We get asked a lot for parts that are normally plastic if people can get metal versions as the particular part they’re after keep breaking. There’s never that sort of an alternative and, for a good reason and using the most common ones as examples, we’ll explain why that is.

You really need to appreciate that parts don’t act in isolation. They’re parts after all, but the very definition is that it is a “part” of a larger item, meaning that any given part relies on other “parts” to make up the whole product.

Of course, the same can be said of any part, it has a reliance on other parts, but we’re just looking at some of the most common examples here to demonstrate the point.

And as always, you can simply drop us a line at spares@ukwhitegoods.co.uk if you need any parts and we’ll find what you need.

Integrated Door Fixings

People ask, “Can I get metal versions of the door fixings for my appliance?”

No. For good reason.

You see, these are made from plastic or resin that is often very slightly pliable to allow for some movement as, over time, doors and hinges move, so if they were completely fixed to one position, then as soon as something didn’t line up… well, it wouldn’t end up being very good.

It’d also allow for zero flexibility in installation; everything would have to be 100% accurate.

Then there’s noise, if say a fridge freezer slide and guide for the integrated door did more, was metal and was even very slightly out the noise would be horrendous. Or you’d be greasing or whatever the parts all the time. Not a good solution.

Then, if they were metal and things did go wrong it’s incredibly likely that the brackets might not break but, it’d rip holes in the outer wooden door or the appliance door and neither of those are as cheap or easy to replace as the slides and guides are.

So to make these parts from a more flexible, no noise and more fragile material makes complete sense and, we’d argue, the only logical choice.

If these parts break regularly, then there is another issue, usually with door alignment.

Fridge Bottle Shelves

People will ask us if they can get an alternative bottle shelf or a stronger one as the one they have keeps breaking.

No, you can’t. These are moulded to specifically fit that door and there will be no alternatives, period. Apart from maybe the same part on another part number as it’s used by someone else as well.

The reason they break and, there’s no nice way to put this, is from loading them up too much or dropping things onto them. There really is no other possible explanation.

That said, some are better than others of course with the more upmarket appliances tending to be better built, with better and stronger shelves. Not always true but, for the most part it will prove to be so.

But when we see what people put on these shelves (we get photos and have field experience) it’s a wonder that some of them last as long as they do.

EU products aren’t designed to take supersized milk and juice cartons, they weigh more then the lowly European market fridge shelves were built for and, that’s often the problem. People putting two or more massive 3 lite containers so if you’re using those in a bog standard fridge, we’d say rethink what you’re doing as you’re asking for trouble.

But, back to the point, the shelf is designed to break in a way before it wrecks the inner door panel. Makes sense right? 

If the shelf breaks that’s better than the inner door which will in most modern units mean a new door costing way over £100 whereas a bottle shelf will typically be less than £30. And, once people break one or two they tend to get the message about the overloading problem.

Manufacturers really aren’t ripping people off with this one either, they’re often saving people from themselves.

Door Frames Etc.

Door frames on washing machines and tumble dryers is another one we get asked about, people are looking for metal versions or tougher ones that don’t exist.

The same sort of thing applies, if the door frame or catch breaks, it is less expensive and a whole lot easier to put right than the alternatives. Like door locks, cabinet panels and so forth.

Now normally we’d bang on about customer misuse here because that is essentially what causes these sorts of failures but just close the doors, don’t slam them and don’t overload so you’re having to force the doors shut will do for now.

But magically breaking all by themselves for no reason… nope, it doesn’t happen.

It does make complete sense when you stop and think about it, that you’d design so that the cheaper and easier-to-replace item fails first. Or you could argue that makers do it this way to prevent people from causing yet more damage, so take your pick.

The bottom line, though, is they do what they do for a reason and a good one.

More About Saving You

The title of this section says it all really, a lot of these design choices are much more about saving the customer money or saving further implications and damage from failure or even making installation easier and better.

In virtually all instances, it’s not about ripping people off at all.

We completely understand how people can get annoyed with some of these irritating things and we get why, without knowledge or thinking it through completely, why people would presume that there must be a better solution but all too often there’s not.

Sure, there are differences in quality, as we mentioned earlier, often the more upmarket products have better design and better parts in them than do last longer but, they’re not infallible and, they’re not designed to be. They are designed to be functional and to cause as little grief as possible as a part of the whole product.

You can get better, yes. But that will involve a better appliance, not a better part of one.