check the vent (slow drying). Then find the model sticker — usually around the door opening or on the back panel — and match the code against the dryer parts store, and send us the model number if you want it checked against the sticker before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Q: My dryer runs but the clothes come out cold — is it worth fixing?
A: Almost always. Tumbling-but-cold is usually a tripped thermostat/overload cut-out (often caused by a blocked lint path), a failed heating element on a vented or condenser dryer, or the heater assembly on a heat-pump machine. The cut-out and element sit in the $18–70 range — a fraction of the $180–380 a call-out commonly costs, let alone a new dryer.
Q: The drum won’t turn but the motor makes a noise. What’s the fix?
A: That’s the classic snapped or stretched belt. A dryer fan belt is typically $8–35 and it’s the easiest repair on the list — a mechanical swap with no live wiring once the machine’s unplugged. Match your model number and follow the drum-belt how-to.
Q: Is a dryer element a safe DIY job?
A: It’s a mains-voltage part, so isolate the power at the wall and pull the plug before you open anything, and if you’re not confident around wiring — or your situation legally requires it — get a licensed person. The truly low-risk, confident-DIY swaps are the mechanical ones: belts and lint filters.
Q: My dryer takes two or three cycles to dry a load. Do I need a new one?
A: Rarely. Long dry times are almost always airflow — a clogged lint filter or a blocked, kinked vent hose. Clean the filter, clear the duct, and you’ll usually get it back for nothing. If airflow is clear and it’s still slow, a weakly heating element can be the cause.
Q: How do I know which part actually fits my dryer?
A: Read the model number off the sticker (usually around the door opening or on the back panel) and match it. Use the part finder, check the “which element fits” guide, or send us your model number and we’ll check it against the sticker before you order.
Bottom line: on the faults that scare people most, a dryer is worth repairing far more often than not — and the part plus an afternoon keeps most of what a repairer would charge. Find your exact part and get the load moving again.
Disclaimer: this article is general information only and is provided without warranty of any kind. Appliance designs vary between models and production runs — always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, switch off and unplug the appliance before starting any work, and confirm parts against the model number on your appliance’s model sticker. Any repair is undertaken at your own risk and Oz Appliance Spares accepts no liability for injury, loss or damage arising from work performed after reading this guide, to the maximum extent permitted by law. If in doubt, use a qualified technician.
